sandr068

A view from the edge. I have been asked to share my thoughts about education to a group of rural Taranaki principals . Thinking about it I am not sure if I am a relic from  a past age or a person thinking of what might be. I certainly am not impressed with the standardized, target centred direction of the current government; Free market Stalinism. Whatever I say  will need to be considered advisably Sir Ken Robinson's new book I think I have a good 'backstory' to use an in word. Over the decades I have been a school adviser in science and art, a classroom teacher, a school principal, Teaching Fellow Palmerston North Teachers College ( now Massey University School of Education) completing my career as an independent school adviser. I have also presented ideas about quality teaching and learning throughout New Zealand and at several International Conferences. My swan song was a keynote  presentation at the Inspired Impact Conference in Palmerston North 2011 at which  ...

Compiled by Allan Alach I welcome suggested articles, so if you come across a gem, email it to me at allanalach@inspire.net.nz Writing Junk ‘Mediocre writing starts with the wrong questions, and a focus on a set, proscribed structure and process encourages students to ask the wrong questions . Hammer them with writing templates, and Junk writing students start to see an essay as a slightly more involved fill in the blank exercise. "I have to have five paragraphs-- what can I use to fill up the five paragraph-sized blanks?" "I need three sentences to make a paragraph-- what can I use to fill in the the three sentence-shaped empty spaces." This gets you junk.’ http://bit.ly/2b9sNgu Why We Need to Move Away from SMART Goals and Towards New Forms of Classroom Assessment Use SMART goals? Maybe you should read this article. ‘We need to align our purpose. We can’t continue to restrict student assessments to a simplified, out-dated system and expect to prepare them for an ...

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 Seymour Papert – Logo, Lego and constructionism - RIP Education lost one of its greatest people this week, with the death of Seymour Papert . His book “Mindstorms’ should be in every teacher’s library. Seymour Papert Donald Clark: ‘ Seymour Papert was a constructionist (not to be confused with constructivist), who worked with Jean Piaget and built on his theories to redefine how education could function on a constructionist basis. The Logo programming language was a tool he wrote to support this approach to learning and he was been a stern critic of traditional schooling. ’ http://bit.ly/2aH0lSR Papert - in his own words Steve Wheeler’s tribute: ‘He was a stern critic of instructional and didactic forms of education, and was a champion of student centred learning, active engagement and creativity . These ideas will continue to inspire generations o...

Creative education in New Zealand is at risk . It seems to me,from what I hear from friends still involved in teaching that education in New Zealand is in a  sorry position. The big revolution  in education was introduced with Tomorrows Schools in the 80s when New Zealand schools were made 'self managing' as part of the neo-liberal ideology of the  government of the day  - sadly a Labour government. The changes were premised on the mantra 'good people poor system' so, after several decades, what's changed?  In 2007 the then Labour government, realizing the error of their ways, introduced the current New Zealand Curriculum. Unfortunately the current National government has returned to the neo liberal  path with a vengeance. At the time I thought  Tomorrows Schools  was  a good move. The idea of neighborhood schools, freed from the constraints of central government, seemed like democracy in action. The neo- liberal,, or 'market f...