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Education Readings   By Allan Alach Happy birthday to John Dewey, visionary educator, social reformer, psychologist, and philosophe r. Dewey was central to the development of the so-called progressive movement in education, which emphasizes the importance of student participation and meaningful activity in the classroom . Dewey began his career as a classroom teacher. After becoming a professor of philosophy, he shifted much of his attention to education, founding the University of Chicago Laboratory Schools and writing School and Society, which argued for the need for collaborative practical experimentation in the classroom . His emphasis on practical skills and learning by doing upended the inherited wisdom of the time, which valued obedience and rote memorization. John Dewey died in 1952. Over the course of his long career, he published 40 books and 700 articles on a wide variety of topics, and indelibly influenced the world’s classrooms with his meaning-oriented, democrati...

Time to refresh your energy. Education Readings   By Allan Alach 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 Arriving at a Definition of Learning 'Personalized and blended learning and differentiated instruction should be viewed as interrelated supports for deep learning.’ https://edut.to/2IzXTPm Play based learning ‘ However, the play environment is only one part of the puzzle in supporting and observing how children learn through pla y.   Much of the critical work is unseen to the 'naked eye' by visitors intent on seeing how schools 'do' play in their environment.’ http://bit.ly/2yeX7Cw Why an education in visual arts is the key to arming students for the future ' Visual skills are essential  for a sophisticated workforce , yet we offer so little education in the vital sk...

Kate Shepherd - Suffragette Education Readings   By Allan Alach 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 Are you heading for a career burnout- the symptoms and  how to beat it? I can relate to this…. ‘Career burnout usually creeps in quite insidiously; slowly but surely over time .Tthe very nature of career burnout can make it physically and mentally difficult to draw up the required energy needed to address it.’ http://bit.ly/2xa4eeW Why This Time is Different - school reform the past 100 years. ‘“Given the number of books that have been written and papers that have been presented around  school change over more than 50 years by some very well informed and esteemed writers, why has there been so little change in schools and why do you think it will be any different this time ...

The walk down to the Junior School This mural assisted by a retired Art Adiser Junior classrooms in earlier (pre  Tomorrows's Schools)days were where one saw the best child centred classrooms . They were run along developmental lines, based on centres of interest and integrated language/arts based experience programmes . Exploring the immediate environment through their students senses with the belief that before the word the the experience was a strong feature of such rooms. The writings of Sylvia Ashton Warner and later Marie Clay were important references .  Welcoming new children and their parents Since Tomorrow's School;s educational change has been imposed from the top often by people with little classroom experience and , worse still, by politicians with competitive intentions contrary to the collaborative culture of schools . In recent years National Standards were introduced that were neither national or standard, and along with them tedious assessment and accoun...

New minds for a New Millenium Time for a rethink about the role of education  in a democratic society. A crisis in education I write this in a week primary teachers are to go on strike for better pay .   Concerns about the  excessive  workload expected of teachers is just as big a concern . Time for new thinking Both issues need to be sorted if teaching is to become an attractive career – a career that values teachers as the professionals they once were. I f conditions are not resolved then improving salaries will not solve the issues of workload and associated stres s. As one wise old rural adviser once said, ‘teachers need to protect their time and energy, if this is wasted on b/s then they will have no time left to teach.’ With this in mind the following is a look into a possible future. It all began with Tomorrows Schools The workload and associated stress has increased dramatically since the introduction of the competitive Tomorrow’s Schools reforms of the lat...