Trips to the playground and jigsaw puzzles: five surprising ways to help children learn to write: Rachaphak/Shutterstock It’s a milestone that leaves parents beaming with pride: the first time their child shakily writes out their own name. And it’s the start of many more key childhood moments, from Christmas lists to writing their own stories. …
South Africa has taken over the G20 presidency from Brazil – what lessons can it learn?: South Africa has taken over the presidency of the world’s premier economic forum, the G20, from Brazil. The G20 presidency operates on a troika system made up of the current, previous and next holders. The three members cooperate with …
China leads the net zero transition – here’s what we can learn from its progress in Beijing and Hong Kong: Manufacture of renewable tech is skyrocketing in Chinese cities such as Beijing. Mike Fuchslocher/Shutterstock China is winning the clean energy race. It has spent ten times more on clean energy than either the US or …
Raising revenue from land: what African cities might learn from Hong Kong’s unique land-lease system: Land prices across many African cities are soaring. This is because land is a city’s key asset. As urbanisation progresses, demand for land will rise, and therefore so will land prices, because the supply of land in cities is limited. …
South African study shows the power of sharing daily experiences for teachers to learn how to include all learners: Teachers can learn from each other and come to see that they are inclusive educators. zeljkosantrac/Getty Images Globally, more than 258 million children and young people between the ages of 6 and 17 are not in …
Making short films is a powerful way to learn job skills: 5 ways it prepares students for work: Making short films can change the way people learn. ASphotowed/iStock/Getty Plus The world of work is changing all the time. Technology is driving innovation and productivity, leading to the creation of new industries and employment opportunities. This …
The curious link between animal hibernation and ageing – and what humans could learn from it: Nicoleta Ionescu/Shutterstock When the cold and dark winter is setting in, some of us envy animals that can hibernate. This long, deep rest is an example of how nature develops clever solution to difficult problems. In this case, how …
How Israel failed to learn from the Northern Ireland peace process: There is no peace in the Middle East because there is no effective peace process. This isn’t because the Palestinians and Israelis do not know how to make peace. They do. The Good Friday agreement which brought peace to Northern Ireland a quarter of …
Stones inside fish ears mark time like tree rings – and now they’re helping us learn about climate change: Dolores M. Harvey/Shutterstock As a marine biologist, I’ve always found it fascinating to learn about how animals adapt to their habitat. But climate change has made it more important than ever – wild animals’ futures may …
We rarely hear about the disasters that were avoided – but there’s a lot we can learn from them: When a huge cyclone slammed into East Pakistan (present day Bangladesh) in November 1970 it caused water in the Ganges Delta to rise by 10 metres. Entire towns were submerged. At least 300,000 people died – …
A Nasa spacecraft is on course to deliver material from an asteroid to Earth – here’s what we could learn: Nasa/GSFC Around 15 years ago, I was on a European Space Agency (Esa) committee, looking at Esa’s strategy for proposed forthcoming space missions. Under consideration was a mission to an asteroid. Over dinner, one of …
The dire state of British prisons – and what they could learn from Europe to get better: Reading prison was closed in 2013. photocritical/Shutterstock Prisoners and prison officers have long been familiar with the dire state of the UK’s prisons. The escape of Daniel Khalife from HMP Wandsworth in London now has many people wondering …
Ghana’s colonial past and assessment use means education prioritises passing exams over what students actually learn – this must change: Formal education in the Gold Coast, now Ghana, was introduced during the 15th century when Europeans came to its shores to trade. Education was only accessible to children of women married to western traders, and …
Kenya is going digital to boost tax revenue – there are lessons to learn from other African countries: Billy Mutai/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Imagess Many African tax authorities have weak capacity to raise revenue. From 1990 to 2020, sub-Saharan African countries on average collected only about 12%-15% of GDP as taxes, a much lower share …
How to motivate yourself to learn a language: Cast Of Thousands/Shutterstock Are you thinking about learning a language? Perhaps you’ve decided that it’s time to dust off your classroom French. Maybe you’re planning a trip to Japan and feel like you should make the effort to learn the basics, or work is sending you to …
Want to collaborate better? Pick your partner wisely and learn how to read them: We've all been there… Monkey Business Images/Shutterstock Have you ever tried to build IKEA furniture with your partner only for it to go horribly wrong? How about planning a wedding or other big party and realising you have wildly different visions …
Pastoralists are an asset to the world – and we have a lot to learn from them: Getty Images Pastoralists are livestock keepers who are frequently on the move, sometimes across huge distances. Following mobile lifestyles and living far from centres of power, they are often inaccurately dismissed as backward and in need of modernisation. …
Welsh mining towns had alternative currencies 200 years ago – here’s what the crypto world could learn from them: A halfpenny token issued by the Parys Mining Company of Anglesey in 1788. The hooded druid design was used for many years and was the first of hundreds of token designs. BrandonBigheart/Wikimedia You can also read …