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| Why have schools made it so complicated - we are all born learners |
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
Workaholic Teachers
‘If you are a teacher then you are permanently busting a gut, not
getting enough sleep, struggling to keep up and very often going to work
unwell. Despite all this, you live and breathe teaching and you talk about
leaving but know deep down that you won’t.’
Schools told to ditch textbooks and let pupils experiment in science
lessons
‘Schools are failing their pupils’ education by forcing them to
regurgitate facts instead of letting them take part in practical science
lessons, a leading expert has said.
Practical science can be overshadowed by factors such as a need to
learn a “mountain” of information, a focus on English and maths and a lack of
specialist teachers, according to Katherine Mathieson, chief executive of the
British Science Association.’
The Saber‐tooth Curriculum
Following last week’s satire about a curriculum
for teaching walking, here’s another satire:
‘New‐Fist was a doer, in spite of the fact that there was little in
his environment with which to do anything very complex. You have undoubtedly
heard of the pear‐ shaped, chipped‐stone tool which archeologists call the coup‐de‐point
or fist
hammer.’
Your Fidget Spinner Is (Maybe) Making You Smarter
Making use of the latest craze:
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| Fidgiting |
‘Why is fidgeting so hot? Because it’s an adaptation to deskbound
lifestyles. Society increasingly demands mental work while enforcing unhealthy,
sedentary physical habits. Fidgeting is a way to cope. It also has cognitive
benefits.’
To Engage Students and Teachers, Treat Core Subjects Like
Extracurriculars
‘Education researchers Jal Mehta and Sarah Fine have been observing
different school systems over the past six years in an attempt to document the
variables that contribute to deeper learning. But as they spent more time in
schools, it was hard to ignore the ways in which the activity around the edges
of institutions — elective courses, extracurricular activities — was where
students and teachers “were most fired up,” said Fine, a postdoctoral student
at Harvard Graduate School of Education. ‘
We are teaching kids how to write all wrong — and no, Mr. Miyagi’s
rote lessons won’t help a bit
‘We’re teaching writing wrong.
We must be, because when I meet people and they find out that I’ve
spent 20 years teaching writing at the college level, they are eager to tell me
how today’s generation
can’t write worth a damn.
“What they write doesn’t make sense! I can’t even understand the
sentences, let alone the message!”’
Contributed by Bruce Hammonds:
The
Student-Centered Math Class
‘…Peter
Liljedahl, a professor at Simon Fraser University. Liljedahl proposes three
strategies that you can implement in order to create what he calls the thinking
classroom: Start with good problems, use visibly random groups, and work
regularly on vertical nonpermanent surfaces. I started using these three
strategies in my math classes, and they have been an absolute game-changer.’
Creativity and
risk taking
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| Eat an elephant - one bite at a time |
‘Our vision
for Hornby High School ('A centre of creative excellence') is pretty big.
Trying to get there could be likened to trying to eat an elephant (not that I
am suggesting really eating these beautiful creatures.....)
How do you do
that?" Well - one bite at a time, of course. So we broke the vision down
into three strategic goals, one of which is "To foster inspirational, risk
taking and enterprising leadership in all members of our learning community”.’
Saws, mud,
rope swings, open fires - and not an iPad in sight
‘Yet an
outdoor nursery which shuns modern technology and allows toddlers to roll
around in the mud and even cut wood using a huge saw has been rated outstanding
by Ofsted.Set in a forest and with no running water or electricity, the Elves
and Fairies Woodland Nursery in Dorset says its goal is to teach the importance
of nature.’
Pity our
children – they’re being turned into grammar robots at school
‘Last week the
education select committee concluded that the evidence did not show that
teaching specific grammatical techniques improved writing; and it recommended
that the new Spag – spelling, punctuation and grammar – tests should no longer
be mandatory for older primary schoolchildren.’
From Bruce’s ‘goldie oldies’ file:
Points of view from Mount Eden School
‘The NZ government's reactionary National Standards has side lined
an excellent curriculum but principal John Faire of Mount Eden School still
provides pertinent advice about how to
implement it. Schools, he said,
have 'three choices' - to 'bolt it on', to 'rewire the school', or to 'redesign
the school'. He favours the third approach.With regard to the 'new'
curriculum John said that for many it is a bit 'back to the future' and that
the curriculum statements and accountability demands imposed since the early 90s
had all but 'squashed out the creativity' that was to be seen in the 70s and
80s.’
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| Mount Eden |
The artistry of teaching and future learning attributes
‘The future of education will be substantially determined by the
shared perception of the purpose of learning, and that this is best expressed
in terms of the needs of the learner. A focus on deep and profound learning
would determine the qualities of a learner of the future This in turn has
implications for the quality of the teaching provided.’
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| The artistry of teaching |
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