By Allan Alach
Hard to beat this item on Diane Ravitch’s blog as a great introduction
to this week’s readings:
‘There
have been many times in history when the evidence and discoveries by
researchers and scientists (such as Galileo and Darwin) was suppressed by those
in power. This is one of those times.
The
peer-reviewed unbiased research in biology, neuroscience, education, and social
science corroborates a humanistic, child-centered, constructive approach to how
we raise and educate our children. It’s amazing how the biological
research into the workings of the brain supports the research from education
and social science. Many of us know that there is already evidence that
tells us to do the opposite of what the laws and policies require.
Someday
people will look back and ask, “How could a society have done that to their
children when they knew better?”
Diane
Ravitch’s blog will be there, in archive, to tell the future how it happened.
Thank you Diane.’
I welcome suggested articles, so if you come across a gem, email it
to me at allan.alach@ihug.co.nz.
This week’s homework!
Finding
the Genius in Every Child
Self explanatory, except for politicians and
other school ‘deformers.’
Being
a profession?
New Zealand educator, e-learning specialist,
and blogger Derek Wenmoth offers valuable commentaries in his blog. Here’s an
example, commenting on the seemingly endless discussions and policies on
teacher professionalism.
‘This debate has been around for a long
time and never seems to be fully resolved, and may never be as long as we have
a situation where teachers and teaching is subject to so much direct political
influence and interference. There is hardly a day goes by when we don't see
teachers and/or teaching represented in a negative light by the media who
seldom waste an opportunity to position teachers as "a problem to be
fixed."’
The
Great Interactive Whiteboard Swindle…a 70s themed post!
Yes indeed, came to the same conclusion when
I investigated IWB for a sabbatical project.
New Forms of Assessment: measuring what you contribute
rather than what you collect
Can’t see the
deformers buying into this, therefore is must be good…..
Seven Sins of Our System of Forced Education
This article dates
back to 2009, but that doesn’t affect its relevance. Health warning to GERM
laden deformers …. read at peril of having your prejudices challenged.
“We
can use all the euphemisms we want, but the literal truth is that schools, as
they generally exist in the United States and other modern countries, are
prisons.”
Want
to Kill Student Curiosity in 12 Easy Steps?
Here’s how.
Why
Scotland's approach to publicly funded education works
Can we import some Scottish
politicians? Seems that they are immune
from GERMs.
The
People Holding Us Accountable Should Be Held Accountable Themselves.
Sounds like a reasonable proposition to me.
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