What school needs to be - and what it shouldn't!

I found this interesting discussion off a link that Justine sent. (http://weblogg-ed.com/)

In it a guy called Seth Godin is interviewed about the reason public education was set up for industrialisation and why this won't give much of a future for the children of today if we don't nuture their willingness and ability to seek their own topics, question everything, and participate with others from anywhere in meaningful ways that could end up changing the world?!?  Are we at Myross Bush School on the right track with our curriculum planning and inquiry process discovery??

Key Competency workshop with Graham Watts

This was an opportunity for our leadership team to reflect on where we are at with the development of our school curriculum and how the Key Competencies will be embedded in that to reflect our attempt to ensure a localised curriculum that is intuitive to the individual needs of our students.  One that is not a 'one size fits all education' but one that will give them a glimpse of the world around them and what they are individually capable of!

The idea of developing a 'learner profile' from the question 'What is it about your students that tells you they need to become more competent learners?' will link in well (me thinks) from our essence statements for the different curriculum areas and KC's.  I see it pulling all those together and giving some life and purpose to our vision - 'From strong foundations we grow and stand tall together' - and the values that underpin it!  Your thoughts??

I also like the idea of taking those essence statements that we develop for the KC's and developing a 4 point 'rubric' to show the progression of each across the different levels and ages (under the labels Beginner, Apprentice, Practitioner, Expert).  This could also be done in each curriculum area to show was a particular type of thinker may look like in each area - eg  a scientific thinker, a social sciences thinker etc.  Your thoughts??

Principals conference - Queenstown

Firstly, thank you to the Board of Trustees for allowing me to attend the New Zealand Principal’s Conference in Queenstown.  The week was full, with both Workshops and Key Note speakers taking up the days. It was tremendous to meet with other Principal’s and I was able to catch up with old colleagues from my teaching days.  Much of the conference was centered around the concept of “Managing People and Building Relationships” and the barriers that exist within a full functioning school.  Although this on the surface sounds rather woolly, it was incredible hearing, seeing and learning about the differences that exist between individual’s makeup and points of view and in short, how we can sometimes forget  the qualities that we try to instill into children as adults - such as respect, tolerance, viewpoints and responsibilities.

The education revolution that is needed...

Ken Robinson talks about how if a person is doing something they enjoy, rather than just enduring it (ie waiting for the weekend!) then time will fly!  An hour can seem like 5 minutes or 5 minutes seem like an hour.


The way education is delivered in schools can either follow an 'endure it' model (the old industrialised model) or the 'enjoy it' model (a revolutionised model that aims to personalise learning).  However, by developing this fully it may come into conflict with 'tyranny of common sense' (national standards??)


Sir Ken emphasises the point that a human community depends on a diversity of talent - not a singular conception of ability.  A linear and standardised education system just does not suffice anymore.  He uses the illustration that you don't describe a 3 year old as half a 6 year old!


While we have a national curriculum that gives license to localise things like National Standards show the conflict that we are still embroiled in.  Sir Ken talks of how we need to rise with the situation (not to) and to think and act anew - to disenthrall (cool word) ourselves from the current situation!  He references this from a quote taken from the closing remarks of a speech that Abraham Lincoln was giving to the 2nd annual meeting of congress in December 1862 just One month before signing the Emancipation Proclamation:


"The dogmas of the quiet past, are inadequate to the stormy present. The occasion is piled high with difficulty, and we must rise -- with the occasion. As our case is new, so we must think anew, and act anew. We must disenthrall ourselves, and then we shall save our country."


What enthralls us that we must disenthrall ourselves from?
What excites our spirit and gives us energy?  What does this for our students? 


The battle of systems or models must move from the industrialised one to one that is more organic in nature - as Sir Ken says - based on the principles of agriculture.  


I believe that at Myross Bush School we are working to develop a curriculum that gives conditions for our people - both teachers and students - to flourish.  By thinking about what each curriculum area means in our local school context and the 'Big ideas' that we are looking to develop across the different strands will help build a framework that will support the direction of our inquiry learning.  Tying this in with our values and how the KC's could develop across the levels and ages will give us a profile of the Myross Bush learner and further scaffold the structure of our thinking curriculum!


Sir Ken concludes with a poem from W. B. Yeats (that is below) which he used to illustrate the picture of how our students - and indeed ourselves(?) - spread their dreams everyday as they go about their learning.  


I wonder - how often do we lift these up dreams up?  Or how often are they trampled? 

He Wishes for the Cloths of Heaven

HAD I the heavens' embroidered cloths,

Enwrought with the golden and silver light,

The blue and the dim and the dark cloths

Of night and light and half-light,

I would spread the cloths under your feet

But I, being poor, have only my dreams;

I have spread my dreams beneath your feet;

Tread softly because you tread on my dreams...

William Butler Yeats

The full TED TALK is here for your enjoyment and reflection!

Sir Ken Robinson, standardised testing and your element!

I found this video on Ben Witheford's blog (http://www.tothefutureandbeyond.net/) who had found it on Derek Wenmoth's blog!  Well worth a look.

The Finnish education system

A BBC news item:

Finland's schools score consistently at the top of world rankings, yet the pupils have the fewest number of class hours in the developed world.  How?!?

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/world_news_america/8601207.stm

Paste the above link into your browser and take 5 minutes or so to see something a little different to our current education and political system.  You certainly wouldn't see a scene too often like this below!  What about in New Zealand?

 

Below is the presentation that Lester Flockton (NEMP / Otago Uni professor) that he has been presenting to the public on National Standards and how the real research doesn't support the political stance. It is well worth a browse.

If you’re into student-centred learning, you’re going to love this. Indian teacher Kiran Bir Sethi decided to develop a school that focused on the expression ‘I Can’. This goes for 9 mins, and it’s worth every second. Watch for the world’s first child-friendly Zebra crossing.

What teachers make

Slam poet Taylor Mali spends 3 mins convincing you that teachers make a difference. If you’re a teacher attending a party, and you’ve ever been asked “What do you make?” then here are some hints on how you can respond.

Creativity and Education

The team learning about portrait painting, which is also one of Jan's passion! It is great to see everyone relaxing and enjoying something a little different together - with a little wine and cheese to boot!

Learning @ School happened in mid February - here finally are some bits and pieces from some of the things I saw, talked about, mused over...

- Breakout 1 - Responding to Change - Tony Ryan - The interactive discussion breaks with partners and reflecting on your own 'wellness' made it an enjoyable breakout! (PDF)

- Breakout 2 - Dr Stuart Middleton - School looks good but is it engaging?? I enjoyed listening to this keynote and the follow up discussion was interesting. He basically went back through his presentation and posed further questions to the group - why do we have a system like we have?

1. What's happening to systems like ours? - 'swine flu' stats
2. Changing student population - ethnicity / language
3. Disengagement - physical - out the door / virtual - dreaming of something else / unintended - wrong conference?!?
4. Challenges - purpose - readiness - language - sectors/structures - being honest in our discourse

Why is change so hard? -

• Promoters of change
• Social / economic conditions
• Technology
• Laws and regulations
• Community - conservative view

Resistors to change - Our own...

• Knowledge
• Skills
• Aspirations - is there a gap between (partic. Principals) rhetoric and practical action or how far we are actually willing to go!
• Disposition

Promotion through the Arts!

A good idea can only be beaten by a better idea - don't turn up with no idea

Support the idea with facts!

Readiness - when would we know when a student is ready:
- to start school?
- to start secondary school?
- to undertake tertiary study?
- to enter employment?

How do we cope with a situation in which students have more language skills than we have but in different languages?

Are we able to let sectors go and base our organisation of the system on the needs of learners?

Breakout 3 & 4 - Derek Wenmoth - director of elearning for CORE ed is an interesting guy. He spends some of this time discussing/blogging/thinking/organising forums for bringing together ideas and people about where IT and education are going. Go to the 'TOP TEN TRENDS FOR 2010' for the latest!

Breakout 5 - The LMS Gateway to learning and assessment -Mark Treadwell (developer of KnowledgeNet LMS) seems to have the ear of MOE people and is one of the leaders in driving the link between school, home and the LMS capabilities. Check out his websites 'TEACHERS @ WORK' and 'THE EMERGENT 21st CENTURY TEACHER'

Breakout 6 - Friday - Creative Commons Workshop - Dave Young - ictucan! - very cool informative site!

Wall Wisher - great site for posting wonderings / reflective comments etc. You can post a photo / clip and students and use it as an assessment tool. Very easy to set up and use.

- www.wallwisher.com

- flicker storm - keeping multiple images on one page

- voice thread- 'threads are loaded around the picture

Consider this - some would call this ‘Free to learn.’(PDF download), the product of an Inter-Party Working Group (IPWG) on School Choice , chaired by ACT MP, and Associate Minister of Education Heather Roy a radical new idea to shake up our 'traditional' model of schooling while some would call this National 90's policy ideas like voucher systems and performance pay for teachers with a new wrap. With people like Derek Wenmoth who is the director of 'E-learning' for CORE education saying that its the debate we need for schooling in the 21st Century to truly make the most of what virtual and physical schooling could offer and the Government pouring money into our Broadband network and connection for both schools and the country as a whole is this sort of development a necessary part of the 'shift change' our policy 'experts' might be thinking about?!?

Cartoon from the Listener (11/2/10)









Consider this - you may have read the one page fact sheet where Lester Flockton has listed the Minister of Education's claim and The Truth about National Standards (as interpreted himself). I have a lot of respect for this very experienced educator - he was a teacher for 23 years then assisted in establishing the National Education Monitoring Project (NEMP and of which he is currently the co-director). This Research Unit at the University of Otago provides information on how primary students are performing across all areas of the curriculum and identifying areas where work needs to be done to lift their performance. This work has confirmed him as one of the country’s leading authorities on the primary school curriculum. He was a key part of developing the revised curriculum which was thoroughly researched, and then trialled and implemented in schools over 3 years. 2010 is the first official year of the revised curriculum. So when someone like this speaks up about a government educational initiative then it pays to listen.

Besides the fact sheet that went home today late last year he and three other professors from around the country wrote an open letter to Anne Tolley voicing there concerns over the National Standards that had been developed without any of the same rigour. Last night he led the public meeting that was held in Dunedin to discuss the National Standards. I include the links to this and another article from todays ODT that was in the Opinion Page by Elspeth McLean.

'Myths' used to push standards plan

An earlier article from late last year:

Tolley claim 'distorted'

An article on Maori Party co-leader and Associate Education Minister Pita Sharples on the 1st February showed his concerns that national education standards will harm some schools.

Then - as with any debate - there is the opposite opinion which is perhaps highlighted in the latest Listener's editorial. Contained in the latest issue in the 'Politics' section an article on 'School Rebels' - the 80 schools who are openly refusing to implement the new National Standards policy. I have linked to the article but you'll have to subscribe or buy the latest Listener to read the whole thing.

The problem with this issue now is that it is difficult to see past the politics and smoke screens that are being thrown out there. For our parents of our students you know that we report to you on your child's achievement as measured against the 'standards' current assessment tools use. These include a range of tests such as PAT's (you'll remember those!) STAR (reading) writing exemplars, numeracy levels and AsTTLe - Assessment Tools for teaching and learning (all norm referened). Your school uses a variety of these to measure and insure that your children are achieving at a level that they should be, and, if not, putting in place measures and support to improve this. So - what is the problem then with these national standards?

Put simply the point is that Teachers already measure children’s progress against clearly defined standards. The difference is that the current standards are not pegged to a particular moment in a child’s schooling eg after exactly 1 year at school.

National Standards, by comparison, assume that all children start school with the same ability and potential, and continue throughout their school years to learn in a steady, unwavering curve of improved achievement. Though they may follow a different path the national standard states that they should be at the same signpost. By drawing a narrow line between success and failure National Standards could act as a brake on the brightest and condemn low achievers to toil through their school years. In our reporting to you, you already see where your child is at as measured against our benchmarks which actually align, if not are higher then the stated National Standard. While they won't change the high quality education your children get at our school they won't add anything to it either.

Consider this - today I started this blog to compliment the 'snapshots' that are in each weeks newsletter. They may sometimes elaborate that which is already written or they may showcase or link you to more information and opinions on various issues, some which will be about what is going on in and around our school and some that deal with issues outside our immediate environment that will still impact on us.