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| A blog to encourage out of the box thinking |
Educational Readings
By Allan Alach
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!
Why Technology Will Never Fix Education
This article is about higher education but the
points made are transferable.
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| Good teaching matters more than good technology |
“So
what is to be done? Unfortunately, there is no technological fix, and that is
perhaps the hardest lesson of amplification. More technology only magnifies
socioeconomic disparities, and the only way to avoid that is nontechnological:
Either resolve the underlying inequities first, or create policies that favor
the less advantaged.”
And:
“The
question becomes when will we get to the point where EVERYONE is ready to
realize that good teaching matters WAY more than good technology?”
Excellence is not the only point of education
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| An 'excellent' definition |
“The
meaning of words like excellence can quickly become culturally ingrained common
sense. Yet we often fail to question how such taken-for-granted meaning is
symptomatic of our changing education system. Rather than embracing it,
children, teachers, students and academics should revolt against the current
construction of excellence.”
Here's What We Have to Stop Pretending.
Thoughtful post by Bill Ferriter, in response to
Scott McLeod’s Scott McLeod's We Have to Stop Pretending project
“If
we are going to make schools different, we have to stop pretending that
"engaging learners" and "empowering learners" are the same
thing.”
Q&A With Sir Ken Robinson: Education Has
to Be a ‘Human Business’
Thanks to Australian reader Bruce Jones for this
link. He comments: A little gem from Sir Ken, up to his very best. The audio with the article is great
listening and I think his book would be worth the purchase price.
“I
think the key to this is that education has to be recognized as a human
business. It’s a personal
process. We’re dealing with living human beings in the middle of all of this.
They’re not statistics or data
points. They’re not data sets from a test
schedule. These are living people with feelings and aspirations and hopes and
ambitions and fears and talents, like you and me and everybody else. As soon as
you recognize that education is not a processing plant, it’s about people, then the whole equation starts to shift around. My
argument, really, is that we should be personalizing education, not
standardizing it.”
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| Education is a human business |
Gifted and Talented
I recommend you all read this article by Nicholas Meier .
“My
problems with the gifted education label are several fold. One is that it
assumes a “fixed” belief in intelligence. These students
are, by this term “gifted” in the sense
that they are born superior intellectually in some ways—these
gifts and talents are in some way innate. I find this
And:
“I
believe virtually all students can be gifted and talented if given the
opportunity, and more importantly, there is no way to sort ahead of time those
who can be and those who cannot.”
Necessity may be the mother of invention, but discovery has another
mother
Are you surprised that schools destroy a child’s innate curiosity?
“The research in my
lab shows that far from nurturing curiosity, schools seem to repress it. The pressures to
deliver information, hone skills, stick to the plan, and avoid the unknown work
against a child’s
natural curiosity. However, it needn’t be so. Classrooms could be
greenhouses for curiosity. Questions could be encouraged and guided,
exploration could be at the center of the curriculum, and rather than being
pushed to the side, children’s specific interests could be fostered. Given how central curiosity is to learning and to human progress, why not
cultivate it?”
Standardized Tests: Symptoms, Not Causes
Interesting article by ‘Jersey Jazzman’
that unpicks the use of bell curves as a measure of
success.
“Maybe
we'd allow children to become themselves and realize their full potentials,
free of the fear
Meet Learner 2.0
Another Steve Wheeler article:
“Teachers
have long been advised to become 'guides on the side' so that learners can take
responsibility. From Socrates through to Dewey, far sighted and progressive philosophers
and theorists have consistently argued that students learn better when they
lead their own discovery. But very few educators ever took up this challenge,
preferring instead to remain 'in control' of the process of education, the
expert sage taking centre stage. The advent of digital technology challenges
this traditional model of education.”
This week’s contributions from Bruce Hammonds:
Business 'guru' Peter Drucker wrote, 'the first country to develop a
21st century education system will win the future'.. Could be New Zealand if
only…
Bruce’s
latest article:
“I guess
what is missing is the courage to take the lead. Principals seem to prefer
focus on their own school ( compiling the best achievement data they can -'
shonky' at best) and no one seems to have the courage to take the lead to encourage schools to to work together towards realizing a
creative education. And of course many think that is what they already do, or
that all is well. To me it all shows the power of the status quo at best or self deception at worst.
But surely there are principal groups who see that what they are currently
doing is not the full answer?”
Why Do We
Separate the Teacher From the Tech?
Excellent
article by US educator Tom Whitby:
“We are
often bombarded with many posts and articles about the successes and failures
of technology in education. Too often these assessments are based upon the
technology as if it were the
How to
Transform Teaching with Tablets
A lengthy
and very worthwhile article:
“Tablet
computers alone won't shift our thinking about teaching and learning, but
technology adoptions can be powerful opportunities for school communities to
engage in answering important questions. We're hopeful that educators will take
advantage of this chance to reboot and use new technology adoptions, not as a
chance to hand out devices, but as an opportunity to rethink the purposes of
schooling in the 21st century.”
Unexpected
Tools That are Influencing the Future of Education
“While
some schools are finding ways to let students take up the reins of their
education too many are beholden to a system that includes lots of standardized teaching/
testing and
intrusive accountability demands. Schools need to consider ideas that can
transform teaching and learning before it is too late.”
Probing
Question: Is art an essential school subject?
Bruce’s
comment: For creative teachers stating the obvious – the arts are an essential part of education.
From STEM to Steam.
"Eliminating
the arts from the curriculum is short-sighted on a number of levels," she
says. "Seeing art as expendable indicates a deep misunderstanding of the
role it plays at the center of learning. The visual arts are a powerful
language for communicating concepts and theories in any field, both during the
process of being developed and once they are finished 'products' to be shared
with others.”
From Bruce’s “goldie
oldie” file:
Be wary
of 'research says', 'best practice' and 'data driven' 'buzz words' writes Dean
Fink
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| Dean Fink |
“'Let me
outline', writes Canadian Dean Fink ( well known to many in New Zealand),
'three words or phrases that agitate my crap detector – “the research says”, “best practice” and “data driven” instruction, leadership or whatever.Whether you
agree or disagree with my analysis, I would like to hear from you about any
words or phrases that have hidden meanings or at least attempt to distort the
real meaning.”
Aesthetics:
Where Thinking Originates
Wise words
from Art Costa.
“Developing
aesthetics through sensory experiences is vital to all learning and the basis
of developing all sorts of language and creative expression. Children who do
not experience such rich sensory experience will come to learning with
restricted language acquisition facilities.”
The World
Is Flat!!!!
What might
education look like in a new ‘flat world’?
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| Ooops the world is flat!! |
“In his
book, 'The World is Flat' , Thomas Friedman shares how the convergence and
explosion of new communication technologies and globalisation has 'flattened'
the world allowing anybody, anywhere, to be connected anytime, with growing
efficiency and speed. Others have called this convergence the beginning of the
'Second Renaissance' while others call it the 'Age Of Creativity or Talent’.”
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