Here’s a look at the top EdSurge stories for September, as the new school year kicked off.
Our coverage of new approaches to math education drew the most interest from readers, with two different features exploring how to rethink calculus making our Top 5. Also topping the chart was an in-depth look at one school district’s effort to build affordable housing for its teachers; an op-ed on how to provide students what they want in online college courses; and an article on an effort to use new AI tools to help teachers improve their craft.
1. The Math Revolution You Haven’t Heard About: “Math wars” are raging over attempts to increase equity by cutting calculus from the curriculum in favor of statistics or computer science. Meanwhile, there is a quieter revolution taking place, aiming not to abandon calculus altogether but to change the way it’s taught, so that more students will succeed while studying it. EdSurge takes you inside Harvard’s Science Center, where this summer, professors imagined new ways to push calculus past its limits. This story was co-published with USA Today.
2. When Affordable Housing Is Scarce, So Are Educators: Across the U.S., soaring housing costs have forced teachers and staff to move well beyond school district boundaries and, in some cases, out of the profession altogether — to the detriment of students, families and the educators left behind. EdSurge takes you to a rural mountain community where this crisis is playing out in real time. You’ll meet a teacher weighing whether to stay or go and district leaders who, desperate to slow turnover rates, have decided to take matters into their own hands. This article was co-published with Mother Jones magazine.
3. Evidence Is Mounting That Calculus Should Be Changed. Will Instructors Heed It?: When teaching math is fun, instructors can get skeptical that students are really learning, according to one researcher. But, he says, one of the largest randomized controlled trials proves that alternative ways to teach calculus — the fun way — works better. Will instructors take notice?
4. Students Know What They’re Looking for Online. Are Colleges Delivering What They Want?: With traditional enrollments falling but interest in online courses on the rise, many college leaders are looking to find out what formats and features best fit what online students want. A longtime leader in online education digs into some data searching for answers.
5. Will Teachers Listen to Feedback From AI? Researchers Are Betting on It: Generative AI has stormed into education. Bubbling right under the surface is a key question: Can AI help teachers teach better? Researchers are betting on it. A collective effort is using tech tools to scale effective, quick and completely personalized feedback to teachers. Will it be cost-effective enough for schools to use — and will teachers be willing to collect data about their instruction?
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