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By Allan Alach
I welcome suggested articles, so if you come
across a gem, email it to me at allanalach@inspire.net.nz
This week’s homework!
What Happens When Students Boycott a Standardized Test
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| Education at its worst! |
“These
protests should also serve as a reminder for decision-makers that parents and
students are stakeholders in education policy and that community outreach must
be part of any reform. Just as third-grade students need to explain why, for
example, three-fourths equals six-eighths on the PARCC, education leaders
should also answer the "why?" question: Why should students take
standardized tests?”
In Australia, a School Designed to Excite and Engage
There are still beacons amongst the gloom…
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| Read about this great school |
“From
the outside, Wooranna Park, built in 1971, looks boxy and old school. That
impression changes as soon as you step inside and see that the original walls
and halls have been moved and reconfigured. There's room here for all kinds of
learning -- individual, collaborative, hands on, digital. Children and teachers
move from space to space throughout the day, depending on the situation or
activity.”
The 10 Biggest Breakthroughs in the Science of Learning
“While
we still have a long way to go before we truly unravel all the mysteries the
brain has to offer, scientists have been making some major breakthroughs that
have gone a long way in explaining both how the brain functions and how we use
it to organize, recall, and acquire new information. Here, we list just a few
of the biggest and most impactful of these breakthroughs that have contributed
to our understanding of the science of learning.”.jpg)
Can reading comprehension be taught?
“Can
reading comprehension be taught? In this blog post, I’ll suggest that the most straightforward answer is “no.” Reading
comprehension strategies (1) don’t boost comprehension
per se; (2) do indirectly help comprehension but; (3) don’t need to be practiced. Let me elaborate on these claims.”
Teaching Reading: No Magic Wand Required
“Teaching
children to read seems to be a mystery to everyone except primary
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The knowledge economy is neither
These days we are bombarded with the phrase ‘knowledge economy.’ This article deconstructs that.
“The
knowledge economy is about extracting as much goods and services from the
people who do the actual work of extracting what we need.”
Education Reformers Are So Gullible
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This article is applicable all over.
“The
thing voters need to ask themselves is: Who do they believe has the best
interests of their child in mind more -- the person who interacts with them
every day and is part of their local community, or the corporate CEO 500 miles
away who answers to an unelected board and investors? Because right now, the
only ones really benefiting from the litany of education reform sweeping the
nation are the corporations.”
Sir Ken Robinson: ‘The
education system is a dangerous myth’
More from Sir Ken’s latest book.
“The
issue in a nutshell is this: most developed countries did not have mass systems
of public
education much before the mid-19th century. These systems were developed
to meet the labour needs of the Industrial Revolution and they are organised on
the principles of mass production. The standards movement is allegedly focused
on making these systems more efficient and accountable. The problem is that
these systems are inherently unsuited to the wholly different circumstances of
the 21st century.”
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| Buy his book!!!!! |
This week’s contributions from Bruce Hammonds:
Most states lacked expertise to improve worst schools
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| Hmmmm. Worth thinking about |
Bruce’s comment: So much for top down school change! After all the money
and compliance requirement one third of schools showed no change (on
standardised tests I presume) and one third got worse.
“Although
turning around the worst schools was a priority for nearly every state, most
did not have the staff, technology and expertise to pull those schools out of
the bottom rankings, according to a brief released Tuesday by the Institute of
Education Sciences, the research arm of the U.S. Education Department.”
7 Ways to Use Technology With Purpose
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“In
order to make sure you are using technology the right way, you must first “start
with why”. If your students understand the “why” behind
your technology use, then the class will have a purpose and technological
glitches and issues can be worked through. If they don’t understand the “why” then any
small issue could turn into a major problem.”
21 Fun (and Simple) Formative Assessment Tool
“Eyes
bugging out when looking at endless lists of formative assessment strategies?
Head spinning trying to figure out which one to use? Like a good librarian, we’ve put things in order to help you find what you’re looking for. First, we will define the characteristics of
effective formative assessment. Then we will give examples of the quickest
no-nonsense (and fun) formative assessment tools.”
Characteristics Of A Culture of Learning
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Bruce’s comment: An excellent run through of the elements that contribute
to a positive learning culture. How does your school/class stack up?
“Schooling
is a system designed to move students from one grade to the next. Once students
earn enough high school credits, they are rewarded with a high school diploma.
Schooling focuses on teaching, while a Culture of Learning focuses on the whole
child and student understanding.”
From Bruce’s ‘goldie oldies’ file:
Howard Gardner – developing a disciplined mind
Bruce’s comment: Gardner’s ideas of the disciplined mind continues Perkin’s ideas of in depth learning. Gardner calls ‘the
disciplined mind’ a mind that knows how to
work steadily over time to improve skill and understanding and writes, ‘Without
at least one discipline under his belt, the individual is destined to march to
someone else’s tune.’
“Rather
than the current diversion of focusing on literacy and numeracy, with its
inevitable consequence of narrowing the curriculum, schools should get back to
providing Perkin’s ‘threshold
experiences’ so as to develop disciplined minds and the gifts and talents of all their students. With such
gifts firmly in place students will be equipped to make a positive contribution
to whatever areas of learning/occupation that have attracted their attention.”
Guy Claxton - building learning power.
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| Another must read! |
Bruce’s comment: More on the theme of real learning from Guy Claxton. Both
teachers and students need, according to Guy Claxton, to know what habits of
mind ( learning muscles) that they need to exercise, stretch and strengthen.
These 'learning power' capacities need to be part of all learning. They must be
a permeate of the culture of the school. 'Messages' that learning power is
important ought to be obvious to all.
“At centre is the
belief that all students can develop their learning power? How do your students
see their ability - one one fixed by birth and set for life ( a 'fixed bucket')
or one that can be continually expanded ( a 'learning muscle'). The 'mindset' a
student holds will effect all their future learning - or non learning.”
Advice from David Perkins to make learning whole
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| And another must read |
“'Play
the whole game' not fragmented bits says David Perkins.The problem Perkins says
is there is too much problem solving teachers
problems and not enough problem finding - or figuring out often 'messy' open
ended investigations.'Playing the whole game' is the solution resulting in some
sort of inquiry or performance. It is not just about content but getting better
at things, it requires thinking with what you know to go further, it is about
finding explanations and justifications.It involves curiosity, discovery,
creativity, and camaraderie. It is not just discovery learning - it needs
strong guidance gradually faded back.”
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