sandr068

1 What was the best thing you did in the holidays? It is a cliché about school that the first task teachers give their students is to write an essay about ‘What you did in the holidays’! Few teachers today would think of doing such a thing . This is a shame because their students have just returned from having a range of experiences that they were fully involved in and that will remain with them for their lives. We are the stories we tell about ourselves. Stories contribute to our identity and sense of self. What did you do in your holidays we ask others and most of us are happy to tell our stories to those who ask. The best thing was... The trouble comes when we are asked to write out such stories. With clever teaching this needn’t be the case. A simple process. A simple process that many teachers have found useful is to ask their students to share orally in small groups what they got up to and /or to make list or ‘mind map’ of all the sorts of adventures they had . This works best i...

 Bill's booklet. It is important for creative teachers to share their ideas Bill exploring a wasp nest A world of difference. In 2003 Bill Guild attended the Frankley Road  150th Jubilee a school he had been principal of for 28 years from 1959 to 1986. An accomplished photographer Bill complied a book A World of Differenc e of the experiences and creativity of the students he taught to share with past students attending.. Later an edited booklet was shared widely with teachers throughout New Zealand who knew of the quality of teaching he was well known for. Maybe its time to share his ideas again? A little bit of history. Historical photo of Frankley School Bill was a key figure of a group of Taranaki teachers that had gained reputation for the  creative programmes they were implementing. My previous blog celebrated another such teacher John Cunningham and I thought it a good ideas to focus on Bill - who by the way turns 91 this year and is as enthusiastic about creati...

A study based on local and famous churches. Students potato printed background. Uncovering ideas worth sharing The other day I was visiting my old friend John Cunningham. He had been recently sorting through old notes ( John is a bit of a hoarder) and had found some photos from his 1970 classroom and I suggested they might make an interesting blog..  In all areas of life we need to look backwards to move into the future; ' Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it' ( Santana ). A little bit of pre-history.  In  the  1950s the Director of Education Dr Beeby  established an art advisory service led by Gordon Tovey . The advisers encouraged teachers to develop  integrated related arts  programmes breaking away from the then tight timetables. In the 60s many teachers ( mainly in rural schools ) developed such student centred programmes and John Cunningham was one such teacher .  An important influence the time was the work of Elw...