Education fit for the future – planning for a changing world
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...
View ArticleA breath of fresh air – empowering teachers through professional learning
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...
View ArticleWhy do we need creativity?
“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...
View ArticleInspiring students through bilingual learning
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...
View ArticleLearning to Learn – a SOLO perspective
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...
View ArticleWhy should teachers use social media for professional development?
‘’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...
View ArticleBuilding bridges – teacher collaboration and effective professional development
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...
View ArticleDigital tools to spark creativity
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....
View ArticleReflections on school leadership
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...
View ArticleHow do you make Shakespeare appealing to language learners?
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...
View Article5 dos and 5 don’ts for effective teacher development
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...
View ArticleWhy teach computing to young learners?
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...
View ArticleTeaching Economics in a bilingual classroom
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....
View ArticleStop studying, we’re playing cricket
”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...
View ArticlePing Pong Learning: Learning from our mistakes
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...
View ArticleHow can education prepare you for the ‘working world’?
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...
View ArticleActive learning: Preparing students for the future
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...
View ArticleSaudi Arabia: In search of the right curriculum
“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...
View ArticleAdvanced motoring in your classroom
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...
View ArticleRethinking learning resources in the big, bad world of digital
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...
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