Author: Wayne
-
A Lack of Trust in Science – National Structural Issues Exposed by Covid-19 Series, Part 1
A massive tsunami has travelled around the world in the form of the Covid-19pandemic. That wave is in the process of toppling what looked like strong buildings. What’s more, it is washing away the sand to expose the very suspect foundations upon which much of our recent developments in society have been built. It is…
-
Casualisation of the Workforce – National Structural Issues Exposed by Covid-19 Series, Part 2
This short series of articles examines the deep, long hidden structural issues that many countries have, that have been exposed by the Covid-19 pandemic. Previous articles in the series have looked at the Lack of Trust in Science. Here is part two. Casualisation of the Workforce Over my working life there have been massive changes…
-
Higher Education Is in Trouble, And Should Be – Higher Education is Broken, Let’s Disrupt it and Build a Better Model of Adult Education Series, Part 1
This series of articles examines the deep and profound structural issues in post-secondary and adult education, examines the disruptive forces at work and works towards a new model of adult education that can truly work for all. Here is part one. Even before Covid-19, higher education was dead in the water, it just didn’t generally…
-
Why Do We Torture All High School Students with Maths That Many Will Never Use?
Education administrators and governments seem to be totally detached from any understanding of the real world when it comes to designing curriculum. Nor do they seem to care how making students study something they are ill suited and unmotivated for will destroy self-confidence and create negative internal dialogue. It also wastes time that could be…
-
Why Is China the Source of So Many Pandemics?
With the recent world catastrophe that is Covid-19 dominating people’s minds, it is timely to examine the central role China has played as the source of pandemics over time. [caption id="attachment_900" align="aligncenter" width="1400"] Photo by Edwin Hooper on Unsplash[/caption]
-
Lack of Forward Planning – National Structural Issues Exposed by Covid-19 Series, Part 3
Governments are made up of people, and so a government can exhibit all the same “personality traits” that people do. They can be self-absorbed, naturally defensive, forgetful, distracted, following the wrong path, overwhelmed or completely sociopathic. We’ve seen all of the above from governments during Covid-19. Like people, governments need to be encouraged, and sometimes…
-
Rising Student Numbers Have Harmed Universities -Higher Education is Broken Series, Part 2
Governments across the world have, to varying degrees, exercised control over universities. In the English-speaking world in particular, alternating waves of Reaganite or Thatcherite economics, the so called economic rationalism, have been juxtaposed with more left-wing social opportunity and equality policies. All of these have impacted universities in various unexpected ways. This series of articles…
-
The Benefits of Having Diverse Friends and How to Learn from Them
I am blessed with having friends of all sorts, from so many countries, religions, ethnicities, experience and professions. There are values in such diversity that you may not expect. [caption id="attachment_883" align="aligncenter" width="1400"] Photo by Duy Pham on Unsplash[/caption]
-
The Privileging of Text Literacy in Education Must Stop and a Media-Agnostic Approach Embraced
 Since the development of writing we have gradually privileged text literacy above other forms of communication. Even oratory, one of the pillars of Greek civilisation, has been subsumed in the march of text literacy above all else. In education we put so much emphasis on text literacy that children who have difficulty with text are…
-
Removing the Disability Label from Dyslexia, Asperger’s, Autism, ADHD and Other Cognitive Diversities
A child being unable to learn to read at the ‘normal’ rate is only an issue in a literate society. For the vast majority of human existence an inability to learn to read was not an issue at all. In fact if you go back, say 10,000 years, an ability to read would be abnormal.…