Can rating be more than a warm-up activity in classroom assessments? A new Hong Kong study reveals that the accuracy with which students rate their own and their peers’ writing significantly shapes the quality of feedback, the depth of revision, and ultimately the improvement of their writing performance. The research challenges the common perception and instead shows its essential role in driving meaningful learning outcomes.

While the classroom has long been described as the “black box” of education, classroom analysis aims to reveal what truly happens inside it. A new study led by East China Normal University identifies ten key questions at the frontiers of classroom analysis, offering a guideline for future research and practice. This study suggests that defining guiding values, constructing high-quality analytical frameworks, leveraging multimodal data, and ensuring ethical standards are essential to advance classroom research globally.

In an era where student-centered instruction and competency-based learning are gaining traction globally, enhancing teacher capacity remains a pivotal challenge. Recognizing this, a team of Chinese education researchers has turned to framing theory to better understand how collaborative professional development models—particularly lesson study—can drive meaningful shifts in teachers’ instructional practice.

Researchers developed an Ag/Sb2O3/Au memristor array that mimics brain-like computing, performing on-device image feature extraction with low power consumption, promising smarter and faster electric grid inspections.

In a paper published in SCIENCE CHINA Earth Sciences, a team of researchers conducted a comprehensive analysis of historical changes in the frequency and spatial extent of hot droughts at multiple timescales across global land areas, as well as anthropogenic influences on these changes. They also showed that hot droughts at different timescales are projected to increase in the future. Findings of this study can be useful for developing adaptation strategies to cope with threats from extremes in a warmer future.