Education
Readings
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| Students exploring the environment |
By Allan Alach
Every week Bruce Hammonds and I search out articles worldwide to encourage a creative approach to teaching and learning. I welcome suggested articles, so if you come across a gem, email
it to me at allanalach@inspire.net.nz
Letting
Students Succeed as Themselves ( about NZ)
An American teacher shares a lesson learned during time he spent
in New Zealand schools.
‘
Seven
reasons people no longer want to be teachers ( from Australia)
How many of these ring bells for you?
‘It’s
not surprising, then, that numbers of applicants for teacher education programs
have slumped. The programs are long and intense, the creativity and
relationships aspect of the vocation has been eroded, there is pervasive
negativity in the media, and comparatively poor salary and working conditions.’
How
Can We Begin Developing Imagination in Our Older
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| Imaginary astronauts |
'As
younger children, play and imagination are at the core of learning.
Nevertheless, the truth is that as we get older we imagine less and less. Since
we know a creative imagination is more important to learning today than ever,
it’s time to reclaim it. How do we make developing imagination a worthwhile
goal for all grade levels?’
Why
playtime is key to raising successful children
‘One
approach to redesigning education systems and equipping children with the right
skills is often overlooked. We need to provide opportunities for children to
learn in the way most natural and engaging to them: through play. We also need
to erase the false dichotomy often drawn between children’s play and their
learning of academic content.'
How
Kids Learn Better By Taking Frequent Breaks Throughout The Day
‘Once
I incorporated these short recesses into our timetable, I no longer saw
feet-dragging, zombie-like kids in my classroom. Throughout the school year, my
Finnish students would, without fail, enter the classroom with a bounce in
their steps after a fifteen-minute break. And most important, they were more
focused during lessons.’
Contributed
by Bruce
Hammonds:
To Advance Education, We Must First Reimagine Society
‘Because disaffection with the education system reflects a
much deeper societal malaise, it’s imperative that we first figure out what
kind of world we really want: a world populated by responsible adults who
thrive on interdependence and community, or a world of “customers” who feel
dependent on products, services, and authority figures, and don’t take full
responsibility for their actions?’
PC pedagogy: How much technology should be used in Kiwi
‘But news that tech-executives in Silicon Valley are
choosing to send their children to Waldorf Schools, where there's not a
computer in sight, has also got people thinking. These parents are choosing the
low-tech or no-tech education that teaches students the innovative thinking
skills needed in the workplace. They develop the ability to think independently
from a device, without a reliance on it.’
5 Strategies to Demystify the Learning Process for
Struggling Students
‘Oakley recognizes that “many educators are not at all
comfortable with or trained in neuroscience,” so she breaks down a few key
principles that teachers can use in the classroom and share with students to
help them demystify the learning process.’
Don’t
Stress About Coding: Focus Shifts To Teaching Problem Solving Not Computer
Skills
‘But many now recognize it’s not enough for students
simply to know how to write code. The capacity to build a product or solve a
problem requires an entirely different literacy. With this in mind, the focus
of coding education is shifting from teaching the specific skill of coding to
teaching computational thinking—or the ability to follow a step-by-step process
to solve a problem.’
‘What once was an egalitarian system, where brainiacs sat
beside average and struggling children, has developed into a more rigid
hierarchy for students at around age 11. Children who pass a rigorous test are
separated into one or more gifted and talented classes per school, leaving
less-gifted and talented peers in "regular" classrooms.’
From Bruce’s ‘goldie
oldies’ file:
Bali Haque.The failure of Education Reforms in New Zealand
- with an emphasis on secondary schools. NCEA/ NZC and National Standards
‘Bali believes
that power of a quality teacher depends on what he calls 'a state of
mind' ; the individual teachers 'personal dispositions, attitudes and
assumptions'. This he says is reflected in the New Zealand Curriculum (
Teaching as Inquiry) which asks teachers to constantly ask questions about the
effectiveness of what they are doing and be willing to change what isn't
working. Such teachers believe all students can learn achieve provided the
right conditions and help.’
Educational Books for Creative Teaching - to develop the
gifts and talents of all students
‘So if you have time explore some of the links to some of
my favourite books below. After reading my ‘review’ you might want to get the
book for yourself – or share the blog with other teachers. How many are you
aware of?’
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| Two very practical books - highly recommended |
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