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| At risk by politicians! |
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
If I Were Secretary of Education – A Classroom Teacher’s Fantasy
If only teachers were given the chance to run
education.
Steven Singer:
‘I’m only a classroom teacher. The powers that be don’t trust
someone like me with that kind of responsibility. It’s okay to give me a
roomful of impressionable children everyday, but there’s no confidence I can
make sound policy decisions. For that we need someone with experience in
management – not schools, pedagogy, children or psychology.’
Creativity and Academics: The Power of an Arts Education
‘The arts are as important as academics, and they should be treated
that way in school curriculum. This is what we believe and practice at New
Mexico School for the Arts (NMSA). While the positive impact of the arts on
academic achievement is worthwhile in itself, it's also the tip of the iceberg
when looking at the whole child. Learning art goes beyond creating more
successful students. We believe that it creates more successful human beings.’
Government hell-bent on dismantling public education, says Auckland
professor
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| Hekia Parata |
New Zealand education is also under attack, as
the government follows the overseas rule book.
‘Make no mistake, Minister of Education Hekia Parata is on a mission
to systematically dismantle public education. Changes already in place and
those planned will radically alter the education landscape in New Zealand.
Public education serves many purposes. It prepares young people for a life of
work, teaching basic skills in literacy and numeracy. This is seen as its
primary purpose by the minister.’
Why I Threw Away My Rubrics
‘It was only when I was on the receiving end of a rubric, while
taking a graduate-level education class, that I had my first critical thought
about rubrics. After looking at the rubric the professor had completed for me,
I wondered, where is the human response in all of this?’
The Problem with Exemplars
‘While I believe showing examples of quality work can be useful,
many students immediately shut down when they perceive too great a gap between
their current ability and what is deemed exemplary. I’m certainly not against
the use of high quality exemplars but caution against too few examples as well
as a lack of scaffolding to see where incremental success can be found. In
addition, the power comes when the student decides what they want their work to
be.’
Charters and Choice: Research Shows Negative Impact
So much for the ‘school choice’ ideology:
‘The press continually gets eye-fulls of graphics indicating that
accountability and charter schools can increase student performance. Rarely are
these studies peer reviewed and almost none ask the questions that policy
researchers should investigate. Few ask what will be the most likely results of
reforms. These papers shout out the supposed benefits of favored policies
while ignoring their inherent costs.’
Contributed by Bruce Hammonds:
Modern Learning Environments (MLEs) - pedagogy from Jerome Bruner
Bruce’s latest blog posting:
‘Bruner's ideas are in opposition to the standardized direction
being imposed on our schools but are surely the essence of what a modern
learning environment is all about? 'Towards a Theory of Instruction' is
the book, first published 1969, I want to share today..’
Finnish education: a system based on equity, trust & responsibility
Yet another article on Finland for the reformers
to ignore. Why is this? Maybe this is the answer:
‘Teaching is a respected profession In Finland, and teachers have a
great deal of autonomy in the delivery of the curriculum and caring for their
students’ welfare and learning.’
Getting Restless At The Head Of The Class
‘They read a book quietly under their desks, pester the teacher for
extra credit, or, perhaps, they simply check out and act up. Every classroom
has a few overachievers who perform above their grade level and don't feel
challenged by the status quo. A new report suggests they are surprisingly
common — in some cases, nearly half of all students in a given grade.’
From Bruce’s ‘goldie oldies’ file:
Why are teachers so reluctant to change?
‘Changing entrenched mindsets is a difficult task even for those in
charge. Leaders are more conditioned that those lesser mortal working at the
fringes. The idea of getting to the top to change things is a myth. Creative ideas
are always watered down by what is possible – the art of compromise.’
An amoeba - a model for future change!
‘It seems strange to think of one of natures most simplistic animals
as metaphor for an organizational model for the future but the amoeba is a good
choice, as it has survived almost as
The killing of creativity by the technocrats.
The killing of creativity by John Hattie
‘As I visit classrooms I have become
increasingly concerned about the use of a number of strategies as defined by
John Hattie and promulgated by the contracted advisers spreading the word about
his 'best practices'.Somehow, just because Hattie has amalgamated every piece
of 'school effectiveness' research available ( mainly it seems from the USA)
his findings, it seems, ought to be
taken for read. The opposite ought to be
the case - we need to be very wary of such so called 'meta research.'. More
worrying however is that the approaches he is peddling is pushing into the
background the home grown innovative creative learning centred philosophy that
was once an important element in many classrooms. Overseas experts always seem
to know best - or those that return with their carpet bag full of snake oil.’
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| A false guru |
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