HEADlines | Technology and skills for a remote learning era

Issue 53: 16 February 2021

Every week, HEADlines brings you the latest news, stories and commentaries

in education and healthcare. This week, get insights on the latest developments

in education.

Technology and skills in a remote learning era

How can we use technology to benefit learners, and what skills should be cultivated to prepare them for a remote learning and working world?

At the Straits Times Education Forum 2021, Professor Lily Kong, President of Singapore Management University, emphasised that student learning outcomes should remain the priority of any classroom, with technology as an enabler, not the focus, of learning. Exemplifying this ethos, an innovative K-12 school district in the United States uses analogue tools such as whiteboards and markers alongside digital ones, to engage and empower students learning from home.

The use of technology in education, however, is here to stay. To adapt to learning and working environments migrating online, a history professor argues how we can adopt lessons from robust Liberal Arts curricula, where transferrable skills such as critical thinking and self-management enable graduates to thrive in a digital future.

As teachers and students adapt to new interfaces of learning, we should recognise technology as another tool amongst many to advance learning outcomes, while cultivating the skills needed to flourish in an era of virtual learning and working.

Education in the Spotlight

The Conversation: Amanda Gorman’s poetry shows why spoken word belongs in school

Three scholars of poetry explain why the writings of the 22-year-old Gorman – who became the United States' national youth poet laureate at age 17 – and her rise to fame represent a prime opportunity for educators to use spoken word poetry as a lively way to engage students.

The Conversation: Graduate students need a PhD that makes sense for their real lives

Doctoral programs often prepare graduates to become professors, but those jobs are scarce today.

Inside Higher Ed: 10 ways to tackle liguistic bias in our classrooms

It's time for faculty members to recognise and combat our prejudices when it comes to how our students speak and write, argues Catherine Savini.

K-12 Dive: 4 K-12 professional development trends to watch in 2021

When schools return to "normal," changes forced by the COVID-19 pandemic will benefit professional learning in several ways.

The Guardian: 'They are scared to try new things': how is home school impacting young children?

After nearly a year of disrupted learning, primary school children in the UK have missed key milestones - as well as their friends. What will be the long term cost?

Brookings: How can we implement education for climate action and climate justice?

As discussions about climate change and education begin to shift from policy advocacy to policy implementation, stakeholders and leaders will be looking for resources and frameworks to diagnose, strategise, and plan for the urgent reorientation of their education systems to carbon neutrality and climate literacy.

That's all for the week!

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