Teaching & Learning
Education propels change. Stay up to date on the latest educational developments near you and around the world from preschool to post-grad. Here, you'll find out why equitable quality education is essential for fostering healthy and resilient societies.
How movement can make students better learners
You probably remember being told to “sit still” in class as a child, but human development professor Katie Headrick Taylor explains in The Conversation that perhaps we should encourage children to incorporate movement into learning. Here’s why. Learning and the body Research indicates Read More...
This web app makes it easier for people to learn sign language
Two to three of every 1,000 children are born deaf or hard of hearing in the US. Though 90 percent of these kids are born to hearing parents, 72 percent of families do not sign with their deaf children. After learning about those statistics, creative studio Hello Monday decided to create a Read More...
This online game places the world's future in your hands
The continued presence of human beings on this planet is uncertain thanks to generations of unsustainable and exploitative use of natural resources. We can read about what the future may hold for us if we fail to mitigate our impact on our environment, but it may be difficult to understand the Read More...
Czech school will be home to first 3D-printed parkour playground
Last year, we wrote about Protozoon, the world’s first-ever 3D-printed floating house. Now, Buřinka, the same Czech group that built the 3D-printed floating structure, has 3D-printed the world’s first parkour playground. The result of a partnership between the private sector, the public Read More...
Illinois high schools equip students with media literacy skills
Misinformation in media isn’t a new problem—but it used to be much more contained. With the rise of the internet and social media platforms, misinformation has gained even more power. In the past couple of years, misinformation ran rampant, wreaking havoc on a population largely unprepared for Read More...
7 Tips to help LGBTQ parents navigate a new school
A new school year is an exciting time, but it can also be stressful and challenging. For LGBTQ parents, back to school can mean new struggles with acceptance and inclusion. Psychology professor Abbie E. Goldberg researches LGBTQ parents’ relationships with schools and shares these seven tips to Read More...
This zombie escape room prepared clinicians for the pandemic
Back in 2019, the Central Texas Veterans Health Care System began running escape room simulations to teach clinicians about the importance of personal protective equipment (PPE) and infection-halting measures in a highly infectious medical setting. Organizers Kristy Causey and Grace Boseman created Read More...
Free education takes Congolese kids out of mines and into the classroom
According to the United Nations Children’s Fund UNICEF, six million children (approximately one in four) were not attending school in 2018. To address this, the following year, the Democratic Republic of Congo became one of the last countries in the world to finally introduce free primary Read More...
Scotland to provide free bikes to kids in need
We at The Optimist Daily are big fans of cycling—it’s good for your mental and physical health, and it’s a better mode of transportation for our planet. So, it’s no surprise that we are happy to report that the Scottish government is planning on releasing six pilot schemes that will Read More...
7 Ways to boost kids’ immune systems as they head back to school
Bolstering your child’s immune system can help protect them from illnesses of all kinds. Here are seven ways to strengthen your child’s immune system as they head back to school. Encourage personal hygiene Aside from mask wearing, hand washing is the most crucial habit to protect from Read More...