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!
The ministry of education and Whale Oil: an introduction
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| Cameron Slater !!!! |
This article describes what seems to have been a
coordinated dirty politics attack (as part of a government wide dirty politics
programme) on New Zealand primary principals (including me) in 2011, for daring
to object to the government’s
national standards in education agenda.
“And
if deep collusion has occurred and basic human rights have, indeed, been
transgressed, I look forward to the day when a test case for damages to
individuals is undertaken, substantial damages awarded – and
with that done, a process of truth and reconciliation following.”
Cameron Slater - Whale Oil blogger
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Welcome To The Teaching Profession: Are You Ready To Go To War?
“The
teachers who stay in the profession have realized that they are in the fight of
their life. Teachers can no longer do what they love, what they spent years
being educated to do; they have to fight for their students, their parents,
their colleagues, and their selves. They have to fight against the education
reformers who have never been teachers but somehow are allowed to make policies
that impact other people’s children while their
children go to private school.”
The Cult of Order
Yet another gem from Peter Greene - education’s version of big brother?
“Many,
many, many reformsters are members of the Cult of Order.
The Cult of Order believes in blind, unthinking devotion to Order.
Everything must be in its proper place. Everything must go according to plan.
Everything must be under control.”
Newspapers are Bad News for Teachers
Some research from Australia that is applicable
all over.
“As
such, an accumulation of negative and critical media reportage about teachers
is likely to erode public trust for teachers and the teaching profession. This
is an unacceptable situation where a teacher’s role is made more difficult with the gaze of non-educationist
onlookers ‘second-guessing’ teachers’ every move; and the status of teaching become less attractive for
those contemplating their career opportunities.”
Parents, I Cannot Protect Your Children
“Parents,
I cannot protect your children. I must be honest in telling you that the war is
alive and well in our classrooms, and children are being harmed every day. What
is happening is evil, cruel and abusive.”
Scientists Say Child's Play Helps Build A Better Brain
Don’t
know why we need scientists to tell us the obvious!
“When
it comes to brain development, time in the classroom may be less important than
time on the playground.”
“Got
Grit?” Great on a T-shirt, not so good in a gradebook.
“Without
rehashing the entire story, the basic premise is that to teach grit, the school
and its teachers create an artificial obstacle or challenge that students must
overcome (almost like a washout course in college). Along the way, the mantra of “growth mindset” and
“grit” are common, but the basic positive regard
for students seems to be deliberately hushed. The
teachers and leaders actually avoid confidence boosting statements like, “You
are a smart kid”, they discourage the usual positive
comment as “dirty words” in favor of the new language of grit, “failure
is success”.
This story struck me as a decent idea gone awry.”
OECD Says That Competition in Education Has Failed
The OECD has issued a damning verdict on
education policies that promote competition between schools. Its latest PISA in
Focus brief says bluntly that the PISA international test data shows that more
competition has failed to improve student results and has increased social
segregation between schools.
This week’s contributions from
'Grit' May Not
Spur Creative Success, Scholars Say
Seems Bruce has
been following this grit meme as well…
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| Curiosity before grit |
Back to
School: Looking beyond the 3 R’s
Bruce’s
comment: Ontario could be the first province in Canada to measure not just what
students learn in school, but also how well the needs of the whole child are
being met. A new programme launched this week aims to objectively examine how
schools promote creativity, develop social skills and teach citizenship.
‘“These are the
things schools say they have been doing for the past 100 years — developing
a child’s ability to relate to others,
to understand society, to appreciate the arts, to become a citizen, so let’s take it seriously and measure it,” he said. “We
can measure creativity, we can measure whether a school attends to students’ mental health. We can measure whether a school provides a positive
school climate.’
3 Ways to Plan
for Diverse Learners: What Teachers Do
Bruce’s
comment: So what do you think – formulaic teaching or student centred
learning?
“Differentiated
Instruction (DI) casts a spell on educators as to how it meets all students'
needs. The skillset required to differentiate seems mystical to some and
incomprehensible to others in this environment of state standards and
high-stakes tests. Where does one find the time? The reality is that every
teacher already has the tools to differentiate in powerful ways for all learners.”.jpg)
6 Scaffolding
Strategies to Use with Your Students
Bruce’s
comment: Some useful ideas to explore.
“What's the
opposite of scaffolding a lesson? It would be saying to students something
like, "Read this nine-page science article, write a detailed essay on the
topic it explores, and turn it in by Wednesday." Yikes -- no safety net,
no parachute, no scaffolding -- just left blowing in the wind.”
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