By Allan Alach
I welcome suggested articles, so if you come
across a gem, email it to me at allan.alach@ihug.co.nz.
This week’s homework!
Hattie’s research: egregious errors
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| Hattie - dubious research! |
Distinguished New Zealand educator Kelvin Smythe
has vehemently disagreed with John Hattie for many years. Here’s his latest salvo that attacks the dubious
basis of his ‘research’ and subsequent conclusions, which are then used to reinforce
neoliberal education agendas.
“Hattie
does not really discuss, present, or defend his curriculum or education
conclusions on the basis of the range of known arguments but on what his
statistics demonstrate. In this age of the obsession with certainty based on
numbers, Hattie has settled on a winning combination, and when presented by a
professor of considerable standing, his conclusions are difficult to touch let
alone challenge. And with Hattie it is not just numbers but numbers gigantism.”
All artists have ADD, me included says Sam Neill
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| Sam Neill - good advice |
Consider the points that Sam makes when
considering the children in your class. Are you overlooking the artists?
“If I could have
your attention for just one minute please… if you would… all right, half a minute would be fine
then, if that’s
all you’ve
got. If I might ask, exactly how distracted are you? Do you have, like me, the
concentration span of a mosquito? Can you get to the end of this article
without wondering what leftovers are in the fridge, if QI is on the telly
tonight, or if indeed it is Thursday at all?
I ask this because we have some of what ‘experts’ call Attention Deficit
Disorder in my family.”
The Myth of Multitasking And What It Means For Learning
“Supported
by research into how the brain functions, Dr Deak argues that the brain is only
able to focus deeply on one task at a time. And not only that, trying to do too
many things at once causes the brain to lose the capacity for deep thinking
altogether.”
The Rock Lady
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Another essential read from Kelvin Smythe, this
time describing REAL learning.
‘“If
you want to explain the holistic, holistic evaluation, an example of the
structure of an holistic activity, an holistic question, the ideal of teaching
as it used to be, how to be a great teacher, the antithesis of John Hattie’s philosophy – the true story that follows is it. For me,
this story from the ‘80s is an icon. If someone asks me: How
could I be a better teacher? I say, read this, absorb this, now go forth and
teach.’
25 Things Skilled Learners Do Differently
“Why
some of us master them earlier than others is another topic, one that may have
something to do with parenting, environment, and even genetics. But the point
is, we’re all capable. The smartest,
most successful people in the world wouldn’t be where they are today if they weren’t skilled learners. So let’s examine which strategies we should be perfecting and how they can
serve us in the long run.”
A therapist goes to middle school and tries to sit still and focus.
She can’t. Neither can the kids.
I can relate to this!
“Except
for brief periods of getting up and switching classrooms, I’ve been sitting for the past 90 excruciating minutes. I look down at
my leg and notice it is bouncing. Great, I think to myself, now I’m fidgeting! I’m doing anything I can
to pay attention – even contorting my body into awkward
positions to keep from daydreaming. It is useless, I checked out about
forty-five minutes ago. I’m no longer
registering anything the teacher is saying. I look around the room to see how
the children a few decades younger than me are doing.”
Seriously, Why Are You Still In Education?
“Why
are our reform voices not being heard above the clamor and strife of recent
events? Not that
This week’s contributions from Bruce Hammonds:
Why Learning Innovation Can’t Come From Teachers Alone
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Bruce’s comment: Who
is right -does an over focus on standards limit creativity?
“When is the last time you’ve walked into a classroom and seen real joy for learning and
understanding? Not simply a fun activity, or students enjoying working together, or
even vague engagement, but rather resonating, engrossed, curiosity-driven and
rigorous learning that changes kids from the inside out?”
Arts Education Transforms Societies
Bruce’s comment:
Importance of the arts.
“Although many people may agree that arts (music, theatre, dance,
visual, media, literary and more) are an important part of education, they may
not realize the powerful trickle-up effect of arts education on a modern,
innovative workforce. Indeed, arts education has the power to transform
societies for the better.”
Accountability: Do we mean the same
thing?
Food for thought…
“So, the word accountability is thrown around a lot in education, but
the more I hear the word, the more I think we are really saying different
things…”
Bruce comments: Got a bee in my bonnet
about ability grouping at the moment… the
unintended consequences of ability grouping.
Research Spotlight on Academic Ability
Grouping
Bruce’s comment: A
taken for granted assumption underpinning most school is the unquestioned use
of ability grouping or in some situations streaming. What are your views on the
use of ability grouping. I see them as the most destructive element of
traditional education. The trouble is with things taken for granted , as
Abraham Lincoln once said, is that they're taken for granted! Personalised programmes require rethinking about the use of ability
grouping/streaming, setting etc. The trouble is as school are increasingly
being compared by achievement results
there is pressure to use ability
grouping.
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| Consequences of ability grouping |
“The educational practice of ability grouping emerged around the turn
of the 20th century as a way to prepare students for their
"appropriate" place in the workforce (Cooper, 1996). Students
with high abilities and skills were given intense, rigorous academic training
while students with lower abilities were given a vocational education.”
Is Ability Grouping the Way to Go -- Or
Should It Go Away?
Bruce's comment: Should we untrack our
schools? Does streaming within class ( ability grouping) or school wide (division of students into specialised academies) do any good?
“So is tracking a fair way for educators to deal with the wide
disparity in students' abilities? Or is it a form of discrimination that has
few benefits for students and ought to be outlawed? The issue hasbeen the
subject of debate for many years---and will be for years to come. One thing is
certain: Further research is essential for educators (and, perhaps, for the
courts) charged with making informed decisions about the advantages or
disadvantages of ability grouping.”
From Bruce’s ‘oldies but goodies’ file …
More on ability grouping …
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| Against ability grouping |
Ability Grouping - unintended
consequences for learners and teachers.- A need for a new transformational mindset for teaching to develop
the talents and gifts of all students.
“When I taught I chose, against advice of the school, not to use
ability grouping instead choosing to help students individually, or in small
groups skills required and then returning students back to whatever they were
studying. The teachers who were advising me seemed to spend most of their day
worrying about reading and mathematics whereas I wanted to focus on inquiry
studies, language and the creative arts.”
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| Dr Rubie- Davis NZ |
Teachers using ability grouping
contributing to growing inequality in schools!!
Bruce’s comment: And
some NZ research about teachers with the highest expectations of students who
choose not to use ability grouping. This research shows that the use of ability
grouping is adding to the growing achievement gap in schools. Time to change.
“Several studies have shown that high expectation differ from low
expectations in three key areas: they do not use
ability groups, they create a warm class climate, and they set clear learning
goals with their students. At the heart of these difference, in my opinion is
the use of flexible groupings rather than ability grouping.’”
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