tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-39083231648575032492024-03-13T14:12:15.588+13:00Mike's BlogMikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06291605522441194537noreply@blogger.comBlogger91125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3908323164857503249.post-89888359983506523262021-04-01T19:20:00.005+13:002021-04-01T19:28:19.436+13:00The return of the Blog<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgybgH22-j9uFP2dbnXcwwCDLk2utC9GLnG7L_BjllJpvMU61aZEtuAXnnoBFReF01GSU68WUHh7zpt9iEvgXmdC0LMAy3q5MM9AKOyd-fmTB5HuYhNFlguIzcYLIBdy2TGkChAPjkGr1w/s2048/IMG_8855.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgybgH22-j9uFP2dbnXcwwCDLk2utC9GLnG7L_BjllJpvMU61aZEtuAXnnoBFReF01GSU68WUHh7zpt9iEvgXmdC0LMAy3q5MM9AKOyd-fmTB5HuYhNFlguIzcYLIBdy2TGkChAPjkGr1w/s320/IMG_8855.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>After a VERY long break from blogging (with building a new school and being seconded to close down another one in the interlude) I'm back.</p><p>My BoT have suggested I get back into the blogging habit - and I agree with them.</p><p>Cheers for the nudge Emma and Jeremy.</p><p>Photo is....Learning Environments New Zealand (LENZ) event held at Waimairi School this month. LENZ is where educators, architects, and designers come together to explore possibilities for creating awesome learning environments. </p>Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06291605522441194537noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3908323164857503249.post-16937431659964594662013-09-04T21:09:00.000+12:002013-09-04T21:39:40.130+12:00Musing on the demise of Learning Media NZ<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Why the ghost of Uncle Russell is on my mind tonight (and how I am trying to honour his memory).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">Image Credit <a href="http://oculablack.com/artists/russell-stuart-cedric-clark">http://oculablack.com/artists/russell-stuart-cedric-clark</a>/</span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Minion Pro, minion-pro, Georgia, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">1. I am proud to be an educator in, and advocate for, the New Zealand State School System, as founded by <a href="http://www.teara.govt.nz/mi/biographies/5b17/beeby-clarence-edward" target="_blank">Beeby</a> (influenced by <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Democracy_and_Education" target="_blank">Dewey</a>) during the first Labour Government in the late 1930s.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Minion Pro, minion-pro, Georgia, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">2. Through marriage I am proud of my family relationship with Russell Clark and his work.</span></span></span><br />
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<i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #666666; font-family: 'Minion Pro', minion-pro, Georgia, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">As illustrator for the</span><span style="border: 0px; color: #666666; font-family: 'Minion Pro', minion-pro, Georgia, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> New Zealand Listener </span><span style="color: #666666; font-family: 'Minion Pro', minion-pro, Georgia, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">and </span><span style="border: 0px; color: #666666; font-family: 'Minion Pro', minion-pro, Georgia, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">New Zealand School Journal</span><span style="color: #666666; font-family: 'Minion Pro', minion-pro, Georgia, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">, Russell Clark’s art became part of New Zealanders’ daily lives from the 1940s to 1970s.</span></span></i></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: italic; line-height: 19px;"><i>Clark attended Canterbury College School of Art, in Christchurch from 1922 to 1928,... It was as a painter and sculptor that Clark contributed to an emerging Modernist movement in Post-War New Zealand. </i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: italic; line-height: 19px;"><i>In 1944 he was appointed Pacific War Artist by the New Zealand government, and this experience in Polynesia and Melanesia stimulated his inquiry into Māori art and culture, culminating in the<span style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> Urewera</span> series (1949-1951). Ironically, these works also reveal the influence of British artists Henry Moore and Barabara Hepworth, particularly in the use of stylised monumental forms which in turn were influenced by Pre-Columbian and African art. </i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: italic; line-height: 19px;"><i>In 1947 he was appointed to the staff at Canterbury University College School of Art. Although criticised for his eclecticism, Clark’s association with 'The Group' and his<span style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> Urewera</span> series highlight his important contribution to New Zealand’s cultural development. </i></span></div>
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<span class="read-more-continue" style="border: 0px; display: inline; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #666666; font-family: 'Minion Pro', minion-pro, Georgia, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><i><span class="read-more-continue" style="border: 0px; display: inline; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">His work is represented in the collections of the Christchurch Art Gallery and the Museum of New Zealand - Te Papa Tongarewa, the Auckland Art Gallery and many other public and private collections in New Zealand."</span></i></span></span></div>
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<span class="read-more-continue" style="border: 0px; display: inline; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #666666; font-family: 'Minion Pro', minion-pro, Georgia, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Anyway... Today I was really angry listening to the <a href="http://www.3news.co.nz/Job-losses-as-Learning-Media-closes/tabid/1607/articleID/311892/Default.aspx" target="_blank">Minster of Finance on the evening news</a> telling us all how Learning Media has to be wound up because it can't make a profit. </span></span></span></div>
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<span class="read-more-continue" style="border: 0px; display: inline; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #666666; font-family: 'Minion Pro', minion-pro, Georgia, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Respectfully, the important fact is that the provision of quality educational resources is not about profit Minister!</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The closure of this smallest of the State Owned Enterprises will not swing the government books back into surplus. All it will do is open the door to more darn pedlars. My intolerance of commercial firms 'selling' resources to schools is reaching breaking point. The vast majority of resources being sold to schools are pedagogical crap.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">At our school we have the smallest budget ever for buying 'so-called' resources for one good reason. They don't make a difference to learning and achievement. As a principal I have been able to say "get lost" to so many resource sales people because I know that the free, high quality, non commercial Learning Media products will take care of that need for us.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There is no such thing as a free lunch. Free School Journals provided to schools are only free if they are authored by people who work to provide them for artistic and educational merit. If School Journal production and editorial content is offered to commercial firms for the sake of profit things change. And can change in a sinister way.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">To prove the point I have to go to the extreme. <a href="http://www.nybooks.com/articles/archives/2012/jun/21/how-texas-inflicts-bad-textbooks-on-us/?pagination=false" target="_blank">Read this article in the New York Review of Books</a>. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Now consider curriculum. We have to accept that any curriculum in a state school system can never be politically neutral. The very definition of 'state curriculum' means that the government of the day sets the curricular tone. But the heritage of the NZ School Journal is all about exposing children to high quality art and writing, not a curriculum ideology. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If content is open to profit based tenders then the resource pedlars come on in. They will pitch towards offering narrow National Standards content. Worse still, they will do so in a shallow pedagogical way. If the majority of the current resource-for-sale rubbish has a chance to get into the School Journals then heaven help us all.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The 'provider and examiner' corruption is a problem already evident overseas. In the UK, USA and Australia there is a disturbing trend. Commercial companies provide exams and assessment tools to the school system. They also helpfully also sell textbooks and resources to help kids pass the exams. So what is the role of a teacher in such a system? </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Look at the <a href="http://www.hmhco.com/" target="_blank">HMHCO website</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">They sell <a href="http://www.hmhco.com/educators" target="_blank">resources for educators</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">They sell the <a href="http://www.hmhco.com/assessment-professionals" target="_blank">assessment tools</a> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">They sell the <a href="http://www.hmhco.com/parents" target="_blank">resources for parents who are anxious for their kids to pass the assessments</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">They sell the <a href="http://www.hmhco.com/kids-teens" target="_blank">resources for the kids who want to do well at school</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Teachers just have to turn up to work, use the resources provided, and get the kids to pass the tests. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">New Zealand is better than this. As a taxpayer I am happy to pay for the small cost of Learning Media to keep on being a tiny little loss-making quirky organisation. One that keeps on sending schools free resources. Resources which are artistic and creative and also grow the careers of New Zealand's budding writers. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If that is not possible then end it now. Stop the School Journals. </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Stop them before </span><a href="http://www.hmhco.com/" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;" target="_blank">HMHCO</a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> (or a similar company) offers the NZ Government a good deal to publish them for us.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">After digesting today's news an unscientific survey of the Clark family has support for my idea of ending it now, after<a href="http://schooljournal100.learningmedia.co.nz/background.html" target="_blank"> 100 glorious years</a>, rather than feeding kids a newer corporate-backed-efficient-resource from now on. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Without the School Journal we may not have had arts and literary careers from these School Journal contributors ...</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #e5ebee; color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: normal;"> Margaret Mahy, Janet Frame, Elsie Locke, James K. Baxter, Witi Ihimaera, Patricia Grace, Joy Cowley, Jack Lasenby, David Hill, Norman Bilbrough; and artists, illustrators and photographers such as Don Binney, Russell Clark, Cliff Whiting, Dick Frizzell, Mervyn Taylor, Gil Hanly, Ans Westra, Gavin Bishop, </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What do you think about a 'free to schools' but profitable for someone-else School Journal future?</span></div>
</span></span>Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06291605522441194537noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3908323164857503249.post-80716547493785744002013-08-01T20:19:00.001+12:002013-08-01T21:51:27.522+12:00Theatre of light and sound<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Would you rather see a movie with no sound, or hear a movie with no picture? Frankly I would rather do neither. I want to experience a full movie with pictures and sound for myself. </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Sometimes schools think that all staff members will have profound learning experiences by hearing about (or seeing pictures of) a few staff members' learning experiences. School leaders sometimes mistakenly think that by sending 'some' staff to a conference, or on a tour of other innovative schools, that those left behind and who then get to hear about and/or see the photos will have the same learning experience as those who went away in the first place [credit to Tony Burkin from Interlead for that great analogy].</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">'Everyone or no no one' is our mantra when it comes to re-visioning our school site in a new post-quake master plan. If we shift towards flexible, team teaching environments then every employee needs to understand why (and what it might look like) here is how we rolled...</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">After tireless fundraising (assisted by parents and the wider school community) the whole staff and BOT reps from Waimairi have returned safely from a week long study tour in Melbourne.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">The mission was to look at, and reflect upon, a wide variety of learning environments. The study tour was not about the buildings. It was about looking at the underpinning values & beliefs about learning and associated pedagogies in each school. The secondary consideration was how the architecture supported and/or hindered the realisation of the former.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">The final day of tour consisted of <a href="http://www.learning-by-design.com/" target="_blank">Dr Julia Atkin</a>, <a href="http://www.hayball.com.au/people/#/richard-leonard" target="_blank">Richard Leonard</a> and Lisa Horton facilitating a reflective and visioning workshop with our team. This work will feed into the next master planning workshop for our cluster of schools.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">What did we see?</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">-A school created by merger working in a brand new building.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">-A school only a few years old working with purpose designed modern flexible learning spaces</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">-An old school with a clear pedagogical vision making magic happen inside ageing buildings.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">-A school that has been open plan in the 1970s, walled up as single cell in the 1980s and then reopened as flexible learning environments in the 1990s.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">What did we learn?</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">-A clear set of values and beliefs about learning (developed by and owned by the whole staff) are essential.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">-When planning for change the whole team need to take part. BOT members and teachers are only 1/2 Waimairi's total payroll - why would only 1/2 of the team have inspiration and reflection before making decisions about the school's future?</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">-The New Zealand Curriculum ROCKS! It is the missing element in some visionary Australian schools' success.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">It is not all about going on an overseas trip - the principles of <a href="http://teachinglearningresources.pbworks.com/w/page/30310516/Andragogy--Adult%20Learning%20Theory"><span style="color: #021eaa; letter-spacing: 0px;">andragogical</span></a> learning and <a href="http://www.neuroedcenter.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=49:social-cognitive-learning-theory&catid=40:social-cognitive-learning-theory&Itemid=63"><span style="color: #021eaa; letter-spacing: 0px;">vicarious</span></a> learning for staff & BOT members can be realised by a team visit to almost any learning environment. Just down the road or just over the Tasman Sea.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>Why educators should get to see other educators in acton.</b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b><br />
Teacher Self efficacy has a huge effect on student achievement.</b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b><i>Vicarious experience </i></b><i>provided by social models is a way of creating efficacy. Some believe it to be pure imitation without actual learning, but nothing is further from the truth. 80 to 100% of what we know is learned vicariously, or by observing others do something and remembering what was seen. That's why doctors have Residency and Internship, mentors have to do practice-teaching, and that's why society exists at its core; we all learn from one another. </i></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><i>Vicarious learning is learning by observation (aka modeling, social learning, or just the 'monkey-see-monkey-do' phenomenon). We now know that social learning is the most salient type of learning we possess.How does this occur? </i><a href="http://tip.psychology.org/bandura.html"><span style="color: #021eaa; letter-spacing: 0px;"><i>Social learning </i></span></a><i>is mediated by the </i><b><i>Mirror Neuron </i></b><i>system in the brain. The mirror neuron system appears to be responsible for the mediation of musical experience (Molnar & Overy, 2006). This finding replicates what musicians have known all along; that they need exposure to other musicians to flourish in their art.</i></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><i>(</i><a href="http://www.neuroedcenter.com/index.php"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">http://www.neuroedcenter.com/index.php</span></a></span><span style="color: #232323; letter-spacing: 0.0px;">)</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">This is why we make sure as many of our staff as possible get to see other teachers at work. 4 minute walk-thrus or whole staff tours - the brain science is the same.</span></div>
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Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06291605522441194537noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3908323164857503249.post-21861880593550937582013-07-18T17:23:00.000+12:002013-07-18T18:01:07.061+12:00A River Runs Through It<br />
Google Earth has finally done a photo pass over Waimairi School in the 'post quake' time period. I have captured the shot (yes, yes, copyright credit to Google Maps) to post here for two important reasons.<br />
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<a href="webkit-fake-url://73EB2D0C-2157-4D92-B2D0-B4D7EE5A72DC/image.tiff" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a>The first is to keep a historical photo somewhere. The next time the Google photo satellite passes over things may have changed.<br />
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The second is to reveal and explain what the quakes did to a part of our school and what might need to change at Waimairi as a result.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYzy5AJMQGEIUqWo6mR2aD3svsgTma_tagcoHFck7nJOCqpRIkcL6YWPkD8ojp6PQf6cWupq6UEWUUsyCsV6ikWG0miFjFZJUFFFkXtq8dUX8YTMyT1sRaEF2JwRjbuJw82p4Mv5BD6fQ/s1600/gmap.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="532" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYzy5AJMQGEIUqWo6mR2aD3svsgTma_tagcoHFck7nJOCqpRIkcL6YWPkD8ojp6PQf6cWupq6UEWUUsyCsV6ikWG0miFjFZJUFFFkXtq8dUX8YTMyT1sRaEF2JwRjbuJw82p4Mv5BD6fQ/s640/gmap.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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To the right of the black arrow is the now revealed old river. Forgotten generations ago. For those familiar with post-quake Waimairi School you will be able to join the dots in your mind. As you read these bullet points let your eye move across the picture from right to left.<br />
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- The great gushing lake of liquefaction sand and water that swamped us as we stood waiting on the back field after each quake.<br />
- The twisted doorframe and cracking in Room 14.<br />
- The big crack up the centre of the netball courts.<br />
- The warped hall with its dropping floor and roof line and sticking doors.<br />
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We can build over the top of mother nature, but we can't beat her.<br />
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Lucas and Associates sure showed us this with their <a href="http://www.lucas-associates.co.nz/christchurch-banks-peninsula/historical-maps/" target="_blank">stunning historical map/modern quake damage map overlays</a>.<br />
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It is important to note that all buildings have had inspections and are safe for us to occupy. The question is whether or not it is economic to repair them where they are or do a bit of a site re-design. These decisions are in the hands of the Master Planners, not me as a blogging principal. Please don't read this as an announcement on the future of any of our buildings.<br />
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But if you are part of our school community do make sure you take part in the information and consultation on our site master planning that will happen in the first part of Term 3.<br />
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Included for historical record are the two black circles on the picture marking the two 20,000 litre 'poo tanks' that captured our sewerage waste when the silted up Tillman Ave sewer was out of action after the quakes. These tanks and the port-a-loos are what finally got us open again after 5 weeks of closure.<br />
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<a href="webkit-fake-url://73EB2D0C-2157-4D92-B2D0-B4D7EE5A72DC/image.tiff" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTU2SqCDlaJiKbfdlPhqB9ETTN1xuHCOIFf69m8Ssa_7OwymMyy0t1emxQFBGErc7JCpOmL0nKMNIU3y992xaSwrB4yhLIrKv3aj4hsTCfNtpnOcr7FK67oVeqJheDs1Yb5ZWGMkAbyDo/s1600/IMG_0734.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTU2SqCDlaJiKbfdlPhqB9ETTN1xuHCOIFf69m8Ssa_7OwymMyy0t1emxQFBGErc7JCpOmL0nKMNIU3y992xaSwrB4yhLIrKv3aj4hsTCfNtpnOcr7FK67oVeqJheDs1Yb5ZWGMkAbyDo/s320/IMG_0734.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcTxb6xNgxr2clXFAvY2Hyt2isbnpdT4eLmK2ySpCnVDKn8b_KygB1CjQuluzgaBpyg7ei_C7PkkcWsJwrnOmTjahlG_t5rTvO0No8uMTj95AcNxZQmMT5PQGBOImRtL5NBZEL9U8OqH0/s1600/IMG_0745.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcTxb6xNgxr2clXFAvY2Hyt2isbnpdT4eLmK2ySpCnVDKn8b_KygB1CjQuluzgaBpyg7ei_C7PkkcWsJwrnOmTjahlG_t5rTvO0No8uMTj95AcNxZQmMT5PQGBOImRtL5NBZEL9U8OqH0/s320/IMG_0745.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<img src="webkit-fake-url://6218E8B1-58F8-4128-8BDE-639DBAA1474E/image.tiff" /><br />
<img src="webkit-fake-url://910875DE-3BF8-47AA-BDFD-4408C2B262B1/image.tiff" />I did take an extensive collection of immediate quake damage photos of the school. They are for publication much later. We don't need to re-look at those pictures just now as our mental health recovers.<br />
<br />Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06291605522441194537noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3908323164857503249.post-36037009347329747182013-07-11T20:36:00.004+12:002013-07-11T20:36:53.854+12:00Shamed back into blogging and loving it.Beaten back into action by a group of ten year olds.<br />
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The quality and quantity of written work now flowing into the public domain by Room 14 at our school has reminded me of the importance of writing.<br />
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For four years I managed to keep up a decent rate of blogging myself. These wonderful youngsters pushed me back into the habit. So here I go again.<br />
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I have told them that my blog has got old and rusty so they will keep me honest and keep up a weekly post at least.<br />
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Enjoy their work here <a href="http://www.waimairi.school.nz/room-14-blog-roll.html">http://www.waimairi.school.nz/room-14-blog-roll.html</a> while I cook up my next blog post.Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06291605522441194537noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3908323164857503249.post-25209964760223113872012-05-04T21:52:00.000+12:002012-05-09T21:27:03.570+12:00Who is in the driver's seat?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yj_TgnpbZ9c/T5SVeKnqOyI/AAAAAAAACdk/5Bzye180dHw/s1600/DSC_0061.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yj_TgnpbZ9c/T5SVeKnqOyI/AAAAAAAACdk/5Bzye180dHw/s320/DSC_0061.jpg" width="211" /></a></div>
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Coinciding with <a href="http://www.royalsociety.org.nz/2011/03/01/national-primary-science-week/" target="_blank">National Primary Science Week</a> comes a hard hitting <a href="http://ero.govt.nz/content/download/170054/2839677/version/12/file/Science+in+the+New+Zealand+Curriculum++Years+5+to+8.pdf" target="_blank">ERO report on Science in the New Zealand Curriculum in Years 5-8</a>.<br />
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I think ERO have really hit the nail on the head with this one. The Nature of Science is the "overarching and unifying" strand of NZ's science curriculum yet it often seems left alone, gathering dust in the corner. Meanwhile, the relentless crusade for children's self direction and so-called inquiry learning sweeps depth, substance and knowledge away. All in the name of student voice in learning.<br />
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Take a close look at some thinkers who I admire.<br />
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<a href="http://leading-learning.blogspot.co.nz/2012/03/exploring-immediate-environment.html" target="_blank">Bruce Hammonds blog posting on great science learning.</a> Simple yet powerful.<br />
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<a href="http://www.kathmurdoch.com.au/uploads/media/inquirylearning.pdf" target="_blank">Kath Murdoch on a very sound model of inquiry learning</a>. A model we all aspire to.<br />
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<a href="http://pamhook.com/solo-taxonomy/" target="_blank">Pam Hook on defining what is actually being learnt.</a> Sorting what the real learning outcomes are.<br />
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Perry Rush - who doesn't have an e-thing I can link to (sort that out Pezza).<br />
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All of the people above understand that <i>teachers actually teaching</i> still has a place before, during and after student-lead inquiry.<br />
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Don't get me wrong. The importance of student direction and student voice in learning is proven, in multiple research sources, to be the key to really unlocking learning for kids.<br />
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This is best exemplified in <a href="http://www.educationalleaders.govt.nz/Pedagogy-and-assessment/Evidence-based-leadership/Data-gathering-and-analysis/The-cultural-myths-and-realities-of-teaching-and-learning" target="_blank">Graham Nuthall and Adrienne Alton-Lees's</a> work. <a href="http://www.nzcer.org.nz/nzcerpress/hidden-lives-learners" target="_blank">Please do read The Hidden Lives of Learners</a>. I go to back to my own personal influences from <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Dewey" target="_blank">Dewey</a> to <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WYMdmvinFIM" target="_blank">Elwin-Richardson</a> and see the importance of the child's own direction of their learning.<br />
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So, where has the rot set in? In two places.<br />
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<b>1.The focus on the process of inquiry (and ICT which can support it) has over riden the content of the inquiry.</b><br />
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The clamor to <b>have</b> an inquiry model in schools all over New Zealand has lead many schools to drop the ball on the content inside of those inquiry models. The ERO science report has exposed this.<br />
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<b>2.The domination of ICT experts in school curriculum design.</b><br />
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Sadly the Jim Ferguson (RIP) prophecy has become reality. Those that did not get on ICT PD contracts in round 1, 2 and 3 got on in rounds 4, 5 and 6 on beyond. The pedagogical rationale was not strong enough to get in. But when those with strong pedagogical rational had all had a crack the others had to be picked to have their turn.<br />
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A perverse gang of schools have emerged in the latter stages of the ICT PD programme where the school principals seem happy to let their ICT PD facilitator design their school curriculum.<br />
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Frankly, the ICT clique do not have a monopoly on knowing about deep and rich learning. Plotting more ways for children to iPad, skype, googlgedoc, cloud, BYOD, student blog, and LMS their learning will not lead to stronger learning outcomes. Sadly I see lots of Steve Jobs (selling ICT) and not much of Seymor Papert (understanding ICT) in the current ICT PD Facilitator hegemony.<br />
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School leaders and teachers who are not ICT strong need to take back the leadership of learning, not all learning goodness flows from someone who knows a lots about ICT. Stop letting them use their knowledge of ICT to drive all of the learning design in your schools. The time is long overdue.<br />
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The ERO Science Report has illustrated this.<br />
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Let the comment debate begin...<br />
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<b><br /></b>Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06291605522441194537noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3908323164857503249.post-29191222328275488572012-02-16T18:45:00.002+13:002012-02-16T19:25:16.754+13:00YO (yo), you can't be serious can you?Everyone is trying to make a buck and I don't have too much of a problem with firms giving schools a helping hand while getting something for themselves as well. Sponsorships and reward programmes are all over the educational landscape.<br />
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Every week one pedlar or another is pushing something on our school which is going to <i>'transform the way we do... ' </i>whatever, blah, blah, blah. I open my mail with a big green recycling bin right next to my desk and 99% of offers, deals, partnerships, catalogues and exciting learning opportunities go right into it, often unopened. Sales emails head to the electronic version of my big green bin. But you can't blame business owners for trying to sell whatever it is they sell.<br />
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The sales push usually stops there. But today I had a follow-up sales phone call soliciting my reaction to some piece of spam I had trashed last week. The call had the hallmarks of the sort of pressure sales calls one gets from timeshare salespeople, vacuum cleaner, double glazing and/or re-roofing firms.<br />
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It rolled like this:<br />
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1. It started with lots of statements I would agree with (gets the poor sucker into a pattern of saying yes)<br />
- You would agree that in these times children need....resilience, goal setting, kindness... blah, blah, blah<br />
YES<br />
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- You want your school values promoted and reinforced.<br />
YES<br />
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- You believe that anti bullying messages and promotion of reading are important.<br />
YES<br />
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2. Then came the pitch. It would appear that lucky old Waimairi School can have the edifying experience of a 45 minute long assembly for the children which will solve many 21st century social ills AND demonstrate yo-yo tricks.<br />
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3. Next comes the peer pressure. "You may want to know that several schools near you are running this programme." They were named, I was surprised at their judgement seeing that I know a couple of the principals mentioned.... Did I mention yo-yos yet?<br />
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4. Finally, to close the deal comes the imperative. Act now! "We have only one slot in Christchurch left, we would hate for Waimairi School to missed out.<br />
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5. The fine print. It turns out that this 45 minute long assembly can be brought to our school direct from the US of A for free! Free I tell you! Free. No charge for a 45 minute long anti-bullying, pro-school, hooray for kindness, make good choices & always listen to your teachers assembly. Free!<br />
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Well, the assembly does involve people performing amazing tricks with yo-yos... I then have to sell their branded yo-yos at school for five days after the assembly. Direct, no commission or percentage to the school. Our reward is just seeing 45 minutes of the 'hooray for everything' performers.<br />
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It is all downhill for the yo-yo assembly pedlar from here because I love the Simpsons.<br />
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I remember the biting satire and social commentary that past Simpsons episodes contain. I have seen episode 16 from season three. Lisa Simpson's assessment of the educational merit of the yo-yo assembly still makes me chuckle.<br />
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<b>Why is this yo-yo sales machine infiltrating New Zealand schools? </b>Has anyone booking this yo-yo sales tour looked at any of the research that shows how <i>little</i> impact this sort of one-off lesson/assembly has on children's learning. Here is some to kick you off:<br />
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<span style="font-family: TimesNewRomanPSMT; font-size: 10pt;">Bogner, F.X. (1998). The influence of short-term outdoor ecology education on long-term variables of
environmental perspective. </span><span style="font-family: TimesNewRomanPS-ItalicMT-Maori; font-size: 10pt;">Journal of Environmental Education, 29(4), </span><span style="font-family: TimesNewRomanPSMT; font-size: 10pt;">17–29.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: TimesNewRomanPSMT; font-size: 10pt;">Chapman, D. (2004). Imparting values: More than a dilemma. </span><span style="font-family: TimesNewRomanPS-ItalicMT-Maori; font-size: 10pt;">New Zealand Journal of Geography, 117,
</span><span style="font-family: TimesNewRomanPSMT; font-size: 10pt;">17–23.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: TimesNewRomanPSMT; font-size: 10pt;">Lave, J., & Wenger, E. (1991). </span><span style="font-family: TimesNewRomanPS-ItalicMT-Maori; font-size: 10pt;">Situated learning: Legitimate peripheral participation. </span><span style="font-family: TimesNewRomanPSMT; font-size: 10pt;">Cambridge, UK:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: TimesNewRomanPSMT; font-size: 10pt;">Cambridge University Press. </span></div>
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<a href="http://insidelisa.blogspot.co.nz/2009/05/letter-to-school.html">Here is some parent feedback from overseas</a><br />
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<a href="http://www.mumsnet.com/Talk/other_subjects/553170-anyone-elses-school-had-the-ned-assembly-cos-i-am/AllOnOnePage">Here is an overseas parent discussion forum</a><br />
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The very wording of their email to me shows they don't understand New Zealand's school system or culture. We won't be enjoying "America's most popular assembly"<br />
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Yo! Thanks Simpsons, you saved the day again.<br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Hello ______________<span style="color: black;">,</span><span style="color: blue;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Thanks so much for your time on the phone today!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Every summer, we visit hundreds of schools in the UK, Australia and New Zealand with <b>no charge</b> performances of The NED Show<b><sup>®</sup></b>, America’s Most Popular Assembly. Last year we saw over 2 dozen schools in the Auckland area; that tour was so amazingly successful, and the response so overwhelmingly positive, that have added additional tours in Christchurch and Wellington this year! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">We will be in the Christchurch area from July 23 through 27, 2012. We are already scheduled at <b>__________________________________________________;</b> we’d love to come to your school, too!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">We have an opening on July 27 at 11:30 am; please let me know as soon as possible if you’d like that spot. Thanks!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-NZ" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Please see the references from some schools in Auckland last year:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-NZ" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">“…the most common word for describing the NED show was EPIC!!! It doesn’t get much better than that around here! …we were SO impressed and TOTALLY in awe!!!” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span lang="EN-NZ" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">-Joanne K., Principal, Auckland, NZ<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<span lang="EN-NZ" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">“Many thanks for a wonderful show - We really appreciate the opportunity at presenting NED to our community. We have received many positive comments from staff, children and parents.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span lang="EN-NZ" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">-Toni W., Associate Principal, Auckland, NZ<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<span lang="EN-NZ" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">“Thank you for supporting us and encouraging us to be champions. I learned that if you follow your dream, your dream might come true! My two goals are to get better at maths and also to be more athletic. I am going to Never give up, Encourage others, and Do my best, just like NED!”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span lang="EN-NZ" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Waiyan R., student, age 10, Auckland, NZ<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">We have been sharing our positive message with schools for more than 21 years, and each year we see more than 2.2 million children worldwide! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Our mission is to motivate and encourage your students to become champions at school and in life. We partner with your school to promote positive behavior and scholastic achievement. We do this by sharing the story of our character NED<b><sup>®</sup></b>, whose name is also an acronym: Never Give Up, Encourage Others, Do Your Best<b><sup>®</sup></b>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Please explore our website at <a href="http://www.thenedshow.com/" style="color: blue; text-decoration: underline;">www.thenedshow.com</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Here are the main things you should know about our program:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<li class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Available at NO CHARGE through our “Pay it Forward” model: Your school receives the entire NED Program at no charge by simply making a selection of NED messaged items (yo-yo’s, instructional DVD’s, etc.) available for purchase for 5 school days following the show. There is no minimum sales requirement, and all items come with a 100% satisfaction guarantee. We believe in a “pay it forward” system, and the proceeds from your sale will allow us to visit another school at no charge. Any items that remain unsold can be returned to us, and we will pay the return shipping.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></li>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Thank you for taking the time to review this information. As our schedule fills quickly, it is best if you contact me for the most current information regarding remaining dates and times via email. I welcome any questions you may have, and look forward to hearing from you soon.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Sincerely,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br />Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06291605522441194537noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3908323164857503249.post-31039681652740935902011-12-30T17:47:00.000+13:002011-12-30T21:38:28.069+13:00The books we buy more than once<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">A colleague recently asked me for a list of 'good education related' books to read over the summer break. When I looked through my office and home bookshelves I found that the books that I instinctively wanted to recommend to him were all book titles that I have had to buy more than once.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">They are books that are just such a good read, with such a good message, that they become the ones you lend to people, never to be seen again. They are the keepers. The person you lend it to keeps it.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Keeper books stand out from most others in your book collection because you actually notice that you have lost your copy of them when you find yourself wanting to refer to them time after time.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">This time I have sent him a list rather than given him my copy of them. I am sure that they will become keepers in his collection.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">What are your 'keeper' titles? The books you have repurchased ( in my case sometimes up to four times).</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Here are some of mine.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><br />
The Hidden Lives of Learners<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Graham Nuthall</span></div>
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<a href="http://www.nzcer.org.nz/nzcerpress/hidden-lives-learners"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">http://www.nzcer.org.nz/nzcerpress/hidden-lives-learners</span></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">MUST READ and then re-read. Then lend to someone and don't expect to get it back.</span></div>
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<a href="http://www.nzcer.org.nz/system/files/imagecache/product_image_med_180x255/product-images/15357.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.nzcer.org.nz/system/files/imagecache/product_image_med_180x255/product-images/15357.jpg" /></a></div>
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The Big Picture: Education is Everyone's Business</div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Dennis Littkey.</span></div>
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Big-Picture-Education-Everyones-Business/dp/0871209713"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">http://www.amazon.com/Big-Picture-Education-Everyones-Business/dp/0871209713</span></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">An absolutely wonderful book, I have lost track of the number of copies I have bought, lent and lost.</span></div>
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<a href="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51g5NUmmDIL._BO2,204,203,200_PIsitb-sticker-arrow-click,TopRight,35,-76_AA300_SH20_OU01_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51g5NUmmDIL._BO2,204,203,200_PIsitb-sticker-arrow-click,TopRight,35,-76_AA300_SH20_OU01_.jpg" /></a></div>
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A Framework for Understanding Poverty</div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Ruby Payne</span></div>
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Framework-Understanding-Poverty-Ruby-Payne/dp/1929229488/ref=pd_sim_b_11"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">http://www.amazon.com/Framework-Understanding-Poverty-Ruby-Payne/dp/1929229488/ref=pd_sim_b_11</span></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Pretty essential for teachers in all schools I reckon.</span></div>
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<a href="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51i1ePKouAL._SS500_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51i1ePKouAL._SS500_.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Discipline, Democracy and Diversity</div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Angus MacFarlane</span></div>
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<a href="http://www.nzcer.org.nz/nzcerpress/discipline-democracy-and-diversity-working-students-behaviour-difficulties"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">http://www.nzcer.org.nz/nzcerpress/discipline-democracy-and-diversity-working-students-behaviour-difficulties</span></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Gotta love Angus and his thinking.</span></div>
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<a href="http://www.nzcer.org.nz/system/files/imagecache/product_image_med_180x255/product-images/15612.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.nzcer.org.nz/system/files/imagecache/product_image_med_180x255/product-images/15612.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">The Kiss and the Ghost: Sylvia Ashton Warner & New Zealand</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Jones & Middleton</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://www.nzcer.org.nz/nzcerpress/kiss-and-ghost-sylvia-ashton-warner-and-new-zealand">http://www.nzcer.org.nz/nzcerpress/kiss-and-ghost-sylvia-ashton-warner-and-new-zealand</a></span></div>
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<a href="http://www.nzcer.org.nz/system/files/imagecache/product_image_med_180x255/product-images/ashton-warner.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.nzcer.org.nz/system/files/imagecache/product_image_med_180x255/product-images/ashton-warner.jpg" /></a></div>
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and....</div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">a couple of 'keeper' videos to round it all off..</span></div>
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The Song of the Bird</div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Elwyn Richardson</span></span></div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/WYMdmvinFIM?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
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and... Sylvia Ashton Warner (in three parts)</div>
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<a href="http://www.nzonscreen.com/title/three-new-zealanders-sylvia-ashton-warner-1978"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">http://www.nzonscreen.com/title/three-new-zealanders-sylvia-ashton-warner-1978</span></a></div>
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<br />Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06291605522441194537noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3908323164857503249.post-84347468916831951922011-12-09T18:10:00.001+13:002011-12-09T18:20:51.097+13:00This time it's personal<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">The team supporting the teams during the Rugby World Cup.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">This post is a 'lift' from my bit in our school newsletter this week but I do want to the world to know how much I admire our staff.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><i>"At the end of 2010 I said that the most trying year we could face was over and we looked forward to a brighter 2011. Well... I was wrong, very wrong. As a wider school community (children, parents, families, staff and neighbours) we had it all thrown at us this year. The death and injury of loved ones, damage to our homes and workplaces, loss of businesses, income and jobs, broken infrastructure and facilities, and separation of families. Layered over all of this has been deep and ongoing psychological harm, anxiety and depression, children and adults alike. </i></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><i>Yet...from this awful mess Waimairi School has functioned as a safe and happy place. In addition to putting self and family behind duty of care to your children, twice during major quakes during school hours (and many big after shocks) the school staff have got up each morning, put on their professional 'game faces', driven over damaged roads and through traffic snarls to be the best support they can be for our students.</i></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><i>This on its own is admirable, but despite many weeks of closure and disruption we have fostered and maintained academic, sporting and cultural excellence. The whole staff have given everything they have to give to your children this year. It has left them emotionally and physically drained but I know they would not have done anything differently. Your children's well-being is worth the personal price. So in this context, and aware of the regular taunts about teachers' holidays, I hope that in 2011 of all years, you do wish them all a restful holiday break. You need them rested up and ready for 2012 and beyond."</i></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Teachers and support staff all over the world would like to think that if unprecedented disaster hits you would cope and do well. In 2011 the staff at Waimairi School, and all Christchurch teachers have shown that you can.</span></div>Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06291605522441194537noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3908323164857503249.post-91820318881380641452011-11-10T20:33:00.000+13:002011-12-30T21:35:52.015+13:00Blinded by the light<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Most lights these days are powered by electricity but evidently there may be some still oil powered, snake oil that is.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Who would have thought that a blog posting about </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>LIGHT</b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> could generate such a great soundtrack? If you don't like this posting at least you can enjoy the sounds. Start the LIGHT song that you like the best then scroll to read with the music playing.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So here is the <a href="http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10764717">NZ Herald education article about the Philips Lighting SchoolVision lighting system</a>.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It is important to read, and remember, the wording used in this 'so called' news article. It will come back to you time and time again very soon. Rather than being cutting edge educational journalism it would appear that the publicity department of Philips helped out with lots of the wording. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.lighting.philips.co.uk/pwc_li/main/shared/assets/images/applications/school/schoolvision/schoolvision_principals.pdf">Here is the brochure from Philips. Compare and contrast the text</a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> with the unquestioned lifts from the corporate publicity. Educational journalism needs to provide balance not just deliver text from a corporate press release. Where is the journalistic balance and thinking in the Herald article? If Philips want advertising why don't they just buy ad space in the paper? They don't need to do so with journalism like this.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Don't feel bad NZ Herald there are plenty of other educational reports in big papers just using the Philips publicity words and pretending they are 'truth'</span><br />
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<a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2011/may/01/mood-lighting-boost-academic-performance"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Guardian and The Observer </span></a><br />
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Not Given LIGHTly </span></b><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What annoys me about a claim that a lighting system can improve student achievement? Well it is the very claim that it does so that winds me up. Here is some Philips publicity.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #878786; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11px;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">For principals "However, with multiple stakeholders to please including teachers, parents and governors, one of your</span></i></span><br />
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<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">most important goals will also be to improve your school’s results. Not only will it affect your school’s rating, it could also secure additional funding to help with overstretched budgets and limited resources."</span></i></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Not in my school matey! It is our dedicated and skilled teachers who do that, not the lighting system.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">"<i>SchoolVision has proven results. The solution was first researched in a year-long, independent study by Universitätsklinikum Hamburg-Eppendorf with 166 pupils and 18 teachers. The results showed that: </i></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="font: normal normal normal 9px/normal Helvetica;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">• Reading speed increased by almost 35% </span></span></i></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="font: normal normal normal 9px/normal Helvetica;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">• Frequency of errors reduced by almost 45% </span></span></i></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="font: normal normal normal 9px/normal Helvetica;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">• Hyperactive behaviour also dropped by an astonishing 76%</span></span></i></span></div>
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<span style="font: normal normal normal 9px/normal Helvetica;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">These positive findings were confirmed and endorsed by a second, more extensive study carried out by the University of Twente. The research at Disselboom primary school in Wintelre between December 2009 and September 2010 concluded that: </span></i></span></div>
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<span style="font: normal normal normal 9px/normal Helvetica;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">• Children score on average 18% higher in a concentration test</span></i></span></div>
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<span style="font: normal normal normal 9px/normal Helvetica;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">• Are more motivated in the long term • Appreciate their learning environment more, both in the short and long term </span></i></span></div>
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<span style="font: normal normal normal 9px/normal Helvetica;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">• Co-operative learning behaviour is positively influenced by the ‘Calm’ setting</span></i></span></div>
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<span style="font: normal normal normal 9px/normal Helvetica;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">In short, “Light makes a positive difference” in the things that really matter like concentration, motivation and co-operative learning."</span></i></span></div>
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">You LIGHT Up My Life</span></b><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Can we shine some light on the 'research' that claims that the <span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;">Philips system has a significant effect on mood, energy levels and ability to concentrate? Yes we can...sort of...</span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;"><a href="http://content.yudu.com/Library/A1s3wf/LuxMagazineJune2011/resources/39.htm">Lux Magazine </a>says sort of the same thing</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;">So go deeper...</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;">The source of all this 'research talk' to sell a lighting system is </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Applicability and efficacy of variable light in schools<a href="http://www.blogger.com/goog_488700566"> </a><span style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0156aa; text-decoration: none;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/goog_488700566">Physiology & Behavior</a></span></b></span><br />
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #0156aa;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-color: initial; border-style: initial; box-sizing: border-box;">Volume 105, Issue 3</span></span>, 1 February 2012, Pages 621-627</span></b><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Read the abstract! </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;"><b>Turn the LIGHTS on</b></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><i><a href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0031938411004690">N Wessolowski, C. Barkmann, M. Schulte-Markwor, 2011</a></i></span></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;">"Two classrooms each in two separate schools were studied over a period of nine months; one class in each school served as an intervention group, and a parallel class in each school served as a control group. The effects of the individual VL programs were assessed using standardized test modules. The overall effect was measured using standardized surveys of students and teachers given at the beginning and the end of the project. The results showed that the students made fewer errors, particularly fewer errors of omission, on a standardized test of attention under the VL “Concentrate” program. Reading speed, as measured using standardized reading tests, rose significantly. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;"><b>Reading comprehension also improved, but this improvement was not statistically significant. In contrast, the achievement motivation of the students and the classroom atmosphere did not change over the nine-month period.</b></span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Hmmm. The close attention that New Zealand educators pay to the value of reading comprehension, as opposed to reading speed and reading errors (which has kept us at the top of OECD reading achievement comparison tables year on year) suggests that we can't gain much from a lighting system making our kids read faster with fewer errors.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Where was the Barkmann et. al. research presented? <a href="http://www.blogger.com/goog_488700574">At the </a><a href="http://www.sltbr.org/SLTBR_2010_Meeting%20Program%20Book.pdf">Society for Light Treatment and Biological Rhythms conference. Check out page 2 of the programme</a>. Major Sponsor...Philips</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The attempt to re-create the educational gains in a lab study also generates skepticism</span><br />
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">EFFECT OF LIGHT IN SCHOOLS: REPLICATION OF THE FIELD STUDY IN LAB</span></b></div>
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">N. Wessolowski, C. Barkmann, M. Schulte-Markwort</span></b></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Department of Psychosomatics in Children and Adolescents, Germany</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><b>Objectives: </b>In a field study with 116 pupils, the use of Schoolvision in school classes resulted in a significant increase of attention/concentration and reading speed as well as a significant decrease of restlessness (Wessolowski et. al., 2009). Schoolvision by Philips has preset lighting programs differing in brightness and color temperature. The aim of this study was to replicate these findings in a standardized laboratory setting.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><b>Methods: </b>In a randomized two-group cross-sectional experiment a sample of n=95 healthy adults received either optimized light programs (Schoolvision) or control conditions (500 lx / 3200 K). Optimized light conditions for the treatment group were bright daylight (1300 lx / 5600 K) to induce attention and less bright warm-white light (600 lx / 3000 K) to reduce restlessness. Attention was measured with the d2-test of Brickenkamp and the reading test of Schneider et al. To determine restlessness an optical measurement method named “Childmove” was used, which detects changes in pixel values within a video. Childmove was developed for the measurement of whole school classes (Koenig et al., i.P.) but it can also be used in other settings.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><b>Results: </b>The results of the attention/concentration testing showed a significant advantage of 25% from using Schoolvision in the treatment group in terms of the d2 test error rate compared to the control group with standard light (F=2.839, df=1, p=.048, ␣<span style="font: normal normal normal 6.5px/normal 'Times New Roman';">2</span>=.031). This is comparable to the effect described by the school study. In addition, the results for the working speed of the d2 test also showed a significant advantage of 11% for the treatment group (F=3.803, df=1, p=.028, ␣<span style="font: normal normal normal 6.5px/normal 'Times New Roman';">2</span>=.065). The effect outranged the result of working speed in the school study. In contrast to the results of the d2 test, the results of the reading test could not be replicated in lab. The results concerning motoric agitation (restlessness) showed a faster decrease by using Schoolvision (after 5 min: F=2.897, df=1, p=.0.046, ␣2=.031) as reported in the school study. However, unlike the findings of the school study, a decrease in restlessness was not affected.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><b>Conclusions: </b>In sum, the results of the school study could be replicated: The results in the lab showed an increase of attention by using Schoolvision: The experimental group made fewer errors and had a higher working speed in the d2 test. The results of the reading test cannot be replicated, assumedly because the participating college students (59%) are very practiced in reading long texts under inconvenient environmental conditions so that the reading test was not sensitive enough for this sample. There is also a faster decrease of motoric agitation by adults detected in the lab but in contrast to the school study no relevant total decrease was found. An analysis of the z-transformed school and lab values showed that the baseline scores of the pupils in the schools were more than four times higher than those of adults in the lab. On closer inspection of the low baseline scores it was possible to find a faster decrease for the experimental group but not a higher decrease over a longer time, because both groups already almost reached the minimum right after the beginning. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><b>Come on baby LIGHT my fire</b></span></div>
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The funny bit - Don't Turn the LIGHTS On</span></b><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Mayer <b>Hawthorne</b> sings about LIGHTS and this whole thing reeks of the <b>Hawthorne</b> Effect.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The irony is that the <a href="http://psychology.about.com/od/hindex/g/def_hawthorn.htm">Hawthorne effect</a> was all about light levels.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 24px;">The </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 24px;"><b>Hawthorne effect</b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 24px;"> is a form of </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 24px;"><a class="mw-redirect" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reactivity_(research)" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; color: #0645ad; text-decoration: none;" title="Reactivity (research)">reactivity</a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 24px;"> whereby subjects improve or modify an aspect of their behavior being experimentally measured simply in response to the fact that they know they are being studied,</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 24px;"><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-pmid17608932_0-0" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 1em;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hawthorne_effect#cite_note-pmid17608932-0" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #0645ad; text-decoration: none; white-space: nowrap;">[1]</a></sup></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 24px;"><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-pmid18771841_1-0" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 1em;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hawthorne_effect#cite_note-pmid18771841-1" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #0645ad; text-decoration: none; white-space: nowrap;">[2]</a></sup></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 24px;"> not in response to any particular experimental manipulation.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The term was coined in 1950 by Henry A. Landsberger<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-HRev_2-0" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 1em;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hawthorne_effect#cite_note-HRev-2" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #0645ad; text-decoration: none; white-space: nowrap;">[3]</a></sup> when analysing older experiments from 1924-1932 at the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hawthorne_Works" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; color: #0645ad; text-decoration: none;" title="Hawthorne Works">Hawthorne Works</a> (a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Western_Electric" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; color: #0645ad; text-decoration: none;" title="Western Electric">Western Electric</a> factory outside Chicago). Hawthorne Works had commissioned a study to see if its workers would become more productive in higher or lower levels of light. The workers' productivity seemed to improve when changes were made and slumped when the study was concluded. It was suggested that the productivity gain occurred due to the impact of the motivational effect on the workers as a result of the interest being shown in them. Although illumination research of workplace lighting formed the basis of the Hawthorne effect, other changes such as maintaining clean work stations, clearing floors of obstacles, and even relocating workstations resulted in increased productivity for short periods. Thus the term is used to identify any type of short-lived increase in productivity</span></div>
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The killer bit</span></b><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;">From the NZ Herald story which kicked off this post.. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;">"The Education Ministry's website says evidence suggests learning outcomes improve in spaces that have daylight as the main source of lighting." </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;">So embrace classroom 'windows' (the first time a Mac guy like me has said that) and don't think that the Philips Company is going to lift student achievement any more than an interactive whiteboard company will.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;"><b>Electric LIGHT Orchestra </b></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Grande', Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><br /></span></div>Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06291605522441194537noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3908323164857503249.post-65658913741700797822011-10-21T20:46:00.000+13:002011-10-21T21:36:36.462+13:00Touch devices 'back to the future' uh-oh<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">A website called <a href="https://sites.google.com/site/bloomsapps/home">bloomsapps</a> keeps appearing in my Twitter feed as a recommended reference. So I took a look and was told on the front page that <span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 16px;"> "</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 16px;">it is essential for educators to understand how to implement Blooms (sic) in the classroom using the apps that are available." Just why this is an educational imperative is not stated but it is linked to growing use of iOS devices in American school districts.</span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 16px;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bloom's_Taxonomy">Bloom's Taxonomy</a> and <a href="http://www.jstor.org/pss/1477405">Anderson's revision</a>, offer, at best, a set of considerations for teacher planning to ensure balanced cognitive provision. I don't believe there is any gold in there for looking at what children actually learn. A side note (not explored in this post is a general observation that I have about many educators focussing totally on the cognitive domain of Bloom's work and often not even thinking about the affective and psychomotor. Let alone the parallel nature of the 'top three' - see <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:BloomsCognitiveDomain.svg"><i>Anderson & Kraftwhol, 2001</i>.</a> Renaming does not show deep understanding of the revision ). But all of that is for another day/blog post.</span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 16px;">Let's go back to the 1990s. Computers in classrooms (as opposed to touch devices in classrooms in 2011) were all the rage. So much potential and so much crap. Educational software was the discussion point of too many teacher conferences. And...having followed the #ulearn11 Twitter hashtag over the last three days I have a sinking feeling about the word apps being used in the same way. Too much talk about 'great apps', 'harvesting apps' and 'apps we must have'.</span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 16px;">If the hopefully long dead Bailey's Book House and Milly's Maths House have not yet been awakened as zombies from their well-deserved graves by the voodoo priests of the iOS booster gang, then it is sadly not too far away I fear.</span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 16px;">The missed opportunity often spoken about by Seymour Papert is well and truly missed when we consider money spent vs. learning gained from the classroom computer. </span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 16px;">I suggest that many 'educational' touch app developers also do not know how to do this. They try to re-create school on a touch device. How many popular touch apps are 'latinesque? or bluntly put schoolesque? </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 16px;">Now we bounce on to the touch device era without much overt consideration of learning potential (and money already spent). Having touch devices in a school does not equal learning facilitated by touch devices.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 16px;">I believe that if it offers children nothing up front then it is a great app. My friend Marco Torres often retells his 'oscilloscope anecdote' in his presentations. </span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 16px;">Marco makes an overlooked but important point. Schools need to have devices like iPods and iPads in them because they offer apps like </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 16px;">oscilloscopes, decibel meters and voice/video recording tools. All things that offer nothing to a child without skilled teacher input. I want lots of touch devices in our school because they are a means for us to have the tools which we could never afford to have. From musical instruments to science tools, these are the killer apps.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 16px;">The power of the touch apps is not in the digital regurgitation of flashcards and maths games but in the blank page stuff. A good school art supply room will never be stocked with colouring books and paint by numbers kits. Good school touch devices should mirror that. Produce, don't consume. Explore, don't be shown. If a child can use the app at home then it probably belongs at home (with the colouring-in books and paint by numbers kits). The challenge to myself and others is to make sure the amazing power of touch devices amplifies learning at school rather than baby sitting kids through school. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 16px;">But who am I to tell you what to do?</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 16px;">So.... go for it. If you take a look at why you have/want iPods/iPads in your school and if you decide that rote maths and spelling learning in a 'digital' way is for you then buy them. All you have to do is rationalise the expense. I find that many schools who rationalise the expense on the basis of engaging children in maths and spelling apps also have charters and strategic plans which promote higher order thinking and student directed learning. Are these congruent? </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 16px;">Write this in your charter; We believe in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/B._F._Skinner#Influence_on_education">B.F. Skinner's</a> thinking around behaviorism and are investing $XXXXXX.XX in touch devices to allow children to do and have reinforced what we want to teach.</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 16px;">This stuff is great for special needs and IEP kids - go for it. At every Case Conference we can find an app, and probably should do so. </span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 16px;">But is it <i>why</i> you want everyone to have touch device access? </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 16px;">Do what you will in your own school, but don't just plan to buy some touch devices because they are the flavour of the month. The 1990s words of <a href="http://www.massey.ac.nz/massey/about-massey/university-management/avc-academic/about-avca/director-bd-ed.cfm">Mark Brown</a> come back to me "computers are not inherently good" and neither are touch devices. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 16px;">We have been through the painful misunderstood rationale behind the purchase of classroom computers, then laptops, then interactive whiteboards. Let's not do another round with touch devices.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 16px;">There is a very real danger that current educational seduction with touch devices will rewind some advances in thinking about the pedagogical role of ICT.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 16px;">Who is currently doing the big thinking on this? The amazing Dorothy Burt is. Funny how the 'app' and the 'App' have evolved. The <a href="http://www.blogger.com/goog_320023484">M</a></span><a href="http://www.manaiakalani.org/">anaiakalani</a> Project is all about, and successful because of, blank pages rather than cute apps made available on tap<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 16px;"> to her community. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 16px;">And a big nod to Chris in Room 22 - a true creative pioneer in the digital forest :)</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 16px;"><br /></span>Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06291605522441194537noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3908323164857503249.post-52218183699415359262011-10-17T16:16:00.007+13:002011-10-17T16:47:28.097+13:00Full Circle<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6xXU-Xp8PahWvra_QsQHRJ7ZDzs7Hq7MMctezD9p-4iLOMK_XcgI4-0wkNhUgROw6t2qOneLih_t1E-rfjpPoQFwSvEkD4phTgEQ6LSNMNxycxUft-9M6XwifMxxokOma0LFy3J315Jo/s1600/4blog.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6xXU-Xp8PahWvra_QsQHRJ7ZDzs7Hq7MMctezD9p-4iLOMK_XcgI4-0wkNhUgROw6t2qOneLih_t1E-rfjpPoQFwSvEkD4phTgEQ6LSNMNxycxUft-9M6XwifMxxokOma0LFy3J315Jo/s320/4blog.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5664302502216809874" /></a><br /><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Rock On Waimairi School.<div><br /></div><div><br /><div><br /></div><div>You did it and you did it so well. <a href="http://mikeanz.blogspot.com/2011/08/arts-front-and-centre.html">My last posting was 10 long weeks ago</a> we left the school all fired up about a term of dance, drama and music. At 8:20 in the morning of the first day of Term Three the school was alive with adults showing the children how a school can become a centre of arts performances. The challenge to all was to create and interpret so that by the end of term our school could become the 'new Arts Centre' of Christchurch. </div><div><br /></div><div>We did it. <a href="https://sites.google.com/a/waimairi.school.nz/waimairi-school/info-central/notices-newsletters/ArtsCentreProgramme.pdf?attredirects=0&d=1">Here is the full programme.</a> Our teachers and support staff really did give the children a stunning term of learning and creativity. Our Arts Centre Finale was enjoyed by the whole community. <a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/117485240644484775767/ArtsCentreTermFinale?feat=flashslideshow#5661279794486328146">Enough with the words, enjoy the pictures</a>. After ten weeks work the kids are the performers in the same spaces.</div><div><br /></div><div>Teachers, support staff, children and parents all made for a great term. We LOVE the NZ Curriculum, and in our battered city we loved having an Arts Centre back for a day( complete with with the yummy food stalls).</div><div> </div></div></div>Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06291605522441194537noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3908323164857503249.post-83673598259906677252011-08-06T17:59:00.003+12:002011-08-06T18:51:42.687+12:00Arts front and centreOne of the many things I love about our <a href="http://nzcurriculum.tki.org.nz/Curriculum-documents/The-New-Zealand-Curriculum">NZ Curriculum</a> is the even and balanced priority we must give to all areas. This term is the time for the arts to be front and centre.<div><br /></div><div>Our school-wide overarching question is 'how can Waimairi School become the new Arts Centre of Christchurch?. </div><div><br /></div><div>Those of you reading from afar might not know that our city's formerly vibrant and diverse <a href="http://www.artscentre.org.nz/">Arts Centre</a> is one of the casualties of the earthquakes. So this term's big question has a special poignancy for us.</div><div><br /></div><div>Half way through the preceding school term a group of teachers get together to undertake a review on the state of learning and plan the school wide direction for curriculum focus for the upcoming term. This year the arts planning team concluded that our visual arts learning is very good and needs to be maintained but music, drama and dance are the poor relations (in a classroom learning context). So these are our focus areas.</div><div><br /></div><div>Our localised curriculum, called Learning @ Waimairi requires the careful selection of two verbs from our list which capture the <a href="http://nzcurriculum.tki.org.nz/Curriculum-documents/The-New-Zealand-Curriculum/Learning-areas/The-arts">essence of a learning area</a> and need to be amplified. For term three we selected 'creating' and 'interpreting'. This is what the common school-wide learning is this term.</div><div><br /></div><div>Next comes the individual teachers 'turbo charging' of any achievement objectives they select for the term using<a href="http://hooked-on-thinking.com/"> SOLO Taxonomy</a>. Kudos to the authors of the arts AOs for arranging them in a very 'SOLO like' way in the first place.</div><div><br /></div><div>So... with all that important, but potentially dry, planning done it is time to ignite the children's interest, passion and curiosity. If our school is indeed going to be Christchurch's new Arts Centre in ten weeks time then everyone needed a peek at what that might look like.</div><div><br /></div><div>When children, parents and staff started to trickle in on the first day of term they found every sort of performer going for it everywhere they looked. At the end of the term it will be our children performing in these spaces, they have now been shown what is possible. And we loved the performers.</div><div><br /></div><div>Looking forward to a great school term and to seeing the children as the performing artists Enjoy the video.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dydoAVMYFwG-6HFStloGQigevdzpk4cmw1Fl25NPieXkVmqevG3KPxLJ2gMN9J8Edxb_tHvh5IWgf5kAmxZhQ' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe>Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06291605522441194537noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3908323164857503249.post-13141787762186024622011-07-27T20:53:00.001+12:002011-07-27T21:11:52.918+12:00Compare and ContrastAs I have stated in many previous posts, the government is the government and being democratically elected they have the right to implement the policies they see fit. But today my jaw dropped as I saw the launch of the Government Green Paper for Vulnerable Children. Well done Paula Bennett, take a bow.<br />
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This is what New Zealand's government law making process used to be like. I love it.<br />
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There is a very big issue, the green paper comes out. The stakeholders, the experts and anyone with a strong opinion have a crack at it. Here is the timetable:<br />
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<b>Step 1. Child abuse in New Zealand is an identified problem which needs attention so...</b><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; font-family: verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 9px; margin-left: 1px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 6px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><b><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-AU">Step 2. May-August 2011:</span></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; font-family: verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 9px; margin-left: 1px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 6px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-AU">Green Paper developed by a multidisciplinary team of public servants and others.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; font-family: verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 9px; margin-left: 1px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 6px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-AU">Advice and peer review provided by a group of academics and scientific experts chaired by Sir Peter Gluckman and a frontline forum including the Children’s Commissioner.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; font-family: verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 9px; margin-left: 1px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 6px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-AU">The Green Paper is released by the end of July 2011.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; font-family: verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 9px; margin-left: 1px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 6px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; font-family: verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 9px; margin-left: 1px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 6px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><b><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-AU">Step 3. August 2011-February 2012 :</span></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; font-family: verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 9px; margin-left: 1px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 6px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-AU">Nationwide public consultation Green Paper</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; font-family: verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 9px; margin-left: 1px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 6px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; font-family: verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 9px; margin-left: 1px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 6px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><b><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-AU">Step 4. May-July 2012:</span></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; font-family: verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 9px; margin-left: 1px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 6px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-AU">Analysis of consultation.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; font-family: verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 9px; margin-left: 1px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 6px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-AU">Development of a White Paper setting out the Children’s Action Plan.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; font-family: verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 9px; margin-left: 1px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 6px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; font-family: verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 9px; margin-left: 1px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 6px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><b><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-AU">Step 5. August 2012:</span></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; font-family: verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 9px; margin-left: 1px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 6px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-AU">Release of White Paper and formal adoption of the Plan.</span></span></div><br />
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Compare and contrast the education national standards legislative process.<br />
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<b>Step 1</b>. Lack of student achievement in literacy and numeracy is identified as an election issue. In the face of clear data that New Zealand leads the world in these areas.<br />
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<b>Step 2</b>. Pass Education Amendment Bill. Under urgency. No select committee consideration, no industry or professional sector consultation, no teacher voice, no parent voice, no university education research voice. That's all folks. Done. Law made.<br />
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There is a perverse factor to take into account as you compare and contrast the modes of operation (Minister of Education with the Minister of Social Development) and their degrees of haste. The evidence of child abuse is real and commands immediate action. The evidence of an underperforming education system is harder to find as New Zealand continues to top international performance tables. You would think one deserves parliamentary urgency and the other consultation and careful steps. Sadly it has been reversed.<br />
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Actually both issues deserve due process, and enduring and effective solutions require the latter. Well done Paula Bennett for getting back to the way that our country was, and should be governed. You and the cabinet have the ultimate say on what legislation will come out of the process but what you do decide upon will have had some good expert (and every-person) input. Can you pop down the corridor to share your methods with the Minister of Education?Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10777422117722818834noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3908323164857503249.post-12546884166773445212011-06-24T19:17:00.004+12:002011-06-24T19:44:34.256+12:00Post-quake, walking the walls with even more admiration for our teaching teamI walk the walls. It is a part of our curriculum review process. But it is much more than that. This term, more than any other before, it has moved me.<br />
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In any regular term I always end up looking at the pictures and thinking "wow, I love working with these people." But this term I have to admit to a few tears flowing as I looked at the picture collections.<br />
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These teachers are quake-weary, tired and doing all they can to hold together emotionally affected children and families. And... dealing with their own wrecked homes and jangled nerves.<br />
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Yet they are delivering a stunning term of learning. Better than before.<br />
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Every teacher in every class is here, plus some of our learning support staff. (Missing the afternoon programme pics because time keeps robbing me of the chance to grab them on camera).<br />
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<a href="http://web.me.com/mikeanz/waim/Walk_the_Walls_T2,_2011_pt1.html">Snapped in the first part of the term (front loading) look here</a><br />
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and the second part of term, applying the front-loaded knowledge before children fly with their own inquiring questions. <a href="http://web.me.com/mikeanz/waim/Walk_the_Walls_T2_2011_pt2.html">Look here.</a><br />
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The wall pictures only tell a small part of a learning story, photos of walls don't show the rich learning experiences in action, but looking at these pics I am in awe of a teaching team working in a disaster hit city.<br />
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I love the close detail learning obtained from the simple things like the autumn leaves, the dirt in the garden and the clouds in the sky. The interactive learning centres and the children's voice screaming out.<br />
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Can't say much more.Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10777422117722818834noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3908323164857503249.post-47619785521212529312011-05-27T20:40:00.005+12:002011-05-27T20:56:34.730+12:00TED Said...then spreadIt all started off well. But then <a href="http://www.ted.com/">TED</a> spread.<br />
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TED first came onto my radar in 2006 when Sir Ken Robinson made his moving, humorous, and influential '<a href="http://www.ted.com/talks/ken_robinson_says_schools_kill_creativity.html">Schools Kill Creativity</a>' speech. Ideas worth spreading indeed. Since then the TED Talks have inspired and challenged me. A few of my own key ideas, decisions and actions in recent years have had their genesis in a couple of TED presentations.<br />
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TED is now very fashionable. "Did you see it?" "It was amazing." "Very Inspirational" The risk is that TED-hungry leaders, managers and decision makers will end up with the sort of 'doing it vicariously' effect which has gripped the world of would be cooks, singers, and overweight people.<br />
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The abundance of reality media means that many people who don't cook their own healthy food can now instead get some sort of solace from living vicariously through watching Jamie Oliver do so. It means that people who want to have an entertainment career can now instead live that dream vicariously through their favourite TV Idol contestant. Watching the Biggest Loser gives an easier sense of well-being than changing diet and exercise programmes for yourself.<br />
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Also add to this list: Vicarious parenting through watching Super Nanny and vicarious home improvement through watching Grand Designs.<br />
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We can become dumbed down and passive consumers of ideas, convincing ourselves that the 'hard' but good things to do are taken care of in our lives by watching someone else do them on TV.<br />
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So the now pervasive presence of TED videos, and live local iterations of TED events, offer us inspiration, opportunity and also risk. The risk of us becoming consumers of TED content rather than producers of new ideas. The risk of living vicarious creative lives through the TED presenters' lives.<br />
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Ask some fellow teachers, principals or other leaders about creative things they have done recently. If they respond by saying that they have watched a TED video start to worry. Watching TED is good for getting inspiration but it is not creativity on its own.<br />
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Produce don't consume. Force yourself to be able to list actions you have taken as a result of a dose of TED. If we don't make ourselves do this then, as leaders, we are no different to an obese person cheering on their favourite Biggest Loser contestant while sitting on the couch eating a bucket of wings. Watching Ken does not make you Ken.Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10777422117722818834noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3908323164857503249.post-1501956266056367552011-05-15T20:38:00.001+12:002011-05-15T20:46:31.061+12:00Who is it that is teaching new teachers to write lyrics for Whitney Houston songs? If it is you please stop it now.<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, Arial; font-size: 13px;"><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, Arial; font-size: 13px;">Every few months I find myself in this position. All I want to do is find an outstanding teacher to employ. All I end up doing is wallowing through a pile of edu-speak sickly sweet treacle.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, Arial; font-size: 13px;">Who is it that is teaching new graduates that a CV should sound like a Whitney Houston song? The lack-of-substance mush-crimes are at their worst from UC College of Education here in Christchurch. Graduates seem compelled to offer something called an 'emerging philosophy of teaching.' </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, Arial; font-size: 13px;">The problem with an 'emerging philosophy of teaching' is that it states the obvious and tells me nothing about what the candidate actually plans to do if I let him/her loose on a class of children.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, Arial; font-size: 13px;"><i>"I </i></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, Arial; font-size: 13px;"><i>believe the children are our are future</i></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, Arial; font-size: 13px;"><i> </i></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, Arial; font-size: 13px;"><i><br />
</i></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, Arial; font-size: 13px;"><i>Teach them well and let them lead the way</i></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, Arial; font-size: 13px;"><i> </i></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, Arial; font-size: 13px;"><i><br />
</i></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, Arial; font-size: 13px;"><i>Show them all the beauty they possess inside</i></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, Arial; font-size: 13px;"><i> </i></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, Arial; font-size: 13px;"><i><br />
</i></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, Arial; font-size: 13px;"><i>Give them a sense of pride to make it easier"</i></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, Arial; font-size: 13px;">Give me a break. Without breaking any confidentiality by quoting from actual applications in front of me, they seem to say the same thing while at the same time managing to say nothing.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, Arial; font-size: 13px;"><i>"Show them all the beauty they possess inside<br />
Give them a sense of pride to make it easier<br />
Let the children's laughter remind us how we used to be"</i></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, Arial; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;">The missing components of so many of these manufactured sugar-sweet teaching job applications can be illustrated by going back to the old school Dr. Julia Atkin circles (as illustrated in <a href="http://www.learningtolearn.sa.edu.au/Archives/files/links/link_98133.pdf">From Values and Beliefs about Learning to Principles and Practice. Dr. Julia Atkin, 1996</a>).</span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, Arial; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;">Since no one would say <i>"I believe in a teacher centered classroom where only some children reach their potential and only some needs are met and parents are unwelcome" </i>everyone has to say "<i>I believe in a child centered classroom where all children reach their potential and all needs are met and there is an open door policy/partnership with parents." </i>These nice words are the centre of the circles mentioned above. </span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, Arial; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;">Sadly most job applications I receive stop there. They don't go on to say what the applicant's planned practices (which are congruent with their values and beliefs) are. A job application with the outer circle filled in will get my attention. The rest don't.</span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, Arial; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;">I could easily apply for a doctor's job by saying I want to heal people or an engineer's job by saying I want to build great buildings that don't fall down. The thing needed in those job applications would be some concrete ideas for how I might do that (the outer circles).</span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, Arial; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;">I hope teacher training institutions cotton on to these important gaps in the CVs they guide their students to produce.</span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, Arial; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;">And... one final point. We work with children, we get them to use crayons and picture books. This does not mean a job application and CV for a teaching job needs to look like it is made with crayons and made up as a pop-up book. Sort out the pedagogy/andragogy divide.</span></span><br />
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</span></span>Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10777422117722818834noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3908323164857503249.post-66480659543561091962011-04-15T23:52:00.007+12:002011-04-16T00:40:38.837+12:00and!! What ?? does this like mean??<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I found this posting from a standards proponent on </span><a href="http://www.kiwiblog.co.nz/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Kiwiblog. </span></a><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #555555; line-height: 18px;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If not National Standards then what?? We need something in place to see what state the education levels of our children are! Quite frankly they are alarming and something needs to be done fast. I have a 5 and 8 year old with my 5 year old falling behind! I don’t take offence to the teacher telling me he’s this way, more what can i do as a parent to help him? the National standards are catching these children before they get too far down the track. I agree that a 5 year old shouldn’t be tested and yes some improvements need doing to the policy but I don’t see anyone else with any bright ideas on how to fix the problem. I am at university at present doing year two of my teacher training and believe that teachers also need to be accountable! Its our job! thats what we are getting paid for. Its the whole education system that needs to be looked at and I think with a little time the standards will show this and hopefully something will be done! Or is that what we are all afraid of??? </span></i></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #555555; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Quite frankly i don”t think someone with a one-sided opinion like Martin Thrupp should be leading an investigation in the first place!</span></span></i></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #555555; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; line-height: 24px;"><br />
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<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; line-height: 24px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;">My response is.... firstly try to read the above out aloud to yourself then read on.</span></span></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small; line-height: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"></span></span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small; line-height: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"></span></span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black; font-family: Times;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small; line-height: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #555555; font-weight: bold;"><div style="font-weight: normal; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 5px; margin-top: 10px; text-transform: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;">Are you really a university student training to be a teacher? If you are a teacher in training you are indeed a living example of the need for national standards. A quick reading of your post shows me that you are well below the expected standard for writing. Your strangulation of punctuation is well below the expected standard for a child leaving the primary system. Sections of your posting are very hard to comprehend because of your poor writing skills.</span></span></div><div style="font-weight: normal; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 5px; margin-top: 10px; text-transform: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;">I am a school principal waiting for the extreme language on both sides of the debate to die down. There are some significant flaws in the standards and these flaws need some expert attention. Until the expert attention is applied to them my school will not be fully compliant with the national standards regime. This does not mean I am a rampant anti standards campaigner, it means that I am taking a considered professional stance</span>.</span></div></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span> <div style="font-weight: normal; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 5px; margin-top: 10px; text-transform: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My main concern is with the standards for mathematics. The rushed implementation has left teachers with some very inconsistent measures to use when making their standards judgments for reporting to parents. I long for a well reasoned professional debate about the content and detail of the standards. Sadly this will not happen while people are forced into camps for or against the standards.</span></div><div style="font-weight: normal; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 5px; margin-top: 10px; text-transform: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Until the minster, the unions and NZPF get together and work these issues out I remain in state of limbo. I am a civil servant and I am required to implement the will of the current government. I am also a trained professional and I am ethically required to use my professional knowledge for the benefit of the students in my school. Cool heads need to prevail in this debate, sadly this has not happened yet.</span></div><div style="font-weight: normal; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 5px; margin-top: 10px; text-transform: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Surprisingly, only the parents of the school concerned will know that one of the leaders of the ‘anti standards’ coalition of schools has a long history of giving his parents a written report which tells the hard truth about where their child is in relation to national expectations. My own school adopted his school's report format just as national standards arrived on the scene.</span></div><div style="font-weight: normal; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 5px; margin-top: 10px; text-transform: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Let’s get this clear, the leader of the anti standards coalition reports, in writing, to parents in the way that national standards require (and has done so for many years). This shows that the problem is with the national standards not the concept of reporting to parents on how their child is progressing.</span></div><div style="font-size: 12px; font-weight: normal; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 5px; margin-top: 10px; text-transform: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Until the debate on the real issues with the national standards starts to happen I remain uncertain about the outcome. The one certainty I do have is that rach88 has no chance of getting a teaching job unless he/she lifts his/her standard of literacy so that he/she can teach children to meet the required writing standard.</span></span></div></span></span></div></span>Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10777422117722818834noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3908323164857503249.post-9415719108201856682011-04-14T21:18:00.003+12:002011-04-15T07:11:08.078+12:00Can you run my business for me in your school?My February resolution was to crank my blog posts back up to a regular level again. Four days after my last post the earthquake put that plan to an end. But I am ready to roll again now.<br />
<br />
Here is a letter I am composing to schools. I want to make lots of money with little quality control.<br />
<br />
Dear School Principal,<br />
<br />
Today for some reason I am thinking about starting a business. A business run for profit. A business that retails goods and makes a profit for me.<br />
<br />
One barrier to me starting my business is the cost of buying or leasing retail premises, a place to show off and sell my products. To avoid this cost I will run a mail order business. But the problem still is the cost of direct mail or circular delivery of my monthly catalogue to home letterboxes.<br />
<br />
Hmmm, you could help me out here by giving my promotional materials and order forms to children at your school? I will save on lots of advertising and delivery costs.<br />
<br />
The next problem I face is order processing. If you get your teachers to give out my promotional materials, catalogues and order forms to your pupils can you also save me lots of money by collecting the orders, counting the money and sending it off to me. It would really reduce my overhead costs.<br />
<br />
Distribution of the ordered product is also a hassle (cost) for me so I propose that you get your teachers to do this for me as well. They can also follow up missed and incorrect orders for me.<br />
<br />
I like the idea of your teachers giving my promotional materials to their children. If it comes from a teacher and the teacher spends some class time talking with the kids about what is great, exciting and really worth buying this month, the children will unquestioningly believe I am offering good products. If I offer the class some incentives based on their total order value then there will also be some good peer pressure to keep up the class ethos and buy from me. My customers (children) wont want to let the class down by not pressuring their parents to buy this month's quota.<br />
<br />
What could I sell in my mail order business?<br />
<br />
An art kit (crayons, felt tip pens etc.)<br />
A battery powered game console<br />
A crystal growing kit<br />
A battery powered safe<br />
A T-shirt embroidery kit<br />
A bedroom burglar alarm<br />
A plastic bead-making machine<br />
A plastic stencil set<br />
A solar powered calculator<br />
A battery sudoko machine<br />
A set of board games<br />
<br />
or basically any cheap stuff you could buy at the Warehouse. Why would parents buy this from me? Because it had tacit endorsement from their child's school and therefore must be good for learning.<br />
<br />
I need to avoid hassles with tricky questions from school principals and boards of trustees. I will do this by orienting my website to recruit individual teachers directly to sign up to run my business for me in their own class. My other idea is to get some parent volunteer labour to work for me.<br />
<br />
By doing this it is unlikely that the things I say to parents in my catalogues e.g. "<span style="color: #f02333;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Parents: </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Ordering from me earns your school valuable </span><span style="color: #f02333;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">FREE </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">resources! or </span><span style="color: #be0d30;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Parents: </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Every Item Ordered Earns Your Child’s Classroom </span><span style="color: #be0d30;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">FREE </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Books!" will ever show up for scrutiny or audit on the school accounts or on school library book asset registers. Principals will be left guessing what is received and where these resources end up. </span>There will be no required approval of school management for teachers to join up and help me run my business for me. My website will help this process by recruiting them directly.<br />
<br />
Now all I need is a catchy name for my global multi-millon dollar business. A name which projects the feeling that what I sell is somehow educationally valid: Academicastic, Learnastic, Growbrainastic?<br />
<br />
Please support me with my new business plan.<br />
<br />
Regards<br />
Mike<br />
<br />
PS Don't knock those teachers who already like my business plan, they do so because they like to support literacy and reading in their classes. And NZ parents have a belief that what they got sold as kids is also still good. But let's question any new sign-ups. If you would not to open the gates to any other mail order company using teachers as commissioned sales people why would you open the gates for one that has been around for a while?Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10777422117722818834noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3908323164857503249.post-49235283544617274352011-02-18T19:12:00.000+13:002011-02-18T19:12:28.474+13:00Slow and steady wins the race<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE3Cw9wLWgxX1zXJvi0NxWRwa8qHDhJvtTktdmb2GcX-NVrRw6JgDGE11FFyh3ZsOUiu1JR-zgXpDFPhF0Ey5Xcg8Jofwc7yvG8Wubo5Yn9NfUoOvrmMvv7hjX-MCWzMZOrL0iRhsa2SHa/s1600/katesue.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE3Cw9wLWgxX1zXJvi0NxWRwa8qHDhJvtTktdmb2GcX-NVrRw6JgDGE11FFyh3ZsOUiu1JR-zgXpDFPhF0Ey5Xcg8Jofwc7yvG8Wubo5Yn9NfUoOvrmMvv7hjX-MCWzMZOrL0iRhsa2SHa/s320/katesue.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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Wow, far too long between blog posts. Back into it for now 2011.<br />
<br />
I am all fired up and enthused by an afternoon watching two of our teachers presenting a workshop to other educators on their use of the NZTA resources <a href="http://mikeanz.blogspot.com/2010/10/agency-doing-great-things-for-their-own.html">(an earlier post talks about how cool this work is)</a> and then a day with our whole school teaching staff led by Julie Mills of <a href="http://hooked-on-thinking.com/">Hooked On Thinking</a>.<br />
<br />
Two years ago, almost to the day, I asked our school staff to come along on a ride to enhance our school learning culture and develop a true 'learning community'. Not because there was anything wrong with the school but simply because there was a new national curriculum to implement and that was what was required in all schools for a successful roll-out of the NZ Curriculum <a href="http://mikeanz.blogspot.com/2010/07/she-blinded-me-with-science.html">(lots of stuff on that in this earlier post)</a>.<br />
<br />
At the time I told our team that the 'ride' would last three to five years. Why so long? Because at the same time that we are busy re-thinking and re-skilling we have a school to run. No children or year groups of children can be used as guinea pigs with experimental educational ideas used on them in the name of change. If we were opening a new school we would have time before-hand to think about how we wanted to work and get it clear before we had children in front of us. We don't have that luxury. We are <b>building a new plane in the air.</b><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/L2zqTYgcpfg?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><br />
<br />
This is why we are taking three to five years to fully implement the NZ Curriculum - keeping up the quality while adding value.<br />
<br />
The last two days were milestones in this process for two reasons:<br />
<br />
1. Our staff (rather than me) ventured out to share with others what is going on in the school (see photo at top). Nothing consolidates understanding of what you do than having to explain it to others.<br />
2. Our whole staff had a professional re-look (as opposed to a new-look) at <a href="http://hooked-on-thinking.com/solo-taxonomy/">SOLO taxonom</a>y. We all need time playing in the sandpit with the new toys before we get really serious about new uses for them.<br />
<br />
We have gone into the <a href="http://www.jamesnottingham.co.uk/blog/learning-pit">pit of new knowledge</a> and can now spend a few years consolidating and making connections as we rise up to a higher level. At our staff retreat this year the pleasure for me was seeing connections emerge in the minds of our whole staff- <a href="http://leading-learning.blogspot.com/">Bruce Hammonds </a>has aspects of thinking which relate to <a href="http://sirkenrobinson.com/skr/">Sir Ken Robinson</a>, which relate to aspects of thinking of <a href="http://www.learningnetwork.ac.nz/shared/products/facilitator.aspx?id=KATMUR">Kath Murdoch</a>, which relate to aspects of thinking of <a href="http://www.sustained-success.com/index.php/547">John Edwards</a> which relate to aspects of thinking of all of our canons....<br />
<br />
From now on it is reviewing and re-engaging rather than cramming more in.<br />
<br />
Bring it on....<br />
<br />
...until of course we get to the point just before a peak and need to start the whole process over again - <a href="http://www.prelude-team.com/article/the-sigmoid-curve">see the sigmoid curve</a>. If not the organisation that is Waimairi School would start to fade. But perhaps that is the next principal's job.Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10777422117722818834noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3908323164857503249.post-42794514399984266182010-10-27T21:01:00.002+13:002010-10-27T21:09:13.026+13:00World Teachers' Day<div style="font-family: Helvetica;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px;"><a href="http://5oct.org/index.php/en/index">UNESCO World Teachers' Day</a> is being marked in New Zealand on Friday. To quote the UNESCO website;</span></div><div style="font-family: Helvetica;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Helvetica; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"><i>"The theme of this year's event is <b>'</b></i></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; line-height: 36px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"><i><b>Recovery begins with teachers'.</b></i></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"><i> </i></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; line-height: 26px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"><i>On World Teachers’ Day 2010 hundreds of thousands of students, parents... around the world will pay homage to all teachers who have been directly or indirectly affected by a major crisis. Be it a humanitarian crisis, such as the earthquake in Haiti and China, or the global economic crisis that has devastated many developed economies over the past year, the role of teachers and other education personnel is vital to social, economic and intellectual rebuilding. </i></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; line-height: 26px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"><i>All those who are fighting to provide quality education to children of the world can join teachers and their representative organisations to celebrate the profession and show them their support"</i></span></span></span></div><div style="font-family: Helvetica;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; line-height: 26px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span></span></span></div><div style="font-family: Helvetica;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; line-height: 26px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;">While not suggesting that our Christchurch earthquake has in any way been a humanitarian disaster on a comparable scale to those mentioned above I think it is appropriate that we all take a moment on Friday to thank our teaching team for the emotional support they have given our children over the last month or so. </span></span></span></div><div style="font-family: Helvetica;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; line-height: 26px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span></span></span></div><div style="font-family: Helvetica;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; line-height: 26px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;">Our wonderful staff are themselves a cross section of the Christchurch community and have been so professional in putting their own on-going feelings, worries, and losses aside to be on duty and upbeat so that our children recover well. World Teachers' Day is a great time to show our teachers how much we appreciate their humanity and professionalism. </span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; line-height: 26px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; line-height: 26px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;">This song sent by Bluestone School in Timaru to Christchurch schools is a good indication of the spirit of our staff and our children.</span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; line-height: 26px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; line-height: 26px;"><object height="385" width="480"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/jSrYbPvvdo0?fs=1&hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/jSrYbPvvdo0?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; line-height: 26px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; line-height: 26px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;">Thanks team.</span></span></span></div>Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10777422117722818834noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3908323164857503249.post-52265559794962514352010-10-20T20:13:00.000+13:002010-10-20T20:13:57.846+13:00An agency doing great things - for their own cause and for education in generalAlmost every government and local body agency has a good message for school children.<br />
<br />
-how to pat dogs safely<br />
-be safe around railway tracks<br />
-eat well<br />
-don't get sunburn<br />
-start a saving habit early<br />
-don't smoke<br />
-be nice to whales<br />
-be nice to Wales (perhaps)<br />
-increase use of Te Reo<br />
-don't touch power lines<br />
<br />
The list goes on and on. Sadly the bulk of these sort of messages are delivered in the form of 'resource kits' and workbooks.<br />
<br />
These resource kits and workbooks cost millions of dollars to produce, package and distribute and frankly do not truly address the challenges and opportunities offered by and outlined in the New Zealand Curriculum document.<br />
<br />
Code the depth of thinking demanded or depth of learning experience offered in so many of these school resources and information campaigns using any taxonomy of learning, and you will find yourself swimming at the shallow end of the pool. Word-finds, black-line masters, colouring activities, multichoice quizes, mazes, stickers and fact-boxes. Sadly watering sound messages down to superficial learning.<br />
<br />
Swimming against this tide of 'good message but mediocre learning resource' is the innovative, useful and challenging work being done by the <a href="http://www.feetfirst.govt.nz/curriculum">NZ Transport Agency (NZTA)</a> in conjunction with <a href="http://hooked-on-thinking.com/">Hooked On Thinking</a>. It is not only an outstanding contribution to the cause of road safety, fitness and sustainable transport, it is a great contribution to the cause of quality learning in New Zealand schools.<br />
<br />
The high quality learning resources, which have been developed and continue to flow, more than serve their purpose for the NZTA. They also offer an illustration of the depth of learning on offer when the <a href="http://hooked-on-thinking.com/solo-taxonomy/">SOLO Taxonomy</a> is employed in school curriculum design.<br />
<br />
If these sets of resources achieve nothing else, they show schools great examples of the sort planning, thinking and learning possible when the NZ Curriculum is fully implemented and well interpreted.<br />
<br />
Several teachers at our school have already used the resource to strengthen their planning and practice in other curriculum areas. Not something you often get from other 'resource kits'.<br />
<br />
Well done Raewyn Baldwin from NZTA and Pam Hook & Julie Mills from Hooked on Thinking.Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10777422117722818834noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3908323164857503249.post-83595547596179266892010-10-15T19:33:00.009+13:002010-10-31T20:41:42.130+13:00The tipping point____________________________________________________________<br />
<b>Updated 31/10/2010. The link in this posting has gone. Removed by the MoE and put behind password access. Although it makes this post hard to understand because readers can't see the document I am talking about it does show some reflection going on in Wellington..I hope? </b><br />
____________________________________________________________<br />
<br />
Up until now I have held onto my own values and beliefs about primary education and quietly watched while the debate over national standards unfolded (<a href="http://mikeanz.blogspot.com/2010/03/i-am-so-sick-of-hearing-1-in-5-line.html">apart from this previous blog post</a>)<br />
<br />
I like plain language reporting to parents about where their children are at.<br />
I like schools being accountable for progress of children.<br />
I like constant improvement and always aiming for an aspirational goal.<br />
I like teachers knowing where their children are and what they need to do next to move the children on.<br />
<br />
So what problem would I have with National Standards?<br />
<br />
<a href="http://assessment.tki.org.nz/Overall-teacher-judgment/Variation-in-school-entry-dates">But having just read this</a> ...<br />
<br />
...I am left stunned. Is this really what our teachers, our BOT, and I need to spend our time understanding and doing?<br />
<br />
This is not the 'plain language' reporting heralded by the onset of National Standards. I am seriously thinking about offering cash prizes to parents who can understand the "plain language" of the above web page.<br />
<br />
I am pondering - what is wrong with simply using tools like the Literacy Learning Progressions and the progress expectations from the National Numeracy Project to give plain language reports to parents about how their children are progressing?<br />
<br />
Do we need this level of technocratic reporting to give a plain language report to parents and to set targets for raising achievement?<br />
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Or are we going back to standards? Standard 1, Standard 2, Standard 3 and Standard 4 - what classes used to be called in the bad old days when kids were held back until they reached the mark? Yes, that is how those old names for year groups came about. Do we really want to go back to that? Talk to the elderly ex-Waimairi pupil (who is now a published author) about how that system made him feel in the 1940s. I discussed this with recently. You can guess his answer to that question. It took him 1/2 his adult life to get over being held back in Standard 2.Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10777422117722818834noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3908323164857503249.post-8446765035693163492010-09-10T16:20:00.001+12:002010-09-10T16:24:28.880+12:00The restorative power of normal routines<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn9zDudCrbdCeJ_I_r3lDcpkg0v4A4IDvg-xSLNtQZKM2khLHETiA7VJ0UJSHSfy4rwL7E1aAQBGefa6iJn6OKFdhIEtX3MEmeZnoy3O1vtfzLU-HOpeBe2j5GJQpNk0REe2JXR2inGLOF/s1600/staffback.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn9zDudCrbdCeJ_I_r3lDcpkg0v4A4IDvg-xSLNtQZKM2khLHETiA7VJ0UJSHSfy4rwL7E1aAQBGefa6iJn6OKFdhIEtX3MEmeZnoy3O1vtfzLU-HOpeBe2j5GJQpNk0REe2JXR2inGLOF/s320/staffback.jpg" /></a></div><br />
A summary of the main points of almost all expert texts on the topic of dealing with anxiety after a traumatic event always shows that resuming normal routines is a powerful healer.<br />
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After a week of dealing with our own families' needs, our damaged homes and caring for others in our neighbourhoods it felt so good today to to sit down to lunch with our whole staff and kick off the process for a return to a normal school week this coming Monday.<br />
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Seeing the positive impact on our team caused by finally getting back to work today fills me with hope for the great impact a return to school will have on our children next week.Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10777422117722818834noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3908323164857503249.post-31019053032774908782010-08-29T18:06:00.006+12:002010-11-18T20:26:49.034+13:00Time to stop 'decile' being an over-used adjective<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIA3bMUUMdqSHsLpE-7ZQg79VpVphcfH3IJdOMbC5pmKhgLpTwSvCRozjlfRuWSHvMPhREvaRunjZJP6iI7Aa9FUMAtLPKK7WSdiRzyKdb6mjiau7a57CR6SJfIIzwg-fNRp9KszIdzOiQ/s1600/statehouse.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIA3bMUUMdqSHsLpE-7ZQg79VpVphcfH3IJdOMbC5pmKhgLpTwSvCRozjlfRuWSHvMPhREvaRunjZJP6iI7Aa9FUMAtLPKK7WSdiRzyKdb6mjiau7a57CR6SJfIIzwg-fNRp9KszIdzOiQ/s320/statehouse.jpg" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdwH-4Jnv8fvDL6UzoOMOpciiVOADR-Vo9mtaoau35o0XliVqKzKQ1lvxfvVkA0UhrtEn_1V9u3HCVZjwHEBsKkMswIKko-1Z9p0IvQr6ZYd5TbP0TnCkit_Ji8WOD1nig9p-9Mx0m1_d-/s1600/mansion.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdwH-4Jnv8fvDL6UzoOMOpciiVOADR-Vo9mtaoau35o0XliVqKzKQ1lvxfvVkA0UhrtEn_1V9u3HCVZjwHEBsKkMswIKko-1Z9p0IvQr6ZYd5TbP0TnCkit_Ji8WOD1nig9p-9Mx0m1_d-/s320/mansion.jpg" /></a></div><br />
How many other countries have such a mis-used and pejorative term like 'low-decile school'? How many other countries have such a mis-used and illusionary term like 'high-decile school'?<br />
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New Zealand's state schools are all given a decile rating.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #4e4a4a; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 15px;"><i>Decile 1 schools are the 10% of schools with the highest proportion of students from low socio-economic communities. Decile 10 schools are the 10% of schools with the lowest proportion of these students. <b>A school’s decile does not indicate the overall socio-economic mix of the school.</b></i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #4e4a4a; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 15px;"><i>(Ministry of Education)</i></span></div><br />
For the full explanation of calculation and application take a look at the <a href="http://www.minedu.govt.nz/NZEducation/EducationPolicies/Schools/SchoolOperations/Resourcing/ResourcingHandbook/Chapter1/DecileRatings.aspx">Ministry of Education's page on the subject</a>.<br />
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<b>The basic and overlooked fact is that decile ratings have NOTHING to do with the performance or quality of a school and what goes on in the school has nothing to do with its decile rating</b><br />
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It is a system created with good intent and remains a pretty good way of addressing social inequity across the communities which the national school network serves. The problem is that as the years have gone by the decile rating of a school has changed from being a component in the calculation of its operational funding to being a way of describing the school itself, an overused and meaningless adjective.<br />
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There was a time when a certain perception was applied to many schools "that is a bit of a rough school" "that is a bit of a posh school." The arrival of the decile system has provided a pseudo-legitimised way of describing a school. What a shame this is. Only the most rampant socialist would attempt to ban parents from classifying and comparing schools, it is human nature to seek out the best for one's children, but the decile rating is not the adjective parents should use to describe a school.<br />
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Here are some of the common and totally unfounded generalisations about low decile schools:<br />
- they have poor teachers<br />
- behaviour is bad, bullying is high<br />
- student achievement is low<br />
- the school makes little difference to student achievement<br />
- there are few extra-curricular opportunities for pupils<br />
- buildings are in disrepair<br />
- the community is not engaged with the school<br />
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Here are some of the common and totally unfounded generalisations about high decile schools:<br />
- they attract and retain the great teachers<br />
- behaviour is great, bullying is low<br />
- student achievement is high<br />
- the school makes a huge difference to student achievement<br />
- there are lots of extra-curricular opportunities for pupils<br />
- the buildings are wonderful<br />
- the community is fully engaged with the school<br />
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If you are reading this from overseas you would say these are common assumptions made about schools in rich or poor areas in all countries. The problem is that in New Zealand we have a decile number to pin on each school. The notion of rough school/posh school is officially branded on all of them.<br />
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If you have an official brand put on a school it tends to get used. And used in the most awful ways. Here are a few examples of very dodgy ways:<br />
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- A principal being interviewed on Radio New Zealand National on an entirely different subject was congratulated at the start of the interview on his school's recent rise from decile 7 to 8. This plonker responded by saying "thank you we are very proud of that, our staff worked hard for it". <i>Well done staff, did you all go out and inflate local real estate prices?</i><br />
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- A reporter from the Southland Times reports that principal Kerry Hawkins is justified in his stance against National Standards because his school <a href="http://www.stuff.co.nz/southland-times/news/3748167/Schools-feel-pressure-from-Education-Ministry">went from decile 3 to 5</a>. <i>Good on you Kerry, you must have dropped overcrowding in homes.</i><br />
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- A parent approached me at my last school to say how sorry he was our decile rating dropped after the last census but he felt sure we could work hard to lift it. <i>Yes I am sure I can somehow improve the educational qualifications of our parents and get it up again.</i><br />
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<i>- </i>International student recruitment agencies have started to think that decile ratings reflect the quality of the school. My current school's drop from 10 to 9 at the last census has been viewed in Seoul, Korea as a drop in worth of the school as an international education option.<br />
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The media now consistently use decile as an adjective to describe any school being reported on. How sad that any achievement from low decile schools is usually reported as some rare wonder (as patronisingly as disabled people doing something great). <a href="http://www.nzherald.co.nz/auckland-university/news/article.cfm?o_id=330&objectid=10453206">This is a rare exception</a>.<br />
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Expectations of failure very rarely fail. Sadly the new generation of under-graduate teachers have grown up with decile numbers (and false expectations of failure or success of pupils) being attached to schools. These teachers undergoing training sadly also verbalise the same old expectations of a school's culture because the school has a government number attached to it. They expect bad and dumb kids at low decile and good and clever kids at high decile.<br />
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From parents to newly qualified teachers the effect is getting worse and worse. What other country brands schools like this? there must be a better way to calculate operation funding without putting a brand on a school...<br />
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...and don't even get me started about how real estate agents use decile numbers. Maybe, one day, New Zealand will not have a system of describing schools in this way. We might get back to having rough schools and posh schools again. Nicely ambiguous and not able to be used to sell houses in a certain area.Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10777422117722818834noreply@blogger.com5