Changes in education were the biggest theme of October’s most popular articles.
Topping our monthly Top 5 list is how professors are rebooting oral exams to address concerns that students are now able to cheat on essays using ChatGPT and other AI tools. It was an article about what is going on. And the list included interviews with Nobel Prize winners about their research to improve science instruction. A series of reader responses to our coverage of the ‘math wars’. And let’s take a look at what’s stopping teachers from taking advantage of educational technology. Also on the list was an essay written by a teacher who took up a leadership position at the age of 26, reflecting on the lack of support she received during her career.
1. With the rise of AI chatbots, more educators are turning their attention to oral exams — with a high-tech twist: The rise of ChatGPT has educators scrambling to find alternatives to written exams. Some universities are reviving oral exams, a classic approach once common in medieval universities. Can technology shorten delivery times?
2. How education should change, according to a Nobel Prize-winning physicist: Since winning the Nobel Prize in Physics in 2001, Karl Wieman has devoted much of his energy to improving education. Therefore, he began actively seeking better ways to promote his learning and evaluate education. Will the idea stick?
3. Reader response: Does fixing the leaky STEM pipeline require an adaptation of calculus?: As student math performance declines this year and ‘math wars’ are waged over instruction, EdSurge went to Harvard University to observe teachers at work updating their calculus curriculum. They claim their method can prevent more students from being kicked out of STEM. But that was just the beginning of the conversation. Find out what your readers think, whether they agree or disagree with the idea.
Four. Jumping teachers into school leadership positions too quickly comes at a cost: Elevating young teachers into school leadership roles without the right support can be dangerous, says Teaching Well executive -Written by director Lindsey Fuller. Fuller knows this all too well, having been promoted from teacher to administrator at age 26 without any guidance or training. Fuller says when a teacher is promoted to a leadership position, she needs support to do her job effectively.
Five. What’s stopping teachers from embracing edtech?: What’s stopping teachers from embracing edtech tools and technology-enabled instruction? was the fundamental question behind the project, which aimed to better understand the gap between Two researchers share what they’ve learned about how to best use edtech in education, barriers to adoption, and the best tools to transform teacher practice.