Disinformation and its discontents
Top Class: The OECD Education Policy Podcast | Teachers, PISA, StudentsShow Notes
When factual information comes under attack, societies head into Orwellian waters. OECD’s Andreas Schleicher and Molly Lesher discuss disinformation and other forms of “untruths” and how to get the measure of a tenacious and elusive phenomenon. Societies can tackle harmful information through citizen- and AI-driven fact-checking and content tagging. Platforms can boost transparency and collaborate with governments to tamp down fake news and synthetic media. But the best defence of all is educating people to question and check information for themselves. Because for contemporary democracy to survive and thrive, it needs digitally literate citizens. Hosted by Clara Young and produced by Stephen Flynn.
More from Top Class: The OECD Education Policy Podcast | Teachers, PISA, Students
Average student performance in reading and mathematics has sharply dropped in many countries, according to the latest Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), while science performance is relatively stable. More than 760,000 15-year-old students took the PISA test last year in 91 countries and economies. Why have there been such large drops in performance? And how are digital technologies and artificial intelligence impacting the situation? In this episode of Top Class, OECD Director for Education and Skills Andreas Schleicher speaks to OECD Editor Duncan Crawford about the findings and the state of global education.
Across many education systems, schools are facing recruitment challenges, evolving career expectations, and increasingly diverse student needs. In response, more systems are opening doors to people with outside experience. In this episode of Top Class, OECD Editor Duncan Crawford explores the opportunities and challenges for second-career teachers. He is joined by Nicole Daley, a Biology Teacher at Boston’s John D. O’Bryant School of Mathematics & Science, who previously worked as a public health worker for city and state level government, and Hilary Goldberg, Head of Theodor Herzl Primary School in Port Elizabeth, South Africa, who left teaching for a career in sales and management before returning to education and school leadership. They discuss their experience of becoming second-career teachers and what can be done to support this growing share of the workforce. If you want to learn more about this subject check out the OECD paper: https://www.oecd.org/en/publications/a-second-career-in-teaching_37722003-en.html
What makes a fair exam? It’s a question that has grown in significance as upper secondary certificates play an ever more pivotal role in students’ lives. They are a passport to higher education, training and employment at a time when institutions and employers are often choosing from larger pools of candidates than ever before.
What makes a great teacher? Beyond subject expertise, effective teaching depends on a strong understanding of how students learn, what motivates them and how to create classrooms where every learner can thrive. A new OECD report reveals significant differences between countries in teachers’ general pedagogical knowledge - the knowledge that helps teachers explain concepts clearly, anticipate misconceptions, engage students and support learning at a high level.
What does it take to lead one of the world’s highest-performing education systems? In this episode of Top Class, OECD Editor Duncan Crawford speaks with Estonia’s Minister of Education and Research, Kristina Kallas. Drawing on Estonia’s experience with digital learning, teacher professionalism and long-term student well-being, Kallas reflects on the pressures facing education leaders today, including rapid technological change and teacher shortages. The conversation also explores how Estonia has sustained strong outcomes over time, which lessons may (and may not) translate to other countries and the recent International Summit on the Teaching Profession, which was held in Tallinn.