By Viggo Stacey. There are two crown princes of English language testing in terms of reputation and legacy in the admissions world. TOEFL has been administered by Educational Testing Service since 1965, while IELTS, jointly owned by the British Council, IDP: IELTS Australia and Cambridge Assessment English, is an 80s child, celebrating its 30th anniversary in 2019. More...
15 janvier 2020
Bringing Honest Exchange Into Kids' Lives
By Stephen Downes - Stephen's Web. Bringing Honest Exchange Into Kids' Lives
As part of her ongoing dialog with Diane Ravitch, Deborah Meier "That's what we need now in the USA: a task force to study how democracy can be learned." I don't think you learn democracy by being told about democratic principles. I think you learn only by practicing democracy. When I was in high school I studied public speaking, took part in debating and model parliament, participated in model conferences with other schools, the works. More...
Opposing View: NCLB Fails Our Schools
By Stephen Downes - Stephen's Web. Opposing View: NCLB Fails Our Schools
I don't know why this is called the 'opposing' view - it seems to be prevailing wisdom by now. But I guess we're still waiting for an autonomous press. Anyhow, New Mexico governor Bill Richardson writes, "I have a one-point plan for No Child Left Behind: Scrap it." I am inclined to agree. From where I sit (and admittedly, that's somewhere outside the building) it seems to me that NCLB is a large exercise undertaken in lieu of actually funding education. It's a way to distract attention from the low teacher salaries, the unequal allocation of funds across divisions, the lack of investment in equipment and resources, and the general abdication of government responsibility for education. More...
Schools Alone Cannot Help Poor
By Stephen Downes - Stephen's Web. Schools Alone Cannot Help Poor
Children who are poor need a number of things. They need good nutrition, perhaps more than their parents can afford. They need a stimulating environment, preferably with good internet connectivity. They need support and encouragement, an environment that sets high expectations and recognizes and values when they are met. Out-of-school programs may be key to this. More...
Prepared, poised, proficient: testing goals
Travel within UK is motivator for Chinese students
By Viggo Stacey. A key motivation for Chinese students to study in the UK is down to the fact that they have the opportunity to travel around the country, new research has revealed. More...
14 janvier 2020
'Students have a bad name': how cities are healing the town v gown divide
Rapidly expanding universities have overwhelmed local communities. How can students integrate. More...People listen to Greta Thunberg because of her creativity, not just her science
Blue Planet, Extinction Rebellion and Greta Thunberg are all household names bringing information about serious environmental issues to the masses. They’ve helped green issues shoot up the agenda for this year’s general election, with a poll last month revealing that more than half of voters said that the climate emergency would influence how they cast their vote. More...
I taught at a 'for-profit' college. They're predatory disasters
Students rack up debt for worthless diplomas – debt they default on at twice the rate of their peers at traditional colleges. More...
'The Netflixisation of academia': is this the end for university lectures?
Universities are increasingly recording lectures, but academics are wary of being spied on or made obsolete. More...
Brighton College links with Cognita in Singapore
By Viggo Stacey. UK independent school, Brighton College has announced it will open an international school in Singapore next year together with Cognita – a global K-12 educator that currently has 73 schools in eight countries. More...
