By Allan Alach
One of the zillions of overseas websites that I follow includes a
weekly ‘Secret Teacher’ blog. It strikes me that there maybe many teachers out
there who have very strong feelings about educational matters in their own
country, but who are naturally afraid to speak out due to employment matters.
Having been hit by the clobbering machine myself in late 2011, I can sympathise
with this.
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| Darwin finally had a good idea! |
I’d like to offer the chance for any disaffected teacher to sound
off in absolute anonymity. If you would like to do this, email your article to
me and I will post it as a Secret Teacher posting on The Treehorn Express.
Avoid defamatory and abusive language, both for legal reasons, and also because
that’s the approach beloved of right wing trolls - we don’t need to descend to
their level. Rational, well reasoned and well referenced articles are much more
powerful!
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!
The
Current School Reform Landscape: Christopher H. Tienken (via Kevin Woodley).
-
Christopher
Tienken, Ed.D. is an assistant professor of Education Administration at Seton
Hall University in the College of Education and Human Services, Department of
Education Management, Policy, and Leadership.
This video is about the USA educational
scene, however it is very relevant, in most part, to New Zealand and Australia.
A great watch.
‘Is it
necessary to have every child master the same exact material at the same level
of difficulty?’
Spelling and grammar test for all 11-year-olds to tackle
poor literacy
-
Up to
600,000 (English) schoolchildren will be required to sit a new exam in
spelling, punctuation and grammar amid fears that almost a quarter of pupils
are starting secondary education with substandard literacy skills.
While GERM down under may be causing grief,
things could be much worse.
The
Power of Metaphor
A commonly expressed concern of the
intensely limited focus on the 3Rs that is implicit in GERM, is the neglect of the
arts. This article by Pat Buoncristiani provides
another window on how this will affect vulnerable children’s development.
How
to escape education’s death valley
Sir Ken Robinson - no other introduction
needed.
Could
it be our understanding of ‘Quality’…that is BROKEN, perhaps?
Blogger Tony Gurr, writing from Turkey (
proof of the international nature of the battle for true education) touches on
a vitally important issue - what is ‘Quality’? Tony includes the vital
reference here, Robert Pirsig’s ‘Zen and
the Art of Motor Cycle Maintenance,’
a discussion of Quality. If you’ve not
Shonky
Data and Shabby Journalism – Must Be National Standards Time Again
Save Our Schools NZ blogger Dianne Khan has
joined the ranks of contributors to The Daily Blog. Here’s her excellent first
contribution.
Education
Should Liberate, Not Indoctrinate
Another excellent link to Yong Zhao - one of
the main players in the international anti-GERM disinfectant battle.
How
do Finnish kids excel without rote learning and standardized testing?
More of the same but no less valuable for
that. Finland remains our most effective tool in the battle to disinfect
schools from GERMs.
The
biggest topic in New Zealand education this week was the debate in parliament
on the Education Amendment bill that will pass legislation to establish charter
school. Here are postings by Bruce Hammonds and Kelvin Smythe about this.
New
Zealand education. A choice between Creativity and Charter Schools
Charter
schools are …
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