Dweck's book a must for all teachers and leaders.

\It is hard to avoid reading about Carol Dweck's work on the power of mindsets in learning. Business leaders and sports coaches use her ideas and so ought schools. It will be the most influential book on motivation. A book that with ideas to change the lives of students and their teachers.I am writing this blog before I have fully absorbed the message of the book as I want to loan it to a young teacher . As a result of reading the book I have decided to start something I have been meaning to do for years. I now have the right mindset. Watch this space.My advice - buy the book pronto. My copy cost NZ $29. Not bad for a mind changing book. 'Mindset The New Psychology Of Success' Published by Ballantine Books NY ISBN 978-0-345-47232-8Carol Dweck...

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Posted in: Big Picture,change,Creative teaching,Educationalists,Leadership,Personalized Learning,teaching and learning

'How to be an Explorer of the World'

Now for something really different!!!If anybody out there is creative, or would like to be ( after all we were all born creative until schools got hold of us) this is the book for you or your students. Actually if anybody out there is a scientist, or would like to be, ( after all we were all born to be scientists until schools got hold of us) this is the book for you, or your students.Or if you would just like to see more, notice more or make life more interesting this is the book for you ( because this is what we were born to do).To me this book supplies what is missing in our increasingly focused literacy and numeracy classrooms. Any half creative teacher would find it packed full of great ideas and not a learning objective, WALT or success...

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Posted in: Action Plans and Lessons,Creative teaching,Creativity,Early Education,Personalized Learning,teaching and learning

National Standards lay waste to creativity. Wise words from Kelvin Smythe!

Creative New Zealand teachers should listen and pass on Kelvin's words to all. Visit his site and join up for his regular postings -and join upper right to get my blogs. It is important to see through the smog of Ministry dogma and appreciate the sad reality the Ministry taking New Zealand education.The following is a slightly edited version of Kelvin's posting.Visit his site to read it in full.Kelvin writes'We all know that the technicalities of national standards are irreconcilably flawed, but are we sufficiently focused on national standards as a concept being irreconcilably flawed? National standards are irreconcilably flawed as a concept because they set up narrowed versions of literacy and numeracy as proxies for the curriculum, resulting...

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Posted in: Big Picture,Ministry NZCurric,national standards

The rebirth of education - a real Renaissance

The invention, sometime around 1445, by Gutenberg of the printing press enabled books to be printed and contributed to the first Renaissance. The spread of books changed the face and conditions of things all over the world.The number of books produced in the fifty years following Gutenberg equalled the number produced by European scribes during the preceding 1000 years. By this means ideas were set free and a literacy culture challenged the prior religious oral culture, beginning the development of the scientific mind - the first Renaissance ( the rebirth)I have also read the Renaissance was helped by rats. The great plague wiped out rich and poor in Europe, a third of the population, providing the impetus for new thinking as old systems of...

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Posted in: Big Picture,change,Creative Schools,Leadership,Personalized Learning,Rants and Raves,teaching and learning

Tom Sawyer -educator ( and Goldilocks)

I like Mark Twain. A great observer of people and a great story teller. He once described leadership like being the captain of a Mississippi paddle wheel steamer who had to to know every bed in the river, every sandbar, and every snag every twenty four hours!Sounds like being teacher. Intuition is more important than out of date river charts. Thinking on your feet, making instant decision, is the mark of a good teacher not following lesson plans mindlessly.If you are reading this be great if you were to pass on the blog to other creative people who might be interested and get then to receive the blog, as posted, by e-mail.See box above right.Getting students involved in learning because they want to - because it makes sense to them - is the...

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Posted in: Creative teaching,project based learning,teaching and learning

There is just time for a Kowhai Study before the holidays

When I visit schools I often see teachers involved in ten week inquiry studies which seem all process and little real content. Good inquiry studies should result students uncovering some real in-depth content. With the holidays coming up there is just time for a 'mini study' based on one of New Zealand's iconic plants - the Kowhai. How much do your students know about this amazing tree? How much do they look at a kowhai and see very little except yellow flowers. In one week of a focused in-depth inquiry a lot can be learned. Through poetic language and the expressive arts children's creativity can also also be celebrated.Creative teachers should always be on the lookout for ideas to introduce their students to.This time of the year it almost...

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National Standards for Dogs?

All dogs have evolved from wolves and this process has been effected by deliberate breeding. Dogs are now as diverse as humans. Would it be possible to develop standards to assess them? Would you choose speed or strength, trainability or native intelligence, suitable as pets or hunters. Whatever you choose will narrow the options and breeders will breed to the qualities chosen. No use for dogs but OK for our kids.This blog comes from Phil Cullen the ex Director General of Primary Education Queensland who is strongly against this technocratic standardized testing idea. Visit his site to read what he has to say.Phil got the blog from American educator Marion Brady who is also against standardisation.Visit his site if you are curious.So thanks...

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Posted in: national standards

Kelvin Smythe John Hatties nemesis!

Education is at turning point. National Standards takes us back to the past. The revised curriculum the future. Schools however can't have it both ways. Compromise is almost as bad as compliance. Kelvin Smythe has a steady eye on the future. John Hattie seems confused - busy hedging his bets.The following, is an abridged e-mail sent out by Kelvin and sums up a long posting of his .Read the full posting for yourself.'This posting', Kelvin writes, 'addresses the question of how an academic of such intelligence and status can be so superficial, can be, just when it matters, so unimaginative, have such fantastic blind spots, promote opposing ideas with such credibility.'I have been very gratified at the exceptional number of people who clicked...

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Posted in: Assessment,Big Picture,change,Ministry NZCurric,national standards

Will the real John Hattie stand up.

John Hattie - the holder of the Holy Grail or a Poison Chalice? It does appear that John Hattie seems to be running with the hares and hunting with the hounds? Kelvin Smythe is keeping a clear humanistic eye on him on behalf of creative teachers. Hattie and Tolley at it again writes KelvinKelvin's article has been slightly abridged - read his full statement on his website.'The heading for this posting does not mean I believe that Hattie and Tolley are personally close or in regular communication, but it does mean they share a community of interest in pushing the arguments they do. Tolley has developed a visceral contempt for teachers as a result of their energetic opposition to national standards; and Hattie has become frustrated with teachers...

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Posted in: Big Picture,Leadership,Ministry NZCurric,national standards,Rants and Raves

Be wary of 'research says', 'best practice' and 'data driven' 'buzz words' writes Dean Fink

I have just had an e-mail from Canadian educationalist Dean Fink to let me know about a website and blog he has recently established. Dean is well known in New Zealand and has been very encouraging about the potential of the New Zealand Curriculum. He would be less impressed now with the new government's imposition of the backward locking National Standards and associated nonsense. I hope he doesn't mind but the following is an extract from one of his first blogs.Visit Dean's website.'Let me outline', writes Dean, 'three words or phrases that agitate my crap detector – “the research says”, “best practice” and “data driven” instruction, leadership or whatever. Whether you agree or disagree with my analysis, I would like to hear from you about...

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Posted in: Big Picture,Creative teaching Educationalists,Ministry NZCurric,national standards,teaching and learning