by Carol-Lyn McKelvey, FAUSA and AIWC Cologne
There is much to take note of as the Education Team turns its focus to Global Citizenship this month. Read on and follow the links to see what’s new!
-
The banning of books continues to be on the rise in the United States, with most of the targeted books being by or about Black or LGBTQIA+ persons. Thankfully, public libraries are pulling out all the stops to ensure access to these books. Through the Brooklyn Public Library’s Books Unbanned initiative, 13–21-year-olds can access an e-library card and also stay up to date on the current status and trends of books being banned in the US. -
Technology has contributed to significant advances in making education more accessible around the world. Then, ChatGPT came on the scene in late 2022, and no one knew quite what to make of it. Now AI (Artificial Intelligence) is taking the world by storm, changing not only how people do business, but also the face of education. From the Financial Times: “... these experiments raise the question of whether it is possible to open the door to AI in education without undercutting the most important features of human learning – about what it actually means to be numerate and to be literate.” These are important questions, and there is much to ponder as AI is here to stay. Read the full article to learn more.
-
Wondering how COVID-19 affected literacy around the world? Comprehensive data is finally being collected and examined. From Theirworld: “The Progress in International Reading Literacy Study [PIRL] collected data from 57 mostly upper-middle- and high-income countries in 2021 and 2022. Students in England were ranked fourth for reading skills, only behind Singapore, Hong Kong and Russia. But the vast majority of countries surveyed saw scores fall significantly at a time when education was disrupted by the pandemic.” This is just the first step in comprehensively studying the impact of the global pandemic on education, the effects of which will be felt and studied for generations. Read the full Gobal Education Monitoring (GEM) Report.
-
Children around the world continue to have their education impacted by armed conflict and political unrest in their countries. Find out how UNICEF is responding to the continuing crisis in Syria and read an update on the status of education in Ukraine from UNESCO.
-
Looking for books and resources that get your kids off their screens and engaged with the world around them? Check out these suggestions from The Reading Agency to start the holidays off right!
