The image of the sarcastic teacher is a common one. From the masterful speech given by Socrates at his trial for corruption (his “apology”), to the withering insults of Mr Gilbert on The Inbetweeners TV show, sarcasm and teachers seem inextricably linked. More...

There’s no shortage of talk about the need to get more students to go into STEM majors. But a growing body of research, including our own at the Institute for Democracy and Higher Education at Tufts University, indicates there might also be a need to get more STEM majors to go to the polls. More...

The need for students to learn about racism in American society existed long before I began teaching a course called “White Racism” at Florida Gulf Coast University earlier this year. More...

Potentially related to Japanese, Korean first borrowed its writing system from Chinese characters. But King Sejong the Great introduced a new writing system in the 15th century. He wanted everybody to be able to read and write, which had been difficult when using Chinese characters.
The new writing system, Hangul, was an innovation Koreans are still proud of today. The document in which it was introduced, the Hunminjeongeum, is one of Korea’s most important historical documents; the date of its publication – October 9, 1446 – is now Hangul Day, a public holiday. More...

While Breakwell’s annual salary of A$812,000 created a storm, Australia’s highest paid vice-chancellors take home around 1.5 times that. In fact, Breakwell’s salary would rank 28th in Australia out of 38 vice-chancellors. More...

It’s a hoary old debate: how much do our genes define how we grow and learn, and how much is due to the environment? A new study by Kong and colleagues shows that parents’ genes, even those not passed on to children, have major effects on kids’ health and educational attainment. More...

When left out in the heat, foods such as meat, cheese, fish and milk will spoil and start to smell because of bacteria such as Pseudomonas. But while it’s certainly not a good idea for your child to nibble on spoiled foods, such bacteria don’t usually result in gastrointestinal symptoms. More...

The focus on gender in “next step” interventions is noticeably absent. Intervention protocols have viewed teenage girls’ and boys’ online interaction as more or less the same. This is a mistake. Teenage girls, especially those aged 12 to 14, are more likely than any other demographic to experience cyberbullying, and anxiety and depression after bullying episodes. More...

International education is one of the pillars of economic growth in Australia. The government is committed to welcoming people who genuinely want, and can afford, to study here. More...

Australian schools are now wrestling with a new digital technologies curriculum. In this new subject, every student in Australia will learn the fundamentals of computer science, data science and coding. More...