Yong - Zhao |
'Education in America is at a crossroads', writes American educator Yong-Zhao
Ironically while China is busy trying to transform its test orientated education into a talent orientated system, writes Chinese born but now a respected American educator Yong- Zhao, America ( and now New Zealand) is moving towards a standardized test driven culture.
Ironically while China is busy trying to transform its test orientated education into a talent orientated system, writes Chinese born but now a respected American educator Yong- Zhao, America ( and now New Zealand) is moving towards a standardized test driven culture.
Why right
wing politicians in New Zealand would want to follow the failing neo-liberal agenda of the USA is more to do with politics than education.
In America
they have the No Child Left Behind testing programmes based around literacy and
numeracy and in New Zealand we have National Standards.
Why we
follow the failing approaches of the USA, the UK and Australia when we could be
leading the world into developing a system that focuses on developing the talents
and gifts of all students shows a lack of direction by those who profess to
lead our schools. Schools cannot just be simply against such standards, which
increasingly sound like whinging, they need to be leading by articulating a creative alternative.
To thrive inrapidly changing world countries like New Zealand needs to cultivate adiversity of talents of all citizens if we really want to be seen as an
innovative country. Cultivating this student creativity and imagination is one
thing our New Zealand schools have never done with the exception of a few creative teachers.
Yong- Zhao, in his book ‘Catching up by Leading’, points out the
damage being created by the American NCLB, and even more strongly, writes that
schools that comply ‘are actually undermining their strengths by
overemphasizing high-stakes testing and standardisation’.
There are
lessons we can learn from America (and the UK and Australia) – of what not to
do! Particularly as we rate higher in international testing than such
countries. We need to lead rather than follow.
In America
the NCLB has resulted in school teaching to the test and the reduction of time
for subjects not tested. As well teachers, to score well, have changed their
instructional focus and teaching styles. Some American schools have even
resorted to cheating.
Schools in
America (and other Western countries who follow the same neo- liberal agenda) spend valuable teaching time on test
preparation (another form of cheating?). Already schools in New Zealand are,
disturbingly, ensuring their teaching focuses on their ensuring test results are
impressive – and this self- interest can only get worse. And if you read KelvinSmythe the Ministry is ensuring the ‘shonky’ National Standards results show improvements to 'prove' their value.
If schools
do not make a collective stand and present an alternative beyond objecting to
National Standards it will be too late.
The
reasoning behind the NCLB in America resonates to what is happening in
New Zealand under this government.
According to
Zong Zhao it goes like this:
American
education is in a crisis.
This crisis
is proved by the ‘achievement gap’ (ignoring, of course, poverty issues).
The
‘achievement gap’ results from poor teaching; teachers who hold low
expectations of their students. (John Key said as much as this prior to the
elections). This is not helped by self-interested teacher unions.
Teachers are
to be seen as complacent or lazy.
The solution
is hold educators accountable for producing measurable outcomes including
publishing of school performance data thus providing information for parent
school choice and the possibility using performance-based teacher pay.
Standardisation
and centralisation of curriculum and assessment are essential ingredients for
obvious reasons.
All students
have to be held to the same standards and need to be assessed by the same tests
otherwise it is impossible to compare how much students have learnt or to
distinguish good teachers and schools from poor ones. Until tests are
standardised as in the UK and Australia results will remain ‘shonky’.
The consequence
of such standardised teaching leads to the homogenisation of student outcomes
and a diminishing of student talents in areas not being tested.
National
Standards practically define what ‘good ‘education is; they become the default
curriculum. A ‘good’ education is defined as a school being able to show good
scores in a literacy and numeracy. Such a ‘good education’ deprives students
the opportunity to develop talents in other areas. In addition children who do
not perform well will be shamed and seen ‘at risk’ doomed to get more of what
they cannot do while their unique gifts are ignored.
Developing talents of all |
Theoretically
schools can teach more than defined by the Standards but in reality schools
will ensure they do well in areas that affect their reputation by focusing on
areas that ‘count’.
As a result
of such a narrow agenda schools will produce students with a narrow range of
measurable outcomes.
Yong- Zhao
writes that this approach in America will limit the production of creative and
imaginative individual with a wide range of talents the very people China is
determined to produce!
New Zealand
educators need to confront such a narrow interpretation of education and
present an alternative based on an education that develops the talents and
gifts of all students.
It is morally
wrong, Yong-Zhao writes, ‘to place all responsibilities on schools and teachers.
While schools can definitely do a lot to help children overcome certain
difficulties, their influence has limits.’
Worse still,
Zhoa writes, the NCLB is ‘putting America in danger’….into a deeper crisis
‘because it is likely to lead increasing distrust of educators, disregard of students’
individual interests, destruction of local autonomy and capacity for
innovation, and disrespect for human values’.
We are well
on the way in New Zealand to follow America into such a depressing scenario.
Now is the time
for schools to see the big picture and to collectively present an alternative
vision; a vision implicit in the all but side-lined 2007 New Zealand Curriculum
which sees students as ‘seeking using and creating their own knowledge.’ All it
needs is a greater emphasis on developing the gifts and talents of all
students.
Yong-Zhao believes 'American education is at a crossroads' and 'we need to change course'. 'We need to move away from focusing on the past and move towards focusing on the future' We need to leave the test driven road and move towards the road to innovation and creativity.
Yong-Zhao believes 'American education is at a crossroads' and 'we need to change course'. 'We need to move away from focusing on the past and move towards focusing on the future' We need to leave the test driven road and move towards the road to innovation and creativity.
New Zealnd should be a
leader in developing this new discourse not a follower..
For the keen an interview with Yong Zhao
For the keen an interview with Yong Zhao
5 comments:
Are principals aware of the obvious scenario you outline being imposed on our schools? Seems not!
I am not sure if they all appreciate the scenario being imposed on them - if they do they are reluctant to speak out against it.
Thought I would share this with you http://patrickmwallace.wordpress.com/2013/04/15/neoliberalism-the-implications-for-lifelong-learning-and-adult-education/
Neoliberalism in Adult Ed
http://goo.gl/dG08z
Why do our current politicians ignore the good advice of Yong Zhao? Too busy pushing public schooing towards privatisation I fear
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