Selected Education Readings
By Allan Alach
I welcome suggested articles, so if you come
across a gem, email it to me at allanalach@inspire.net.nz
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| The Author |
Not Every Kid Wants to Learn How to Code
The latest educational bandwagon is that all
children should be taught how to code computers, although exactly what this is
supposed to achieve isn’t clearly spelled out.
“But here’s the thing; not every kid wants to be a computer
scientist. Not every kid wants to work with a computer. Not every
kid wants to stare at a screen, nor do something with technology. Did we
forget that in our eagerness to jump on the coding wagon?”
Learning to Code vs. Coding to Learn
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| Larry Cuban |
Along much the same lines
“For what it’s worth, and in case it might be of any interest to others, here are, in no particular order, some of the most common arguments : I
hear made both in support of, and against, educational coding initiatives.”
Does our ‘edtech’ obsession get in the way of education?
“Instead of proclaiming the virtue that apparently derives from
forswearing technology – as if academic rigour and using computers were somehow
antithetical – wouldn’t we be better off by remaining open to the notion that
using technology, in certain circumstances, may actually contribute to improved
teaching and learning? Wouldn’t it be a good idea to develop teachers’ expertise
so that they are able to make discerning use of whatever technology may be most
helpful at any given time for any given purpose?”
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| PISA envy |
PISA-envy, Pearson and Starbucks-style schools
“The focus on test scores is vital to the neoliberal vision of
education. It is what enables standardization and hence accountability across
the system. If outcomes in the form of test scores are what counts, then it
becomes easy to compare one student with another, one class with another, one
school with another and one state with another. And test-based accountability
has now become a truly global phenomenon, shaping local and national
educational priorities and policies.”
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| Alfie Kohn |
Why Lots of Love (or Motivation) Isn’t Enough
Latest article by Alfie Kohn.
“True, these students no longer require carrots or sticks. They don’t
need discipline because they’re self-disciplined. . . in a way that’s
disturbing. Their motivation is internal, but it sure as hell isn’t intrinsic.
And that key distinction would go unnoticed if we had just asked whether they
had internalized certain values rather than inquired about the nature of that
internalization.”
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| Save us from politicians |
Better teachers? Better at what, exactly?
A lament from an Australian teacher.
“Until we are capable of putting our children's needs in front of
anything else, we will continue to slip down the educational league table. It
has nothing to do with better teachers. It's got everything to do with
protecting our children from politicians.”
Contributed by Bruce Hammonds:
Teaching
/learning in flexible spaces - Modern Learning Environments MLEs - New Tech
High
 |
| 70s Modern Learning Environment! |
Bruce has written
another article about this current development.
“By the late
sixties, in England, flexible school buildings were being specifically designed
to allow a varied combination of individual and group work as well as for class
and inter-class activities. And in the 70s ( inspired by American school
critics such as John Holt) an open education movement started which culminated
in the development of open plan schools.”
Sir Ken
Robinson Changes the Paradigm
This is an oldie
but well worth watching again.
“Sir Ken Robinson’s
inspirational talk at the RSA Conference called “Changing Paradigms” has
made its way around the education circles through different media. This
animated version of the speech, taking us through the speaker’s colorful prose
with illustrations, has made even more of an impact.”
From Bruce’s ‘goldie oldies’ file:
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| Prof Frank Crowther |
We have lost so much over the past 50 years. We need to return
leadership back to creative teachers.
“It was in the sixties when creative classroom teachers working
within a shared educational philosophy were the real leaders. In contrast to
all the structural changes that have happened since the advent of Tomorrow's
Schools the role of the teacher has been neglected. There are some, such as
Professor Frank Crowther, University of Queensland, who says that, since the
1970s, the professional respect for teachers has diminished.”
A future Vision for Education
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| Vision gives direction. |
Modern Learning Environment / Innovative
Teaching Practice – or just good learner centred teaching?
“Imagine a school where every child would see
themselves as an investor in their own learning. Older children would
frequently coach and mentor younger children. Those who were more advanced in a
subject would help those lagging behind. Children would help teachers design
learning programmes, their parents would be parties to these discussions .The
children would see it as their responsibility to learn in their own time,
often using online tools provided by the school.”
What do we steal from our students?
“Dr John Edwards based his presentation, the final one for the
conference, on a question his wife had asked him when he returned after
teaching his graduate students.
She asked him, 'What have you stolen from your students today?’’
And..
“The poem is worth a read because it clearly makes the distinction
between an antiquated transmission style of teaching (which is still all too
common) and what is now required if we are to develop all students as
'confident life long learners', the 'seekers, users,and creators of their own
knowledge', that our revised curriculum asks of us.”
Contributed by Phil Cullen:
Test-score inflation can boost graduation rates but comes with
consequences, Stanford study finds
“Six years ago, a team of educational researchers shocked New York
state with clear statistical evidence of widespread manipulation of test scores
on the high school exit exams, or Regents Examinations. The analysis, which
formed the basis for an investigative report in the Wall Street Journal and
sparked major reforms by New York state, showed that test graders were
artificially lifting the scores for 40 percent of the students who had fallen
just short of passing.”
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