Here’s a look at EdSurge’s top stories from September, as the new school year began.
Our coverage of new approaches to mathematics education attracted the most interest from readers, with two different articles exploring how to rethink calculus in our Top 5. Also topping the chart was an in-depth look at one school district’s effort to build affordable housing for their teachers; an opinion piece on how to give students what they want in online college courses; and an article about an effort to use new artificial intelligence tools to help teachers improve their craft.
1. The mathematical revolution you haven’t heard of: The “math wars” are being fought over attempts to increase equity by removing calculus from the curriculum in favor of statistics or computer science. Meanwhile, a quieter revolution is underway, the goal of which is not to abandon calculus entirely, but to change the way it is taught, so that more students succeed in studying it. EdSurge takes you inside the Harvard Science Center, where this summer professors imagined new ways to push calculus beyond its limits. This story was co-published with USA Today.
2. When affordable housing is in short supply, so are educators: Across the United States, rising housing costs have forced teachers and staff to move far beyond the boundaries of school districts and, in some cases, to leave the profession entirely, to the detriment of students, families and educators left behind. EdSurge takes you to a rural mountain community where this crisis is unfolding in real time. He’ll meet a teacher who is weighing whether to stay or go and district leaders who, desperate to reduce turnover rates, have decided to take matters into their own hands. This article was published jointly with Mother Jones magazine.
3. There is increasing evidence that the calculation should be changed. Will the instructors pay attention to you?: When teaching math is fun, teachers may be skeptical that students are really learning, according to one researcher. But, she says, one of the largest randomized controlled trials shows that alternative ways of teaching calculus (the fun way) work better. Will the instructors notice?
4. Students know what they are looking for online. Are universities offering what they want?: With traditional enrollment declining but interest in online courses rising, many university leaders are looking to discover which formats and features best fit what online students want. A veteran leader in online education digs into some data in search of answers.
5. Will teachers listen to ai feedback? The researchers are betting on this: Generative ai has burst into education. Bubbling beneath the surface is a key question: Can ai help teachers teach better? Researchers are betting on it. A collective effort is using technological tools to expand effective, rapid and completely personalized feedback to teachers. Will it be cost-effective enough for schools to use, and will teachers be willing to collect data on their instruction?
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