Education Readings
By Allan Alach
Every week Bruce Hammonds and I collect articles
to share with teachers 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
The Importance of Curiosity and Challenge
in Education
‘Whether “school” is the direct reason
why kids lose curiosity over time shouldn’t matter. What should matter is that
school should become a place where curiosity is developed in individuals no
matter what factors have led to its decline.’
Why are Americans so bad at math?
This is very relevant all over and not just restricted to the USA
‘Research shows that the way math is
taught in schools and how its conceptualized as a subject is severely impairing
American student's ability to learn and understand the material.’
The Global Search For Education: The Need
to Play
“Giving children meaningful, quality,
free play opportunities in this period of exponential brain growth is the best,
most cost-effective way to prepare them with the skills required to live in our
modern society.”
— Marcus Veerman
What if a bird went to flying school?
‘We all know how birds learn to fly. The mother and daddy bird
Marae style teaching spaces – a good fit
for tamariki
‘Newton Primary School is seeing fast
progress in te reo Māori learning by its bilingual and full immersion students.
The school has a new teaching block with flexible spaces for the students, and
the school is taking the opportunity to explore what it means to have a Māori
learning environment.’
The art of unlearning
‘We often talk about our learning, but
how often do we give thought to how much we need to unlearn. As Russell Ackoff
says, “the only thing that’s harder than starting something new, is stopping
something old.”’
What makes a good school culture?
‘Most principals have an instinctive
awareness that organizational culture is a key element of school success. But
like many organizational leaders, principals may get stymied when they actually
try to describe the elements that create a positive culture.’
Why this time is different – the big
picture of educational change
‘It’s a question that we’ve all struggled
with from time to time, however, I do think the answer becomes a lot clearer if
we step back and look at the bigger picture, which tells the story of school
reform over the past hundred years and highlights why this time is different.
Most importantly, it also gives meaning to the work of those who have gone
before.’
How curious are you?
‘I’m curious about curiosity. It’s not
something we have talked enough about in the past, but in a
Should we review the New Zealand
Curriculum?
‘The Minister has invited us to have our
say on Education as many aspects are up for review. Should the New Zealand
Curriculum be one of them?There is ongoing debate about whether our curriculum
really meets the aspirations of our tamariki to be active citizens now and in
their future so that they are well prepared for the task of making this world
the best they possibly can for all people.’
From Bruce’s ‘goldie oldies’ file:
Savants: beautiful
minds
‘Savants are very special individuals that have one amazing passion.
Possibly the most well known savant was featured in the film ‘Rain man’ portrayed
by Dustin Hoffman. The programme made viewers wonder about the amazing
potential that lies within us all.’
Natural born learners.
‘I had written, a while ago, that children, given the right
conditions, had the attributes of young scientists. A comment, from the
Netherlands, suggested I ought to read the book ‘The
'Scientist in the Crib' because it provided up to date research about how
children learn to back up what I had written.’
Great advice.
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