Education – News, Research and Analysis – The Conversation

Giving disabled people access to higher education would improve their social mobility. Shutterstock

November 30, 2017

Improving education inclusion for disabled people in Indonesia

Dina Afrianty, Australian Catholic University and Karen Soldatic, Western Sydney University

An Indonesia-Australia collaboration is working to improve inclusion for disabled people in Indonesian schools, including in Islamic institutions.

Parents find new methods for learning math challenging, as they are different. But they work for children, building upon what they have learned about numbers and reinforcing the strategy they use for reading. (Shutterstock)

November 29, 2017

The ‘new math’: How to support your child in elementary school

Lynda Colgan, Queen's University, Ontario

You may not know it, but the elementary math wars are raging. Our expert explains the ‘new math’ - why it works for kids, and how to do it.

November 24, 2017

What Quaker schools can teach the rest of the class about equality, mutual respect and learning

Nigel Newton, University of Bristol

When it comes to engaging young people in their school studies, inclusivity means a lot.

A still from a popular movie, Rainbow Troops, depicts teacher Muslimah, a character based on a real teacher, who inspires her students. Indonesia requires teachers to have passion. Miles Films & Mizan Productions

November 23, 2017

Can passion make better teachers and cure Indonesia’s poor learning level?

Heni Kurniasih, SMERU Research Institute and Mirza Annisa Izati, SMERU Research Institute

Indonesia has allocated a huge percentage of education funding to improve the quality of teachers through various reforms. Yet their performance has not improved. What was missing?

Promoting mechanisation for small scale farmers in Africa is proving incredibly difficult. Shutterstock

November 21, 2017

What needs to be done to give Africa’s smallholder farmers access to machinery

Thomas Daum, University of Hohenheim and Regina Birner, University of Hohenheim

Mechanisation of agricultural activity can help many African countries unlock underutilised agricultural potential. But there are serious obstacles which must be removed.

The Ottoman empire facilitated the movement of ideas and people across Europe and Asia. Wikimedia

November 20, 2017

The concept of ‘Western civilisation’ is past its use-by date in university humanities departments

Catharine Coleborne, University of Newcastle

The new Ramsay Centre for Western Civilisation aims to ‘revive’ liberal arts and the humanities. Yet the ‘civilisation’ model of history is now viewed as deeply flawed.

Many English providers already meet the “new” standards. Shutterstock

November 20, 2017

English test for international students isn’t new, just more standardised

Amanda Muller, Flinders University

Contrary to some reports, there is no new English language test for international students - the government is simply expanding standards already being met by most providers.

A Reconciliation Pole is raised at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, B.C., in April 2017. The 17-metre red cedar pole tells the story of the time before, during and after the Indian residential school system. Thousands of copper nails representing thousands of Indigenous children who died in Canada’s residential schools were hammered into the pole by survivors, affected families, school children and others. (THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck)

November 19, 2017

If ‘indigenizing’ education feels this good, we aren’t doing it right

Monique Giroux, University of Lethbridge

Calls to “indigenize” universities must start with listening - to Indigenous scholars and nations. And real reparation will be painful for settlers, for it will be unsettling.

Many girls in Dar es Salaam’s slums drop out of school because of the costs involved. ICT4D.at/Flickr

November 16, 2017

Jobs and paid-for schooling can keep Tanzanian girls from early marriages

Laura Stark, University of Jyväskylä

Creating more opportunities for young women and girls to work and earn money is a possible solution to early marriages. Subsidising secondary education to keep poorer girls in school is another.

There are claims President Jacob Zuma may push through irresponsible proposals relating to higher education funding. Reuters

November 14, 2017

What the hijacking of South Africa’s Treasury means for the economy

Seán Mfundza Muller, University of Johannesburg

The imposition of the fee free higher education proposal on South Africa’s National Treasury without due consideration represents an escalation of the state capture led by President Jacob Zuma.

Research shows that when parents engage in simple science projects with their kids at home, it boosts their learning in school. (Shutterstock)

November 13, 2017

Science in the home boosts children’s academic success

Lynda Colgan, Queen's University, Ontario

From collecting bugs to using math apps, there are many ways parents can engage in STEM activities with their kids to support their learning.

To make sure we get the most out of education, we may need to both broaden our narrative about standardised testing and try to minimise its negative influences. Shutterstock

November 12, 2017

Support for standardised tests boils down to beliefs about who benefits from it

John Munro, Australian Catholic University

The use of standardised testing is a divisive topic, and most of the disagreement comes down to beliefs about whether using it to control education is a good or bad thing.

The proposed tax bill could make higher ed even less affordable. AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli

November 9, 2017

How the tax package would slam higher ed

Ted Afield, Georgia State University

Republican lawmakers say the proposed changes to the tax code would ‘streamline’ higher ed benefits. But this overhaul would squeeze many, if not most, students and schools.

Teachers need to use their professional understanding and practical reasoning to assess the value of the proposed strategies and when, how and why they should be incorporated into their teaching. Shutterstock

November 8, 2017

Simplistic advice for teachers on how to teach won’t work

Vaughan Prain, Deakin University and Russell Tytler, Deakin University

It’s not enough to base teaching and learning policy on big data analysis, evidence needs to be rich, persuasive and justifiable and provide practical support to develop teaching approaches.

November 7, 2017

The public’s knowledge of anatomy is sketchy – here’s why it matters

Adam Taylor, Lancaster University

Basic anatomical knowledge can save lives.

U.S. President Donald Trump raises his glass in a toast at the start of a dinner in Seoul, South Korea. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)

November 7, 2017

Democracy on life support: Donald Trump’s first anniversary

Henry Giroux, McMaster University

U.S. President Donald Trump’s “scourge of oppressive stupidity” has been in the Oval Office for a year. His assault on higher education is among Trump’s more disturbing penchants.

In Africa, communication technologies have been used in education since the late 1960s. Ymagoo/Fondation Orange

November 5, 2017

How digital technology can help reinvent basic education in Africa

Rohen d’Aiglepierre, Agence française de développement (AFD); Amélie Aubert, Agence française de développement (AFD), and Pierre-Jean Loiret, Agence Universitaire de la Francophonie (AUF)

Information and communication technologies (ICT) offer new opportunities for improving basic education in Africa.

Five hundred years ago, Martin Luther, a professor and preacher, published the 95 Theses, a list of debating points on the Christian religion which sparked the Reformation movement. (Jonathan Schoeps/Shutterstock)

October 30, 2017

The preacher who changed Europe: Reformation at 500 years

Jarrett Carty, Concordia University

Historical accounts of Martin Luther skew or ignore debates about religion and make him hardly recognizable as a pastor and preacher. But his theology changed Europe.

October 26, 2017

South Africa’s finance minister fails to come up with the goods

Owen Skae, Rhodes University

South Africa’s finance minister Malusi Gigaba failed to impress when presenting the eagerly awaited 2017 medium term budget.