Writing in crisis
As a former aspiring writer, I found Simon Blower’s blog post, The Writing Crisis: Why We Need to Change How We Inspire Young Writers particularly interesting. The post examines the declining writing standards among primary students, with approximately 28 per cent failing to meet required standards—an alarmingly high percentage.
I strongly agree with Blower’s assertion that this issue requires a collaborative solution rather than being the responsibility of any single group.
While reading, I wondered about technology’s impact on these declining standards. In our post-pandemic world, technology use has surged, and children now commonly use tablets, phones and other digital devices instead of traditional pen and paper.
This raises important questions: How can we make writing engaging again, and has technology contributed to this diminishing interest? I recommend this as a read over coffee; it may inspire ideas about how we can collectively improve these statistics.
Place and progress
Earlier this week, I read an insightful post by Brittany Wright from LEAD Academy Trust about a topic close to my heart: improving outcomes for children from working-class backgrounds.
Having grown up in a working-class family myself, I’ve experienced firsthand the social barriers that come with one’s socioeconomic background. Though I refused to let these labels define me, Wright’s perspective – that working-class aspirations should be viewed as different rather than deficient – sparked numerous thoughts.
Wright’s research explores how teachers can connect school with the real world, outlining three processes and strategies to support educators: map-making, path-finding and bridge-building.
Among these, map-making particularly resonated with me. This process acknowledges that students begin from different starting points and emphasises that success isn’t determined by where you start or finish on the map, but rather the journey.
Wright’s discussion on bridge-building is equally thought-provoking. She emphasises that young people should have a choice to move between their communities rather than viewing working-class areas as places to be left behind.
As someone who grew up in Hackney – a borough that has undergone extensive regeneration over the past three decades – I understand this complexity. Despite my own social mobility, I find it difficult to return comfortably as an independent adult, though I appreciate this aspirational goal.
Wright concludes brilliantly: the goal isn’t to make working-class learners emulate middle-class ones, but rather to ensure pathways and opportunities are truly equitable for all.
All too human
I’ll round off this week’s conversation with the hot topic of the moment: artificial intelligence (AI). As we delve deeper into the world of AI and discover its everyday uses, conversations about AI in education continue to evolve.
In the latest episode of the Alcademia podcast, Andy Fisher tackles a pressing question: “Is artificial intelligence coming for teachers’ jobs?” Fisher examines AI’s rapid developments over several years and questions whether our current education model remains fit for purpose.
While discussing the rigid, politically-influenced education model, Fisher poses what I’d call a thought-provoking analogy: Would you choose a state-of-the-art robotic system or a random human surgeon to operate on someone you love? I, myself, couldn’t answer with complete confidence.
Similarly, he asked whether AI could deliver learning equal to or better than a human teacher, with all their variables. Fisher, a teacher himself, responds “almost certainly yes” and presents two case studies showing positive progress in AI education.
Though I’m a newcomer to AI and admittedly becoming a fan, I disagree. There’s something irreplaceable that AI cannot provide students: human connection.
While AI can certainly help reduce teacher workload through lesson planning, adaptive teaching methods and giving teachers more time to enjoy their profession’s breadth, the human element remains essential in education.
Your thoughts