Friday, November 09, 2018

Burnt out teachers and stressed students / Armistice Day / creative education

11th of the 11th 1918


Education Readings
 By Allan Alach

I know a school

I know a school where almost all the students are successful. It's an interesting place.
They don't give grades at this school.
There are no numbers.
No test scores. No SAT, ACT, no GPA or other acronyms.
No rankings.
Yet, the kids are more than alright.
They create amazing things.
They contribute to their communities in all sorts of ways.
They're happy.
They love coming to school.
Those that want to go to college after they graduate.
Others take different paths, which everyone celebrates.
We talk about success in schools as if it were a data point.
It's not.
And even if it were, you really think the data we're collecting now equates to success in any but the most tenuous ways?
Look at your kids.
Talk to them.
See if they love to learn.
See if they have passion.
See if they care.
See if they're happy.
Those are much clearer indicators of "success" than any set of numbers can supply.

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


Armistice Day
At the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918, the armistice that ended WW1 came into force.  Here are some websites that may be of use to teachers.

Armistice Day from the New Zealand History website


Papers Past
Older children could be asked to go back into time to read copies of newspapers from 1918. There may even be copies of letters.

Ten Facts About The Armistice

Armistice Day in WWI: Definition & Facts

We’re sure you will be able to find plenty of others and make this into a major study.

Moving on:

After National Standards - Have your say about the emerging ideas
Following the removal of the compulsory use of National Standards and Ngā Whanaketanga Rumaki Māori in December 2017, the Ministry signalled it would work with the education sector – with input from students, parents, whānau, iwi and communities – to focus on progress and achievement across the National Curriculum We want to know what you think about the emerging ideas developed by our Ministerial Advisory Group.’

Teachers: Move On Before You Burn Out
Have you moved on in order to keep from burning out? Have you changed a subject or grade you taught, or even your school? Sometimes this is the best choice.’

Why are kids impatient, bored, friendless, and entitled?
‘“Kids today are in a devastating emotional state! Most come to school emotionally unavailable for learning. There are many factors in our modern lifestyle that contribute to this.” . I encourage every parent who cares about the future of his/her children to read it. I know that many would choose not to hear what she says in the article, but your children needs you to hear this message.’

Drawing Is the Fastest, Most Effective Way to Learn, According to New Research
‘But according to a fascinating new study, the right answer is whenever was the last time you tried to learn anything new. Put away the highlighter (really, science shows they're worse than useless) and skip the flash cards. The fastest way to cram new information into your brain is by drawing it, concludes the research.’

How Jo Boaler Hopes To Mold Math Mindsets
Jo Boaler
Boaler — who teaches at Stanford — travels the country with a message of hope for teachers. There are obvious flaws, she says, in a system that uses stressful tests to decide who's got a brain for math and counts on rote memorization to build mathematical curiosity. With her talks, her research, and a website full of videos about mathematics, her mission is not to build memories — but mindsets.’

To Learn, Students Need to DO Something
‘First, let me say that authentic, project-based learning is probably the best way to have students experience meaningful learning. But many schools and classrooms aren’t quite there yet: They deliver instruction in a more traditional way. That model can still result in solid learning, if it’s implemented correctly. And that’s where I’m seeing a problem. I think we’re skipping over one of the most important steps in our lesson plans.’

Less is more – practical tips for teachers for students with a disability.
‘An education assistant can be an invaluable resource in the classroom to support the teacher to include a student with disability.  They can assist the class teacher to provide a great educational experience to all students as well as increase the independence and social connection of the student with disability.’

Be neotenous: The importance of curiosity for teachers
As teachers, I think we are genuinely interested in generating and nurturing curiosity in our learners. We worry about squashing curiosity and the childlike wonder in our learners, particularly when they start school. We believe that curious learners are engaged, passionate, excited. But I’m not sure that we invest enough in our own curiosity as adults.'

Why “Goldilocks” Parenting Helps Build Executive Functioning Skills
‘Increasingly, researchers are discovering that “just right” is an important concept for how we parent. It has to do with how kids develop executive functioning.
Executive functioning is the “air traffic control system” of the brain. It helps kids focus, remember rules, resist temptation and think flexibly. The way we parent can affect how kids’ executive functioning skills develop.’

Head, hand and heart
Steve Wheeler:
‘Hyman's perspective is that change is needed and that a repertoire of curriculum strategies is required to give young people a rounded education. These include real world learning (which presumably involves immersion in real world probems, challenge based learning etc), maths mastery, oracy techniques and storytelling - and dialogue, plenty of dialogue.’

From Bruce’s ‘goldie oldies’ file:

Einstein, Darwin, da Vinci & Mozart et all - lessons from the Masters
‘Although there have been individual teachers who have developed creative classrooms most classrooms could be classified as benign environments where students achieve success by achieving teacher determined objectives. Imagine an education system premised on developing every students talents and passions!’

Transforming education: Stop teaching and begin learning with your students
Teachers spend hours and hours of their time preparing lessons for their students but all too often the only person learning anything are the teachers themselves. Even the most attentive and compliant of students do not get what the teachers    intend – and worse still researchers have shown that that such teaching does not change students’ minds – and changing minds is the definition of learning.

No comments: