New Zealand loses a top educator - Kelvin Smythe / teacher well being / Importance of PE / Deep learning / creativity

Education Readings

 By Allan Alach

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.

Our condolences to Kelvin’s family, who devoted themselves to his care over the last few weeks.

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

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

that he had so much more that he wanted to write.

‘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.’

http://bit.ly/2pWwbUB

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.’

http://bit.ly/2QSdAUU

Kelvin Smythe’s advice for principals

“Principals need to be in charge of their own destiny.  Principals need

to focus on the important things -as for the rest just get them done. Principals, he said, need to take a moral stance. The best advice, Kelvin believes, is to 'colonise' the New Zealand Curriculum document and to keep integrity with their own beliefs. If principals cannot keep true to their beliefs they will become as confused as a 'chameleon on a Scottish plaid!’”

http://bit.ly/2P867DU

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.’

http://bit.ly/2RVR26Z

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”'

http://bit.ly/2CO2VHX

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.'

http://bit.ly/2OsRETH

5 Things Children Learn at Preschool That Are a Waste of Time and Not Developmentally Appropriate

'Calendar Time, Craft Projects, Teacher-Directed Lessons, Worksheets, and "Letter of the Week"

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.’

http://bit.ly/2P4ngyl

What is Deep Learning? Who are the Deep Learning Teachers?

‘Deep learning promotes the qualities children need for success by building complex

Deep learning

understanding and meaning rather than focusing on the learning of superficial knowledge that can today be gleaned through search engines.'

http://bit.ly/2J6eGcU

How to Teach Self-Regulation

‘To succeed in school, students need to be able to focus, control their emotions, and adjust to change.'

https://edut.to/2ynHauS

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?’

http://bit.ly/2PGXDkk

From Bruce’s ‘goldie oldies’ file:

Wounded by School

‘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.’

http://bit.ly/2CljSIJ

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.’

http://bit.ly/2Cosr5G

Modern Learning Environments?/ The Right wing Education Reforms / John Dewey / Helicopter parents / and being average

We need creativity not  standardisation!

Education Readings

By Allan Alach

I welcome suggested articles, so if you come across a gem, email it to me at allanalach@inspire.net.nz

How to improve the school results: not extra maths but music, loads of it

Thanks to Al Ingham for this article.

'But at Feversham, the headteacher, Naveed Idrees, has embedded music, drama and art into every part of the school day, with up to six hours of music a week for every child, and with remarkable results. Seven years ago Feversham was in special measures and making headlines for all the wrong reasons. Today it is rated “good” by Ofsted and is in the top 10% nationally for pupil progress in reading, writing and maths, according to the most recent data.’

http://bit.ly/2klQVoC

Helicopter Parents Need To Let Teachers Do Their Jobs

‘Ms. Streeter realized that "one of the greatest challenges for teachers and principals is dealing with stressed, over-reaching parents who, like me, can't see the bigger picture. What ostensibly counts as supportive parenting can sometimes inadvertently disadvantage a child.”’

http://bit.ly/2kqWNx8

Education "Reform" Is a Right-Wing Movement

‘Support for charter proliferation goes hand-in-hand with a lack of support for adequate and equitable public school funding. No wonder the political right, which has set the accumulation of

wealth for a small elite as its highest priority, loves the charter movement. Second, the ties between SA and the political right highlight a clear reality: The charter school movement is, at its core, an anti-teachers union movement. Unions have been the backbone of the Democratic Party for years -- especially public sector unions. And the teachers unions have been pretty much the last vestige of professional unionism.’

http://bit.ly/2yHUkk4

How modern are ‘modern’ or ‘innovative’ learning environments in NZ?

Not very …

Hobsonville Point School

‘As Benade argues, a school is not a school until/unless it is about the quality of the learning that goes on inside it. Examples like Strachan’s and Somerset’s show us that these conceptions of modern learning had their roots firmly planted a long time ago in the educational soil of New Zealand. When educators dare to innovate, then conceptions of modern and innovative learning can flourish and thrive.’

http://bit.ly/2yHUo3i

The Pedagogy Of John Dewey: A Summary

‘

John Dewey is one of the giants in the history of educational theory, and it’s difficult to isolate one of his specific theories to discuss here. He was influential in so many areas of educational reform, that to choose one theme would do him a disservice, so I will highlight several of the areas in which he was ahead of his time.’

http://bit.ly/2ypQ9x3

Caution: Chromebooks

This article by Gary Stager has sure got people talking.

‘The Chromebook might be sufficient if you believe that the primary purpose of school to be taking notes, looking stuff up, completing forms, and communication. I find this to be an impoverished view of both learning and computing. Children need and deserve more. If you find such uses compelling, kids already own cellphones capable of performing such tasks.’

http://bit.ly/2gcKU98

Education Isn't the Key to a Good Income

A growing body of research debunks the idea that school quality is the main determinant of economic mobility.  Another neoliberal tenet bites the dust.

A myth?

'This “rags to riches” tale embodies one of America’s most sacred narratives: that no matter who you are, what your parents do, or where you grow up, with enough education and hard work, you too can rise the economic ladder. A body of research has since emerged to challenge this national story, casting the United States not as a meritocracy but as a country where castes are reinforced by factors like the race of one’s childhood neighbors and how unequally income is distributed throughout society.’

http://theatln.tc/2xi0mXo

Contributed by Bruce Hammonds:

National Standards Plus

Current negotiations to establish the next government in New Zealand have a good likelihood of bringing about the end of national standards. However, if this fails to happen, then this is what we will be seeing.

No time left to teach!

‘The government would have parents being updated in real time every and any progress their child is making in National Standards throughout the school day. They’re calling this ‘National Standards Plus’, largely because of the additional time and energy that is going to be chewing into teachers already busy schedule. The additional testing, the additional data gathering, the additional reporting and notifying and uploading to the app’s system. All this PLUS actually teaching the children.’

http://bit.ly/2xixnma

Consider yourself a 'visual' or 'auditory' learner? Turns out, there’s not much science behind learning styles.

‘The idea that people have different styles of learning — that the visually inclined do best by seeing new information, for example, or others by hearing it — has been around since the 1950s, and recent research suggests it’s still widely believed by teachers and laypeople alike. But is there scientific evidence that learning styles exist?’

http://bit.ly/2yHTK5S

Children considered 'average' miss out as teachers focus elsewhere, report warns

‘

Children labelled "average" by teachers are missing out because more focus goes on those at the bottom of the class, a report has found.Experts say children who are classified in the middle range risk having late-blooming ability ignored as teachers assume they are neither struggling nor overachieving.’

http://bit.ly/2xTQ9SQ

Bigger classrooms, bigger problems

‘ILE designs are flexible, allowing for multiple learning areas and activities within the one large space. Generally they are open-plan and can encompass several year groups within the one space.The Ministry’s intention is that by 2021 all classrooms will be modernised according to its prescribed ILE standards.Support for this policy is far from universal among education academics and teachers, with many highly critical of ILEs and how they are being implemented.’

http://bit.ly/2xgD1Ky

From Bruce’s ‘goldie oldies’ file

Signs of a creative classroom

‘One thing seems obvious to me, after several decades visiting primary classrooms, is that real I

An exciting environment

nnovation only comes from creative teachers and not from imposed programmes. Unfortunately,  all too often, creative teachers are the last ones to be listened to in this era of school consistency and formulaic 'best practices'. It seem we are moving towards a standardised approach to learning at the very time when we need to value (and protect) our creative teachers and their creative students.’

http://bit.ly/2gMUlNg

Teaching in Modern Learning Environments (MLEs)/ Innovative Learning Environments (ILEs)

‘A number of trends have influenced the way schools and classrooms have been organised over the decades; trends moving from traditional classroom teaching to  a more student centred learning - from 'the sage on the stage to the guide on the side' .Today we now have the concept of 'innovative learning environments'  linked with the development of 'modern learning environments’.'

http://bit.ly/1VKweOv

Design thinking/ 21st C thinking/ Girls and maths/ Empathy / transforming secondary education....

Ideas to read and share - pass on to two poeople

Education Readings

By Allan Alach

I welcome suggested articles, so if you come across a gem, email it to me at allanalach@inspire.net.nz

10 Things That Happen When Students Engage in Design Thinking

‘Unfortunately, the system isn’t designed for innovation. For years, schools have been stuck in a one-size-fits-all factory model, where students passively consume content. Some people will point out that this model is outdated. However, I would argue that factory education was a bad idea from the start. Because here’s the thing: kids aren’t widgets. While one-size-fits-all works great for socks, it’s not ideal for minds. Kids need to dream and wonder and imagine. They need to design and build and tinker. This is why I love design thinking. It’s a flexible framework that guides students through specific phases in the creative process.’

http://bit.ly/2fGQNt5

What Neuroscience Can Tell Us About Making Fractions Stick

‘Fractions are a notoriously tricky part of elementary math education for many children. Too often teachers struggle to ensure students are grasping the conceptual underpinnings of this complicated

topic, resorting to “tricks” that will help them learn the procedures of adding or multiplying instead. This is particularly troubling because studies have shown that students’ knowledge of sixth grade fractions is a good predictor of their math achievement in high school. This is largely because a deep understanding of fractions plays out in algebra.’

http://bit.ly/2giAnKV

Critical Thinking in the 21st Century and Beyond

‘Many of the 21st Century skills that are emphasized today were evident in the project that took place in 1988.  It is not that this type of learning is new. Heck, everything we see and hear for the most part is not new.  What has changed is how technology provides a new avenue to actively integrate this type of learning in ways that many of us could never have imagined.  The key is to focus on project-based and authentic inquiry. Taking the example I presented from my schooling consider the following elements and the ubiquitous role technology should play…’

http://bit.ly/2fSRt1B

Gender gaps in math persist, with teachers underrating girls' math skills

‘The study, published in AERA Open, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Educational Research Association, also shows that teachers give lower ratings to girls' math skills when girls and boys have similar achievement and behavior. In addition, using two national datasets gathered more than a decade apart, this study finds that teachers' lower ratings of girls are likely contributing to the growth in the gender gap in math.’

http://bit.ly/2gnmfOk

School Autonomy in England Fails to ‘Unleash Greatness’

So much for the big claims that have been made. Surprised?

‘The UK Government promised to ‘unleash greatness’ in English schools with its radical school

autonomy plan to convert all schools to independent academies. A new comprehensive review of the experience with academies shows the plan is failing. It concludes that academies are an imperfect way to address the challenges faced by struggling schools and their students and that school autonomy has clear limits as a school reform strategy.’

http://bit.ly/2ghxZQY

Contributed by Bruce Hammonds:

An environmental study for New Zealand teachers:A chance to do some real inquiry: Harakeke study and other ideas

Bruce’s latest article - great suggestions that can easily be adapted for other countries.

‘An environmentally alert teacher always keep an eye open for interesting things to introduce to his, or her students. November/December is an ideal time for environmental or ecological studies. My visits to schools this term indicates such awareness is a lost art.’

http://bit.ly/2fGT9Z4

New Zealand Flax  ( and Nikau Palm ) by Taranaki artist Caz NovaK

Marion Brady: De-Legitimizing Public Education

Marion wrote this article about US education in 2010. How well was his crystal ball working, given Trump’s choice for Secretary of Education?

‘The quality of American education is going to get worse. Count on it. And contrary to the conventional wisdom, the main reason isn’t going to be the loss of funding accompanying economic hard times.’

http://bit.ly/2gn4z5l

Joey Moncarz - teacher

the Deep Green Bush-School

A new school opening in New Zealand:

‘The Deep Green Bush-School is a democratic  nature-immersion school for Years 1-13, based on thousands of years of indigenous wisdom and on how humans actually evolved to learn - in freedom. Our highest priority is the health and happiness of our children and future generations, and we will nurture a new generation of young visionaries who will rise to the challenge and help heal our world.’

http://www.deepgreenbushschool.org

Why Empathy Holds the Key to Transforming 21st Century Learning

‘Like other aspects of modern life, education can make the head hurt. So many outcomes, so much important work to do, so many solutions and strategies, so many variations on teaching, so many different kinds of students with so many different needs, so many unknowns in preparing for 21st Century life and the endless list of jobs that haven’t been invented.What if we discovered one unifying factor that brought all of this confusion under one roof and gave us a coherent sense of how to stimulate the intellect, teach children to engage in collaborative problem solving and creative challenge, and foster social-emotional balance and stability—one factor that, if we got right, would change the equation for learning in the same way that confirming the existence of a fundamental particle informs a grand theory of the universe?That factor exists: It’s called empathy.’

http://bit.ly/2giqVr4

From Bruce’s ‘goldie oldies’ file:

Henry Giroux - lessons for New Zealand educators. Revitalizing the role of public education.

‘I was recently sent a rather long article written by Henry Giroux. I struggled to read it but I believe it is important to share the ideas he writes about if the true aims of education are to realised. Giroux sees education as central to the development of a just and democratic society currently under attack by neo –liberal thinking.’

http://bit.ly/18ntJX8

Learning: from 'novice' to 'expert' from John Edwards

‘When anyone undertakes new learning ( including first appointment as a principal or teacher)one starts in the 'novice' position. At this point individuals need to know clearly what is expected of them and how to go about it.As learning progresses the need for rule governed behaviour decreases. When the 'expert' position is realised then people are able to use their experience ( having internalised rule governed behaviour). Such 'experts' are able to 'read' the context and make decisions intuitively.’

http://bit.ly/2githq0

All learners fit on a novice expert line

Transforming Secondary Education – the most difficult challenge of all.Thoughts from a past age – ‘Young Lives at Stake’ by Charity James

‘So far the teaching profession has not offered creative alternatives to parents. In contrast, school are becoming even more conservative to cope with the political straitjacket of National Standards and Ministry targets. Standardisation rather the personalisation is the current political agenda. Time it seems for some courage from educators to provide viable alternatives to parents.  The field is open for change but any alternative needs to be realistic, intrinsically interesting and relevant.’

http://bit.ly/1k3YTMR

Education Readings - Sir Ken Robinson./David Hood NZ/ Annie Murphy Paul/Jo Boaler and Pavlov's dogs!

By Allan Alach

I welcome suggested articles, so if you come across a gem, email it to me at allanalach@inspire.net.nz

This week’s homework!

Increasing Student Voice in Local Schools and Districts

An article targeted at high schools, but there’s plenty to stimulate thinking at primary schools.

“Student leadership involvement should take place in every high school district. The failure to do so excludes those most affected by decisions from having a voice in that process. It also deprives school boards of some potentially valuable insights. The arguments against this role for students are weak, frequently founded on an underestimation of student maturity and perception that too often becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.”

http://bit.ly/1H5wsIY

Why Schools Need to Bring Back Shop Class

Sir Ken Robinson..

“Vocational programs – such as carpentry or welding classes, cosmetology classes or many of the other practical areas of study available in some US high schools and in the vocational schools that dot our cities and suburbs — are seen as second-rate options for people who don’t make the academic cut. As we argue in Creative Schools, this academic/vocational caste system is one of the most corrosive problems in education. It need not be.”

http://ti.me/1cx4idd

Classroom Practice - 10 commandments of successful innovation

Education's ten Commandments

“… teachers are usually willing to give everything a try at least once. This can be a positive attribute. But often, by indulging their inner magpie and hurling as many shiny ideas into the mix as possible, teachers guarantee that none of them will be successful. They will end up juggling multiple and often competing schemes, their ideas will not be well considered nor given enough time to take effect, and their students will be left confused.”

http://bit.ly/1RmDlIS

Does tinkering lead to learning?

Annie Murphy Paul’s observations on the maker movement - well worth reading.

“Making is too young a phenomenon to have generated a broad research base to answer this question. The literature that does exist comes from enthusiastic champions of making, rather than disinterested investigators. But there are two well-established lines of research within psychology and cognitive science that can inform how we understand making and help us ensure that making leads to learning. Taken together, these two strands of empirical evidence provide the best guide we presently have for maximizing the learning potential of maker activities.”

http://bit.ly/1RByLGP

11 Ways Finland’s Education System Shows Us that “Less is More”.

Just in case you haven’t read about Finland’s education system, here’s another viewpoint.

“Currently we believe “more” is the answer to all of our education problems— everything can be solved with MORE classes, longer days, MORE homework, MORE assignments, MORE pressure, MORE content, MORE meetings,  MORE after school tutoring, and of course MORE testing!   All this is doing is creating MORE burnt out teachers, MORE stressed out students and MORE frustration.”

http://bit.ly/1AZZodZ

Knowledge For Literacy

This is a technical article, well worth reading.

“The core definition of a word is only a tiny fragment of the meaning that makes it useful in understanding language. Neuroimaging confirms that the full meaning of a familiar word extends broadly through the mind, including associations to every trace that your experience with that word or its concept has left in your memory. For instance, your full knowledge of the word “apple” extends to the traces in your memory of the many apples in your life…”

http://bit.ly/1PJjtvR

Why teaching kids to have ‘grit’ isn’t always a good thing

“If you follow fads in education, you probably know that what passes for “character education” in this country is now dominated by the teaching of “grit,” helping students learn how to persevere and stay on task. It is taken for granted that having grit is always a positive thing, but, in the following post, scholar Mike Rose shows that it isn’t always so.”

http://wapo.st/1PJsd5k

This week’s contributions from Bruce Hammonds:

New Zealand Schools – the Rhetoric and the Reality - and a creative future

A must read!!!!

Bruce’s latest blog post:

 ‘The current standardised approach’, writes Hood, ‘needs to be replaced by one that focusses on the individual.  Personalised learning is about creating a learning environment that responds to the needs of each individual student and their interests, talents and passions and aspirations’.

‘In an environment where there is clear vision, shared values, high expectation and a culture of challenging traditional ways of doing things, then people will work in a myriad of unplanned , unseen and successful ways; it will be a creative and innovative environment’.

http://bit.ly/1JZ9WiC

Jo Boaler

Memorizers are the lowest achievers and other Common Core math surprises

Bruce’s comment: Stop the math memorization The real oil on mathematics. In a recent commentary math educator Jo Boaler writes, "We don't need students to calculate quickly in math. We need students who can ask good questions, map out pathways, reason about complex solutions, set up models, and communicate in different forms.”

http://bit.ly/1e65957

Quick, Draw a Scientist!

Bruce’s comment: What is your class’s image of a scientist? Once you have identified their prior image (stereotype) see if you can modify, or reconstruct, it. A fun activity with some serious learning implications. Consider trying ‘prior drawings’  of students ideas about whatever you are studying, for example what are their prior images of spiders- after learning experiences do another drawing to see if they have changed their minds! A great assessment task.

“Inoculating the perception of a scientist is tantamount to fixing the leaky STEM pipeline. If students don't think that being a scientist is for them, humanity loses. A diverse workforce is a better, faster, and stronger workforce. Scientists of diverse backgrounds working together are better suited to solve complex problems, can work with greater agility, and can cure diseases that have been overlooked.”

http://bit.ly/1PsXTkr

Tech tip: Avoid blurry vision and ‘shiny objects’

Bruce’s comment: Avoid ‘blurry’ visions and ‘shiny objects’. A short but pertinent article that applies to any school.

“If your school (district) doesn’t have a clear vision for what it is and what it needs to be, no matter how “innovative” ideas taken on board are, they will not help to move it forward. Sure, there may be some great discussion and perhaps even some implementation of worthwhile initiatives. But without a vision to clarify and justify the purpose of the initiatives, they all become disparate activities.”

http://bit.ly/1eacu3w

From Bruce’s “goldie oldie” file:

Developing a powerful school vision

This article by Bruce explores a similar theme to the one above.

“All schools these days have Visions, Missions and Strategy Plans but all too often few people can articulate them let alone say what they really mean in action. No matter how well they are drawn up if no ones knows what they mean they are not worth the paper they are written on.”

http://bit.ly/1BS0n5k

Pavlov's Dogs - an untold story.

Bruce’s comment: A new twist on Pavlov’s dogs!

“It is a shame that we need dramatic shocks for us to change. It took the carnage and unnecessary slaughter of World War One to develop in the ordinary man a distrust of god given authority – particularly of the old generals who were long past their ‘use by date’”

http://bit.ly/1Hm6Ftl

The artistry of teaching and future learning attributes

Bruce’s comment: And a little more on artistry and the innate desire to learn There is a

.‘a lust for knowledge, an ache for understanding is incised in the best of men and woman. As is the calling of the teacher. There is no craft more privileged. To awaken in another human being the powers, dreams beyond one’s own; to induce in others a love for that which one loves; to make of one’s inward present their future; this is the threefold adventure like no other.’

http://bit.ly/1PsoX3j

Artistry versus conformity in teaching.

Teacher artistry or deliverer of approved ‘best practices’?

“Teachers need to claim back their professional judgement, or 'artistry', and place greater emphasis on ensuring every student develops their innate gifts, talents, individuality and creativity.”

http://bit.ly/1PPc0eI