Jo Earp

How can you and your colleagues help students better prepare for the challenges and opportunities they’ll face in the future? A major new report looks at the global ‘megatrends’ shaping education. We’ve picked out 10 discussion points and suggestions for possible learning activities to inspire you and your colleagues, and get the conversation started.

We know that participating in sport and physical activity benefits health and wellbeing. New research has found it also has a small positive effect on students’ academic performance, particularly in mathematics and science.

‘How do you respond when leaders opt for optimism, in order to skim over dealing with the real issues that your school and community are cultivating, because it is easier to deny they exist?’ What happens when positivity gets out of hand, and how can we best respond to those who refuse to acknowledge the bad times?

What skills do students need in order to successfully navigate a diverse, complex and rapidly changing world? Seven countries from the Southeast Asia region participated in the PISA questionnaire on global competence, and the data offer some interesting insights.

Algorithms are a key component of computational thinking, and the foundations for developing these skills starts in the early years. What are some of the day-to-day ‘unplugged activities’ that offer teachers easy opportunities for emphasising and building these skills?

Two educators from the Philippines are in the running for teaching’s biggest prize after being selected as finalists from over 8000 nominations. Grade school teacher Michelle Rubio and Science teacher Bryant Acar have both made the top 50 for the US$1 million Global Teacher Prize – the only finalists from the Southeast Asia region.

One of the great things about the teaching profession is the sharing of expertise, knowledge, skills and experience that happens regularly in schools and beyond, including through professional associations. Teacher caught up with members of IGI (Ikatan Guru Indonesia – the Indonesian Teacher Association) to talk about the benefits of being a part of these professional communities.

Whether it's completing homework assignments, preparing for exams, or being required to study remotely during the COVID-19 pandemic, teenage students often need to complete school work at home. But, how many have access to a desk and a quiet place to study? What about those from the most disadvantaged backgrounds?

Researchers have been exploring parent perspectives on international school partnerships involving students, teachers and families in Indonesia and Australia to help identify the strengths and weaknesses of programs.

In the Southeast Asia Primary Learning Metrics (SEA-PLM) 2019 assessment programme, school principals were asked about issues that hindered their school’s capacity to provide instruction. This infographic shows the proportions of children in the six SEA-PLM 2019 countries who attended a school where the principal reported each issue hindered school capacity to a 'large' or 'moderate' extent.