New Zealand has a new Prime Minister - great news for education
Education
Readings
By Allan Alach
Why
I Don’t Have Classroom Rules
A high school teacher tries a classroom management experiment
thinking it will fail. Years later, he’s still at it.
‘Although
I encouraged my students to think critically and challenged myself to develop
new methods of instruction, the actual conduct of the class seemed at odds with
all that. I wanted my students to do more than just follow rules handed down to
them. I wanted them to understand why those rules exist, and be willing to
interrogate ones that didn’t seem valuable, meaningful, or useful.’
Ten
Things Pixar Can Teach Us About Creativity
‘For
the last two decades, Pixar has produced some of the most creative and epic
films of this era. But this is the result of a culture of creative
collaboration built on ideas of being frank, taking chances, and failing
forward. So, what can educators learn from Pixar as we design collaborative
projects?'
The
fantastic new ways to teach math that most schools aren’t even using
At
the level of the individual teacher, we have found that preparing teachers to
make small changes in status quo practices and tools can be a successful
approach that is both manageable for teachers and meaningful for their
students. In my work with novice teachers, the small changes I emphasize most
include:'
Schools
Must Get The Basics Right Before Splashing Out On Technology
‘For
years, schools and education experts have debated whether technology belongs in
the
classroom. Now the discussion has shifted and even schools that had thus
far resisted the educational tech revolution are being swept into what’s become
a multi-billion-dollar market. The question now isn’t whether technology has a
place in schools, but which devices would work best: laptops, tablets,
smartphones or something else entirely? However, maybe it’s not the device that
schools should be preoccupied with – but rather how students use them to
learn.’
How
a British School Improved Its Math Scores without Teaching a Single Math Lesson
More
 |
| Singing your way to maths |
“We
could have gone down the route where we said we need to get results up, we’re
going to do more English, more maths, more booster classes, but we didn’t.” Instead,
they took a gamble: They added two hours a week of music for every student, and
the results have been stunning.”'
The
Fisheye Syndrome - Is Every Student Really Participating?
‘Greta
doesn’t realize that she is suffering from the Fisheye Syndrome. It’s a
condition that impacts our perception, as if we’re looking through a fisheye
lens – the kind they use in peepholes. To those afflicted with fisheye, some students
appear “larger” than others. They take up more energy and grab more of our
attention, making the others fade into the periphery. We have a vague sense
that the others are there, and we nag ourselves to include them, but those
magnified students are just too hard to resist.’
Lauren Child: ‘We
should let children dawdle and dream’
‘Children are often told what’s good for them, but the
advice of the new children’s laureate may take them by surprise. Lauren Child,
speaking for the first time since her investiture in Hull this summer, has a
simple message: just stare into space. In an age of prescriptive talk about
targets and aspirations, Child, the creator of Charlie and Lola, plans to make
a stand against the theorising and goal-setting during her two-year tenure.’
Why Daydreaming is Critical to Effective Learning
Rather than trying to do everything at the same time, the
most productive people prioritize and block off their schedules to focus on one
task at a time. “The idea is that if you become more efficient in time
management, it allows for more spontaneity and creativity in the day, every
day.”’
What Creativity Really Is – and Why Schools Need It
Although educators claim to value creativity, they
don’t always prioritize it.Teachers often have biases against creative
students, fearing that creativity in the classroom will be disruptive. They
devalue creative personality attributes such as risk taking, impulsivity and
independence. They inhibit creativity by focusing on the reproduction of
knowledge and obedience in class.Why the disconnect between educators’ official
stance toward creativity, and what actually happens in school?’
Why the right answer should not be the primary aim in
maths
‘In maths, the journey to the answer should be just as
important as the answer, in maths is really important, it should not be the
most important thing that we look for from our pupils.That's not to say that we
are going to start rewarding pupils for getting everything wrong in maths, but
how pupils come to obtain an answer should be a quality that we regard highly.’
From Bruce’s ‘goldie
oldies’ file
Slow food movement - and teaching as well!
‘The ‘slow food’ movement was reaction against this
industrialized approach to living. Followers believe one should take time over
food and enjoy the subtlety of the cooking;take the time to try out new dishes
and to enjoy the conversation and the wine. Or at the very least enjoy a home
cooked meal around the table interacting with members of the family or friends
We now need an educational equivalent of the ‘slow food movement’ so as to
value the richness and relevance of any learning experience. Students need to
appreciate that the act of learning is at the very heart of their identity and
a high quality life and as such should not be rushed.’
Time for some heresy?
‘If we want to develop 21stC education systems then we
will have no choice but to re-imagine education dramatically. We need to
implement some heretical alternative thoughts to transform current systems with
their genesis in an industrial age an age well past its use by date. Strangely
enough none of the idea being considered are new it is just that few school
have put them all together. School are inherently conservative and some
schools, secondary ones in particular, seem impervious to change.’
No comments:
Post a Comment