leading and learning: Inspirational New Zealand teachers and schools

And a few thoughts from Zong Zhao.

The blog I wrote about Opunake School has had a tremendous response.

It might indicate that there is a hunger out in 'teacher-land' for examples of schools sticking to their

Some classes have the 'wow' factor

beliefs and doing the right things rather than complying to politically imposed requirements, such as National Standards..

To fulfill this need for creative alternatives I have 'mined' my blogs to find examples that might fit the bill.

As a bit of an introduction this morning I listened to an interview on National Radio with American education professor Zong Zhao who is in New Zealand to give presentations of his ideas. I have made reference to Zong Zhao several times over the years as his views are aligned to the message of this blog.

Creative teachers and schools count!!

He was talking, in the interview, about his latest book 'Counting What Counts - Re-framing Educational Outcomes.' The point he was making is that measuring achievement does not automatically equate to positive students' attitudes to wards learning. He was asking for schools ( or rather Governments) to assess what matters.

On his website he quotes Einstein to make his point;

'If you judge a fish by its ability to

Zong Zhao

climb a tree it will live its whole life believing it is stupid'.

Rather than focusing on National Standard we need emphasize the provision of challenges to all students. Students are born needing to learn - it is integral to their desire to survive, according to Zong Zhao.

Focusing on such things as National Standards distorts the curriculum, stifles student growth. and seems to require behavior programmes to 'control' students who do not have the opportunity to be suitably engaged. As a result we suffer from an 'opportunity gap' rather than an achievement gap' .

National Standards discriminate and punish uniqueness , ignoring students with strengths in areas not tested, rather than valuing it.

Education is more than test scores placing students on a ' shonky' bell curve.

Zong Zhao referred to High Tech High as an example of a school that engages students in authentic problem solving, integrating modern information technology, but he could have been referring to Opunake Primary.

So back to finding inspirational New Zealand examples unfortunately limited to those I know of.

Someone needs to find and share such examples.

These are schools that place the intent of the New Zealand Curriculum ahead of the politically imposed and