Classroom

Page 1 of 2
1 2

Australia’s back-to-school plans explained: the evidence about children and coronavirus

Noticias

Oceania/ Australia/ 05.05.2020/ Source: www.theguardian.com.

The federal and Victorian governments are in disagreement over whether it is safe for students and teachers to return to school, as a number of other states prepare for their students to come back to class.

While New South Wales and Queensland are planning a phased return to on-site schooling, Victoria is holding steadfast against bringing students, other than those from essential workers, back into the classroom.

The matter blew up on Sunday when federal education minister Dan Tehan was forced to withdraw comments he made on the ABC questioning Victorian premier Daniel Andrews’ leadership over the split on the issue, stating Andrews should be listening to the national health panel, not just his chief health officer.

What is the federal advice?

The advice from the Australian Health Protection Principal Committee, on which the Victorian chief health officer also sits, says there is “very limited evidence” of transmission between children in a school environment.

On Sunday, chief medical officer Brendan Murphy pointed to research about school transmissions of coronavirus both locally in NSW and in Europe.

“Our advice is transmission between children in schools is not well established,” he said. “And in fact there is increasing data now, data from Europe and the NSW study, we think children are not high transmitters of the virus in the school environment.”

He said there is a potential risk for adults in the staffroom, and at drop-offs, and a range of mitigations have been recommended to reduce the risk.

Australia’s chief medical officer Brendan Murphy (left) with the prime minister Scott Morrison.
Pinterest
 Australia’s chief medical officer Brendan Murphy (left) with the prime minister Scott Morrison. Photograph: Lukas Coch/AAP

What does the NSW study say?

The NSW study, released last month, assessed the initial 18 cases between March and April of teachers and students testing positive for coronavirus.

The study looked at 735 students and 128 staff who were close contacts of the 18 cases. No teacher or staff member contracted coronvirus from those cases, and one child from a primary school and one child from a classroom may have contracted coronavirus from one of the initial 18 cases.

“The findings from this detailed investigation are preliminary. However, they do suggest that spread of Covid-19 within NSW schools has been very limited.”

What do international studies say?

Murphy admits that studies have been limited, but has pointed specifically to studies out of Europe to support the AHPPC position.

A study out of the Netherlands reported children are less likely to get infected from the virus from adults, and adults are much less likely to pass it on to children, except in a home environment.

A UK study of a child who returned from the French Alps with coronavirus, and subsequently went to three schools while asymptomatic and did not transmit the virus argued it could lend evidence to the notion the transmission rate for children might be different to adults.

An analysis of over 100 studies that have been done on coronavirus transmission stated there is limited evidence of children transmitting the virus, but more data is needed.

“The role of children in transmission is unclear, but consistent evidence is demonstrating a lower likelihood of acquiring infection, and lower rates of children bringing infections into households,” the analysis states.

However, German research released last month suggested children can be as infectious as adults.

Why does Victoria disagree with the federal government’s position?

Victoria’s chief health officer Brett Sutton
Pinterest
 Victoria’s chief health officer Brett Sutton says children at school with minimal symptoms could end up contributing to community transmission. Photograph: James Ross/AAP

Victoria’s chief health officer Brett Sutton has said he doesn’t disagree that infection rates among children are lower, but he viewed keeping schools closed as a measure to lower overall community transmission, particularly for teachers, staff and parents.

“I know there haven’t been significant outbreaks in schools … but again it may be that kids who are very minimally symptomatic could transmit to other children, and it can be a contribution to community transmission,” he said.

“I’ve also been very clear that I don’t see schools as a dangerous place to be, but to the extent that kids learning from home can contribute to suppressing transmission at a community level, I think that’s a useful thing to consider.”

Andrews has said his decision on schools will be based on Sutton’s advice and Sutton has refused to reconsider his advice on sending children back to school until the state of emergency is reviewed on 11 May.

There have been indications that students in Victoria could stay learning from home for the entirety of term two.

Source of the notice: https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2020/may/05/australias-back-to-school-plans-expose-schism-around-children-and-coronavirus

Comparte este contenido:
Leer más »

16 Million Children Out Of School In Nigeria -Adamu, Former Education Minister

Noticias

Africa/ Nigeria/ 02.08.2019/ Source: saharareporters.com.

 

Adamu Adamu, a former education minister, has said the number of out-of-school children in the country now stands at over 16 million.

Adamu, who is also one of the 43 ministerial nominees submitted to the senate for screening and confirmation stated this while fielding questions from senatirs on Wednesday.

The Nation reports that the new figure of 16 million, however, contradicts the 13 million out-of-school children being bandied around.

The ministerial nominee told the senate that the 16 million figure was based on a February 2019 census.

Adamu noted that out-of-primary-school children stood at 10 million, while children out-of-secondary-school are six million.

He blamed the high number on poor funding of education in the country by states and the federal government.

Adamu also said it appeared that more Nigerians are now corrupt despite President Muhammadu Buhari’s anti-corruption campaign.

Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, said the legislature and the executive arm of government should work together to get the children back to the classrooms.

Lawan said: “It is our responsibility to get these children out of (the streets). The senate and the executive need to work together to get these children back to the classroom.

“We can’t continue to have them on our streets. It poses a serious security problem and we need to stop it. Maybe that will be through more budgetary allocations.”

Source of the notice: http://saharareporters.com/2019/07/25/16-million-children-out-school-nigeria-adamu-former-education-minister

Comparte este contenido:
Leer más »

19 mini herramientas útiles para educación

Reseñas

Por: Ayudaparamaestros.

 

Haced clic en el título de cada mini herramienta para acceder a ella. ¡Espero que os sirvan!

1. Type A4 – Herramienta para hacer carteles de una letra por hoja.

2. Chronas – Mapa interactivos para descubrir la historia del mundo.

3. ClassroomScreen – Herramientas muy útiles para el desarrollo de las clases.

4. PuzzleFast – Para crear pasatiempos y juegos imprimibles en segundos.

5. I love PDF – Convierte, comprime, dividi, une, edita y transforma online cualquier PDF.

6. Mclibre – Generador de hojas de caligrafía personalizadas.

7. The Newspaper Clipping Generator – Permite crear noticias con aspecto de periódico.

8. Toy Theater – Web con infinidad de juegos interactivos.

9. Word Art – Para crear nubes de palabras. Antes se llamaba Tagul.

10. Video Ciborg – Herramienta gratuita para descargar los vídeos de una web con un solo clic.

11. Apagraph – Para crear y compartir frases o citas con mucho estilo.

12. Pictotraductor – Transforma frases en castellano en secuencias de imágenes.

13. Fluky – Para realizar sorteos o elegir algo al azar.

14. Guerrillamail – Herramienta para crear un email temporal.

15. Vizia – Permite crear vídeos con preguntas o anotaciones.

16. Incredibox – Aplicación sencilla para jugar con los ritmos y crear melodías.

17. WiseMapping – Para crear mapas conceptuales.

18. SEN Teacher –  Recursos evitables y gratuitos para diferentes áreas.

19. Team Maker – Herramienta online para hacer grupos o equipos al momento.

Fuente de la reseña: http://www.ayudaparamaestros.com/2019/06/19-mini-herramientas-utiles-para.html?m=1[24/6

Comparte este contenido:
Leer más »

New Zealand: Decile funding system changes in education will not be successful if made in isolation

Noticias

New Zealand/May 29, 2018/Source: https://www.nzherald.co.nz

Education is one of our most critical sectors, and it is hardly surprising, therefore, that education policies and practices are often among the most controversial.

Government ministers want to make their mark on the portfolio, research and other international developments offer continually evolving ways of looking at the way in which we teach and learn, societal changes mean schools increasingly take on a larger role in children’s lives – all of which can mean increased funding pressures and regular changes to systems, processes, learning models, curriculums, and measures of achievement.

Those changes, and increasing immigration and mobility, mean parents have often learnt in different places and ways to their children, which can make understanding new systems and supporting children in their learning difficult, too.

The overall result can be one of confusion and alienation, when parents should be able to rest assured their school is equipping their child with what they need in order to go confidently and competently out into the world.

Various reports over the past decades have highlighted increasing inequality in educational achievement. Alongside that, the egalitarian notion of a free state education is fast becoming a myth, as the cost of the basics, plus «voluntary» donations for all the extras, puts immense pressure on families.

Political parties, unions, school boards, teaching staff, parents and children may have very different ideas about various education policies, yet it seems, when it comes to the latest debate – over the school decile funding system – there is a consensus.

The 20-plus-year-old system was designed to allocate funding and staff to schools according to the socioeconomic demographic of the surrounding area, yet it has had the undesirable effect of being used by parents as a perceived measure of educational standard, leading to distorted rolls, zoning implementations, and the use of terms such as «educational apartheid» and «white flight» as middle-class parents snub local low-decile schools.

The previous National-led Government had planned a new funding system based on the risks of each student underachieving (draft factors included ethnicity, mother’s income and age when she gave birth, and whether the male caregiver was not the biological father), and the new Labour-led coalition Government still plans to adopt the system – although it will make some alterations and has just said it will defer the introduction for a couple of years while it sorts out funding. Education Minister Chris Hipkins is also anxious to ensure the new system does not simply end up transferring stigma from schools to individual children (even though the data to be used will be anonymised) and, in line with this thinking, he has also renamed National’s «risk index» an «equity index».

While change is clearly necessary, care and caution are essential for the sake of stability for the country’s educators and learners. It is vital to ensure there are no unintended negative consequences. It is also timely to examine whether a significant funding boost is required to help the sector cope with the diverse demands on it today.

An egalitarian education system remains an admirable and worthwhile aim, yet achieving that will be impossible in isolation. Until the yawning socio-economic disparities are addressed elsewhere, their effects will inevitably continue to be felt in the classroom – no matter how well-meaning any government or how dedicated the country’s teachers.

Source:

https://www.nzherald.co.nz/education/news/article.cfm?c_id=35&objectid=12058502&ref=rss

Comparte este contenido:
Leer más »

Kenya Among the Leaders in Using ICT in the Classroom in Africa

Noticias

Kenya/14.05.2018/By Margaret Njugunah/ From: allafrica.

Abu Dhabi — East Africa is leading Africa in terms of integration of technology in the education sector.

Warren Fleur, Microsoft’s Regional Manager, Education Industry Sub Saharan Africa, says Kenya is leading the pack, followed by Rwanda. He spoke to Capital Business on the sidelines of the ongoing Bett MEA summit in Abu Dhabi at the United Arabs Emirates.

Describe to us the status of integration of technology in Kenya and the rest of the continent

It is a mixed bag where we are seeing substantial innovations in some parts of the continent while other places are seen to be lagging behind.

In Kenya with the digital literacy learning programme, we are seeing not just technology being used in the classroom, but also more broadly where there are programmes to support and sustain such innovations to make them more meaningful. These include activities such as modernizing the curriculum, teacher-training on the application of the programme or introducing digital content.

There is also Rwanda which is following in the footsteps of Kenya. There are however countries that are really lagging behind on the continent.

How does the continent compare with the rest of the world, for instance, UAE and the larger Middle East?

It is an unfair comparison considering we are a much larger population and have more intractable issues with infrastructure for example, so it is quite unfair. There, however, are similar challenges that include modernizing the curricula and applying new approaches towards teaching. Use of innovation in the classroom will definitely help them overcome these challenges. It will be about using technology in a way that will attract and spark innovation in the students. Teachers need to inspire this in students as it is being seen at the UAE. Africa could learn this from schools in the UAE.

What are Microsoft showcase schools and how many are there in Kenya?

Microsoft showcase schools are spaces where not only are there great teaching practices but also the application of technology to support innovative approaches towards learning. We consider them to be a holistic delivery of change; new teaching practices, new ways of using content, new ways of using virtual technology and new ways of collaborating with schools around the world.

Currently, there are about forty showcase schools around the continent and about seven in Kenya.

Why do parents, schools and society need to accept the new norm of having technology in the education system?

As we approach the third decade of the millennium, we need to prepare the students of the ever-changing world. We cannot begin to imagine what the class of 2030 will be doing in terms of technology or the kind of jobs they will have created. This is why we need to encourage them to integrate technology into their education.

Describe to the modern student

The modern student across Africa is rich, collaborative, thinks differently and has a computation mindset. He also thinks about problem-solving in unique ways. Africa is inherently a problem-solving part of the world and this student is the one looking for a solution where they use technology.

From: http://allafrica.com/stories/201804240348.html.

Comparte este contenido:
Leer más »

United States: Study findings aim to improve teacher preparedness strategies

Noticias

United States / March 24, 2018/By: Miranda García/Dailycampus

Resumen: Los hallazgos de un estudio de los Institutos Americanos de Investigación están orientados a mejorar las estrategias de preparación de los docentes y podrían aplicarse a programas de preenseñanza de pregrado y posgrado en todo el país para preparar mejor a las personas que desean convertirse en docentes, Jenny DeMonte y Jane Coggshall de AIR dijo.

 The findings of an American Institutes for Research (AIR) study are geared toward improving strategies for teacher preparedness and could be applied to undergraduate and graduate pre-teaching programs across the country to better prepare people who want to become teachers, Jenny DeMonte and Jane Coggshall of AIR said.

DeMonte and Coggshall said these findings include a push for specific and practice-driven research, which involves targeting a particular issue regarding teacher preparedness and then testing out new strategies in a real classroom. The study also calls for the use of observational feedback from students and researchers in classrooms and a strong emphasis on measurement and data collection to allow for repetition of successful practices.

“The report validates what the Neag faculty already have been doing.

— Dr. Suzanne Wilson

The findings of this large-scale study are consistent with other teacher preparedness studies across the country, Dr. Suzanne Wilson, Neag Endowed Professor of Teacher Education at the University of Connecticut and Chair of Curriculum and Instruction in the Neag School, said in an email.

“Teacher preparedness has been the focus of a great deal of (at times) impassioned debate in the last thirty years,” Wilson said. “The teacher workforce is the largest profession in the U.S.; preparing close to four million teachers to be high quality is challenging.”

The study involved participants from schools across the country, including Northern Arizona University, Indiana University and Drexel University, to bring together strategies on the usually divided topic of teacher preparedness approaches, DeMonte and Coggshall said.

“As one of our country’s most important social institutions, schools – and teachers – are a site for debate about U.S. values and priorities, and as a divided public, it is not surprising that we would be divided on the question of how teachers are prepared,” Wilson said. “The conference on which the report is based made a conscientious effort to collect both practitioners and researchers who have interests in teacher education in one place, and to provide structures to support collective work toward common ends, rather than debate.”

The study began in April 2017 when a panel of more than three dozen teacher-educators, school district leaders and researchers came together to plan an investigation into how to better prepare teachers, DeMonte and Coggshall said.

A new research design was utilized in the study in which the participants convened first to plan their investigation, tested their new strategies out in the classroom and then reconvened to discuss their findings, DeMonte and Coggshall said.

Wilson said Neag has already used some of these findings, from studies similar to this one in the past.

“The Neag teacher preparation program has embraced several of the cornerstones of these reforms, including strong partnerships with local schools in which prospective teachers have extensive clinical practice, a focus on high leverage practices and using data in ways that enable nimble and rapid changes when programmatic weaknesses are identified,” Wilson said. “So the report validates what the Neag faculty already have been doing.”

 Fuente: http://dailycampus.com/stories/2018/3/21/study-findings-aim-to-improve-teacher-preparedness-strategies
Comparte este contenido:
Leer más »

Can one learn to be creative?

Hazlina Aziz

By Hazlina Aziz

IN the next few years, more than three generations may be working side by side at the workplace. They are the Baby Boomers, Generation X, Generation Y (also known as millennials) and Generation Z.

Gen Z, who were born after 1995, are beginning to appear in the workplace. By next year, Gen Z is expected to represent more than 20 per cent of the workforce.

Growing up in a world where the Internet, social media and mobile technology have always existed, they will bring their new technology and big ideas with them. It can be a significant challenge to prepare for the clash of these four generations.

Many organisations are still struggling to analyse the challenge that millennials pose in the workplace.

But, how different will Gen Z really be? A digitally innate generation of students, Gen Z have access to more information than the generations before them. Growing up in the age of technology provides them with more outlets and digital tools for exploration and expression.

So, they are said to be more curious, innovative and open-minded than past generations.

While they should be more advanced in searching for information and figuring things out on their own, they also expect everything to be available at any time and with low barriers of access. With Gen Z starting university and the first batch graduating soon, are the schools preparing them for their future? Is higher education ready for them?

A study done by Adobe that provides insight into Malaysian Gen Z students shows that they are feeling unprepared for the problems the “real world” face today, and want greater focus on creativity and hands-on learning in the classroom.

The study, “Gen Z in the Classroom: Creating the Future”, surveyed 250 Gen Z students between the ages of 11 and 17, and 100 teachers in Malaysia.

A similar study was also conducted in five Asia-Pacific (Apac) countries — Australia, India, Thailand, China and Korea. For Malaysia, they found 97 per cent of students and 100 per cent of teachers — the highest rating among five other countries — see creativity as essential to students’ future success.

Malaysian Gen Z students also have mixed emotions when it comes to their future after they finish schools.

According to the study, they feel “excited” and “curious”, but at the same time “nervous” or “worried”. Some are concerned that schools have not properly prepared them for the real world.

They believe that there are a variety of careers that require creativity. Ninety six per cent of students from this study believe their future careers would involve creativity.

Both students and teachers alike agree that Gen Z learn best through hands-on experience and wish that there is more focus on creativity. Students feel that classes focusing on computers and technology hone their creativity and will best prepare them for their future.

Developing creative people is an aim that most in education share; there have been growing calls to nurture and teach creativity from an early age in schools and universities.

The World Economic Forum predicts that creativity will rise from the 10th most sought-after skill in 2015 to the third in 2020.

But, what is creativity? It can seem that creativity is a natural gift for those who are lucky, for instance, great artists, musicians or entrepreneurs. Can one learn to be creative? Can we prime the mind for creative ideas to emerge?

Research has shown that creativity is a skill that can be taught, practised and developed. With imagination, we can be wired to be creative. Creative thinkers in any discipline are those who can tackle complex problems and develop innovative solutions.

Of course, this does not mean that you can teach one to be a genius. The techniques of teaching creativity are not going to turn a student into Einstein or Picasso.

It is more about encouraging day-to-day creative thinking that can make a student, and then later, as an adult, more productive.

Many educators claim to value creativity, but they do not always prioritise it. In some parts of the world, teaching creativity is already a necessary part of an undergraduate experience.

The International Centre for Studies in Creativity at Buffalo State College in New York is the world’s first university department of its type.

The term “makerspace” in education — probably still new in Malaysia’s education scene — is also the buzzword now to refer to physical spaces that support learning and doing, in a way that redefines traditional schooling. It provides hands-on experiences and encourages creative ways for students to design, experiment, build and invent.

How can creativity be cultivated in the classroom? The way Gen Z students consume and learn today is very different from past generations, hence, educators in Malaysia need to provide the right environment, updated tools and creative outlets to bring out the best in their students and foster innovative problem-solving skills the future workforce will need.

Education systems should focus less on the reproduction of information and more on critical thinking and problem solving. There are multiple solutions to open-ended and complex problems, a situation that the students will face as they pursue future careers.

Encouraging divergent instead of convergent thinking leads to solving problems that do not have one correct answer.

However, it is important to remember that teaching creativity does not mean that we should throw out the textbooks and exams while encouraging children to let their minds wander rather than concentrate in the classroom.

Children should not be given free rein for their imagination to run wild at the cost of understanding a subject. In encouraging creativity, I believe if you want to think outside the box, you must fully understand what is inside the box first.

Link: https://www.nst.com.my/opinion/columnists/2018/01/330504/can-one-learn-be-creative

Comparte este contenido:
Leer más »
Page 1 of 2
1 2