Saturday, December 08, 2012

Educational Readings : Marion Brady, Cathy Wylie.


By Allan Alach

Another week, with the end of year approaching fast. New Zealand and Australian primary teachers are in the ‘gritting teeth and hanging on to the end” stages of their school year, with a well earned break looming. Because of this coming break, this is the last education readings posting for 2012. Things will kick off again towards the end of January. Wouldn’t it be lovely for 2013 to see the end of GERM so that we can focus on what really matters - the children!
 

I welcome suggested articles, so if you come across a gem, email it to me at allan.alach@ihug.co.nz.

 

This week’s homework!

 

How Bad Can It Get?

The ultimate in ‘paint by numbers’ education.

“Perhaps the greatest evil of high stakes standardized testing is that it takes our eyes away from the children and focuses them instead on the tests themselves. Children become sources of data. Learning becomes something that is cut, sliced, packaged and weighed.

Until we rid ourselves of this impediment to education and find valid, humane, child centred forms of assessment, testing will continue to STOP our children from learning.”


The Common Core Kool-Aid

Ultimate aim of common core standards (aka national standards) is to prove how poorly schools are doing and therefore justify reform. Sounds plausible to me.


Nine questions about ’21st Century curriculum’

Another gem from Marion Brady.


Schools Ditch The Classroom To Put Play Back In Education

There is still hope - this is from USA. More evidence for politicians to ignore.

“At the PlayMaker school, don’t be surprised to find kids in a workshop or playing a game, just not in front of a chalkboard. It’s part of a new movement that is attempting to make education more fun--and work better.”


Teachers' pay rises pegged to performance

England today, down under tomorrow?


In a similar vein..

Seven Myths of Performance Management


A+ Schools Infuse Arts and Other 'Essentials'

Self explanatory!


Cathy Wylie outlines new wave of change for New Zealand Schools!

Here’s Bruce Hammonds’ review of Cathy Wylie’s book that analyses the so-called “Tomorrow’s Schools’ neo-liberal schooling system that was instituted in 1990. While there were ‘plusses’ from this, Cathy suggests that there were more ‘minuses’ and that revisions are needed. While NZ focussed, there’s plenty here for overseas readers.

1 comment:

Anthony Hopper said...

I think the educational systems in New Zealand and the U.S. share some of the same problems.