Escaping traditional thinking |
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
Secondary Traumatic Stress for Educators: Understanding and
Mitigating the Effects
An article that examines the effect of student
trauma on their teachers - a vital read.
‘With this evolving role comes an increasing need to understand and
address the ways in which student trauma affects our education professionals.
In a growing number of professions, including firefighters, law
enforcement, trauma doctors and nurses, child welfare workers, and therapists
and case managers, it is now understood that working with people in trauma —
hearing their stories of hardship and supporting their recovery — has
far-reaching emotional effect on the provider.’
Problems with Evidence-based Education:
Side Effects in Education
Introduction to Zong Zhao’s latest book:
‘Educational research typically has
focused exclusively on collecting evidence to prove or disprove the benefits or
intended effects of products, programs, policies, and practices. The recent
movement toward evidence-based educational practices and policies is only about
gathering and verifying evidence for effects. It shows no concern for negative
side effects.
Does this mean that educational products
are immune to adverse side effects? Does it mean that all educational products
have no negative impact on students?’
Oracy: The Literacy of the Spoken Word
‘School 21 believes oracy is as important
as reading and writing, and the research supports it. From Harkness discussions
to talk-rich assemblies, learn how you can integrate oracy at your school.’
How to Teach an Inductive Learning Lesson
‘Inductive learning takes the traditional
sequence of a lesson and reverses things. Instead of saying, “Here is the
knowledge; now go practice it,” inductive learning says, “Here are some
objects, some data, some artifacts, some experiences…what knowledge can we gain
from them?”’
'Embrace uncertainty: leave students
grappling'
‘Certainty isn't desirable It’s always
assumed that the responsibility for questioning lies with the teacher, but
wouldn’t it be great if we trained our students to use questions more
effectively?’
The Artistry of Teaching
‘There is one goal [of education] that,
if not achieved, makes the
achievement of all other goals very unlikely. That goal is to create those conditions that make students want to learn; not have to learn but want to learn more about self, others, and the world. The overarching purpose of schooling and its governance is to support that goal, i.e., to create and sustain contexts of productive learning supportive of the natural curiosity and wonder with which children start schooling’.
achievement of all other goals very unlikely. That goal is to create those conditions that make students want to learn; not have to learn but want to learn more about self, others, and the world. The overarching purpose of schooling and its governance is to support that goal, i.e., to create and sustain contexts of productive learning supportive of the natural curiosity and wonder with which children start schooling’.
Big Picture Learning
‘In the schools that Big Picture Learning
envisioned, students
would be at the center their own education. They would spend considerable time in the community under the tutelage of mentors and they would not be evaluated solely on the basis of standardized tests. Instead, students would be assessed on exhibitions and demonstrations of achievement, on motivation, and on the habits of mind, hand, and heart – reflecting the real world evaluations and assessments that all of us face in our everyday lives.’
would be at the center their own education. They would spend considerable time in the community under the tutelage of mentors and they would not be evaluated solely on the basis of standardized tests. Instead, students would be assessed on exhibitions and demonstrations of achievement, on motivation, and on the habits of mind, hand, and heart – reflecting the real world evaluations and assessments that all of us face in our everyday lives.’
How Should Teachers be Professional With
Social Media?
‘In this compulsive age of one-click
logins, left and right ‘swipes’ and selfie auto-sharing, it can be easy to let
our guard down and cross the line between what is appropriate and what is inappropriate when using social media.’
The Danger of Teacher Nostalgia
‘This is the worst group we’ve ever had.”When
I hear a teacher say this, I know those students are in trouble: The person in
charge of their well-being, the tone of their classroom, and their
opportunities to grow has decided they are beyond saving.’
Tear Down Your Behavior Chart!
'Behavior charts and similar public
shaming methods don’t teach self-regulation. They mainly harm vulnerable
learners.’
5 Ways to Decrease Disciplinary Issues in
the Classroom
‘Many educators indicate that mastering
classroom management is one of the most difficult parts
of the profession.
Teachers who struggle with poor classroom management skills will never get
their students to learn at their highest potential. Their students are seen off
task, talking to their friends, defiant, and disrespectful The goal is to change the behavior, not to
continuously battle for power with a child in the classroom. Sending them out
of the classroom only gives in to what some of them ultimately want.Here are
five ways to decrease disciplinary issues in the classroom.'
From Bruce’s ‘goldie oldies’ file:
There is no master plan
Darwin |
‘A vision gives an organization a sense of direction, a purpose, but
only if it is ‘owned’ and translated into action by all involved.But vision is
not enough in itself. The values that any organization has are just as
important or even more so because they determine the behaviors that people
agree to live within. Alignment of people behind values is vital but too often
both vision and values are just words hidden in folders are rarely referred to.
What you do must reflect what you believe if there is to be integrity. And any
alignment needs to include students and parents as well.’
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