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Resituating the narrative in Neurodiversity Week
It was both interesting and troubling to read Dame Uta Frith’s recent article in the Times Educational Supplement (TES). Interesting because it appeared to me to be an attempt by cognitive science to regain control of the narrative about autism – a questionable aim given that discipline’s limited success in moving us forward in our…
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Mothers, daughters, and education redemption narratives
Girls are an education success story. In recent decades, outcomes for girls have improved dramatically: girls are more likely to achieve good grades at GCSE; they are more likely to equal or (typically) exceed boys for top A level grades; and they are much more likely to go to university. Given these figures, you would…
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Why animal welfare education matters
Animals are woven into our daily lives, whether through pet ownership, wildlife, assistance animals or the products we use. Approximately 76% of children own a pet as do just over half of the adult population (54%). Understanding the needs of animals and how they communicate is beneficial to humans and animals. Safe and positive animal…
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The SIoE children’s library: a community of reading teachers
As an English teacher of almost twenty years, it was during the shared reading of stories that my classroom really came to life. When we read aloud to students, the words on the page connect us; the shared laughter, eager anticipation or muted sorrow quietly shaping our individual experiences of the text. In a world…
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Safety Surfacing: The quiet loss of a common world
A recently mounted sign on one of the play structures in Liverpool’s Sefton Park explains that a large, well-used tyre swing has been removed due to damage caused by dogs biting and chewing it. What remains is an empty frame, purposeless now, like a scar on an otherwise joyful landscape. This absence struck me more…
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To AI or not to AI? That is the question
I like to tune into a podcast when I’m in the gym; it takes my mind off the laborious process of endlessly lifting weights that my body and brain believe are too heavy for me, but the trainers insist will do me good. It was during one such gym session that I stumbled across the…
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Bah humbug or happy Christmas?
School halls full of smiling faces, excited chatter and chests bursting with pride will soon be a common sight across the nation – and that’s just the adults! Watching their little angels, shepherds, and kings around the manger whilst balancing on a tiny chair is a rite of passage for many parents. Scooby Doo made…
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Teaching climate change: what’s holding us back?
As the realities of the climate and nature crisis become increasingly visible, it’s clear the next generation will grow up in a world shaped by environmental change. Preparing them for that future isn’t just about climate science or policy; it’s about education. If we want children to understand, adapt to, and act on climate change,…
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Why schools need to address anti-LGBT bullying
This week marks Anti-Bullying Week, and our SIoE research shows that lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans (LGBT) young people are still at risk of being bullied in our schools. Our study is the largest of its kind ever conducted in England, with over 61,000 pupils and staff from 853 schools taking part. It focused specifically…
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Think before you chat: Gen AI and applied linguistics
“You shall know a word by the company it keeps” (J.R. Firth, 1957) Here at SIoE, we ask big questions about how people learn, teach, and communicate, and now that includes how machines are learning to ‘chat’ like us. Language is the beating heart of education, so it is not surprising that ChatBots, powered by…
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