A lost voice for creative education - time to call it a day?

Time to call it a day?

Readings week 2 July 2019

Our Leading-Learning blog has a long history.

 It began as Primary Arts Magazines set up by Wayne Morris and Bruce in 1980. Over 25 editions were printed. They were hand compiled and posted and when subscribers got over 500 it was all too much.

Some of the 25 Primary Art Magazines

The premise of the magazine was to share the ideas of creative teachers – teachers who were developing student centred programmes with an emphasis on using the local environment, the importance of the creative arts and develop stimulating room environments featuring student work.

Wayne and Bruce then developed a website in the 90s with an associated e-zine which was sent out to 4000 members – this worked well until, with a change of web master the e-zines were rejected as spam by many schools.

At this stage Bruce established the Leading–Learning blog in 2004 and in later years Allan Alach joined him in this. 1569 blogs have been posted with a total of 2 million visits.

Let's do it!

Tomorrows Schools have had a corrosive effect on school collaboration

End of sharing

Public schooling has been distorted by the competitive ethic of self centred Tomorrows Schools and, in particular the corrosive effect of National Standards.

We now feel that it’s time to call it a day as we no longer have any real contact with schools and we also feel that schools have been hi-jacked by standardised teaching, an over emphasis on literacy and numeracy (nine years of National Standards has all but killed real creativity in primary schools). We wrote about this sharing Professor Peter O‘Conner’s view in our last blog.

The last straw.Above a impersonal school report with a antiquated narrow focus from a large school. The sign of a system gone terribly wrong. What gifts and talents have been developed? What key competencies have been identified and amplified?

Matt Damon teacher mother - see report above!!!

It is an interesting challenge to reflect on the influences that have contributed to your educational philosophy - this would make an interesting staff meeting topic?

 Bruce’s creative education journey

Bruce has had a long career as a school adviser beginning in the 60s – first in science then in art. Bruce and Allan Alach were both influenced by philosophy expressed in the inspirational book In the Early World written by Elwyn Richardson.  Thankfully the book has been recently reprinted by the NZCER and we recommend all schools buy a copy.

Some of Bruce's publications

As an adviser, in the mid-sixties, Bruce was influenced by teachers, mainly in small rural schools, who were implementing similar ideas to those written about by Elwyn. Central to this creativity (it was the 60s!) was the influence of Dr Beeby who had introduced a developmental teaching philosophy post WW2.  Also behind such ideas was the philosophy of American educator JohnDewey.

TheArt Advisers, established by Dr Beeby, assumed an important role in spreading the ideas of creative teachers. The art advisers ran related arts programmesthroughout New Zealand, one of which Bruce attended. The arts are vital to ensure students a positive sense of self – through art, language, music and dance.

Teachers in rural schools introduced the first integrated programmes moving away from the heavily timetables programmes, with an emphasis on literacy and numeracy, of the day. Schools, under the pressure of National Standards, have move back to these programmes.

Four other influences.

The Taranaki Findings

Firstly, the English child centred primary schools (sadly lost under the pressure of the National Curriculum, testing and league tables) that Bruce experienced while teaching in England in 1969. This experience taught Bruce about the importance of slowing the pace of student work to develop quality, teacher displays to attract student curiosity and of displaying students work.  Bruce worked with a group of Taranaki teachers in the 70sintroducing the open ended integratedinquiry programmes using the Nuffield Junior Science Project as a resource.

The second influence was the open education movement from the United States which had a similar student centred inquiry philosophy and led to the development of open plan schools. John Holt’s books HowChildren Learn and How Children Fail were key books and more relevant than ever.

 The third influence came from the lateKelvin Smythe and his holistic developmental approach. Kelvin believed strongly in the importance of the affective in education and deplored the current fetish of objectivity.

The final influence was Bruce’s involvement with the University of Waikato School of Education Learning in Science Project – essentially an inquiry model that valued students’ prior ideas and set out to challenge them.

It was an amalgam of the above ideas that Bruce developed as a classroom teacher, school principal and later working as a school adviser for Massey University School of Education and then independently throughout NZ and internationally. At this point Bruce met up with Allan Alach, then a school principal, who shared similar ideas. 

The centrality of the creative classroom teacher.

John Holt gives up on schools

Central to this philosophy is the centrality of the creative classroom teacher to any real lasting innovation - a position that has become almost untenable under the last decades of compliance and standardisation. Time to call it a day?

In the late 70s one of our open education ‘gurus’John Holt, (author of How Children Learn and How Children Fail), disappointed us by giving up on schools ever being transformed in his book ‘Instead of Schools’.

It didn’t deter us them but we have now almost reached the same conclusion. Almost, because we know there are still teachers out their battling on, and with the change ofgovernment, maybe the spirit of the 2007New Zealand Curriculum will be implemented. Maybe? We have done our best.

What has really changed the past three decades - not much in our opinion - that is if you ignore the false promise of modern technology which is no 'silver bullet' and more often a distraction an also the recycling of open plan schools of the 70s with modern learning environmnts.

Not Literacy and numeracy and not tiresome assessment

The other day Bruce was asked what would he do

if he had a magic wand to transform schools?

The first thing would be to ask the question of what’s the point of school? And what teaching beliefs would underpin such a school?

Bruce has always believed the challenge of schooling was to identify, develop, amplify and enhance to gifts and talents of all students.  The word education comes from ‘to bring the gifts out’. This view is reflected by Sir Ken Robinson’s quote ‘creativity is as important as literacy and numeracy’ and also Guy Claxton who has said ‘learnacy is as important as literacy and numeracy’. 

Making certain students’ developed positive attitudes towards all areas of learning would need to be assured.

The role of school 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 teacher’s role is to help the learner

forge connections between what he or she wants to know and what a learner wants to learn.

What if we started with the premise that school could be the most interesting place in a young person’s life? The challenge is to create experiences and contexts in classrooms where students can discover things they don’t know they love by implementing project that spur creativity, ownership and relevance.

Learning experiences would need to feature real experiences

through the senses and that information technology can be integrated in such learning but that it is no ‘silver bullet’ in itself. 

Projects would be based around students’ questions, value their current theories, and challenge

Valuing student questions and theories

them to consider new views. This does not leave studies to students to decide – the teacher’s role is best summed up by Jerome Bruner ‘teaching is the canny art of intellectual temptation’.

Literacy and numeracy would be learnt through real contexts and help given as an when necessary.The current emphasis has not improved our reading scores on international tests and maths still creates a feeling of maths anxiety. So much current teaching is based on the premise that without teachers students wouldn't learn - time to create the conditions and trust students do what they do naturally - learn!

Literacy and numeracy need to be re-imagined as foundation skills best learnt in real contexts .

The artistry of a creative teacher.

Bruce believes that the feeling from completing an excellent piece of learning - exceeding ones personal best - in any Learning Area is the most powerful motivation of all.  Helping students who exhibit lack of ability/interest achieve a sense of pride in any activity is the artistry of a creative teacher - a teachers who is able to slow the pace of work to allow positive interactions

Bruce also believed we do not have an ‘achievement gap’ but more an ‘opportunity gap’ – the school’s role is to create the conditions to give every learner the opportunity to learn through having positive experiences (this would mean the banning of ability grouping). 

The teachers appointed would need to align all their interactions with their students behind such ideas. Teachers would be selected also for their diverse set of interests because Bruce believes that we learn from the company we keep areas of learning would need to be assured.

An exciting room

The total environment is the ultimate teacher.

Bruce sees the total culture developed as the best teacher. Establishing a ‘tempting’ environment to attract students’ curiosity is the challenge for teachers.  To achieve this the schools needs to be envisaged as an amalgam of an artist’s studio, a science/technology lab, a media centre, drama and music areas, and plentiful areas to exhibit and display student creativity – an educational Te Papa – where students and teachers work together in teams solving problems and displaying their results for all to see.

And as for assessment – just check out the portfolios of the students’ involved. The concept to be valued is for every student to better their own ‘personal best’.

Imagine how schools would be transformed if such ideas were implemented?

Bruce Hammonds

Allan Alach

Current education

Display of work

This week's Readings

Professor Peter O’Connor’s article about the killing of creativity.

http://bit.ly/2RKuJSc

Educational Transformation.

http://bit.ly/2J2Yafx

The importance of the arts in the development of the self

Most important question 

http://bit.ly/2r1R539   

Helping the students answer the question who am I?

http://bit.ly/2WtyYXi

How to organize the school day in a 21st Context

Link to reading.

The need to slow the pace of work the key to quality

http://bit.ly/2KTX0VF

It's our responsibility to keep the creative arts alive

Schools must ensure that the creative arts aren't squeezed out and that the temptation to narrow the curriculum doesn’t win

http://bit.ly/2JcX67K

Schools are rethinking classroom design to encourage collaboration, creativity

http://bit.ly/326ESNJ

In which Pooh looks for a 21st Century Education Part 3

Another instalment from Kelvin Smythe’s ATTACK series that he completed just before he died:

‘The pure, uncomplicated expression of education values that follows has its origin deep in our

culture. But, particularly from the mid-thirties, there was a coming together of events, ideas and people including the depression, the election of a Labour government, the political education leadership of Peter Fraser, the ideas of John Dewey, progressive education thinkers from England, the influence of New Zealand educationists like Clarence Beeby and, tellingly for what follows, Gwen Somerset, a New Zealand-born primary teacher and infant mistress.’

http://bit.ly/2XEC2QF

Maybe, one day,  all schools will truly be student centred and creative - developing the gifts and talents of all students.

Now current negotiations are drawing to a positive end time to focus on teaching and learning - let's put Sir Ken Robinson's ideas into action

Time for educational transformation

Readings 14^th June 2019

Now that the salary negotiations look like they will be settled it’s time to focus on teaching and learning. There is a reading below written by Sir Ken Robinson about the need to move from standardisation to transformation. A good read.

Time now to place the NZC central to learning

We both believe in the need for primary schools to now place the intent of the New Zealand

Curriculum up front and central and move away from the, as one commentator has said, ‘the evil twins of literacy and numeracy that have all but gobbled up the entire curriculum’.

It is not that literacy and numeracy aren’t important. Obviously they are but they need to be seen as ‘foundation skills’ necessary for students to develop their interests, talents and personal concerns. As such they are best ‘taught’ in context with students requiring help to be withdrawn for ‘catch up’ help and returned back as soon as possible to the ‘game of learning’. 

What is the ‘message’ of your timetable?

A look at your timetable will indicate how much time traditional teaching of literacy and numeracy takes up and, by default, how many other areas are neglected. Schools need to focus on developing the gifts and talents of all students and to do this requires reimagining the timetable.

There are schools that have done just this but they are few and far between. Possibly the best inspiration for integrated learning comes from the distant past – the writings of pioneer teacher Elwyn Richardson. His book, ‘In the Early World’ has been reprinted by the NZCER and is still one of best book about creative teaching. Elwyn saw his class as a community of artists and scientists busy exploring and creating about their environment and personal concerns.

Innovative secondary schools

It seems to us that the centre of educational innovation is now to be seen in a group of

Claire Amos Albany High School
A strong voice for change

innovative secondary schools. These schools, in their modern flexible buildings, have moved away from traditional compartmentalised disciplines of the past and are developing integrated curriculums making full use of modern technology.   Once the centre of innovation was once to be seen in many primary classrooms particularly in the junior classes.

Ironically these innovative secondary schools are currently facing up to the prospect of having literacy and numeracy requirements placed on them. Evidently too many students enter, or leave, secondary education without these in place. So much for decades of standardised teaching in these areas in primary schools.

Schools as ‘mini Te Papa’

We imagine schools as being ‘mini Te Papa’. Students (and their parents) who enter such schools would be faced with a range of displays of students’ researched studies from across the

curriculum.

 Students would be seen at work in teams completing a range of projects, many making use of a range of information technology to research and express their findings. Although students’ concerns and interests would be central teachers follow Jerome Bruner’s advice that ‘teaching is the canny art of intellectual temptation’ and are expert at providing ‘tempting’ experiences that capture student curiosity; and teachers who appreciate the inquiry cycle and the concept of Howard Gardner’s Multiple Intelligences.

It’s the culture that teaches – ‘culture counts’.

We believe that it is the total environment that students are exposed to that ‘teaches’ students what is important and that this environment (or culture) includes not only ‘tempting’ activities but also respectful relationships between all involved.

The teachers in our ‘imagined’ school would need to have a wide range of personal interests to share, covering as many areas of the curriculum as possible – including expertise in reading and maths, information technology, behaviour, history, design et etc. Some of the best things are learnt through the company we keep.

Students lived experience and concerns central

We envisage an education that places at centre the experiences and interests of the learners, their questions and theories, and gives serious attention to the work the students create.

Something to think about? We think so.

Allan Alach and Bruce Hammonds

 This week's Readings

From Sir Ken Robinson: time to pesonalise education!

Standardisation broke education. Here's how we can fix our schools

"The movement towards personalisation is already advancing in medicine. We must move quickly in that direction in education, too". Standardisation broke education. Here's how we can fix our schools. "The movement towards personalisation is already advancing in medicine. We must move quickly in that direction in education, too”

http://bit.ly/2VDj7ol

Boosting Student Engagement Through Project-Based Learning

‘Research shows that by organizing learning around meaningful goals, PBL can be an effective way to cultivate a “need to know” attitude in students—students are motivated to deepen their understanding in order to solve a problem that is meaningful to them. Concepts are better understood when students see a need for their use because that need encourages them to apply what they’re learning to relevant situations, leading to a better sense of understanding.’

https://edut.to/2IHpheU

8 Things Every School Must Do To Prepare For The 4th Industrial Revolution

‘Educators, schools, government officials, and parents must re-think education and how to prepare the next generation to take advantage of the plethora of opportunities and overcome the challenges enabled by ever-increasing technological change. Here are some of the changes happening because of the 4th Industrial Revolution and eight things every school must do to prepare for the 4th Industrial Revolution’

http://bit.ly/2ZkhKcy

The quiet secret of an open learning environment

‘De Werkplaats in Bilthoven is one of the Netherlands’ first primary schools without any classrooms, where pupils and teachers work in an open learning environment. The environment should adapt to the child rather than the other way around.’

http://bit.ly/2XSXTB2

In which Pooh looks for a 21st Century Education. From Kelvin Smythe’s Attack series that he completed just before he died.

‘One day, when Christopher Robin and Winnie-the-Pooh and Piglet were all talking together, Christopher Robin finished the mouthful he was eating and said carelessly: ‘I saw a 21st Century Education to-day, Piglet.’

‘What was it doing?’ asked Piglet.

‘Just lumping along,’ said Christopher Robin. ‘I don’t think it saw me.’

‘I saw one once,’ said Piglet. ‘At least I think I did,’ he said. ‘Only perhaps it wasn’t.’

‘So did I,’ said Pooh wondering what a 21st Century Education was like.

‘You don’t often see them,’ said Christopher Robin matter-of-factly.

‘Not now,’ said Piglet.

‘Not at this time of year,’ said Pooh.’

http://bit.ly/2IHPWrU

Children Educate Themselves: I Outline of Some of the Evidence

‘We do not have to worry about curricula, lesson plans, motivating children to learn, testing them, and all the rest that comes under the rubric of pedagogy. Lets turn that energy, instead, toward creating decent environments in which children can play. Children's education is children's responsibility, not ours. Only they can do it. They are built to do it. Our task regarding education is just to stand back and let it happen. The more we try to control it, the more we interfere.’

http://bit.ly/2KkFhXw

Why Questions Are More Important Than Answers

“Questioning is the art of learning. Learning to ask important questions is the best evidence of understanding there is, far surpassing the temporary endorphins of a correct ‘answer.’”

http://bit.ly/2KSGFzJ

Some oldies but goodies

The real agenda - New Minds for a New Millennium

‘Our Vision is for schools to create learning environments to develop the interests, gifts and talents of all students.’

https://leading-learning.blogspot.com/2019/06/the-real-agenda-new-minds-for-new.html

Tired of the impossible assessment workload ? Time to put Sir Ken's transformational ideas into action.

‘Most teachers have heard or read the thoughts of Sir Ken Robinson's about transforming education ‘from the ground up’  as outlined in his book Creative Schools. He writes, ‘creativity is as important as literacy and numeracy’. We think it is now time now to put his ideas into action.’

https://leading-learning.blogspot.com/2019/05/tired-of-impossible-assessment-workload.html

The question for all learners ; ‘Who Am I? ‘

“‘Who am I?’ is the most important question for students? And are schools helping provide an

answer? ‘What makes me who I am?’ The questions above should underpin all the activities in our education system. That so many young people leave education with these questions unanswered ought to be of great concern and worse still leaves students open to becoming to become involved in anti-social behaviour.”

https://leading-learning.blogspot.com/2019/05/what-is-most-important-question-for.html

Warning, these readings may contain educational heresy

Readings for creative teachers

 Saturday 11^th May 2019

Bruce and I have long left the ‘chalkface’ but we still have a passion for an education system that is based on democratic classrooms that focus on developing the gifts and talents of all students.

Sadly most classrooms are neither democratic (valuing the identity, voice, questions, theories and culture of students) nor focused on

talent development. If anything education has become standardised and formulaic focused on assessing and documenting achievement in literacy and numeracy.

So maybe our views are irrelevant but we take heart that we know there are still creative teachers out their battling for views that align with the holistic, creative and integrated learning that we hold.

For us we see the book In the Early World written by Elwyn Richardson as central to the provision of a creative education. 

Thankfully it has been reprinted by the NZCER and the new foreword itself is worth a read. Elwyn saw his class as a community of artists and scientists exploring their environment and personal concerns and he believed they were his teachers as much as he was their teacher.  There was nothing formulaic or standardised in his classroom.

We are not sure of who current teachers hold as important in their educational philosophies but we think we are in good company. John Dewey who wrote about progressive democratic education early last century wrote ‘children grow in to tomorrow as they live today’ and although he believed in experiential learning he also wrote that it’s not just experience it reflecting on experience that is vital to learning.

There are a number of other educationalists that back up our own beliefs. Jerome Bruner who wrote that ‘teaching is the canny

art of intellectual temptation’ giving teachers the challenge of creating learning environments that challenge students by providing  ‘tempting’ displays from all learning areas; displays that as students become involved sees  their  research, language and art added.

An MLE !!

We see classrooms as a mini Te Papa – an amalgam of an artist’s studio, a science technology laboratory, a media centre andexhibitions to celebrate, challenge and inform. An important thing, we believe, is to do fewer things well and judge success by students achieving their personal best in any area of learning.

These are aspects the vision that we hold to. We believe, as Frank Smith (our reading guru)  writes, we learn from the company we keep; we learn to read if we want to not just because someone thinks we should. Smith’s book

“Reading” is a must read for any open minded teacher. Look online for this. Also check the link below for a pdf version of another Smith book.

We learn anything if we see the point - the title of Guy Claxton’s book ‘What’s the point of School'.

In our ideal classroom students enter the classroom to pick up work they have previously committed to. When teachers see a need to provide assistance with missing skills they come alongside the learners (or work with a small groups) to provide the help needed so students can return to’ the game of learning’ (the advice of David Perkins). No need for ability groups in maths and literacy to get in the way taking up valuable learning time.  

When it comes to talent development the views of Sir Ken Robinson are well known, admired by many teachers but in practice largely ignored. Sir Ken believes in educational transformation. The idea that we all have our own mix of talents and gifts brings us to the multiple intelligences of Howard Gardner. Another educator with an interest in the creative arts, Eliot Eisner, makes the point that each art form interprets the world in its own way and that all are important.

Elwyn Richardson

All this brings us back to the ideas of Elwyn Richardson and the art advisers of yesteryear who led the way into developmental creative related arts programme.

l lifelong learners, confident in their own unique talents. We both believe we do not have an achievement gap but rather an opportunity gap.

With current discussions about play based and place based learning, about students’ agency, environmental awareness, the need to trust learners, the valuing of cultural differences, inquiry learning integrating a sensible use of new technology, and the new flexible learning environments,  maybe the revolution is beginning?

We hope so. This is why we take the time to collect and share reading that emphasize creative teaching.

Allan Alach and Bruce Hammonds



 Today's Readings

Creative Teaching And Teaching Creativity: How To Foster Creativity In The Classroom

‘Creativity is often paid lip service, but in reality, most schools are currently experiencing a “creativity gap”—with significantly more creative activity occurring outside of school. Numerous psychologists argue that creativity is not just an enrichment or add-on in the classroom: It is a set of psychological skills that enhance learning and will be necessary in the 21st-century workforce.’

http://bit.ly/2E1yIEr

Treating Reflection as a Habit, Not an Event

‘Regular reflection helps students learn, and some simple strategies can make it a regular and meaningful routine.’

https://edut.to/2HdaLun

Six Key Takeaways from A Day with Professor Jo Boaler

‘Claudelands Event Centre was buzzing on April 24th, with 520 motivated mathematics educators who were eagerly awaiting Professor Jo Boaler and youcubed co-director Cathy Williams to deliver their new workshop Limitless: The 6 keys that unlock potential and transform pathways.’

http://bit.ly/2VvHUvu

Jo Boaler

Seven is the age of wonder, not the age for formal testing

‘We must also ask why. What are the tests for? So we can measure and monitor students’ progress? So we can pigeon hole who they are and who they will become early on? So we can fiddle the books and make our school brochure statistics look even glossier in the competitive culture that is devouring our national education system?'

http://bit.ly/2Yh5Lf6

Dalai Lama: We need an education of the heart

‘My wish is that, one day, formal education will pay attention to the education of the heart, teaching love, compassion, justice, forgiveness, mindfulness, tolerance and peace. This education is necessary, from kindergarten to secondary schools and universities. I mean social, emotional and ethical learning. We need a worldwide initiative for educating heart and mind in this modern age.’

https://lat.ms/2VvOMZA

Dave Armstrong: Don't stop the music at school

‘Having visited the school recently, I'm aware it has a comprehensive music programme and understands the value of students learning not just the "basics" of numeracy and literacy, but music and the other arts as well.’

http://bit.ly/2HdX0gl

What is a truly creative education?
( An earlier blog that relate to today’s theme)

 ‘Links to New Zealand creative teachesr, early influences  and the writings of John Dewey, Sir Ken Robinson, John Holt, Guy Claxton,  et al.’

http://bit.ly/2Jjqfkj

Can reading problems affect mental health?

“Slow reading acquisition has cognitive, behavioral, and motivational consequences that slow the development of other cognitive skills and inhibit performance on many academic tasks. . . . The

longer this developmental sequence is allowed to continue, the more generalized the deficits will become, seeping into more and more areas of cognition and behavior. Or . . . ‘reading affects everything you do.’”

http://bit.ly/2HdeDNt

Teaching Students to Read Metacognitively

‘A mini-lesson and anchor chart for showing early elementary students how to monitor their comprehension as they read.’

https://edut.to/2Vuuyzr

Comprehension And Learning by Frank Smith

‘This is primarily a book about children. It is addressed to teachers and written from the point of view of a cognitive psychologist. In this book I attempt to analyze those mysterious and complex

facets of human thought that are labelled “comprehension” and ‘learning”, by drawing on insights from a number of specialized disciplines while endeavoring to maintain a coherence that will be both comprehensible and useful to practising or prospective teachers.’

http://bit.ly/2PW9vQo

National Writing Project:Digested reads: Frank Smith.

"As long as writing remains a natural and purposeful activity, made available without threat, then children will be willing to practice it and consequently will learn.”

http://bit.ly/30aFbGu

3quotes from Freire

‘Freire is critical of the transmission method found in schools, in which what he calls the 'banking concept', is consistently applied. This is where teachers play the role of the 'knowledgable', and students adopt the role of the 'ignorant'. It's a prevalent technique that teachers everywhere can fall into the trap of perpetrating on their students.’

http://bit.ly/2YneaO6