Our Cambridge Schools Conferences this year, in Cambridge (September) and Dubai (December) will address the theme “Education fit for the future – planning for a changing world”. The world has of course never stopped changing, including in ways hard to predict, so what particular changes have we in mind here? These ones in particular, which are prominent […]
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Today we’re celebrating World Teachers’ Day. The day recognises teachers as key both to enhancing the lives of each and every learner and to building sustainable societies based on knowledge, values and ethics. A special day focuses all our minds on the role of teachers, and gives us the opportunity to appreciate particular teachers who […]
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“I’m not a very creative person.” It’s easy to say. Unsuccessful teenage drawings, poems and failed music lessons are enough to put most people off the idea of creativity. Things are changing in the 21st century. Educational thinkers from Sir Ken Robinson to Yong Zhao lament falling levels of creativity in our schools. This may […]
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As Marketing Communications Manager for Europe, I had the pleasure of welcoming over 200 people to Bologna earlier this month for a day-long event dedicated to CLIL (Content Integrated Language Learning) and bilingual education. Delegates included principals, teachers and education specialists. It was really exciting to be a part of this event – the first […]
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Many [students] are unaware of their own thinking processes. [Fewer still] are aware of their own thinking processes while they are thinking. When asked, “How are you solving that problem?” They may reply, “I don’t know. I’m just doing it…” They can’t describe the steps and sequences they use before, during and after problem-solving.’ Costa [i] […]
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‘’Having knowledge but lacking the power to express it clearly is no better than never having any ideas at all’’ – Pericles Pericles and the rest of the ancient world may not have had the likes of Facebook and Twitter but you can bet if they had done, they would have seen it as a […]
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To misquote the 17th century English poet John Donne, ‘No teacher is an island….’[i] This was the thought that came to mind when we recruited for teacher trainers in Malaysia last month. The primary focus was to recruit trainers who are ‘engaged and engaging, and who can understand the needs of our teachers.’ (Paul Ellis, Head of Teaching […]
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Is it possible to support or spark creativity with digital tools? Of course it is. Any resource that challenges, encourages and fosters a sense of enthusiasm in the classroom can have an impact. However, the same could be said for a wild animal running into a learning space. It is crucial to focus on the […]
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With the recent publication of the Developing your school with Cambridge guide,aimed at school leaders and teachers, it is a good time to reflect on what school leadership really means. Everything about a school needs to focus on student learning with the dignity and development of each individual at its heart. While schools have much […]
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Why would you introduce a playwright who died almost 400 years ago to language learners? After all, he wrote in old-fashioned English that seems pretty far away from the way we speak today. One of the usual answers is, ‘because Shakespeare is important’, which is true but ultimately not an argument a 15 year-old will […]
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Ultimately, nothing makes more of a difference than the quality of teaching in classrooms. If we support our teachers to grow and develop effectively then we’re focusing on the most important aspect of any school. I’ve worked with top researchers and top schools and I’ve also been to many schools where they’re getting into difficulty. […]
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I share the view of Dr Bill Mitchell (Director of Education at the British Computer Society) that the reasons for teaching computing are the same as those for teaching anything. There are many definitions, descriptions and depictions of how we choose what to teach our learners. We teach them the knowledge and skills that we […]
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In August 2008, my colleague Taosha and I began teaching Cambridge International AS & A Level Economics at a Cambridge International Centre (CIC) attached to the Shanghai Normal University. Economics was a course favoured by parents but feared by students. Our biggest challenge lay in improving the learning experience for pupils whilst boosting exam performance. […]
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”Stop studying, we’re playing cricket.” What is the rational response to this statement from the student with an exam tomorrow who is fully aware of the long term financial, psychological and social value of a successful education? The correct answer is of course ‘no’. But what did I say when I was a student? “Yes, […]
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Table tennis was not a sport I was familiar with as a child so when one of my sons decided to take the sport up seriously, my husband and I were somewhat surprised. At 14 years old he represents England internationally and our weekends are spent travelling around the UK for tournaments. China are the […]
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The title of this blog post is a question my peers and I would often ask whilst studying at both school and university. We would wonder exactly how what we were learning would benefit us when we got jobs in the future. I graduated from Queen Mary University in London in 2013 and I’ve come […]
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As a teacher of both students and adults for many years, I have questioned whether or not our current educational system prepares young people well enough not only to survive in our ever changing society, but to make a positive impact in their own way. To do this there is no doubt that they need […]
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“Why Cambridge?” is a question we ask all schools that approach us to become a part of the Cambridge learning community. The responses we hear are often similar although the paths individual schools took to reach their answers can vary. Decisions on curriculum choice are driven by various push and pull factors. The pull factors […]
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Getting side-swiped by a 44-ton articulated lorry travelling at 60mph on the London Orbital Motorway is not much fun. It is even less entertaining when you are on your way to catch a plane for a long-awaited holiday. Fortunately a combination of skills learnt from driving on Swiss skid-pans and luck meant we survived relatively […]
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If the data is to be believed we have a vast, largely uncontrolled monster in our midst. It is called ‘The Internet’. Indeed, you may well have had more dealings and interaction with it today than with humans or with print material. Internet live stats is one report of the latest figures. The nearly 2.5 […]
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