By Allan Alach
I welcome suggested articles, so if you come
across a gem, email it to me at allanalach@inspire.net.nz
A primer on the damaging movement to privatize public schools
.“When, about 30 years ago, corporate interests began their highly organized, well-funded effort to privatize public education, you wouldn’t have read or heard about it. They didn’t want to trigger the debate that such a radical change in an important institution warranted.If, like most pundits and politicians, you’ve supported that campaign, it’s likely you’ve been snookered. Here’s a quick overview of the snookering process.”
The danger of National's Standards!
 |
| The Emperor has no clothes! |
Here’s an article that I wrote way back in 2011
when my brain was working. It discusses the imposition of national standards
(similar to USA Common Core Standards) on New Zealand primary schools, and
wonders why all informed people haven’t stood up in unity to say no.
“I really wonder why it is that there appears to be significant
numbers of principals who don’t seem to be aware of this, or, even more puzzling,
why there are principals who are actively promoting standards in their schools.
Or is the answer that many people see only the surface level problems with the
standards, and believe that they can work their way around them? I don’t know.
People who play with fire are in danger of getting burnt.”
One of the best
A Steve Wheeler article from November last year
that looks at the tragedy of an English headteacher who couldn’t cope any more
with the pressures. Variations of this story, although mostly not ending in
such a drastic way, are happening in New Zealand and elsewhere. Enough!
Long hours, endless admin and angry parents – why schools just can’t
get the teachers
Another article from England that will also
resonate with teachers all over.
“British schools are reporting a classroom crisis, with thousands of
disaffected teachers leaving the profession, and new graduates discouraged from
training because of the daily stress and grind. And with the number of state
school pupils set to rise by a million by 2022, the problem is only getting
worse.”
The Future Belongs to the Curious: How Are We Bringing Curiosity
Into School?
Multitasking Is Killing Your Brain
A lesson we need to take note of in our
classroom programmes.
“This constant task-switching encourages bad brain habits. When we
complete a tiny task (sending an email, answering a text message, posting a
tweet), we are hit with a dollop of dopamine, our reward hormone. Our brains
love that dopamine, and so we’re encouraged to keep switching between small
mini-tasks that give us instant gratification.
This creates a dangerous feedback loop that makes us feel like we’re
accomplishing a ton, when we’re really not doing much at all (or at least
nothing requiring much critical thinking)”
Contributed by Bruce Hammonds:
Full STEAM
Ahead: Why Arts Are Essential in a STEM Education
“Everyone from
software engineers and aerospace technicians to biotechnical engineers,
professional mathematicians, and laboratory scientists knows that building
great things and solving real problems requires a measure of creativity. More
and more, professional artists themselves are incorporating technological tools
and scientific processes to their art.”
What I Worry
About When I Worry About STEM
“Are we
training our future employees, or are we educating our present and future
citizens?”
“By focusing
on STEM subjects in isolation, or congratulating kids on studying engineering
over elementary education, we are not only failing to challenge the idea that
engineering is objectively harder, we are playing into the hands of a power
structure that values industry more than humanity, and demands our complicity.
We risk teaching them that good ideas come from technology and science, not
where they really come from, which is everywhere"
Developmental
Art Stages: The Magical World of Children’s Visual Literacy
“There are
some general stages of drawing that many children pass through. However,
as you know, children (like grownups) are all unique and may not pass through
all of these stages, or may do it out of order. Many adult artists strive
to recover the purity of their childhood drawings. So that being said,
this list is only meant as informative, not as an evaluation tool for children’s
Art. Let them make the way they make! Visual Literacy, or leaning
to receive and express information visually, is a personal journey that can be
encouraged through Art exposure and experiences, but not forced.”
Artists Share
"Before and After" Evolution of Their Drawing Skills with Years of
Practice
Amazing…
“Drawing, like
all things, requires dedicated practice to master the craft and create amazing
works that wow a wide audience. Although many people dabble in art when they’re
younger, few people choose to hone their skills into their teens and adulthood.
Those that do work on improving themselves have had impressive
results—especially when comparing their refined techniques to their early
work.”
The case for
restoring creativity in our schools
‘Sir Ken Robinson:“What
I am arguing for is more personalized education,” he told Quartz. “Kids have all
sorts of unfulfilled promise. It’s about the opportunities you provide for
them.” The first thing that has to happen is that we need politicians and
policy makers to understand the problem they are trying to solve. To some
degree, they are contributing to the problem.’
After
technology - What then?
Jamie Mckenzie is
always worth reading.
“Some of us
argued from the beginning in the 1980s that this was not about technology or
software. The prospect of changing schools and learning depended most upon
teaching and learning strategies. But the money went overwhelmingly to machines
and software. In most places, professional development was done on the cheap if
done at all.”
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