One look at the headlines and you would think civilisation is either ending, ascending, or about to be permanently automated. Apparently, AI will destroy work, create infinite prosperity, democratise knowledge, eliminate expertise, replace teachers, save education, and possibly run the world sometime between Year 10 exams and the next university curriculum review. Not bad forContinue reading “AI Is Not the Problem. Avoiding Effort Just Got Easier”
Tag Archives: technology
You Are Misusing Cognitive Load Theory
Education loves its theories. We love them with a kind of earnest devotion that would be charming if it were not so historically destructive. A theory emerges in the literature, carefully tested in small, controlled studies involving volunteers who sit quietly, complete tidy tasks and never once throw a pencil across the room. Then, almostContinue reading “You Are Misusing Cognitive Load Theory”
All Hail Explicit Instruction – But Don’t Drink the Kool-Aid
Education loves a holy grail. The current one? Explicit instruction. You can’t swing a lanyard in a staff meeting without hitting someone proclaiming the virtues of teacher-led, step-by-step lessons. According to the new orthodoxy, if your lesson isn’t drenched in learning objectives, success criteria, worked examples, and the sacred “I do, we do, you do,”Continue reading “All Hail Explicit Instruction – But Don’t Drink the Kool-Aid”
Why Australian Education Feels Stuck – Part 2 of 2: Digging Deeper into the Dysfunction
Welcome back to part two of this slow, frustrating waltz through the reasons Australian education feels like it’s running in place—polished reforms on the outside, same old problems underneath. In Part 1, we looked at the front-line issues: the illusion of standardisation, content overload, research misused as doctrine, professional development that feels more like detention,Continue reading “Why Australian Education Feels Stuck – Part 2 of 2: Digging Deeper into the Dysfunction”
Doomscrolling in the Classroom: Why Schools Must Reclaim Attention in the Age of Digital Distraction
I’ve written about all this before, but I was previously focussed on mobile devices in the classroom and the digital revolution – a half-century revolution in the making. The Labour Party has finally emerged from its grieving loss in the referendum (I wrote about it here) to pass a social media ban for under-16s, oneContinue reading “Doomscrolling in the Classroom: Why Schools Must Reclaim Attention in the Age of Digital Distraction”
Paper over Pixels: The Unrecognised Benefits of Traditional Learning
Everywhere I look, and every article I read seems to promise that AI will save or destroy the world. Let’s hope that, for our sake, it is the former. In educational circles, the promise of AI is compelling. Tools like adaptive learning platforms, AI tutors, and automated grading systems are projected to make learning moreContinue reading “Paper over Pixels: The Unrecognised Benefits of Traditional Learning”
Teaching Strategies Part 4: The Promise and Pitfalls of Educational Research
This post, the fourth and penultimate in the Teaching Strategies series, will delve into the nuanced world of teaching strategies, guided by what research reveals and its limitations. I aim to provide a nuanced view that respects the complexity of educational research while offering clear, actionable advice to current and future educators. Educational research hasContinue reading “Teaching Strategies Part 4: The Promise and Pitfalls of Educational Research”
Maximising Student Potential 