Is digital media literacy the answer to our disinformation woes?
Top Class: The OECD Education Policy Podcast | Teachers, PISA, StudentsShow Notes
Never before has critical thinking been so…critical. With so much compromised information online, how do we know what’s opinion? What’s fact? And what’s disinformation? Education can teach us to ask questions, check sources, and understand how algorithms impact the information we’re getting. And, none of this needs to be taught in STEM-based computer science courses – digital media and algorithmic literacy can be cleverly integrated throughout the curriculum. Kara Brissin-Boivin is Director of Research at Mediasmarts, Canada's Centre for Digital and Media Literacy. And OECD analyst Jordan Hill is the author of a new working paper on digital media literacy. They discuss what 21st-century critical thinking should look like. Host: Clara Young Producer: 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.