"Flor now knows how to read; she says that the letters, which to me look like complicated drawings to understand and put together, are counters of things and that when you learn to read, it's like stories are being told to you." This excerpt is from Letras en los cordones (Letters on Shoelaces) by Cristina Falcón Maldonado and Marina Marcolin. It is a picture book that tells … [Read more...] about Closing the Literacy Gap: Keys to Promoting Reading and Writing Skills in the Classroom
Teachers
Prioritizing Well-Being in Schools: Coschool’s Recipe for Education with Emotion
What is the main challenge facing educators in a post-pandemic context? Academic results? An increase in bullying? Student desertion? These are all recurring concerns. Nevertheless, one overarching challenge is a root cause that intersects all the aforementioned. In 2022, Coschool, an IDB 21st Century Skills Coalition member, asked this question to over 200 educators from rural … [Read more...] about Prioritizing Well-Being in Schools: Coschool’s Recipe for Education with Emotion
The Five Key Factors to Scale Remote Tutoring Programs and Accelerate Learning
After completing six remote tutoring pilots to accelerate learning in the region, we know these programs help recover learning loss. In two of the pilots, students who received eight tutorials in fundamental mathematics managed to gain a quarter of a school year compared to those who did not participate in the intervention. In addition, a more significant effect was observed in … [Read more...] about The Five Key Factors to Scale Remote Tutoring Programs and Accelerate Learning
ChatGPT and Education: Opportunity, Challenge, or Threat?
Is it goodbye to teachers? Is it goodbye to schooling as we know it? Will it lead to reinventing education, schools, and educators? ChatGPT, an innovative tool that answers questions about almost anything, was released toward the end of 2022. Put this way, it would seem like the exact old wine in a new bottle. After all, Google and Wikipedia have been doing this for decades. … [Read more...] about ChatGPT and Education: Opportunity, Challenge, or Threat?
How Should Schools Respond to the COVID-19 Mental Health Crisis?
Although youth tend to have milder symptoms from the COVID-19 virus, the pandemic has brought unprecedented changes and challenges into their lives and particularly their mental health. Pandemic-related school closures have disrupted their learning and isolated them from peers. Many young people have been less physically active, had irregular sleep patterns and … [Read more...] about How Should Schools Respond to the COVID-19 Mental Health Crisis?