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| Time for new thinking |
Educational Readings 15 March 2019
Collated by Allan Alach and Bruce Hammonds
Collated by Allan Alach and Bruce Hammonds
Just listened to an economist Kate Rayworth on
National Radio about the purpose of the economy. Currently it's about unlimited
growth with minimal concern with the effect it has on the sustainability of our
environment nor with the problems of inequality that the current emphasis on
unlimited growth has created.
The purpose of the economy, she believes, should
now focus on meeting the needs of all people and the sustainability of the
planet rather than growth and self-interest.
We now need an economy that focuses on helping
all people thrive and one that sustains the environment for future generations;
an economy based on ‘wellbeing’ and an economy that faces up to the massive
ecological and inequality crisis created by the ‘growth at all costs’ economy.
We now need an economy, she says, that is premised on ensuring all people
thriving in a regenerating environment.
In this ‘new’ economy what then is the purpose
of education?
Currently, as a result of Tomorrows Schools,
education is based on schools competing with success being measured by growth
in achievement in a narrow range of metrics.
As a result we have developing ‘winner and loser’ schools with little
thought to the wellbeing of all schools.
The Tomorrows Schools Review gives us an
opportunity to think beyond current narrow school
This week young people are marching in an effort
to raise our consciousness of the dire straits current economic policies, based
on unlimited and narrowly conceived growth have created.
Bruce Hammonds
Bruce Hammonds
Learn about Kate Rayworth
Eight ways of teaching creativity.
Mia O'Brien, a lecturer at Queensland
University, knows about the importance of teaching creatively. This excerpt is
from her 2012 study Fostering a Creativity Mindset for Teaching (and Learning):
"In order for creativity to be a
priority within schooling, we need teachers who understand the nature of
creativity and appreciate its pedagogical value. However, creativity is not
usually high on the list of reasons for choosing teaching."
What this tells us is that teachers have an
interesting challenge with creativity. Not only must they inspire it in their
learners, but they must also give themselves full permission tobe creative as
well. After all, teaching creatively means considering how creativity can apply
to every responsibility a teacher has.’
Educating students for their future not our
past
‘It’s so much easier to educate students for
our past, than for their future. Schools are inherently
Teachers are more comfortable teaching how
they were taught than how they were taught to teach. And politicians can lose
an election over education issues but rarely win one over education, because it
takes way more than an election cycle to translate good intentions into better
results.
The biggest risk to schooling today isn’t its
inefficiency, but that our way of schooling is losing its purpose and
relevance.’
The
value of the Education Hub proposal
Why Playfulness Is the Key to Success in the
21st-Century
Why Teachers Must Become Change Agents
Michael G. Fullan
'
Teacher education programs must help
teaching candidates to link the moral purpose that influences them with the
tools that will prepare them to engage in productive change.
Teaching at its core is a moral profession.
Scratch a good teacher and you will find a moral purpose.’
#3quotes from Bruner
Steve Wheeler:
‘In my #3quotes series I have been citing
directly from the texts of education thinkers, because it is
important to apply
ideas and theories in context. Too often, writers cite from theorists using
secondary sources instead of delving into the original texts. In this post I
will featuring direct quotations from legendary American psychologist Jerome S
Bruner, whose work focused on the psychology of learning, pedagogical methods
such as instructional scaffolding and the spiral curriculum, as well as social
constructivist learning methods.’
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| Jerome Bruner |
Lies You Have Been Told About Educational
Technology
The Key to Effective Classroom Management
‘A three-phase process helps build strong
teacher-student bonds, which can reduce disruptive behavior.’
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| Peter Gray |
‘For most people human rights have increased,
but for children they have shrunk. In fact, children today are far more
deprived of liberty than they were when I was a child more than 60 years ago,
or when my parents were children 90 years ago. And children are
suffering because of that deprivation. As I’ve documented
elsewhere, children today are suffering at record levels from anxiety,
depression, and even suicide.’
Dawn of a new creative era / Tomorrows
Schools Review
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| Bali Haque |
Sir Ken Robinson's book is a must read if we
want to bring education into the 21stC.
Guy Claxton : What is the Point of School
‘Anyone who has attended one of Guy Claxton'
presentations ought to buy his book 'What's the Point of School'. This book is
powerful and timely examination of why our schools are built to fail, and how
to redesign them to meet the needs of the modern world.' The challenge of
redesigning schools is a big ask but the book gives lots of very practical
advice about how to create enthusiastic learners and more effective teaching.
In particular the 'learning power' ideas gives guidance to how New Zealand
teachers can implement the 'key competencies' of the new curriculum.'
Teaching and Learning Quotes
‘For too long schools have had to comply with
endless bureaucratic top down edicts, confusing curriculums and associated
accountability demands which have taken the focus away from
learning and
teaching. As these imposed technocratic systems falter it is now time for
creative teachers to also add their voices to the debate.
Students are born with a powerful desire to
learn. Everything we do as parents and teachers must ensure that this powerful
desire is kept alive. If there were to be one thing to be continually assessed
it would be this desire... too many students leave with little to show for
their time at school. Too many leave alienated and powerless.’
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