Teaching the Best Practice Way - Methods That Matter

Its been a while since I've posted on my blog but I thought the below was worth sharing - Bruce

Teaching the Best Practice Way

By Harvey Daniels and Marilyn Bizar.

A valuable book for teachers wanting to develop a modern learning environment.

The other day I heard an interview on National Radio expressing the sad fact that a great number of students leave school with no idea about what they want to do.

It made me wonder about what’s the point of school? For me, school ought to be premised on developing the gifts, talents and interests of all students.

Sadly, primary education is still centred around literacy and numeracy, all too often taught as self-contained subjects, and most secondary schools are still based on fragmented subject centred timetables. No wonder so many students leave without know the direction they want to head when they leave school!

 With this in mind I thought it might be useful to share the Seven Best Practices presented in the book ‘Teaching as Best Practice’. by Daniels and Bizar (Stenhouse Publishers USA).

 The books great strength is that it combines a progressive education philosophy (in line with the intent of the NZC) with practical examples of the philosophy in action across all levels of school. The book relates to the ideas of such educators as John Dewey, Jean Piaget, James Beane, William Glasser, Howard Gardner etc. and the examples are based on experiential hands on learning fuelled by the passion of extraordinary teachers. The book is antidote to the standards movement and hyper accountability of past decades.

The Seven Best Practices.

1 Reading as thinking.

 Reading is seen as transcending debates about phonics and is more about reading as thinking embedded in the context of broad and interesting integrative units where students are continually representing to learn in writing, art, and performance. 

Since reading is thinking students need to be provided with rich text worth thinking about, and strategies to help them think. Proficient readers are seen as ‘co-creators of meaning’ Context is everything; it’s about getting students ‘to think like historians, mathematicians, and scientists.  Practical classroom examples in the book clarify the approach.

2 Representing to Learn.

This method is based on the premise that humankind has always had an impulse to represent experience and that this goes beyond using words including strategies that are commonly classified as art, drama, dance and music, and today multimedia

experiences.

There are a range of genres to explore and opportunities to extend and amplify a full range of intelligences (as researched by Howard Gardner). A range of practical examples are covered in the book.

3 Small group Activities.

Students need to be given opportunities to practice democracy and work together to solve problems (the writings of John Dewey). Many structures are provided, and practical classroom examples given to ensure groups work productively.

 Group tasks must be ‘have enough inherent structures to operate automatically, to remain engaged, on task and relevant’.

4 Classroom Workshop.

The authors see the classroom as a workshop a useful metaphor or ‘working laboratories or studios, where genuine knowledge is created, real products are made. and authentic inquiry is pursued.’ 

 In the workshop, learning laboratory classroom students choose individual or small group topics for investigation, inquiry, and research using long chunks of classroom time to do this.

 Teachers take on new roles modelling thinking, conferencing, offering well timed compact mini lessons and providing help as required. In the early days of workshopping teachers keep the time short lengthened as students become more independent. In workshops students learn to act, plan and question like a scientist. Classroom examples clarify the approach.

5 Authentic Experiences.

For many students schools need to get real and many people from John Dewey onwards have argued for school to be more lifelike, more genuine, more authentic.

 Just as in real life these experiences are inherently multi-disciplinary and messy problems; these problems need to be identified, complexity needs to be faced, and solutions found. Inquiry into authentic questions need to be generated from student experiences. Students need to become researchers, gathering data, asking questions, conducting experiments, recording information and discovering

answers.

This kind of inquiry becomes possible when the conditions that support Best Practices are in place; when the classroom is a community with students eager to take responsibly for hands on experiential learning and with opportunities to express what they are thinking,  and able to use technology to advance their inquiries. 

The authors believe ‘that technology can leverage some of the best teaching if used widely ‘and that it can ‘play a lead or supporting role’ once the appropriate pedagogy is in place.

 Once again a range of practical examples are provided.

6 Reflective Assessment.

Students need to be helped become self-monitoring, self-regulating, able to be in control of their own learning, able to set ambitious goals, keep their own records, adjust their efforts, make good decisions and grow by healthy and measured feedback.

This is in contrast to the toxic current accountability movement which the authors state simply correlates to student socioeconomic status of students, is inconsistent with what is known about how students learn and distort teaching often resulting in streaming, tracking and ability group segregation. A range of practical alternatives are provided.

7 Integrative Units

The writers save the best for last. 

The last best practice blends all the other six methods into days or weeks of rich, cross disciplinary investigations driven by student interest and scaffolded by teachers who model, coach, and manage the inquiry process. 

With integrative units teachers step emphatically out of single subject instruction and

lead their students into inquiries as complex and multi-disciplinary as the real issues grown-ups face as workers, parents and citizens.

Teachers believe that students can learn subject matter (including basic skills) amid holistic, integrated experiences. This approach doesn’t mean that traditional subjects are disrespected or abandoned. On the contrary, as James Beane writes, ‘the disciplines of knowledge are useful and necessary allies of curriculum integration with knowledge being called upon to support student investigations as required.

Conclusion.

Nome of the above will be new to progressive primary teachers and those secondary teachers busy transforming their schools, often in new purpose built environments.

 For many the book will be a practical inspiration to confirm or transform their teaching.

If widely applied in our school system students will leave with their talents, interests and passion tapped and amplified, equipped with appropriate learning skills, and will not leave schools not knowing what to do with their future – they will have seen the point of their schooling.

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

What is a creative education? - Elwyn Richardson, Sir Ken , Guy Claxton, John Holt

What is a truly creative education?

Creative teaching Readings

  Friday 12th April

Bruce and I spend time each week gathering articles that encourage a creative approach to education.  This of course begs the question what makes a classroom creative?

Bruce has been involved in encouraging creative approaches to education for decades. First as a

science adviser, as a teacher, an art adviser, principal and an independent education adviser.

At the beginning of this year Bruce was asked to give a session at the school he was once principal of at their TOD to share the main ideas arising from his experience over the decades.

Perhaps the main idea Bruce mentioned was to develop your classroom, or school, as a community of learners.

 Bruce drew the attention of the staff to the philosophy of Elwyn Richardson who saw his classroom as a community of artists and scientists exploring their immediate environment and personal experiences. To us both Elwyn’s book In the Early World (recently republished by the NZCER) is still the best example of creative teaching. All schools and teachers should have a copy.

As a Science Adviser (and even earlier as a Nature Study Specialist) Bruce said that exploring the natural world is as important as ever and, as part of this, it is important to help students learn through sensory awareness.  Such awareness and appreciation provides motivation for expression

through a range of media but will contribute for students to protect and value the environment.

In the mid 80s Bruce was involved in the Waikato School of Education’s Learning in Science Project (LISP). Essentially this was based on finding out what students know and then to challenge their understandings ; to value their question  and current theories and to note how their view had changed (or not) due to learning experiences. Contrary to current views knowledge is as important as the learning process. Classrooms should reflect the before and after views of students.

As an art adviser Bruce focussed on helping students express ideas through art and valued the idiosyncratic expression of every learner.  Much of what many teachers today call creativity is craft at best and decoration at worst – and, all too often, little can be seen to differentiate each learners efforts.

Bruce’s teaching experience followed a long career giving advice. The main message he learnt was that giving advice and doing it are two different things.  Having to cover the whole curriculum was a real challenge and took him time to come to terms with.   Bruce made the point

that take advice with care – many who provide advice have had little practical experience of what they talk about.

So these were the points Bruce shared which align with my own views. We both believe that in an education that focuses on accepting learners for what they can do and building on their strengths – to develop their unique passions and talents.

 We both believe that all students will learn if it makes sense to them, if they can see the point of what they are doing.

We both believe that the teacher’s role is to create classrooms as communities of learners full of challenging experiences to attract student’s curiosity. As Jerome Bruner has written ‘teaching is the canny art of intellectual temptation’. If we see our classrooms as a subtle mix of an artist’s studio ( in including all media), a scientist’s laboratory, a work room and an art gallery then students will learn to do, in meaningful contests, the very things teachers currently spend far too much time on – literacy and numeracy. Too much valuable teacher time and energy is wasted on assessment and

documentation

Two last points. Teachers should do fewer things well and, strangely in this fast paced world, to slow the pace of students work to both encourage in-depth thinking and to give time for teachers to come alongside learners to help as required. Students, all too often, think that first finished is best and by rushing develop fragile learning.

Students are born to learn. We mustn’t let schools get in their way. If in doubt read Elwyn Richardson’s book and also watch the two videos about his work at Oruaiti School.

Allan Alach

For those interested in Elwyn Richardson’s book

Reclaiming the joy of learning : In the Early World ( NZCER)

‘Oruaiti School functioned as a community of artists and scientists who turned a frank and searching gaze on all that came within their gambit. Curiosity and emotional force led them to explore the natural world and the world of their feelings…..Studies and activities grew out of what preceded them. New techniques were discovered and skills practiced as each achievement set new standards’

http://bit.ly/2UNw7rf

In the Early World

Here’s a movie, filmed by Elwyn Richardson in 1961, with his added commentary, that shows some of the amazing art work produced by his pupils.

http://bit.ly/2UcnQsj

Song of the Bird

Following on, here’s another video that looks at Elwyn Richardson’s work and which includes Richardson talking about his teaching.

http://bit.ly/2uWXOiI

A gifted Taranaki teacher Bill Guild implements Elwyn’s ideas

Bill Guild was a key figure of a group of Taranaki teachers that had gained reputation for the  creative programmes they were implementing.  Bill - who by the way turns 93 this year and is as enthusiastic about creativity as he ever was and a whiz on his Apple  Computer

http://bit.ly/2H5oxBV

John Dewey an educator for the 21stC

The progressive ideas Bruce and I hold relate to the writings of John Dewey. So many of the ideas talked about today have their genesis in the writings of Dewey .

‘

Dewey placed a premium on student meaningful activity in learning and participation in classroom democracy. His belief that students must be ‘invested’ in what they are learning echoing calls today for school to present ‘rich, real and relevant learning’ to combat growing student disengagement.’

http://bit.ly/2P4l7Af

Guy Claxton’s  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.’

http://bit.ly/2VXCLrK

Time to re-read John Holt -

‘The Joy and Sorrow of Rereading Holt’s "How Children Learn" Here, summed up, are John Holt’s great insights about children’s learning.'

http://bit.ly/2DYcvYe

We must reverse the ‘outcome oriented’ educational monster we have unleashed

“Our students need to be content creators, not memorisers As the New Zealand Curriculum says students need to ‘seek, use and create their own knowledge’.”

http://bit.ly/2PcT8id

What Students Do Better Than Teachers

‘Moving from exchanging words to exchanging ideas is a big shift that doesn’t happen just because there is a question and answer exchange. There is a certain trust inherent in any meaningful communication.’

http://bit.ly/2VF656K

9 Elephants in the (Class)Room That Should “Unsettle” Us

‘I’ve been collecting a list of these “things that we don’t really want to talk about in education” in hopes that it might challenge us to bring those elephants out into the open and ignite some much needed conversation about how to deal with them. Here are nine of them.’

http://bit.ly/2P4iiiD

The Artistry of Teaching

‘There is one goal [of education] that, if not achieved, makes the achievement of all other goals very unlikely. That goal 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 overarching purpose of schooling and its governance is to support that goal, i.e., to create and sustain contexts of productive learning supportive of the natural curiosity and wonder with which children start schooling.’

http://bit.ly/2pNHcqU

Seven Myths Keeping Teachers from Implementing Creative Projects

‘Every year, I ask my pedagogy students about their most memorable learning experience as a student. Inevitably, it involves a creative project. These were the moments when learning stuck and often it was when they fell in love with the subject. But these were also the experiences that taught them collaboration, project management, flexible thinking, and a growth mindset.’

http://bit.ly/2X23Lqz

#3quotes from Rogers - Steve Wheeler:

‘Although he originally practised as a psychotherapist, Carl Rogers was intensely interested in education. His 1969 publication Freedom to Learn is now considered a classic of education. It was certainly required reading during my own teacher training. Rogers' approach to both psychotherapy and education was humanistic and thus person-centred. His view on learning was that children needed to be fully engaged rather than passive in the classroom.’

http://bit.ly/2Dd036a

4 Ways to Develop Creativity in Students

‘When Benjamin Bloom identified what he called the taxonomy of the cognitive domain, he ranked

synthesis (creativity) as one of the most difficult skills to master because a person has to use all of the other cognitive skills in the creative process. Since, according to Bloom, creating is the highest

order of thinking, it should be in the forefront of all learning environments and an end goal. When students create what they imagine, they’re in the driver’s seat.’

https://edut.to/2URv8Go

Sir Ken Robinson: How to Create a Culture For Valuable Learning

‘Robinson believes education is “to enable students to understand the world around them, and the talents within them, so that they can become fulfilled individuals and active, compassionate citizens.” He doesn’t deny that learning information about the world is important, but he says it’s equally important for students to understand their own talents, motivations and passions if they are going to lead lives that satisfy them. The current system of conformity and compliance leaves no space for this type of self-exploration.’

http://bit.ly/2Z4XzzX