All posts tagged: educational

Children from armed forces families have extra educational challenges – especially those with Send

Children from armed forces families have extra educational challenges – especially those with Send

Published by skeptic

Service children are children of current or former armed forces personnel. Being a service child can be a source of pride, resilience and determination. Yet service life brings experiences and challenges their civilian peers may not face. Not all service children lead the same kinds of lives. Some can experience periods of family separation where the serving parent is away from the family home, for example on deployment or training. In the long term, this can disrupt family relationships. Some may also have to move to different locations in the UK or abroad. For children, this means moving schools and building new relationships with other children and adults. Research suggests that the more frequently children move schools, the lower their academic attainment may be. The UK’s Armed Forces Covenant states that armed forces personnel and their families should experience no detriment compared with civilians as a result of their service. For service families whose children have special educational needs and disabilities (Send), this aspiration can feel far removed from their realities. The intersection of service …

The game Schisto & Ladders has educational value plus worms : NPR

The game Schisto & Ladders has educational value plus worms : NPR

Published by Sam Flores

The game “Schisto & Ladders” is introduced to students in an elementary school in a part of Nigeria where the neglected tropical disease schistosomiasis, spread by parasitic worms, affects many residents. This version of the classic “Chutes & Ladders” games aims to teach children how to avoid getting infected — and details of the treatment for those who catch it. Daniel Amao hide caption toggle caption Daniel Amao Chutes & Ladders has been a beloved board game in the U.S. since the 1940s — adapted from an ancient Indian game that aimed to teach moral lessons. Kids in Nigeria are now playing a version called “Schisto & Ladders.” It too aims to teach — about how to prevent a disease called schistosomiasis. It’s a parasitic infection caused by a worm that infects humans via skin contact with infested waters. An unlucky player might land on a square that says “playing in a river” That puts you at risk for this tropical disease — and sends your game token down a worm instead of a chute. …

Does listening to music help you focus? Here’s what an educational psychologist says

Does listening to music help you focus? Here’s what an educational psychologist says

Published by Daniella Wilson

Get the Well Enough newsletter with Harry Bullmore for tips on living a healthier, happier and longer life Get the Well Enough email with Harry Bullmore Get the Well Enough email with Harry Bullmore Walk into any college library and you will likely see students wearing headphones and listening to music. The idea that music can improve learning has been around for decades. The “Mozart Effect,” is the pop psychology myth, first hypothesized in a 1993 paper, that listening to classical music can help people retain and process new information. As an educational psychologist who studies cognition and motivation, my research explores how students regulate their learning and attention amid digital distractions. Listening to music is a common strategy students use to try to stay focused. However, there is no single answer to whether music helps learners study or not. How music can help or interfere with studying Researchers generally agree that the relationship between music and learning is complex. The effects of music on studying and other cognitively demanding tasks appear to depend on …

Deal Reached With Hackers to Delete Data Stolen From the Canvas Educational Platform

Deal Reached With Hackers to Delete Data Stolen From the Canvas Educational Platform

Published by Sam Flores

The company that operates online learning system Canvas said it struck a deal with hackers to delete the data they pilfered in a cyberattack that created chaos for students, many of them in the middle of finals. Instructure, the parent company of Canvas, said in an online post that it “reached an agreement with the unauthorized actor involved in this incident.” The company didn’t provide any details on the agreement, including whether it involved a payment, and didn’t elaborate who was behind the hack. Instructure temporarily took the system offline while it investigated, locking out students and faculty. A hacking group named ShinyHunters claimed responsibility for last week’s breach, threatening to leak data involving nearly 9,000 schools worldwide and 275 million individuals if schools did not pay a ransom by May 6. The group then extended the deadline, indicating some schools had engaged with them to negotiate. ShinyHunters also was behind a smaller breach of Infrastructure last year. A lawsuit filed last week in federal court in Utah alleged Instructure did not do enough to …

Head: school evangelism project has “no educational objectives”

Head: school evangelism project has “no educational objectives”

Published by Sam Flores

The National Secular Society has expressed concern that a nonreligious school has joined a Christian evangelism project despite its headteacher admitting it has “no educational objectives”. Jubilee High School in Addlestone, Guildford hosts a “Hub Leader” for the Church of England’s “Youth Catalyst Project”, according to the diocese of Guildford website. The Hub Leader’s responsibilities include leading classes and “worship events” where children can “encounter God”, despite the school having no religious character. The Youth Catalyst Project is a £3.2 million project by the diocese of Guildford to put youth ministers in local schools. A promotional video (pictured) for the Youth Catalyst Project says it seeks to “live out the Church of England’s bold vision to see the number of young people at our churches doubled by 2030”. This goal was also set out by a Church document in 2023, which outlined its plans to use schools, including non-faith schools, to achieve this vision. The NSS, which campaigns to protect state-funded schools from religious interference, has said it is “disappointing and worrying that the leaders …

The age you have your first child predicts your long-term educational and financial success

The age you have your first child predicts your long-term educational and financial success

Published by José Betancourt

Becoming a parent at a younger age tends to be linked with poorer long-term financial, educational, and physical health outcomes that only begin to level out if a person delays having a child until their late twenties or early thirties. A recent study published in the journal PLOS One provides evidence that having a child early in life disrupts standard life transitions, creating persistent disadvantages that follow parents well into adulthood. These findings suggest that public support programs aimed at young parents might be more effective if they included individuals up to age thirty. Scientists Jordan MacDonald and David Speed designed this study to explore the specific age at which the negative impacts of early parenthood begin to stabilize. Previous research typically placed teenage parents into a single rigid category, which ignored the exact age a person had their first child. For MacDonald, a psychology researcher and doctoral candidate at the University of New Brunswick, the motivation to pursue this topic was highly personal. “I became a father at 17, and across school, work, social …

Educational psychologist shortage puts reforms at risk

Educational psychologist shortage puts reforms at risk

Published by skeptic

Delivery of the government’s new “experts at hand” SEND support service is “at risk” because of a chronic shortage of educational psychologists, an influential think tank has warned. Pupils in some areas are 20 times less likely to get support from an educational psychologist, the Education Policy Institute research suggests, prompting calls for government to boost funding and training. It comes a day after the government set out further details on its plans to create a new “experts at hand” service, which is supposed to improve access to external support for mainstream schools from staff like educational psychologists. James Zuccollo, the EPI’s director for school workforce, said: “This report highlights a stark reality: we cannot deliver the government’s goal of inclusive mainstream education while the educational psychologist workforce remains critically under-resourced. “The £1.8 billion ‘experts at hand’ programme provides a welcome framework, but its sufficiency is entirely dependent on a stable EP pipeline. “Given the length of specialist training required, the government’s three-year delivery timeline is at risk without additional investment to reach adequate staffing …

“Educational” YouTube AI Slop Encourages Kids to Play in Traffic

“Educational” YouTube AI Slop Encourages Kids to Play in Traffic

Published by José Betancourt

Sign up to see the future, today Can’t-miss innovations from the bleeding edge of science and tech YouTube is rife with AI-generated “educational” videos targeting children, and many of the lessons they’re imparting — if there’s a discernible message at all — could be harming their development. Disturbing new reporting from The 74 and Mother Jones found numerous examples of AI-generated videos either peddling absolute nonsense or damaging lessons to their young intended audience. In one video that’s supposed to be a nursery rhyme about cars, children ride without a seatbelt and walk in the middle of a road with moving cars behind them. Another AI-generated sing-a-long video about the US’s 50 states shows garbled state names that don’t match up with the vocals, as kids are asked to learn about “Ribio Island,” “Conmecticut,” “Oklolodia,” and “Louggisslia.” Carla Engelbrecht, who’s worked for children’s media brands like Sesame Street and PBS Kids, found other child-targeted AI videos showing a baby swallowing whole grapes, which is a choking hazard, or eating honey, which can kill infants. Another …

Will the latest reforms to England’s schools and special educational needs support deliver? Experts react

Will the latest reforms to England’s schools and special educational needs support deliver? Experts react

Published by skeptic

The government has published its proposals for education reform in England, which have been delayed since autumn 2025 and include significant changes to how the special educational needs and disabilities (Send) system operates. Further measures are aimed at improving teacher recruitment, student achievement and belonging at school. Our panel of education experts are scrutinising the plans, which have been anxiously anticipated by many teachers and parents. A fundamental shift in SEND support Paty Paliokosta, Associate Professor of Special and Inclusive Education, Kingston University The government is proposing a gradual but fundamental shift in how the system uses education, health and care plans (EHCPs). EHCPs will remain, but far fewer children are expected to receive them. The first children with an existing EHCP to move to the new system would be pupils at the end of primary, secondary and post-16 in the academic year 2029-2030. Instead, most support is intended to take place through a strengthened universal offer (support available to all children) and several layers of extra provision, only one of which will include an …

What’s at stake in special educational needs reform

What’s at stake in special educational needs reform

Published by skeptic

A campaign – backed by celebrities including actress Sally Phillips and broadcaster Chris Packham as well as MPs – is calling on the government not to scrap or reduce education, health and care plans (EHCPs). These provide legally binding extra support for children with special educational needs. There are fears that this will be a change outlined in a forthcoming policy paper on schools. The pressure point for the government is how much it costs. At the moment, EHCP costs come from local authority budgets, which are too low to cover them. A significant rise in EHCPs meant that councils are racking up a cumulative deficit in the billions. From 2028, these costs will be managed by the central government budget. Mainstream schools in England currently provide what’s called “universal provision”. This is standard support for all pupils, funded by the Department for Education. If a child needs extra help, schools must offer targeted interventions and resources to remove barriers to learning. This comes from a local authority managed notional special educational needs budget of …