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Posted by: educentral, 9.3.2010     

Here are some key points that each of the three main parties has outlined in their education policies:    LABOUR Ensuring that every child leaves primary school confident in their literacy and numeracy skills   Rebuilding or refurbishing every secondary school and half of all primary schools in the coming years   Ensuring that no school has fewer than 30 per cent of its pupils achieving five GCSEs at A*-C grade, including English and maths, by 2011   Turning every secondary school into a specialist school, a trust school or an academy   Giving every parent and pupil the "guarantee" of a good education, including the right to high quality sport and culture   Providing one-to-one tuition for 300,000 pupils in English and maths who are falling behind their peers   TORY Raising the entry requirement for teacher training   Giving heads the power to pay good teachers more   Making it easier for teachers to use reasonable force to combat violence in the classroom   Establishing a simple reading test at the age of six   Reforming the National Curriculum   Overhauling Key Stage 2 tests   Funding new school places by giving parents, teachers, charities and private providers powers to set up new schools   LIB DEM Providing schools with an extra £2.5bn so they can cut class sizes and offer more one-to-one tuition   Proving a pupil premium to encourage good schools to take more children from deprived backgrounds   Scrap tuition fees for full and part-time students   Replace the National Curriculum with the more flexible Minimum Curriculum Entitlement   Creating a General Diploma that combines GCSEs, A-levels and vocational qualifications

Tags: Election, UK, Policies, Political, Education, Edu...
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Posted by: educentral, 24.2.2010     

Parents are to be given the power to demand a change to their secondary school's leadership by voting in a ballot, under the Government's new plans for chains of schools. Gordon Brown revealed yesterday that if parents in England demand a change councils will be forced to bring in an approved education provider with a track record of successfully running schools elsewhere.   The Prime Minister and Schools Secretary Ed Balls have announced the first wave of schools, colleges and universities to be given an Accredited School kitemark, enabling them to run chains of secondaries.   These included the Outwood Grange family of schools, in Wakefield, and both Hull and Bradford College.   Speaking at a London school, Mr Brown told of the "anger and frustration" he felt at seeing his own contemporaries fail to fulfil their potential because of poor educational standards.   He said: "We simply will not accept second best when it comes to the future of our children."   However the Conservatives have accused the Government of responding to Tory plans to give parents powers to open their own schools.   Shadow Children's Secretary Michael Gove said: "Real choice for parents means allowing new schools to open which are free from the control of politicians and therefore properly answerable to parents, not a ballot system allowing a tiny handful of existing schools to federate."   Accredited Schools Groups will be able to run chains of up to three schools.

Tags: Parents, Decisions, Running, Councils, Rule
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Posted by: , 11.2.2010     

A host of universities have been announced as recipients of a £45 million support package to boost research and development of efficient lower-carbon aero engines.   The government will fund new partnerships between Rolls-Royce and universities around the UK following an announcement from business secretary Lord Mandelson.   The projects, which show the quality of higher education research in the UK, will include developing lighter fans to reduce fuel consumption and new high-temperature alloys to improve fuel efficiency.   Speaking at a Rolls-Royce Advanced Manufacturing Exhibition, Lord Mandelson said: "The knowledge, skills and high-end production the UK offers give us huge opportunities to benefit as global demand for low carbon products grows.   "These new projects will help our world-class aerospace industry to meet that growing low carbon demand."   Ric Parker, director of research and technology at Rolls-Royce, added that the scheme represented a good example of government, industry and academia working in tandem to expand Britains manufacturing capabilities.   Rapid Electronics is a leading UK supplier of educational products, electrical products and teaching resources to the primary, secondary and higher education sector.

Tags: Education, Funding, University, Universities, Res...
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Posted by: , 28.1.2010     

 
"Findings follow report on growing inequalities;
Richest teenagers much more likely to do degree"
 
Teenagers from the poorest homes in England are 50% more likely to go to university than they were 15 years ago, according to a study that will be welcomed by the government after other recent reports found that Britain had become a more unequal nation.
 
The government-commissioned Hills report, published yesterday, showed inequality is greater than it was in 1980.
 
Today's study, by the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE), shows participation rates have soared in the past five years in particular, with disadvantaged 18 and 19-year-olds 30% more likely to enrol at university now than they were in the mid-2000s. But a teenager from the poorest fifth of the population is still much less likely to go to university than one from the richest fifth.
 
"This report highlights the recent progress we've made in terms of widening participation – which is good news – and how important universities and education are to social mobility," said Professor Steve Smith, president of Universities UK, the umbrella group for vice-chancellors. "Although the situation has improved, there is still more that can be done."
 
The study attributes the jump in the proportion of disadvantaged young people enrolling at university to Labour's increased funding for schools and drive to widen access to degree courses.
 
Just one in eight (12.7%) of 18 and 19-year-olds from the poorest homes went to university in the mid-1990s; now almost one in five (19.2%) do. Teenagers from the richest homes have also seen their chances improve – by 15% in 15 years. More than half of teenagers from the richest homes now go to university – 57.3%.
 
The gap between the richest and poorest teenagers' chances of going to university has widened by 1% over 15 years, although it has narrowed since the mid-2000s.
 
The HEFCE, which funds universities on behalf of the government, said its study of 8.8 million teenagers who started a degree between 1994 and this year proves tuition fees have not deterred students from the poorest homes.
 
A study of social inequality by Professor John Hills of the London School of Economics, published yesterday, found only 4% of children who received free school meals at 15 went on to university, compared with 33% of other children.
 
HEFCE's study reveals that young men, rich and poor, are going to university in far fewer numbers than young women. Some 270,000 more young men would have needed to go to university since the mid-1990s to match their female counterparts. Young men from the poorest backgrounds have fallen even further behind. In 1994-95, there was only a 1% difference between men and women's participation at university if they were from the poorest homes. Now, there is a 6% gap, with 22% of women going to university compared with 16% of men.
 
Some 40% of young women from all backgrounds go to university, compared with 32% of young men. This 8% difference has grown from a 6% difference in the mid-2000s.
 
The HEFCE, university leaders and the government said the rise in poor young people going to university was down to increased funding in schools, improved examination results, a cash incentive for poor teenagers if they stay on at school and a drive by universities to encourage the poorest to apply for degree courses.
 
But university leaders warned that unless ministers stopped their plan to cut funding to higher education by £950m, any progress could soon be reversed.
 
The HEFCE will now analyse the data further to examine the different patterns of university attendance by regions, universities, courses and ethnicity.
 
John Selby, the HEFCE's director for education and participation, said: "The results show a substantial increase in the participation rate of those from the most disadvantaged backgrounds. Nevertheless, the participation differences between the most advantaged and the least advantaged, and between women and men, remain very large. There is an awful lot left to do."
 

Tags: University, Poorest, Students, Study, Report
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Posted by: , 19.11.2009     

 

 

Taking place each January at Olympia in London, BETT attracts more than 600 educational suppliers and almost 29,000 visitors. It brings together the global teaching and learning community for four days of innovations and inspirations. 
 
BETT covers the entire education spectrum, from early learning to higher education and every subject area in-between. It showcases the broadest range of products and services, from the latest curriculum-based software to IT infrastructure that keeps your establishment's ICT up and running.
 
BETT is not just about technology, it's about how ICT can transform learning in the UK's classrooms, lecture theatres and playgrounds. It's about streamlining the ever-growing management burden, highlighting best practice in teaching and learning, and utilising new innovations to motivate learners and make educational establishments more effective than ever before.
 
 
10 reasons why you should attend:
 
1.Almost 700 educational suppliers selling hardware, software, content, training, support services, and much much more
 
2.Attended by almost 29,000 practitioners each year
 
3.The opportunity to touch, test and compare resources for learners at all levels
 
4.Access free hands-on training and technical help
 
5.Guidance and support available from virtually every relevant industry association, government departments and agencies such as the DCSF, Becta, BESA and the NCSL.
 
6.Face-to-face contact with new and established educational suppliers
 
7.Brand new resources seen nowhere else.
 
8.Network with your peers and share best practice
 
9.Develop your knowledge at more than 100 seminars
 
10.Dedicated areas for Software and SEN

 
 
BETT tackles the issues important to…
Teachers
IT/ICT co-ordinators
Department Heads
Head Teachers/Principals
Subject Heads
LEA's
Education Officers
Special needs teachers
Librarians
Governors
Bursars
Technicians
Facilities Managers
Classroom Assistants
Teachers Trainers
Home Educators
Inspectors
Student Teachers
School Boards
Nursery Staff
Network Managers
Lecturers
…and everyone else involved in education today.
 
 

For more information, visit http://www.bettshow.com

 

Tags: BETT, Education, Technology, Event, Lectures, Con...
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Posted by: , 22.7.2009     

 
Scientists are quietly tackling education issues, offering up new tools, new approaches and even a new discipline.
 
"New insights from many different fields are converging to create a new science of learning that may transform educational practices," begins a report led by Andrew Meltzoff, co-director of the University of Washington's Institute for Learning and Brain Sciences in Seattle. The review in the current Science journal makes the case that psychologists, neuroscientists, roboticists and teachers should create a new field that combines everything from how brains grow to how classrooms work into a new kind of learning research.
 
For example, a companion study in Science by John Gabrieli of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology shows how neuroscience and education researchers have teamed up to tackle dyslexia, a difficulty with reading and vocabulary that afflicts 5% to 17% of children. Behavioral and brain measures can identify dyslexic tendencies in infants and lead to teaching that can "prevent dyslexia from occurring in the majority of children who would otherwise develop dyslexia," the study states.
 
Politicians and educators increasingly worry about learning for all children, citing tests such as the 2007 Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS), which found U.S. fourth- and eighth-graders trailing Asian and European peers in science and math. In April, President Obama called on National Academy of Sciences members to "think about new and creative ways to engage young people in science and engineering" and announced an initiative to raise those TIMSS scores.
 
Three principles are espoused in the proposal for a field of learning research:
 

     •Learning is computational. Even infants and toddlers possess innate capabilities to see and hear patterns, something psychologists doubted decades ago. Reinforcing those capabilities by teaching patterns early might sharpen kids' brains.

 

     •Learning is social. People, even infants, learn better through social cues. We "most readily learn and re-enact an event when it is produced by a person," Meltzoff and colleagues write. "Social factors also play a role in life-long learning — new social technologies (for example, text messaging, Facebook, and Twitter) tap humans' drive for social communication," they add.

 

     •Learning is driven by brain circuitry. Brain cells fired up during both perception and action overlap in people, which allows students to identify with their teachers and speeds learning.
 
"The young learn best from people in human social interaction. But one of the fundamental characteristics of the human mind is our flexibility and our inventiveness — our capacity to invent tools to amplify our own sensory and motor abilities," Meltzoff says by e-mail.
 
So, the researchers say, the goal for education in this century is to create teaching tools — such as robots, computer programs or science fairs — that produce the same benefits of the very best teaching situation, one-to-one tutoring.
 

Tags: Science, Education, America, Learning
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Posted by: , 8.7.2009     

Expecting teaching assistants to administer medicines and treatment to pupils without proper training is creating "an accident waiting to happen", union leaders have warned.

Unison, the public sector union, is calling for a review of medical procedures carried out in schools.

Seven in 10 teaching assistants (70%) and school support staff are expected to give medicines for conditions such as asthma and diabetes and more than eight in 10 (85%) to carry out medical procedures including changing colostomy bags, a survey commissioned by the union found.

Half (50%) of those questioned were not aware that these were voluntary duties. And a third (33%) were not familiar with, or confident about implementing their school's policy and procedures on administering medical treatment.

Christina McAnea, Unison head of education, said: "This evidence shows a chronic lack of training and support for school staff who are expected to provide a wide range of medical support to pupils. Many reported feeling "emotionally blackmailed" into doing these tasks and were worried about the potential risks to children.

"Imagine the pressure of being told that a child could not go on a trip unless you would change their colostomy bag, but you hadn't had specialist training to do that job?

"Children with medical needs must have access to a fully rounded education. But this must be done safely and can only happen where lines of responsibility are clear, staff are trained and supported and it's not left up to goodwill or individuals being made to feel guilty.

"The current situation cannot continue. We are bound to see a serious incident if schools don't get the help they need to manage children's special medical needs. The current arrangements are an accident waiting to happen."

Unison called for national protocols to be drawn up in consultation with education and health chiefs, as well as unions.

The survey questioned 334 people early in 2009.

Tags: Teaching, Assistants, Pupil, Safety
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Posted by: , 24.6.2009     

 

The 2010 Times Universtiy Guide has been published. For more information and specific subject rankings, Click Here

The following is the top 50 list of the Times good university guide.

 

Tags: university, guide, ranking, overall, times, top50
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Posted by: , 24.6.2009     

This is an interesting article from The Australian publication.

 

AN independent think tank has condemned Britain's once prestigious A-level examination system, saying it stymies independent study and original thought, and universities should be put back in charge of overseeing the system.

The rise of the "ersatz A-level", after radical changes in 2000, has damaged the exam's intellectual integrity, the report, A New Level, says.

"Ersatz education will only be challenged by much greater openness, transparency and honesty in the system and by the academic world reclaiming its role," it says.

"Universities should be responsible for ensuring that the A-level delivers the academic foundations that they need."

The organisation behind the study, Reform, a non-party think tank whose mission is to set out a better way to deliver public services and economic prosperity, said the present A-level system had created a generation of high-maintenance students who struggled to think for themselves.

"The key change was the wholesale introduction of modular exams in 2000 which saw the quantity and cost of exams doubling," says the report, released last week. "Re-sits have created a group of students who always seek a second chance. Mechanised marking has prevented examiners from rewarding clear flows of argument, originality and flair."

The report calls for action to be taken toreconnect A-levels with their strong academic heritage and for universities to take responsibility for the quality assurance of A-levels.

"Universities should quality assure individual subject A-levels, co-operating with examination boards to develop them," the report says. "Universities should be able to veto exam boards' specifications if they are not sufficiently rigorous or do not require the right content or the development of the correct skills."

Universities UK chief executive Diana Warwick said universities would have to consider the report's proposals carefully.

"The A-level result is still one of the best predictors in measuring skills and knowledge, but is only one of a number of factors that universities take into account when selecting students," she said.

"Others include the personal statement, school recommendation and educational context, interviews in some subjects and relevant skills."

But the report's findings suggest that allsubjects have much more heavily directed questions and marking, and the frequency of tests is preventing the study of off-syllabus material.

"Exams allow candidates less scope for using their own mind, thinking through problems and expressing originality. Subject content is questionable or inappropriate in some areas due to a lack of university input."

Reform asked a team of academics to look at four of the top 10 A-level subjects - English, history, chemistry and maths - and analyse examination papers from 1951 to last year. None was involved in the setting or marking of exams.

The group also interviewed heads of department and admissions tutors from a range of universities to establish how well A-levels prepared students for further study.

"The most important change in exams over the period 1951-2008 is that sitting a mathematics A-level paper now is more like using a sat-nav system than reading a map," Queen Mary, University of London statistics professor RA Bailey told the report's authors.

"If you read a map to get from A to B, you remember the route and learn about other things on the way. If you use a sat-nav you do neither of those things. The questions inthe 2008 paper are heavily structured in this way and the result is that students will retain very little knowledge and develop very little understanding."

The report found that specific changes in the nature of A-levels had turned the qualification into a series of limited and discrete challenges rather than overall analysis of a subject.

"The result is the creation of qualifications that have the same superficial contents but an ersatz version of deep academic study," it says.

With the introduction of mechanised marking students were now examined for meeting prescriptive criteria and reproducing what the examiner was looking for, not for demonstrating a high level of skills.

The report found there was nothing to be gained from looking beyond the checklist of assessment objectives, or thinking originally.

"Markers' judgment is no longer considered necessary or even desirable."

Tags: australia, alevel, exams, marking, original, thou...
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Posted by: , 24.6.2009     

Tags: periodic, table, song, chemistry
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