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| Merry Christmas to you all |
Education Readings
By Allan Alach
Another year is ending, which means in New
Zealand and Australia, it’s also the end of the school year, and time for
teachers and children to have a long summer break away from the trials of
teaching and learning. Make the most of the break - it’s the only real chance
teachers get to have a ‘normal’ life.
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| Have a great break |
I will be taking my own advice and also
having a break from sourcing education articles for these reading lists, until
the end of January 2017. However I'm not letting you off that easy, so this
week’s list is a bit longer than usual.
I welcome suggested articles, so if you come
across a gem, email it to me at allanalach@inspire.net.nz
Brain-Based Learning: Pushing Children to Learn Faster—Why?
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| Let me enjoy life |
‘Brain-based learning promotes the idea that children learn faster
if they are taught differently. But why push children to learn faster than ever
before? Why turn children into adults before they are ready? What’s the
purpose?
What right do educators and parents under the spell of
indiscriminate brain-based learning hucksters have to destroy childhood?’
CRITICAL THINKING versus CRITICISM: Helping
students know the difference
Recent world events suggest critical thinking is
a skill that is sadly lacking.
‘Critical thinking is about thinking for yourself rather than
accepting, without questioning, the
thinking someone else presents to you.
Critical thinking identifies and examines underlying assumptions and biases
about a concept, a discourse, a work of art or written expression, or some
other abstract idea. It involves judgement – your judgement, which is justified
with reasons and evidence.’
Why schools should not teach general critical-thinking skills
However …
‘Of course, critical thinking is an essential part of a student’s
mental equipment. However, it cannot be detached from context. Teaching
students generic ‘thinking skills’ separate from the rest of their curriculum
is meaningless and ineffective.’
Play: The Four Letter Word in Primary School
‘Decades of research provides evidence that play is the most
valuable and successful way in which children engage in learning. Through
play, children can build all the necessary skills and knowledge required of
them in readiness for adulthood. Social-learning theory, constructivism,
cognitive development theories, socio-emotional theories and physical
development theories all uphold the power play has in the holistic development
of children.’
What does the post-truth world hold for teachers and educational
researchers?
‘I wonder about the correlation between increasing systems of
surveillance and control over curriculum and pedagogy and the growing number of
high stakes testing regimes, audit and accountability technologies, and the
narrative of slipping standards, declining outcomes and an education system in
crisis.’
The most important thing schools don’t do
By Marion Brady
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| Marion Brady |
‘On my list, one aim is paramount: “Maximize learner ability to make
sense.” Not only does it enable every other legitimate aim of educating, it
gives schooling its proper focus—maximizing human potential. No one needs to be
taught how to make sense—to think. We’re born equipped to do it. The challenge
is to do it better, to radically improve what are sometimes called “higher
order” thinking skills, particularly those involved in tracing complex causal
sequences and anticipating possible unintended consequences of well-intended
policies and actions.’
21st century challenges
Let’s face it “21st century skills” are a bit
meh! Especially when they have no context.
‘So frequently is this phrase used in the discourse on education
today that when uttered it generates involuntary winces amongst those
listening. On the education conference circuit “21st century skills” is the
certainty on the buzzword bingo card. Never mind that we’re almost at the end
of the second decade of a century that is the only one that every child in
school has ever known. To be fair, it’s a well-intentioned phrase used by
well-intentioned people. I’m sure it’s a phrase that’s passed my lips on more
than one occasion even before I saw the foolishness of it.’
My Dream Job Destroyed My Dream: An
Unoriginal Statement About Education
A sad story from USA which will ring true to
teachers all over.
‘Five years ago, I got my first job as a teacher. My dream job. My
dream school. I could not have been happier: life was good. Then, five months
ago, despite my passion and idealism, I broke down and accepted that my dream
for an education focused on divergent thinking, individuality, and genuine
learning was horribly unrealistic, hindered by bureaucratic disconnect and
systemic devaluation. It became clear that the job which originally brought me
so much excitement, wasn’t at all as I thought. In fact, genuine creation and
effective collaboration would be forever secondary to administrative agendas, systemic
mandates, and a tireless effort to maintain the status quo.’
How useful are standards in helping teachers’ professional
development?
Not very…
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| National Standards have disorted educvation |
‘Governing texts such as national professional standards and a
national curriculum can have the unintended effect of constraining
opportunities for teachers to learn about their work. This occurs when they are
interpreted in ways that encourage coverage of individual standards. However, I
believe, when teachers are supported to engage in authentic, contextually
appropriate professional learning that is focused on their learning needs in
relation to the learning of their students, they can transform their practice.’
How to Integrate Growth Mindset Messages Into Every Part of Math
Class
‘Catherine Good has experienced stereotype threat herself, although
she didn’t know it at the time. She started her academic career in pure math,
expecting to get a Ph.D. But somewhere along the way she started to feel like
it just wasn’t for her, even though she was doing well in all her classes.
Thinking that she’d just chosen the wrong application for her love of math,
Good switched to math education, where she first encountered the idea of
stereotype threat from a guest psychology speaker.’
Learning Goals… Success Criteria… and Creativity?
‘While I am aware that setting clear
standards are important, making sure we communicate our learning goals with
students, co-creating success criteria… and that these have been shown to
increase student achievement, I can’t help but wonder how often we take away
our students’ thinking and decision making when we do this before students have
had time to explore their own thoughts first.’
http://bit.ly/29WT7tf
If there’s a magic bullet to fix education outcomes, it starts with
equity
Things aren’t good in Australia either.
‘Kids are disengaged, results are declining, school only works for a
third of students. And in
fortuitous timing, education ministers are meeting
this week. With the end of the school education year comes the ritual release
of end-of-school exam results. Once again we’ll parade the names of the top 100
schools and marvel at those that seem to do so well.
At the risk of raining on their parade it is all very predictable:
two thirds of the top 100 are still there when the schools are ranked by the
socio-educational level of the parents. Even the public/private school
comparisons are largely spurious: results coming out of schools enrolling
similar students don’t vary much between the school sectors.’
From Bruce’s ‘goldie oldies’ file:
John Dewey - New thinking 1897!
‘John Dewey's famous declaration concerning education was first
published 1897 and is still as pertinent now as it was then. All school
communities ought to declare their beliefs about education and then work
towards aligning all their teaching to achieving what they believe in. If they
do not determine their own destiny someone else will. Having clear beliefs
provides both security and the basis of making all choices - or simply saying
no as appropriate. The following are excerpts from Dewey's declaration.’
The corporate takeover of society and education.
‘Since the early 90s society has been reshaped by a neo liberal
corporate ideology. An emphasis on private enterprise and self-centred
individualism has replaced an earlier concern for collective good of all
members of society. As a result of this ideological shift a wider gap
has been created between the rich and poor causing a number of social concerns.
Schools as part of this shift have been transformed from a community
orientation to being part of a competitive cut throat ideology.’
The surprising truth about what motivates us.
‘Daniel
Pink’s latest book, ‘A whole New Mind: Drive’,
subtitled ‘the surprising truth about what motivates us’, is truly exciting. He
writes that for too long school have relied on an extrinsic ‘carrot and stick
approach’ (or ‘name and blame’).The three things, he writes, that motivate us
all are: autonomy, mastery and purpose. Real learning is achieved when the joy
of learning is its own reward.’
Signs of a creative classroom
‘One thing seems obvious to me, after several decades visiting
primary classrooms, is that real innovation 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.’
For New Zealand readers (but may be of interest elsewhere):
Given the changes in New Zealand politics
recently, such as the sudden resignation of prime minister John Key (my pet
theory, which I’ve been espousing for many months, is that he timed this to
ensure he would get a knighthood before the election next year), as well as a
stampede of government ministers for the exit door, here are few articles from
a few years back about the government’s national standards based education
agenda.
A teacher's response to National's 'Education in Schools' policy
Those of us who spoke out against national
standards (and in some cases losing their careers as a result) in 2010 and 2011
are being proved correct. There is an increasing amount of evidence that is
demonstrating that the main outcomes has been harming children’s educational
and therefore life opportunities. How immoral is that?
‘I am saddened that this is the direction National want to take with
our education system. We have a world-leading curriculum and (as National
agree) excellent performance from our top students. However, we also have a long
tail of underachievement, primarily from our Maori and Pasifika students and
those from poorer backgrounds. Teacher input is only one aspect of learning – it
is difficult to learn if you are hungry, tired or worried.’
John Key and Mrs Tolley turn education into a McDonalds - principals
will now become managers complying to franchise
regulations.
‘Time will show John Key and Mrs Tolley to be the simplistic wreckers
they are. In the meantimecreative teachers will have to cope by going
underground and if the remainder can't see the problem then they will be
seen as complying with the destruction of an education system once held in high
esteem by educators (if not politicians and technocrats) around the
world.’
National's 'brighter future' doesn't include the students or their
teachers!
‘The current National Government has ignored educators worldwide and
opted for an accountants
view of education turning students into products and
schools into factories so as to give consumers a choice - but what a
choice!What many feared has come to pass. Populist political simplicity has won
the day!If you repeat a half truth (one in 5 students are failing) without also
factoring in the effects of poverty and poor health of unknown in other
civilised countries. One fifth of our students live in distressing poverty
(that is, of course, 1 in 5).’
