Education
Readings
By Allan Alach
What
every teacher should know about ... memory
‘There
is a wealth of psychology research that can help teachers to improve how they
work with students – but academic studies of this kind aren’t always easy to
access, or to translate into the realities of classroom practice. This series
seeks to redress that, by taking a selection of studies and making sense of the
important information for teachers.’
Walking
backwards into the future
Steve Wheeler:
'When
we consider the future we tend to strain our minds to imagine what will come
next. And usually we fail miserably. Perhaps instead we should follow the Maori
tradition and build our own future on the shoulders of giants. In the case of
education and the future of learning we should consider what those who have
gone before us have achieved, the lessons they learnt and the trajectory they
have set us on.’
Listening,
Not Testing, Will Improve Children’s Vocabulary
‘While
we may actively teach our children to read, oral language skills (the ability
to learn words, form sentences and to communicate abstract ideas) is a defining
human characteristic and, of these, it is vocabulary which is the pivotal
skill. Children grow up acquiring these skills driven by, in Canadian telly-don
Stephen Pinker’s words an “instinct”
for language.'
http://bit.ly/2iFdiBo
Mouldy
cheese and minibeasts: tips for teaching science in primary schools
‘Classroom
teachers have a lot of freedom to teach investigative science frequently and
creatively, and some do so beautifully. However, in general, there is not
enough help for teachers in this area, with just under a third of primary
school teachers saying they had no support for science in the past year, and a
quarter saying they were concerned they might not be able to answer pupils’ science
questions. So what can teachers do to increase the focus on science at primary
level?’
Math
Class Doesn’t Work. Here’s the Solution
Until
we change the way we teach math to emphasize learning and exploration, rather
than performance, we’ll continue to produce students who describe their math
experience as a hamster wheel, or worse, a prison. We’ll continue to produce
anxious students who experience fear when they see numbers. The performance
culture of mathematics has destroyed a vibrant, essential subject for so many
people.’
Contributed by Bruce Hammonds:
Modern
Learning Environments … innovation or disaster?
‘With
glass walls, funky furniture and 60 children in a big open plan room where two
teachers share the space, education consultants’ will explain the trend in
classroom design
as an open, flexible learning environment in which inquiries are shared and
interventions are devised collaboratively. Ask some of the men and women at the
coal face of the modern learning environment about their experience teaching in
buildings like this, and the answer is often less complicated.’
Comparison
is the Thief of Joy
‘Learning
is about discovering your purpose and passion in life. Schools should provide
diverse pathways and opportunities for students to develop and unleash
their special abilities and unique talents…not standardize them.’
Change,
Beliefs, And The ‘F’ Words
Some advice if you are serious about transforming your school.
Here is a summary of the main
 |
| Derek Wenmouth |
messages of the latest uLearn Conference.
The new Minister is removing National Standards and lightening the assessment
load but if this is all that happens it will be a lost opportunity.
‘The
annual uLearn conference is over for another year, and as the new term begins
it’s worth taking a little time to reflect on the ‘big ideas’ we came away with
— the overarching themes and messages that persisted through the various
keynote, spotlight, and workshop presentations. I had the privilege of doing a
quick summary at the end of this year’s conference, and want to share that in
this blog post as an ‘aide
memoire’ for those who are interested. For me, there were three ‘big
ideas’ that kept surfacing (four if you count my two “F” words) which are
expanded on below:’
How
School Leaders Can Attend to the Emotional Side of Change
'“All
of us respond to a change that someone says or does not because of what it is,
but in terms of what it means to us,”“Resistance to change is normal and
necessary,” Evans said. “If you are part of some big change in your school and
you aren’t expecting resistance, there’s something wrong with your plan.” But
he also points out that resistance can be overcome when leaders understand its
source and empathize with teachers. Evans shared several tips on how to manage
change.'
From Bruce’s ‘goldie
oldies’ file:
The rebirth of education - a real Renaissance
‘If we want to be recognised as a creative and innovative
country, a country at the leading edge of change, then the most important asset
we have is the talent and creativity of our citizens. Once such a vision has
been defined then schools can follow the lead or better still be seen as
leaders.’
Learning to be 'creatively rebellious'. The importance of
the Three Ds: being Different, Disruptive and Deviant.
(This blog not for traditional school principals!)
‘Organisations that want to develop innovative cultures
that enable leaders to be intentionally disruptive and deviant will flourish in
the 21stC. And schools should be at the forefront of developing
innovative cultures. Risk adversity and fear of failure gets in the way of
embracing disruption and deviance as the basis of developing innovation.’
Joyful Learning
‘Wolk introduces his article by saying, 'joyful learning
can flourish in your school if you give joy a chance'. John Dewey, in 1936,
wrote that 'to what avail if students absorb prescribed amounts of
information.... if in the process the individual loses his own soul'. More
recently, in 1984, John Goodland in his book 'A Place called School' after
surveying high schools, wrote that he found an 'extraordinary sameness' and
that 'boredom was a disease of endemic proportions, ' he asked, ,why are schools
not places of joy?’
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