International Schools Blog

If you’re teaching secondary school students, then exam season is looming. It’s a busy time of year where students are trying to complete projects, teachers are making their way through the last of the material covered in the exams, and everyone is flagging after a long winter term.

There has been a long-running pedagogical debate over the benefits of a skills-based educational approach, as opposed to a knowledge-based education. And with the exponential development in new technology making huge changes to our society, it’s difficult to predict the future of employment. So, there is an increasing demand for a skills-based education, where students will be equipped with the skills they need to navigate a changing world.

Literacy skills are incredibly important for children and young people. The ability to read, write and communicate effectively is crucial in every subject and at every educational level, from primary classrooms to university lecture halls and beyond. What’s more, according to research from the National Literacy Trust, children who enjoy reading and writing are happier. So, how can we support students to develop these essential skills, and make literacy a priority in our international school classrooms?

Novels, short stories, poems and plays offer readers an unique opportunity. Literature provides a new perspective on the world, an understanding of experiences very different from your own, and an insight into different environments and cultures through the writings of authors past and present.

The impact of COVID-19 on exams in the UK and around the globe has sharpened the debate about the role of qualifications and assessment in our education systems.

There has been a lively discussion in the UK about the teaching of history, particularly the absence of Black history in school curricula, following Black Lives Matter protests in 2020. Historians, teachers and students have called for change, and at Pearson, we have been listening to feedback and working with stakeholders to respond to this need.

Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in spring 2020, online learning has become a pivotal feature in daily life for teachers, students and families around the world. Yet, while countless households across the globe have now experienced the many benefits of remote education, some critics still voice doubts about its efficacy.

In this article, Kai Vacher, Principal of British School Muscat in Oman explains how in early 2020, his school developed an idea that at the time seemed novel, innovative and creative: delivering a whole curriculum through a mix of online and face-to-face teaching. Of course, within a few months, the whole world was doing likewise. But what British School Muscat created was not about overcoming a pandemic, but something more fundamental: about international schools and their staff using their skills to help broaden access to education across their host country using a blended approach to teaching and learning they called FlexEd.

An academic qualification is only part of what is necessary for university study. To ensure students are fully prepared for the rigour and demands of degree study and equipped with all the skills needed for success at university, the ultimate aim of educators and parents is to develop ‘well-rounded students’, which of course, goes beyond the achievement of A and A* results.

International students need more than just ‘knowledge’ to be successful. It’s not enough to learn facts and methods. It’s also about knowing when to apply the knowledge and methods, about having the mental dexterity to deal with the unexpected, about being able to think through a problem. These things will be crucial in the exam. In other words, it’s about skills as well as knowledge.