By Allan Alach
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!
Written about New Zealand and very applicable
all over.
‘Consequently,
the whole question of whether teaching is a profession, or can become one, is a
bit of a red herring. The real issue is the degree to which teachers can resist
deskilling and maintain some measure of autonomy within the schooling system.
For that to happen I believe we need a complete re-think about what our
schooling system might be like as we sail merrily into the 21st century using
20th Century models of thinking supported by a 20th century Education Act that fails to place the learner at the centre of all subsequent policy and resourcing decisions.’
Asphyxiating Education
The following quote refers to USA but the same
rhetoric is used to justify ‘reform’ all over.
A coincidence of course????
“The
standards are designed to be robust and relevant to the real world, reflecting the
knowledge and skills that our young people need for success in college and
careers. With American students fully prepared for the future, our communities
will be best positioned to compete successfully in the global economy.”
What EXACTLY are the “Skills” needed by
21st Century TEACHERS? – The “Robocop” Upgrade…
 |
| Tony Gurr |
‘But, my “business” is LEARNing (as if you didn’t know) - not TECHNOlogy. And, I’m interested in how we
actually “do” something with all the talk-we-are-talking these days - talk about the ”new kids” on the ”curriculum block”:’
Bill Gates, On the Record
Anthony Cody:
‘Bill
Gates is a charlatan as far as education is concerned. He has discarded the expertise of educators as if it were trash,
because it did not align with his concept of how learning ought to be measured
and improved. In its place, he has fostered a worship of almighty data. He will
come to the National Board singing the praises of accomplished teachers,
because he wants to bring leading educators to his side, even as he devalues
their expertise and autonomy.’
7 reasons educators secretly fear creativity
‘Developing
creativity in the classroom, in the school, in the district is not particularly
difficult. Simple teaching techniques can spur divergent thinking. Innovation
can be a part of all content areas and disciplines. Any project can have
recognition of originality in its assessment. But creativity tends to be
actively suppressed by teachers and administrators. Here's why.’
Psychologist on a mission to give every child a Learning Chip
Brave New World? Nineteen Eighty-Four? Or
something written by Philip K. Dick?
Mind you the title is misleading…. the article has little to do with ‘chips’ and much more to do with the debate over
genetics and learning.
‘The education
world, he thinks, doesn't take enough notice of genes. Learning about genetics
should be part of teacher training, he says, so that teachers understand how to
draw out individual talents. His big idea is personalised learning. He's
against all labels: dyslexia, attention deficit disorder, gifted and so on.
Every child has special needs, he argues. Schools should therefore offer the
widest possible choice of subjects and extra-curricular activities, even if it
means them being very large.’
Five bad education assumptions the media keeps recycling
Alfie Kohn:
The 4 Most Profound Ways Privatization Perverts Education
‘But
there's no market-based reform where children are involved. Education can't be
reduced to a lottery, or a testing app, or a business plan. Equal opportunity
in education ensures that every child is encouraged and challenged and nurtured
from the earliest age, as we expect for our own
children.’
This week’s contributions from Bruce Hammonds:
To Help Students Learn, Appeal to What They Value
‘The
nonacademic passions, social intrigues and fads we would dismiss are among the
things students value and, ironically, are a springboard for learning. What are
your ideas for uncovering and working with students' values? Please share your
thoughts and experiences.’
5 Ways to Make Your Classroom Student-Centered
‘Expert
teachers know how to give students choice and voice, finding ways to design
learning experiences that tap into what students value. This isn't always easy,
especially if our preparation experiences didn't frame learning this way. Here
are five questions that can help us develop and refine the teacher strengths
needed for creating a student-centered classroom. Use them to start the new
year off right!’
‘Ken Robinson’s talk “How to escape education's death valley” is
one of my favorites. It was recorded in April of 2013. I highly recommend that
you watch his latest talk on TED.com. The quotes I assembled for the talk are
the one’s most salient to me personally.
This is not an attempt to summarize his talk in anyway, but perhaps a quote or
two will be useful for you in your own presentations related to education, etc.
The slides are in PDF, but you can easily cut and paste text as you wish. You
can of, course, get the entire transcript of the talk on the ted.com website
(in many languages). Let’s keep the
conversation regarding the education revolution going.’
Seven Types of Projects that Foster Powerful Learning
‘Research projects are an important tool for both instructing
students and assessing whether students have developed critical knowledge and
skills for college and career success in a 21st century world.
Students also have the opportunity to explore their interests, which increases
their motivation to learn. They learn how to develop questions, find, sort and
evaluate information, read widely and deeply, analyze, think creatively, write
in many different formats, problem solve, and communicate results. Students
also learn how to work independently and collaboratively. Many of the “soft” skills, such as
curiosity, perseverance, “grit”, and dealing with failure and frustration are developed while
working on a research project. Like the musician or athlete, students who
conduct research projects have the opportunity to practice and improve
important skills that they don’t normally get to use
regularly in traditional classrooms.’
1 comment:
Really great quotes, thanks for sharing - inspirational quotes
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