Every week, HEADlines brings you the latest news, stories and commentaries in education and healthcare. This week, get insights on the latest developments in education. image Rethinking learning methods Recent studies from the United States found that college students develop important critical thinking skills through challenging experiences within and outside of the classroom, regardless of their workload. The results imply that redefining academic rigour to include higher-order skills when designing learning experiences may support low-income students, who split their time between family responsibilities and part-time jobs, to thrive in a college environment. In caring for her two neurodiverse children, a parent opted for taking her children out of their Zoom classes to spend a summer in the wilderness. In line with core principles of forest schools, her children thrived in times of unstructured play and rekindled their innate curiosity through exploration-based learning. In times of great disconnect, the time spent outdoors instilled in them a larger connection and appreciation for the world, and developed resilience to challenges. With conventional modes of education currently being challenged and remodeled by remote learning, schools and parents can use this opportunity to adopt alternate definitions of effective and rigorous education, with a focus on achieving learning outcomes. As we explore different learning modalities and definitions of effective education, listen to nine experienced educators discuss how they have navigated challenges in remote learning, to deliver the best learning experiences to their students. Full recordings of The HEAD Foundation’s webinar series Bridging the Gaps in Remote Learning can be found here. Education in the Spotlight Project Syndicate: Transforming education after the pandemic The COVID-19 crisis has hit the most vulnerable children hardest and exposed the worsening inequality of learning opportunities. Governments and international organisations must deliver a global recovery based on providing quality education for all children. The Hechinger Report: Should parents value academic achievement or academic growth in a school? An online experiment found that information on how much kids learned at school, not how high they scored on tests, nudged parents to more demographically diverse schools. The Straits Times: Simplifying Primary 1 registration can help make it fairer, says Yale-NUS study Adding to the complexity of the school application process, parents with alumni connections may be able to afford property closer to their desired schools, increasing their child’s chances of admission. The Washington Post: ‘Harvard for the masses’ – at a community college in Atlanta After merging with Georgia State University, a school known for boosting graduation rates, more than 80% of students at Perimeter College have graduated, transferred, or are still enrolled after three years of college. The Guardian: Why aren’t more girls in the UK choosing to study computing and technology? As the proportion of girls taking these subjects remains low, teachers reveal why they believe that is and what they’re doing about it. The Edge Markets: Being Human: Learning for the planet starts with us UNESCO puts its hopes on education as a powerful enabler to change mindsets and worldviews towards paths that nurture the well-being of all. Stanford Woods: A climate change solution: Invest in youth environmental education Without significant support and investment in environmental and science education, the deepening environmental crisis will continue to deepen, researchers warn.