Friday, March 28, 2014

Educational Readings - Scott McLeod / Sir Michael Barber!!/ Jamie McKenzie /PISA/Dianne Khan and Bruce Hammonds



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 weeks homework!

To Foster Your Creativity, Don't Learn To Code; Learn To Paint
And if you want to foster those creative, problem solving skills, the solution isnt learning to code its learning to paint. Or play an instrument. Or write poetry. Or sculpt. The field doesnt matter: the key thing is that if you want to foster your own innovative creativity, the best way to do it is to seriously pursue an artistic endeavor.

Closedv. opensystems of knowing   Scott McLeod:

To fully prepare most students for life and, arguably, to reengage many of them in the learning, not just social, aspects of their schooling they need greater immersion in open systems of learning where questions are raised, answers arent fixed, and solutions are often contextual. This is true for all grade levels, not just secondary. So far most schools dont do a great job with this.

Pearson's Vision for the World
Real scary stuff Welcome to Sir Michael Barbers version of Huxleys Brave New World. Warning to teachers, everywhere

The "digital ocean" that this paper introduces is coming. Just as "big data" is transforming other industries such as insurance, finance, retail, and professional sport, in time, it will transform education. And when it does, it will resolve long-standing dilemmas for educators and enable that long-term aspiration for evidence-informed policy at every level, from classroom to the whole system, to be realized.

What have we done?
US educator Jamie McKenzie reflecting on 20 years of the internet in classrooms
The Internet came to schools with much fanfare in 1994-95, as browsers converted the previously text-based World Wide Web into something far more user-friendly and attractive. Some of us felt these information technologies might transform schools in dramatic ways as students would have wide open access to information much richer than what was available previously. We hoped the Internet would foster independent thinking and originality. Two decades later, how many of these
possibilities came true?

Lessons from Disney Pixar on how creativity leads to more summative success
Ewan McIntosh:
Pixar, since it was purchased by Disney, gives off an air of resilient creative and commercial success, but the journey is rarely that smooth. In fact, the more creative the output, the more commercially successful it is, for Pixar at least, and the processes used by the teams is remarkably close to what we see in highly effective classrooms.

How Does PISA Put the World at Risk (Part 3): Creating Illusory Models of Excellence
Part 3 of Zong Zhaos series on PISA.
The product of most public value, the national league tables, are based on so many weak links that they should be abandoned right away. If only a few of the methodological issues raised in this volume are on target, the league tables depend on assumptions about the validity and reliability which are unattainable.
http://bit.ly/1fSFfLh

Not choice, bro I want to opt out
A tale from New Zealand mother (and very active anti-GERM campaigner) Dianne Khan, about her son who has just started school.

He has been allocated a National Student Number to track him throughout his education.  His results, standards, and lord knows what else is being stored against this number. I cant opt him out of this trust me I have asked.  He and every child in or entering the system as of the 2014 school year is in the system, and god only knows what they are recording about him.

This weeks contributions from Bruce Hammonds:

Like a Wood Duck: Finding Peace in the Classroom
After a hard day of teaching, I often plop down on my desk chair at home and gaze up at a framed drawing hanging on the wall above my desk that a dear friend of mine gave me. It is a detailed
A Wood duck
d


Concerns about Use of Standardized Tests a Constant over the Years
Bruces comment: Politicians determining education shades of TVs House of Cards!!!!
I think we can generally agree that standardized tests dont have a good reputation today and that some of the criticism is merited,said U.S. secretary of Education Arne Duncan last April during the annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association (AERA). Policymakers and researchers have to listen very carefully and take very seriously the concerns of educators, parents, and students about assessment.

New School Year - what has been achieved ?
Bruces reflections after visiting classrooms six weeks into the 2014 New Zealand school year what was to be seen? Care to make a guess?
I wasn't expecting miracles on my visits. I was just hoping for the early signs of the beginning of quality learning the beginning of the class being a home for mutual studies by teachers and their students. Students as 'seekers, users and creators of their own knowledge'. ( New Zealand Curriculum, 2007)
http://bit.ly/1kZumMM\\

   Check out this blog.  Just to prove Bruce wrong!!!!   

Whats Your Learning Disposition? How to Foster Students’ Mindsets
Stanford psychologist Carol Dwecks work on growth mindsets has dominated much of the attention around how students can influence their own learning. But there are other ways to help students tap into their own motivation, too. Here are a few other important mindsets to consider.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

I guess I would choose writing a poetry. First of all it helps to express your deepest thoughts. Second of all it may help to look on things from another more creative angle. We all know the apple you see a poet is going to see in a totally different light for sure. Third of all writing helps to educate ourselves. There is a certain problem Americans expreince with grammar and speling noadays.So why not using an opportunity to make some improvements and choose to turn to places like EssayOnlineStore: argumentative writings for students less often. Thanx a lot for the post