By Allan Alach
I welcome suggested articles, so if you come
across a gem, email it to me at allanalach@inspire.net.nz
The forcible conversion of England’s schools to Academies (Charter
Schools)
This announcement by the British government has
sent shock waves around the country and mass rebellion is developing. New
Zealand teacher John Palethorpe, a relatively recent immigrant f
rom the UK,
discusses why this is such a giant step into a potential quagmire.
 |
| NZ ACT Party policy |
“There is already a growing and vocal opposition to all of the plans
outlined above, as well there should. Announcing you’re ditching LEA oversight
and support of schools, dumping the need for any school to employ qualified
teachers, dropping the National Curriculum, scrapping nationally negotiated
terms and conditions and placing schools in a bidding war for new teachers is a
huge and complete evidence free attack on the quality and professionalism of
education in the UK.”
Forced academisation, shambolic assessment, budgets shrinking,
teacher morale in crisis: is this the perfect educational storm?
Another article about the threat to English
schools.
“Are we witnessing the final element of the perfect storm for
schools? Probably. This government plans for all schools to become
academies certainly suggests we have reached that stage. First of all, a
definition: according to one online dictionary, a perfect storm is "a
detrimental or calamitous situation or event arising from the powerful combined
effect of a unique set of circumstances”. Boy, do we have those circumstances.
Unfortunately we have a government totally unaware of what devastation such a
storm will have on our profession.”
A Crack in the Dam of Disaster Capitalism Education Reform?
“When the education reform movement kicked into high gear, the
promises were grand and the evidence was thin, but now we are beginning to have
evidence of how the grand claims have wilted on the vine, and the fruit is
rotting all around us.”
Blinded by Pseudoscience: Standardized Testing is Modern Day Eugenics
‘Once again, standardized tests are used as the justification for
doing something obviously racist. If anyone said, “We’re going to close and
privatize all the schools serving minorities and the poor,” people would
revolt. However, when you say we’re doing it because of standardized tests – because
of “science” – people
just shrug and say, “You can’t argue with that!”’
Why We Don’t Do Art in School (And Why We Should)
“We are now reaping the results of a dedication and devotion to
commercialism and consumerism.
 |
| Standardised teaching |
Secret Teacher: our obsession with targets is hurting vulnerable
pupils
“The government needs to recognise that there is no such thing as a “standard” child.
Children don’t develop at the same rate and the increased pressure for them to
achieve more and more at a young age won’t change this. All it will do is crush
the confidence of those who find it more difficult, for whatever reason – and
jeopardise their chances of ever reaching their potential.”
Contributed by Bruce Hammonds:
“Growth Mindset, Revisited”
“The growth
mindset was intended to help close achievement gaps, not hide them. Renowned
psychologist and author Carol Dweck describes her work to help educators adopt
a deeper, true growth mindset, one that can show in classroom practice and
throughout school systems.”
Watch the first
30 minutes.
When School
Leaders Live in the Middle
Won’t happen to
me, I said. I can cope. Hah. Famous last words.
“School
leaders are faced with stress as part of their daily jobs; however, left
unaddressed, stress
The
Destruction of New Zealand's Public Education System
“This
government is destroying our amazing collaborative, holistic public education
system that recently led the world. They are determined to implement systems
that have failed spectacularly overseas. Professional knowledge based on
evidence should lead education, not political ideology. What angers me the most
is what is being denied to our most vulnerable children when they should be the
real focus of spending and any systemic change.”
From Bruce’s ‘goldie oldies’ file:
Developing
talent in young people?
“I have always
been curious about the early life of talented individuals so I was interested
to access a copy of an article written on the subject by Benjamin Bloom
published in 1985. I have wondered what creative individuals like NZ
filmmaker Peter Jackson would've been like at school and what kind of school
would such creative individuals invent if they were given the challenge?”
What do we all need to be life long learners?
“We need to ask what kind of world our students will be entering.
One thing is certain it will not be a predictable one and their 'passport' to
the future will need to contain fully developed gifts and talents along with
the dispositions to learn from whatever experience they will have to face (in
the language of the 'new' curriculum be equipped with 'key competencies'). Our
current education system marginalizes student's creativity and talents and this
will be worsened with national standards.”
Contributed by Phil Cullen:
High hopes for happy learning
“School is also about learners discovering their aspirations and
dreams, with all of these factors not only enhancing learner happiness and
well-being, but also making a crucial contribution to their future success in
life and work.”
No comments:
Post a Comment