Top Class: The OECD Education Policy Podcast | Teachers, PISA, Students
OECD Education & Skills
Everything you need to know about teaching and learning in one podcast. Top Class, the OECD Education Podcast, interviews leading educators, researchers and policy experts about the big issues facing education systems around the world.
Disclaimer: The opinions expressed and arguments employed on the "TopClass" podcast and the recordings contained therein do not necessarily represent the official views of the OECD, its member countries, or non-members who have participated in any related work. This site may display third party videos or recordings. The inclusion of such videos or recordings does not imply any endorsement of, or responsibility for, the opinions, ideas, or information presented in these videos. The "TopClass" podcast is subject to the Disclaimers section of the General Terms and Conditions of the OECD website. http://www.oecd.org/termsandconditions/
Disclaimer: The opinions expressed and arguments employed on the "TopClass" podcast and the recordings contained therein do not necessarily represent the official views of the OECD, its member countries, or non-members who have participated in any related work. This site may display third party videos or recordings. The inclusion of such videos or recordings does not imply any endorsement of, or responsibility for, the opinions, ideas, or information presented in these videos. The "TopClass" podcast is subject to the Disclaimers section of the General Terms and Conditions of the OECD website. http://www.oecd.org/termsandconditions/
Episodes
Mentioned books
Feb 11, 2020 • 12min
The view from the classroom: What do today’s learners say about the future of education?
A lot of talk goes on about the future of education – in ministry offices, school staff rooms, even household kitchens. But one voice is routinely left out of the discussion: that of the students themselves. A defining – and inescapable – feature of “the future” is that it’s always just around the corner. But why is it that we so rarely consult those who are about to face what’s around that corner? In this episode of TopClass, we sit down with students from across the globe to ask what they believe is next for education in the 21st century, as well as their views on the future of the job market.
Jan 24, 2020 • 18min
What role will artificial intelligence (AI) play in the classroom?
Much talk about technology in the 21st century is focused around the advent of a new level of computing: artificial intelligence (AI). No sector will go untouched by AI’s reach and capabilities – and this includes teaching. Teachers today already have access to a wide range of technologies that they can use in the classroom, technologies that are getting smarter, sleeker and faster by the day. But how will teaching change if that technology has the ability to adapt, learn and even make decisions? Charles Fadel, Founder and Chairman of the Center for Curriculum Redesign, joins us to talk about how AI will affect teaching and what schools can do to prepare.
https://curriculumredesign.org
Nov 28, 2019 • 22min
What is PISA’s role in global education? A conversation
You’re no doubt hearing a lot about education these days, with the release of the latest results from PISA. Over the two decades of its existence, the OECD Programme for International Student Assessment has convened a growing number of countries – now around 80 – to participate in its triennial assessment of what 15-year-old students know and can do. But PISA has also attracted some criticism along the way. Yong Zhao, professor in the School of Education at the University of Kansas, and Aaron Benavot, professor of Global Education Policy in the School of Education at the State University of New York at Albany, discuss the value of a test the whole world can take with Director of the OECD Directorate for Education and Skills, Andreas Schleicher.
Sep 5, 2019 • 22min
How can we turn students into innovators?
The world that today’s students will enter after leaving school is volatile, complex and uncertain. Things have changed dramatically in just ten years, and the rate of change shows no signs of slowing. Students will need to adapt to new ways of working, socialising and participating in society. Overcoming these challenges will require a generation of innovators, and a new approach to education. But how can educators foster innovation among their students? And why are schools struggling to do this today? To discuss this, we caught up with Geoff Mulgan, CEO of Nesta, and Stéphan Vincent-Lancrin, a senior analyst in the OECD’s Directorate for Education and Skills.
Jul 9, 2019 • 20min
Innovation in teaching: What it looks like and why we need it
Teaching, like any other profession, will need to adapt to the new challenges and opportunities of the 21st century. But unlike some other professions, innovations in teaching are unlikely to come in the form of the latest gadgets or software – it will instead be a matter of refining and reshaping practice. But are our current education systems ready to accommodate this? Steven Farr, Director of Classroom Leadership at Teach For All, and Noémie Le Donné, analyst for the OECD’s Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS), discuss what innovation in teaching actually is and why it’s important, also touching on the landscape of the profession and how systems today support new approaches.
For more information on Teach For All visit https://teachforall.org.
Note: TALIS results discussed in this podcast are taken from TALIS 2013.
May 29, 2019 • 19min
Why effective professional development matters for teachers
Teachers’ own learning is an integral part of their practice – after all, it is said that to teach is to learn twice over. But understanding which kinds of in-service training are effective for teachers and which aren’t can be complex, and many countries have yet to find the perfect formula. Data can provide some guidance. Edmund Mission, Deputy CEO of the Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership (AITSL), and Pablo Fraser, an analyst for the OECD’s Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS), discuss the importance of professional development for teachers and the direction systems should be heading in to get the most out of their professional development programmes.
Mar 7, 2019 • 27min
What is the “digital gender gap” and how can it be bridged?
We’ve heard a lot about adolescent girls showing less interest than boys in technology studies and about the dearth of women in tech industries; but in the United States, women were among the vanguard of programmers in the early days of computing. What happened? We talk with Francesca Borgonovi, a senior education analyst, and Luca Marcolin, an economist, both at the OECD, about why girls shy away from tech studies, why careers in technology are not attractive to more women, and what can be done to improve the gender balance in the tech world.
Jan 14, 2019 • 26min
How will technology and artificial intelligence (AI) affect education?
Technology has changed the way societies function, and schools will need to adapt in order to prepare students for the technology-rich environments they will face. But the gadget-filled modern world is still relatively new, and understanding how education should respond to it is still a work-in-progress. The influence of artificial intelligence, in particular, deserves serious consideration from educators. In this episode, we sit down with Yuhyun Park, founder of the DQ (Digital Intelligence Quotient) Institute, and Ruben Laukkonen, Postdoctoral Researcher at the University of Amsterdam, to discuss the effects technology and A.I. might have on schooling worldwide.
Dec 14, 2018 • 21min
What can low- and middle-income countries learn from PISA?
Since 2000, some 80 countries and economies – including 40 middle-income countries and 4 low-income countries – collaborate every three years to compare how well their school systems prepare young people for life and work. As more countries joined the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), it became apparent that the test needed to evolve to successfully cater to a larger and more diverse set of countries. In response to this challenge, the OECD and a number of partners launched the PISA for Development initiative in 2013. In this episode, Andreas Schleicher, the OECD’s Director of the Directorate of Education and Skills, and Jaime Saavedra, the World Bank’s Director of Education, speak about how this initiative further develops the PISA instruments to better support evidence-based policy making in middle- and low-income countries.
Nov 22, 2018 • 25min
What it means to be a disadvantaged student
Education is not only a desired end in itself, it can also help people move up the social ladder. But results from international assessments of students and of adults’ skills show that disadvantaged students often find themselves stuck on the bottom rungs – both at school and later on in life. In this podcast, OECD analysts Daniel Salinas and Pauline Givord discuss what OECD Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) data reveal about equity in education and breaking down the barriers to social mobility. They discuss the obstacles disadvantaged students face as they progress through school, and how education policy can help dismantle them.
