Education Readings
Sad news this week. One of New Zealand’s premier
educators, Kelvin Smythe, lost his battle against prostate cancer last
Saturday.
Kelvin was one of the very best educators in New Zealand’s history
and his passing is a tragedy for primary school education. Over the past decade
from 2009, Kelvin led the battle against the then government’s imposition of
national standards (not too dissimilar to common core standards in the USA) and
I think it’s fair to say that his efforts contributed to the removal of these
when the government changed a year ago.
He was indeed an educational warrior
who fought to the end to protect holistic /creative /democratic teaching from
current technocratic formulaic approaches.
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
Mindset is encompassed by the holistic and should be seen as
commonsense given space: I give it a strong tick
Kelvin Smythe’s last article, written with one
hand as he had a broken arm and when he was in very poor health. He was
determined to write to the end and one of his big regrets about dying was
‘This posting supports mindset as expressed by the American
academics Jo Boaler and Carol Dweck. I perceive mindset as a strategy to
encourage holistic ideas into mathematics, in particular, a curriculum much in
need of being repaired from its fragmented and perilous condition.’
Kelvin Smythe and John Hattie – the
killing of creativity by the technocrats
‘Smythe, after reading Hattie's book
'Visible Learning', writes that Hattie's 'feedback' is really attached to a
direct instruction process .It is more concerned with testable transmission of
teacher devised content to the students and as such is antithetical to
individuality and creativity. The book, according to Smythe, is 'skewed to a
certain style of teaching and learning ( learning set up for measurement) and
towards appealing to conservative influences.’
Kelvin Smythe’s advice for principals
“Principals need to be in charge of their
own destiny. Principals need
Teacher Wellbeing- some research
highlights
‘Teaching as a profession is inherently
stressful. We are working with people all day and human beings are complex,
sometimes tricky even. Here’s some of what I found out about what may
contribute to positive teacher wellbeing in our current educational climate.’
Physical Education is just as important
as any other school subject
PE is yet another subject area that lost
ground due to the relentless focus on ‘raising achievement.’
‘Physical Education (PE) is often viewed
as a marginal subject within the curriculum. PE is still championed for its
potential to promote health and encourage lifelong physical activity. This is
an important issue given that over 30% of year six pupils are classed as “overweight”
or “obese”'
Being Barefoot Benefits Brain Development
'Proprioception gives us the ability to
perceive the motion and position of our bodies in space, while
the vestibular
system is responsible for balance and coordination.
The development of both of these senses
relies heavily on sensory input we receive through bare feet, especially during
infancy and childhood, Flegal explains in an article for Natural Child
Magazine.'
5 Things Children Learn at Preschool That
Are a Waste of Time and Not Developmentally Appropriate
They're part of a typical preschool
schedule, and parents rarely question their legitimacy. Instead, they see them
as "real learning" and what's needed to prepare kids for
kindergarten. Many child development experts, however, believe they're largely
a waste of time and may even be detrimental.’
What is Deep Learning? Who are the Deep
Learning Teachers?
‘Deep learning promotes the qualities
children need for success by building complex
understanding and meaning rather
than focusing on the learning of superficial knowledge that can today be
gleaned through search engines.'
 |
| Deep learning |
How to Teach Self-Regulation
‘To succeed in school, students need to
be able to focus, control their emotions, and adjust to change.'
From Traditional Teacher to “Modern
Learning Advisor
'What is the role of the single teacher
in a classroom in a world where millions of potential teachers are now a few
keystrokes away on a laptop or phone?’
From Bruce’s ‘goldie oldies’ file:
‘Success in life is all too often determined by success at school. And all efforts to improve schoolingvery rarely take the trouble to listen to the voices of teachers let alone students. In her wonderful book 'Wounded by School' Kirsten Olsen speaks passionately about the experiences of young people whom the school system has failed.’
The importance of observation
‘Drawing is an ideal way to break through habitual ways of thinking.
All too often our students see but they do not look. Observational drawing has
long been an important means for some teachers to develop deeper consciousness
in students - to assist students see through their habitual ways of seeing and
to develop new awareness.’
1 comment:
Nice post thannks for sharing
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