Sunday, September 23, 2012

Educational Readings by Allan Alach: Steve Wheeler, Joel Klien

 
Standardisation of education Henry Ford would be proud! .

Madness has spread to both sides of the Tasman Sea this week, with the publishing of Naplan test results in Australia and of national standards ‘data’ in New Zealand.  As usual politicians and media are making the most of this, regardless of all the evidence to the contrary. This GERM is very contagious and hard to eradicate.

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!

Learning by making

English academic Steve Wheeler is very good value and this article is no exception.


Education Reform: Treating Schools Like Businesses is Wrong

We know this. The problem is that the businesses who see $$$$$$ don’t know, and don’t want to know, the basic truth.


Education Reform Sucks: Driving a Stake through High Stakes Testing

Phil Cullen has covered this excellent article in a Treehorn Express - well worth reading again.


A Global Fund for Education: Achieving Education for All

Sounds good, doesn’t it? Sorry, this is aimed at the GERMing of education worldwide.



Proposed Competencies for Learning Outcomes: Early Childhood, Primary, and Post-Primary

This is a draft of an international set of competencies, linked to the articles immediately above. What do you think? Is this as altruistic as it is framed?


Joel Klein: Enormous Resistance to Change in K-12 System

Murdoch stooge Joel Klein (Mr Naplan in Australia), a New York lawyer, pronouncing on educational change. Time for educators to reform the legal system, it seems.


Free schools are a disaster

‘Michael Gove's flagship policy is a huge waste of money, socially divisive and won't raise educational standards’

Free schools in the UK are the same as charter schools elsewhere, and are just as ineffective. However deformers will ignore this, to the peril of real education. Given that the head of New Zealand/s Ministry of Education, Lesley Longstone, was brought over from the UK because of her expertise with free schools, it is pretty clear where NZ’s charter school programme is heading.


U.S. Education in Chinese Lock Step? Bad Move.

The education systems in China and the United States not only are headed in opposite directions, but are aiming at exactly what the other system is trying to give up.’


As Children’s Freedom Has Declined, So Has Their Creativity

Self explanatory!

The 9th problem with the Common Core standards

Another excellent article by Marion Brady, that reinforces the article above about declining creativity. While relating to the USA, his points are valid wherever core standards are being decreed.

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