2013 - Term 3 - Good Teacher Magazine by Good Teacher Magazine

Term Three 2013

“The best teachers don’t give you the answers... They just point the way ... Good Teacher Magazine Term 3 2013 1 and let you make your own choices.”

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Index 3 Your Soapbox

Cultural Intelligence and the Future

Lyn Pascoe

The Art and Science of Tinkering

MOTAT

Transition to School

Petra Navanua, Pam Wardrope and Angela Kitchener 10

Michael’s search

Rachel Williams

From student to jet-setting teacher

Differentiating in Science: Thinking like a scientist

Elaine Le Sueur

Efficacy and the tactics of change

Laurie Loper

Homework: How much are school students doing?

Mainly 3D Street Art...yet another viewpoint

Graffitti to street art series

2013 Science Teller Fair

Ken Done and the Sydney themed art prize

Become Unstoppable with Momentum

Michelle LaBrosse

Singing helps students tune into a foreign language

The University of Edinburgh

One Man’s Dream and the Ruben Jane

Neil Adams

Teachers Urged to Recommend ‘Toughlove’

Grants Help Environment Flourish

From Tech To Texture: Aureilie Tu

Jaime Derringer

Roger’s Rant Front and Back Covers:

Further from the Street Art Series

Good Teacher Magazine would like to acknowledge the unknown photographers internationally for the Street Art photographs... most were collated from a wide range of internet sources.

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Your Soapbox!

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At one time the mind was considered a blank page only written on by experience. Today we favour the seed and soil theory. For example distinguishing colour, line, pattern and shape are innate, but doing anything with them can only be learnt. Knowledge is the only instrument of production not subject to diminishing returns. Furthermore it increases at a spectacular rate. Ninety percent of all he scientists who ever lived are alive today. In the 500 years since Gutenberg invented printing some thirty million books have been printed; and an equal number has been published in the last five years. The quantity of information doubles every eight years. This mean by the time a child born today graduated from college, the amount of knowledge in the world will be four times as much, and by the time that child is fifty it will be thirty two times as great. By then ninety seven per cent of everything known will have been learnt since that child was born. I’m not quite sure what all this amounts to, but one cynic has suggested that as we find out more and more, about less and less, the point will soon come when we’ll all know everything about nothing. In any event what is for sure us that the more you know the less you need. The fact is that the mind thinks with ideas not information, so acquiring knowledge is useless unless one learns how to use it. A dictionary may contain all the words but no one can tell a poet which to choose or what to write.

”

The Art of Looking Sideways Alan Fletcher

If you want to have YOUR SAY please email your offering to: soapbox@goodteacher.co.nz

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Cultural Intelligence and the Future:Thinking about diversity Lyn Pascoe This article is written from a New Zealand perspective. We are a country whose population is increasingly strengthened by the many immigrants who make it their home. It is my belief, from my own International experiences, that many countries are facing the issues this rich diversity brings to educators. In this article I want to offer some of my thinking about the future: prompts for reflection around the ways of being and facilitating learning that educators may consider as they seek to address the diversity of their classrooms and schools. The ideas are things you may like to ponder upon and consider or they may support ideas you, the reader, already hold dear. As educators we do not know what the future may hold for our learners but we do know that we must prepare them to accept the global nature of life and have strategies that allow them to survive and prosper. I therefore offer the ideas in this article in the hope that they may create positive dialogue around this significant topic.

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In my last two articles I have considered the ways of being that help us, as educators, to be aware of and responsive to the diversity of our learners. My first thoughts are that we need to be culturally intelligent educators, and this starts by each of us taking a look in the mirror. A culturally intelligent educator, I believe, has a deep self-knowledge and understanding of what motivates responses in themselves, be it values arising from beliefs that are cultural, religious, the result of socio-cultural issues, training or geographic/environmental factors, and seeks to discover, acknowledge and respond to this intrinsic motivation in others. This takes time and a conscious effort to investigate and interrogate the practices we have and the philosophies or the platform that gives rise to and constructs these practices. It requires the courage to dispense with practices that are no longer useful or helpful, recognise and put aside unhelpful biases and seek appropriate and considered ways forward. We may choose to do this alone or we may facilitate this process with a mentor or colleague. Once we have initiated this process, the acknowledgement and acceptance of our own underpinning beliefs and values enables us to begin to consider these effects on others and to interact with insight and empathy when working in a collegial or teaching role. Authenticity in our actions and responses gives value and permission to others to be true to themselves.

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Understanding what we stand for promotes consistency of responses, which in turn, engenders trust and promotes respectful interactions. I believe that cultural Intelligence then, understanding how our culture affects our lives, our work and our learning, is an essential precursor to culturally responsive teaching. My second consideration is about our colleagues and our learners. Being self-aware and thinking of others as beings motivated by the experiences and learning they come to us with, allows us to build real and authentic relationships of trust with our colleagues and learners. These relationships are respectful, meaningful, acknowledge what we each bring, and help us all to grow as individuals. We expect, fully respect and normalise difference, and rather than making it a factor enabling dissonance, or creating a separating gulf between our colleagues, our learners and ourselves, it stimulates positive interactions. We are encouraged to look at difference in new ways, through new lenses to enable us to grow as individuals, as life-long learners. Difference is a gift that we can share. For many of us this is a big ask. The outcome of such personal interrogation and the acceptance of others in this way may require an immense personal adjustment, a new look at who we really are as people and as professional educators. However, relationships, as researchers tell us, are the key to successful teaching and learning. (Bishop & Berryman 2006, Gay .2000) I believe that the key to effective relationships is the understanding we gain from the interrogation of the relationship we have with ourselves. As professional educators we endeavour to build effective relationships with others. We know that learning requires personal commitment to and understanding of the learning on the part of the learners. It is their learning. Our knowledge and understanding of, and our commitment to our learners helps us to support learners, taking them from the place where they are to the places they need to go. It is vital to our success. Learners need to feel we know them and care about them as people as well as 6 Good Teacher Magazine Term 3 2013

learners. Educators who understand and value personal authenticity, the realness and reality that colours our lives, are more able to create working relationships that are safe, that value educational risk-taking, that promote self-confidence and the self-efficacy that inspires transformational learning. The educator then, is more likely to facilitate learning that, through awareness of the beliefs and values of learners, utilises their experiences and prior knowledge, helps them to understand the learning as it applies to them and hooks in to the natural curiosity that takes learning deeper and wider. Such learning constantly creates successful outcomes for learners and promotes self-efficacy, excitement and a desire to learn. So what does this mean for the future for us and our learners? Our learners, more than ever, need strategies to develop resilience, to be adaptable, to be curious, to value life-long learning and to seek ways and have strategies available that will enable them to live successfully in an as yet unknown future- in their world. The globalisation of the world is likely to create a need to value and work successfully with the full range of diversity that can be experienced. (Bolstad, Gilbert et Al 2012) This is not that we need tolerance. Tolerance is barely half way along a continuum of ways of being that enable fair, equitable, satisfying and productive lifelong interaction. Tolerance implies the notion of â&#x20AC;&#x153;putting up withâ&#x20AC;?, not necessarily being involved with, interacting successfully with or accepting, other than in a surface manner. It does not imply belonging to the place in which we find ourselves and our work. It implies standing apart from and regarding through a narrow lens. (Pascoe& Fletcher 2010) The future is not a place for tolerance then, but rather a place for people whose ability to use available resources and work together unaffected by the vagaries and negative influences of difference will be essential. Our future world will need citizens whose self-efficacy is developed and who live in, feel part of, and prosper in a world of multiple diversities. This will be the normal

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way of being. As professional educators we need to think now about the things we do, the way we are in the places we work and interact. Ask ourselves “will the current education system, the practices we employ, the knowledge we believe to be important, stand up and shout effectively for our peoples of the future?” Are we really giving our learners the tools they will need to be part of the world and prosper in it?

Gay, G. (2000) Culturally Responsive Teaching: Theory, Research and practice. New York. Teachers’ College press. Pascoe, L; Fletcher, M. (2010) Working with Diversity: A focus on the authentic self as a feature of effective relationships for Leaders and Teachers. International Journal of Diversity in Organisations, Communities and Nations. Vol 10. Issue 4 P 53-60. The Diversity Collection.

Education for the future then will not be about fixing, not about plugging deficits, not about creating a homogenous group of citizens or social control but rather, its aim must be to create citizens of a globally interactive world. This world will produce a variety of new challenges, technologies and environments currently unknown to us. (Bolstad, Gilbert et Al 2012) We can only imagine what our learners will need. But – we can, each and every one of us, help our learners to accept difference as a gift, to believe in themselves and their possibilities and to have strategies that will help them to grow and prosper in the ways that will be available to them. To enable this, we may need to start by looking in the mirror.

References: Bishop R,& Berryman, M. (2006) Culture Speaks: Cultural relationships & classroom learning. Huia Publishers, Wellington, Aotearoa New Zealand. Bolstad,R,Gilbert,J McDowall S, Bull A, S Boyd ,Hipkins,R. (2012) Supporting future-oriented learning & teaching- a New Zealand perspective. Report to the Ministry of Education. New Zealand Council for Educational Research

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The Art and Science of Tinkering

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The Education Team at MOTAT is constantly on the lookout for new and exciting ways to work with the hundreds of children we see each week; searching for cool activities that are hard to replicate in the school environment and that capture imaginations and minds. This research has led us to discovering ‘Tinkering,’ a style of open-ended exploratory engagement with technology and science principles that was developed by the Exploratorium in San Francisco. Bringing a new activity to a hands-on environment is no easy feat, especially when it needs to stand up to the demands of hundreds of pairs of hands using it every day within a timetabled context. Tinkering is an interesting approach to learning, and one that is really enhancing the engagement we see from students. There is no defined end result and the children are not instructed to connect part A to part B or to simply observe a particular effect or process. They are provided with a range of resources, some possible outcomes in the form of constructed models that act as inspiration rather than the aspirational end product. Tinkering at MOTAT involves exploring one particular phenomena and challenging students to interact with it in a meaningful way. A recent example is our new Wind Tube which we have been using over the past few months as part of our popular Fantastic Flight programme. It serves as a great way for students to interact with the science concepts of Lift and Weight, and how both forces interact with each other to help sustain flight or movement through the air. Students are given a variety of resources typical of what you would find in any good craft box and are asked to create an object that will travel from the bottom of the tube to the top. Examples are used to teach students to recognise both an object with too much lift (which shoots up very quickly) and one with too much weight (which doesn’t move-up at all). Using a variety of examples is important as it deters students from directly copying. Students often use a variety of different and new elements in their design. With the Wind Tube set up in the middle of the classroom, creations can be tested at any stage of construction and students get instant feedback. This instant feedback allows for creations to be tinkered with constantly, allowing for students to exercise problem solving skills. The

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challenges that the Wind Tube create are only limited by the imagination. Creating something to fly up quickly, hover or spin are just a few ways that learning can be extended. Students can create and test their work independently, and can work at their own pace. In the next few months MOTAT will also be extending their tinkering programmes to allow students to develop and engage with simple cardboard automata machines (a great way to learn about levers, cams, cam followers, linkages and other mechanisms that can be seen in many of the exhibits on show at MOTAT such as the beam engines, locomotives and road transport vehicles). Other tinkering activities will concentrate on constructing scribbling robots with battery driven motors, pens, masking tape and a range of craft resources. Again the principles involve building, testing, observing, altering, reflecting and doing it differently to observe the impact of the changes and to learn about cause and effect. Some tinkering can be a little bit more equipment driven such as syringe based hydraulics activities combining the excellently engineered wooden Matador construction kits with water-filled tubes to create basic hydraulic operations or the little bit of nerdy fun contained within the excellent, if somewhat expensive, Little Bits kits, developed in the USA, that provide students with a range of easy-to-use magnetic components for exploring a range of switches, motors, sensors and other electrical pieces. The great thing about Little Bits and the tinkering movement in general is that people around the globe are sharing ideas and activities designed to get students (and their families) to slow down, sit down and spend some time tinkering. A whole community of Little Bits users share their ideas and projects online as part of a community of learning that can provide further motivation and inspiration. Check out http:// littlebits.com/projects for an idea of the possibilities that tinkering can create. MOTAT has a range of Little Bits kits that are currently being used to develop a tinkering programme for school groups to book and experience – for more information contact: Nicole Jones, nicole.jones@ motat.org.nz

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Transition to School – A journey Over the past three years The University of Waikato has held a Ministry funded contract providing professional development in the Bay of Plenty and surrounding areas. As part of this contract a number of transition to school projects were undertaken in Te Puke, Tauranga South, Welcome Bay, Papamoa and Mount Maunganui. From initial meetings and discussions with primary schools and ECE services the importance of relationship building as part of the transition to school process became evident. The concepts of Ako and Whanaungatanga became central to building effective relationships and partnerships between ECE services, schools and educators (Meade, 2005). Developing a deeper understanding of the needs and aspirations of the wider community of learners, including families and whanau, became an essential part of ensuring that children were kept at the heart of the transition to school discussions.

Recognising that coffee and chocolate are core ingredients of an educator’s day, these became a stable part of the menu at informal meeting which initiated the process of relationship building. We started with small steps, valuing the importance of building relational trust before growing robust dialogue, innovation, and problem solving while establishing commonalties between educational sectors. The first step was to explore each other’s perspectives. Each group had different experiences and ideas of each other’s curriculums, and were surprised by the similarities as they unpacked these. The early childhood curriculum provides a foundation for children to become confident and competent and during the school years to be able to build on their previous learning (MOE, 1996). Similarly the school curriculum recognises the importance of building on children’s earlier learning and shows the alignment between the strands of Te Whaariki and the key competencies in the school curriculum (Hartley, Rodgers, Smith, Peters & Carr, 2012). This is where both sectors found common ground and a common language Following this, passionate discussion ensued regarding exactly what children needed to know to successfully transition to school (more coffee and chocolate was supplied as the dialogue became more intense!). Schools were strongly orientated towards ensuring ECE services understood that children would be assessed within 6 weeks of starting school and in order for children to embark on a successful journey of learning, needed some basic numeracy, literacy and social competence skills. ECE services considered it vital that schools would develop an understanding of how they were developing confident and competent children who could problem solve, engage in learning, and sustain concentration but not necessarily in a structured way. Both sectors agreed that a child’s growing independence and sense of belonging are an intricate part of the transition to school process. One school shared an example of how they helped children to grow self-management skills: “If I see a parent walking into school carrying their child’s bag, I say to the child “I thought you knew how to be a good selfmanager at this school” – every day after that I’ll see that child carrying their own school bag. Everyone wants to be independent and capable at school and parents are no longer hunched over with

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y of relationship building Petra Navanua, Pam Wardrope and Angela Kitchener heavy school bags looking sheepish in the playground.” The groups identified a number of factors that contributed to successful transitions to school. These included; • Belonging and well-being for children, families and whānau • Recognition and acknowledgment of culture • Respectful, reciprocal relationships with both sectors, children, families and whānau • Information sharing across both sectors • Learning dispositions aligned with a child’s identity as a learner • Positive teacher expectations for both ECE and school • Building on funds of knowledge from ECE and home • Children able to manage self Recognising that each sector built on what a child knows, what they bring with them and who they are, supported educators to see the bigger picture. Reciprocal relationships, communication, understanding and collaboration are effective strategies for successful transitions along with comprehensive information sharing opportunities (Peters, 2010; May, 2010). The development of communities of learners between educational sectors in a co-constructivist and sociocultural approach nurtures the development of pedagogical and improves educational outcomes for children. These approaches offer educators the opportunity to develop communities of practice, meaningful relationships, and reflect on their practice while consolidating knowledge . There are many factors that influence a child learning some of those features are not directly observable but may be inferred. Supportive microsystems (Bronfenbrenner, 1979) and positive relationships between educational settings should focus on belonging, involvement and wellbeing placing the onus of outcomes for children on the adults involved (Peters, 2010). As a child approaches the transition to school process they benefit from lots of opportunities to visit a school before they start. There is potential to also meet new friends and developing new understandings. Fostering and developing children’s friendship is an important contribution that parents can undertake to support their child’s transition to school (May, 2010). Current theory and research unanimously recognises the importance of family and whanau being involved from the very beginning of a child’s transition to

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school – this includes the development of physical, social, and academic skills that starts at home and are supported and scaffolded within the early childhood and primary school years (Young, 2011). Schools and ECE services, through these transitions to school projects, have recognised that relationships are key to what is considered a successful transition placing great importance on the consistent involvement of children, parents, whanau and educators in the transition process from beginning to the end. To engage with parents and whanau, ECE services are making their transition to school work more visible and accessible within their service and schools are actively using and sharing ECE learning portfolios as a transition document to strengthen a child’s sense of belonging. Ko koe ki tēnā kīwai, ko au ki tēnei kīwai o te kete... you carry your handle and I’ll carry my handle of our kete. (Meade, 2009). In order for two people to carry the kete effectively, there needs to be communication, co-operation, collective responsibility, consideration of the other person and commitment to the task. The significance of the kete itself or what it holds or promises to hold is about learning, dialogue, interaction, ideas, perspectives, aroha, wairua, manaaki, and whānau. Carrying the kete denotes a sense of journey and purpose (Meade, 2009). These transition to school projects have resulted in schools and ECE services collaborating on a journey of shared learning and understanding. References: Hartley.C, Rodgers.P, Smith. J, Peters.S, & Carr., M (2012),. Crossing the border A community negotiates the transition from early childhood to primary school. Wellington, New Zealand, NCER Press. Meade, A. (2009). Generating waves: Innovation in early childhood education. Chapter 4: Hond-Flavell, E. & Tamati, A. p.39. Wellington, New Zealand: NZCER Press.’ Meade, A. (2005). Catching the Waves: Innovation in early childhood education. Chapter 4: Hond-Flavell, E. & Tamati, A. p.39. Wellington, New Zealand: NZCER Press. Ministry of Education. (1996). Te Whāriki – He Whāriki Mātauranga mō ngā Mokopuna o Aotearoa, Early Childhood Curriculum. Wellington, New Zealand: Learning Media. May, H., (2010). I am five and I go to school Early Years Schooling in New Zealand, 1900 – 2010.Otago University Press. Peters, S. (2010). Literature review Transitions from Early childhood Education to School. Ministry of Education New Zealand (www.educationcounts.govt.nz/publications). 3-4. Good Teacher Magazine Term 3 2013 11

Michaelâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s search

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It’s not been touched; nothing. It’s all the same. Reaching out to touch the freezing glass, he smiled and let out a sigh: Grandpa never put the heating on. Michael ran one finger over everything he moved past: the table, the drinks cabinet, every chair, even the wall. Only one thing in the dining room deserved more than a quick glimpse: the Family Photograph. It was a present for Grandma and Grandpa’s sixtieth wedding anniversary. Five children, nine grandchildren and two great-grandchildren: all together, in a thirty-two inch golden frame. “Stunning”, he whispered, as he pulled his arm up his track suit top so he could use his sleeve to dust off the image. He gazed intently, scrutinising one by one. How happy they were. Their eyes were smiling. How the world hadn’t got to them yet. How they hadn’t changed. He found himself staring into his own eyes, wandering back through time. “What you doing with your hair, boy?” he uttered as he turned away, altering his train of thought. He ambled through the metre wide hallway into the living area where each of the reclining sofas still stood. The first thing he had to do was sit in Grandpa’s seat, seeing as though the crevice where he used to sit between the arm of the sofa and Grandpa’s knee had been too small for him for a good twenty years now. Then he dived, butt first, into the seat opposite Grandpa’s, where everyone would ‘dibbs’ at Christmas because it is the second most comfortable seat in the house if you swing your legs over the left arm and wiggle your back into the red cushions. It gave the best view of the television.

Rachel Williams

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The television was no longer in place; Michael stared thoughtlessly at the cream wallpaper that must have been Good Teacher Magazine Term 3 2013 13

in the same position for forty years. It probably was white to begin with, but with the amount of tiny hands and feet that have passed through have had a clear effect. Michael and his cousins used to use the wall to play‘patter cake’, and then grew up to use it as a leaning post, so really it was understandable. Michael’s eyes studied the room, as they did when Grandma was watching ‘Heartbeat’. Mama would be sat next to the window on the other single chair, and Grandpa would be peeling onions ready to pickle; they had to be left for a few years to ripen in the vinegar before they were allowed them, but there was always plenty as Grandpa would make them all year round. Michael swung to his feet and wandered across to the chimney breast where there were pictures of the family, this time growing up: at school, proms, graduations, and gatherings. There was one missing. He scanned again. “No” he frowned. It must be somewhere else. He mooched carelessly through to the kitchen, dragging his index finger along the wall behind him. As he reached the doorway he took a massive inhalation, expecting to still be able to smell the cooking. It was of course a Sunday which was when everyone’s senses were brought to life with Grandma’s baking and Grandpa’s Sunday roast; the infusion of smells was always enough to feed from. All he could smell was the top layer of dust with a hint of ‘Joop’; perhaps he had put too much aftershave on today. He glanced over to the frosted glass. He blew on his hand and placed it in the centre of the window, creating a clearer view of the garden. Grandpa’s beans needed a bit of looking after, and the hanging baskets were empty. As trivial an issue, the empty baskets deeply upset Michael. The baskets were always beautiful, full of primrose, 14 Good Teacher Magazine Term 3 2013

hyacinth, cosmos; full of Grandpa’s handy-work and inspiration. A lot of Michael’s childhood was spent in the garden; making beautiful hanging baskets with his Grandpa, tidying the garden shed, planting tomatoes in the bottom greenhouse, building the top greenhouse, planting peas, beans and potatoes. When Grandpa got too old, it saddened Michael when he found himself digging up all the old roots from the vegetable patch and planting the grass because it ‘apparently’ took less work to keep. He moved swiftly away from the negative sentiment. With his head hung, Michael hiked up the stairs taking two steps with one stride like he has since his legs have been long enough to do so. He chuckled to himself, still not understanding why the carpet doesn’t reach either side of the stairs. He walked into Mama’s room; it was always the most ominous room in the house even with the curtains open, but today the frosty sun illuminated the darkened desolate furniture. The oval canvas caught Michael’s eye. It was him and his two younger brothers when they were really young. It flashed back the day of the photograph; it was professionally taken, and Michael was really excited. He thought he was a stunner because he had his hair highlighted and his favourite white trainers on. They completely didn’t go with his suit but he didn’t care what anyone else thought because he was getting his photo taken! Funnily enough, the trainers didn’t show in the photograph, but Michael knew he had them on and that’s what mattered. When Michael eventually reached Grandma and Grandpa’s room he went straight to the chest of drawers where all the best pictures were kept. It must be here. A sepia photograph of his Great Grandfather in his army uniform stood slightly left of centre. Mama wanted to join the forces, but

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Grandpa and Grandma knew better; so she didn’t. Mama let Josh join though, and he’s okay. On the front right hand side there was a picture of ‘Little Nana’ in an aircraft cockpit. Michael didn’t really know why she was called Little Nana, she must have been quite small in height, but she was Grandma’s Grandmother. “I know it’s here. It’s got to be; but where?” Michael questioned as he fumbled around the surface. He got on his knees and searched under the bed, under the wardrobe, in each of the empty cupboards. Nothing. The only room in the house he hadn’t explored was the piano room, but it wouldn’t be in there. It wouldn’t. He galloped down the staircase, swung around the bottom post and pushed the door wide. Nothing there. He explored the sheet music in the piano stool. It’s only thin and small. It was never in a frame. But why would it be in with the music? It wouldn’t. Convincing himself he had made a worthless journey, he wondered back through to the kitchen where he stood leaning on the kitchen table, staring through the hand print he had left from earlier. His eyes glazed over while he stood gazing at the greenhouse searching his memory; questioning where it would be. It was in front of him. He hurried through the back door into the top greenhouse. The day he built this greenhouse with Grandpa, Grandpa held him upside down by the ankles so he could place his hand down in the wet concrete. It was the same day Mama quit smoking and the same day Michael ruined his awesome white trainers. It was a massive day in Michael’s life. He pulled the glass door across, swept up the excess compost with his fingers and found the hand print. Maybe it wasn’t a wasted journey after all. Even if he hadn’t found the photograph, he had found sentiment.

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Good Teacher Magazine Term 3 2013 15

Bombarded with special memories he smiled. Not enough to show his teeth, but enough to know it meant a lot to be there. As he stood up, Michael’s eyes lit up. He spied something poking out from underneath a packet of Candytuft Dwarf seeds - a photograph of him and his Grandfather. As he brushed away the compost and cobwebs, there they stood topless; grinning from ear to ear in front of their first season of broad beans. Michael mirrored the same grin he saw in the photograph. “Good ol’ boy,” he sighed, as he placed the photograph carefully in his back pocket.

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Good Teacher Magazine Term 3 2013 17

From student to jet-setting teach graduates

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her: s aspire to international options Becoming a teacher in an international school, particularly for young, adventurous teachers who want to travel the world, has never been so tempting. There are now over 6,000 international schools worldwide, all of which use English as the language for learning.

Teaching overseas offers the combination of rigorous career development with the experience of living and working abroad, which is one reason why there are so many teachers considering it as an option. And the options are many and varied as 300,000 teachers; the majority from New Zealand, Australia, Canada and Great Britain who are already teaching in international schools can vouch for. One such teacher is 27 year old Heather Tinsley who is currently working in Qatar. Heather first learnt about the international teaching opportunities available to her during her university days and has since used her career to travel the world and develop her professional skills in ways she never expected.

Heather Tinsley in Qatar

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Good Teacher Magazine Term 3 2013 19

Heather in Sydney

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A world of opportunities Heather had always been curious about working overseas but, as a student, she wasn’t aware of the wealth of opportunities available to her once she was graduated and experienced. “I was doing my teacher training at Bath University [in England],” says Heather. “During my time there, a teacher recruitment agency came and did a presentation to the students about teaching in an international school. I’ve always had at the back of my mind to live and work abroad. Something new and exciting to do!” Hearing first-hand from an expert who had taught and led in international schools was, Heather believes, vital to the career steps she then took. Although she was eager to spread her wings, Heather followed the advice of the expert to gain a year of valuable experience in her home country before moving overseas. Andrew Wigford was that expert and he explains the advice he gave: “Students are very keen to grab any opportunity to travel and move overseas,” he says. “But student teachers from the UK, New Zealand, Australia, Canada, Ireland or South Africa need to understand that the grounding and experience they will gain in their home country is vital for their long-term development. These countries are highly respected for their teaching standards and so any experience these young teachers can gain - even just one or two years - is hugely valuable and will be enormously advantageous on a resume when they start applying for teaching jobs at international schools,” he says.

Taking the right route “Andrew was so right when he told me to do my initial year in the UK,” says Heather. “Looking back now, I wouldn’t want to have gone out [to work internationally] as an NQT (newly qualified teacher). As a result of Andrew’s advice I spent three years teaching in Greenwich, London (at the St. Ursula Convent School for Girls) and my time there really taught me how to teach. To be observed by the

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Good Teacher Magazine Term 3 2013 21

Senior Management Team, to go through a school inspection, all that has made me into the teacher that I am today and I wouldn’t have got that same experience in an international school, not that initial experience which is so important.” After working in London for three years, Heather decided she was then ready to make an international move. So she got back in touch with the expert who set her on the right path. “We found the perfect job for Heather,” says Andrew Wigford. “It was in Qatar, at an excellent school where we knew Heather would get plenty of support from the teachers and leaders. There are lots of young expats living in Qatar and, as a country, it’s not a huge cultural change. Having got to know Heather from our conversations, we knew that it would be a good place for her to start her international experience.” Heather moved to the Qatar International School as a History and Geography teacher in July 2010. “The school were brilliant helping me before the move, and Andrew and everyone at TIC (Teachers International Consultancy) was very reassuring throughout the

process,” says Heather. “At one point I was emailing with TIC every other day and they were getting back to me straight away with all my questions; that was so helpful!”

Life in an international school Heather has now been working and living in Qatar for three years and believes she has gained both professionally and personally. “I’m definitely, definitely happy working here,” she says “From a personal perspective it’s all about gaining the confidence that you get from travelling and working in a different country. From a work perspective the biggest impact has been teaching children and meeting teachers from so many different parts of the world. I teach the nicest, nicest children. They are so enthusiastic. They’re so nice and polite. They want to talk to you and to learn. They’re so happy to come to school, they like doing well. All the children that I teach speak English as a second language so I have had to rethink the way that I teach. It’s made me more sympathetic to the learning needs of EASL children and made me realise that it’s my responsibility to rejig

Doha - buildings spring up everywhere 22 Good Teacher Magazine Term 3 2013

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Doha Bay

how I teach in order to help the children learn; that’s a really good skill that I know will benefit me long-term.”

Living in a new country “Andrew said Qatar would be a good place to start and he was right,” says Heather. “It’s been so easy. Everything from setting up bank accounts to sorting out my residency permit, the school sorted out for me and it’s not been a problem. There are many expats living here and so long as you are sensitive and sensible about how you behave, you won’t have problems here. It’s annoying when I see Westerners who don’t dress appropriately or get drunk publicly as that’s the impression that the people here get of Westerners. It’s actually very easy to live here.”

A world of opportunity Heather believes that her initial teaching experience in the UK made the transition to international teaching

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a lot easier and has helped to set her up for life. “I would definitely say get your teaching experience in your home country first,” she advises other student teachers who are considering their international options. “Take advantage of all the professional support and advice that’s available to you. Also, start looking for your international job early; give yourself enough time to go through that search process as it takes a long time. Find an expert agency to help you. If you’re looking for a job locally, it’s easy to find out about a school and to speak to someone who has taught in that school. But when you’re looking for a job abroad, you have no idea how to find out that information. I found it really comforting to know that TIC knew the school and knew the teachers who had worked at the school. That was very reassuring for me. Also, all their expert advice that they shared about every aspect of teaching in an international school; that was very helpful.”

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Sunset at the beach - Doha Bay

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The international schools market is growing significantly and the opportunities available to fully qualified, experienced teachers will continue to increase. “We are working with schools in such exciting, challenging and exotic places as Cayman Islands, Kazakhstan, Mauritius, Japan, Dubai, Beijing and Mexico,” says Andrew Wigford of TIC. These opportunities are going to continue to expand because the reputation of international schools is generally very good and so more and more expatriates and local families are selecting international schools for their children. For today’s student teachers, the opportunities for working in international schools in the future; once they’ve completed their training and have a couple of years of good experience, will be vast.” Heather sums it up: “Definitely do it! This has been the most favourite thing I’ve done in my career. There are so many places to go and people to meet. Networking with teachers from other countries as well as the cultural differences of teaching here in the Middle East; that’s all had a big impact on me. It’s been very good personally and professionally.” Teachers International Consultancy provides a free recruitment advisory service for teachers, including student teachers, considering a career in international education. For more information go to www. ticrecruitment.com

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DIFFERENTIATING IN SCIENCE Many gifted students are more likely to make a statement than to ask a question when observing a natural phenomenon. The question that is asked is what makes a difference! When this happens it is useful for the teacher to turn the observation into a ‘wondering’ or a question that can result in an experiment to find out the answer but this is not always easy to do. The following are examples of questions that would result in experiments. Students should be encouraged to think like a scientist through follow up questions such as ... •

How might we find out?

•

What do you think will happen?

•

What is your hypothesis? (use the scientific term and talk about this being a scientist’s theory or guess as to what might happen.)

•

Explain that a hypothesis is not ‘right’ or ‘wrong.’ It is ‘supported by the results’ or ‘not supported by the results.’ It may be that the student found out something totally unexpected from the experiment. Biologist Botanist Zoologist

•

Ask ‘from what you have noticed from this experiment, what do you think might happen if you were to do it again?’ Explain why you think that.

•

What would we have to do so that we could repeat the experiment?

•

What would we need to do so that the way that we do the experiment will tell us what we are looking for?

•

How many times do you think we should do it to be fair, in case we get different results each time?

It helps when students can see how a study relates to the real life work of a scientist and realises that there are many different types. Positive role models are important for everyone as someone to look up to, but they are especially important for gifted children because role models help a child decide what type of person he/she aspires to be like. The following list was collated following a year 3/4 class discussion about different types of scientists. Students provided the types of scientists that they had heard of. Using the template below, the names and their descriptors were cut up to use as a game for all where students were asked to match up the scientific field with a descriptor of what a scientist in that field does.

Studies humans, plants and animals and the environments that they live in. Studies plants and plant systems, including their growth, development, function, distribution and origin. Studies animal life including the growth, development, function and distribution of animals.

Paleontologist Studies prehistoric plant and animal life Geologist

Studies the materials that the earth is made of, and how the earth’s materials, structures, processes and organisms have changed over time.

Astronomer

Studies the stars and all the other bodies (objects) in space

Entomologist

Studies insects and bugs. Most focus on a particular order or family of insects.

Marine biologist Studies things that live in salt water, whales, dolphins, corals, deep sea creatures, plankton and microbes. Climatologist

Studies long-term weather trends. Some focus on large scale weather patterns. Specialty areas can include global warming

Our next task was to choose a field of interest and complete a task sheet. This involved a lot of research on the part of each student. Some already had an idea of what they wanted to do. Others needed help. The task sheet gave each student the opportunity to progress at an appropriate rate according to learning need. As facilitator I quickly became aware that time management was an issue for some able students and looked for ways to encourage them to develop their own systems. We used time lines, personal goal setting charts, and even timers! Student feedback was positive about sorting this out for themselves and the focus was on the thinking processes rather than the product at the end.

Social scientist Studies how people behave and the way that they interact with each other. 26 Good Teacher Magazine Term 3 2013

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: THINKING LIKE A SCIENTIST Elaine Le Sueur THINKING LIKE A SCIENTIST... TO BE COMPLETED BY EACH PERSON 1. Complete a matching sheet and have your answers checked. 2. Choose a field of science that interests you. What is a scientist in this area called? 3. Find out about the types of questions that this kind of scientist might ask. 4. Carry out an experiment to answer one of the questions and keep a log to show what you did (or how you would do it), and what happened. Please date your work so that it is easy to follow the steps that you took. 5. Find the names of at least two scientists in your chosen field and explain what they do and how this is important to our world. 6. Contribute to the group science newsletter to share with parents at the end of the term. (see the list of activities) Include photos/ illustrations/ diagrams wherever possible Choose activities that spark your interest to develop further independently. Please note that a ‘story’ in the scientific sense is an article or a report and is real, not made up. Aim to complete three in a row (either vertical, horizontal or diagonal). If you wish to complete more or less than this then please negotiate first. The centre square is left to student choice so that you can use your creative skills in a way that best suits your learning needs. This study is to be completed over the 10 weeks of term ... Aim to share the completed science newsletter with parents to show your learning. Lead Story

Personal interest story

Feature story

This needs to be a story based on research. (Something that you found out about your topic while you were conducting your experiment.) You support your story with examples from your own and from other people’s research.

This is a story involving people or animals that contributes towards our scientific understanding of a particular topic. E.g How I taught my dog to understand simple signs.

This story includes an interview and should have quotes. If possible the person interviewed should be an expert in the area that you are writing about.

Review

STUDENT CHOICE

Editorial

This is a summary of an article or programme about a science issue. It could be a newspaper article, a magazine article, an internet document or website, a book, a chapter from a book, or a T.V. science programme. You need to give the details so that someone can go to the source of the summary.

E.g. A cartoon or comic strip about a science concept - Advertisements from people selling products related to your study. - A puzzle involving the scientific concept that you studied - an idea of your own appropriate to be included in the science newsletter.

A story that argues a specific point of view regarding a scientific issue. You need to present facts to back up your point of view.

Letter to the editor

Advice section

Sports section

This is a letter explaining your opinion regarding a science issue. E.g You could give your opinion about how we have an impact on the environment, or global warming etc.

This is where you would give specific advice to solve a scientific issue. E.g. Advice on what to do if there is a flood, or a tornado etc.

An article describing how a knowledge of something in science can be applied to a particular sport or to sport in general.

This study has taken longer than anticipated and it has undergone negotiation and a number of modifications but I have included it in its entirety for anyone wanting to do this for themselves. It can be used in the regular classroom where it is more of a group effort, but also as an individual project by an able student. The question that is asked is what

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makes a difference! As I pointed out at the beginning of this article... the challenge for the teacher/ facilitator is to help students to turn observations into ‘wonderings’ or questions that can result in an experiment to find out the answer. That’s how scientists think. Are you up for the challenge? Good Teacher Magazine Term 3 2013 27

Efficacy and the tactics of change What would be education’s worst nightmare? Try this. What if everything that all students experience daily in the name of learning was causing significant underachievement problems, was causing the waste of perhaps half the learning potential of the nation’s young, and was fuelling social injustice in a major way? With very solid research suggesting that’s pretty close to the everyday, wakinghours reality, by definition it’s no nightmare. Besides, nightmarish situations typically invoke fear but few appear to be acting scared around this one. Seems there’s so much acceptance of the underachievement involved, so little concern about the evident waste of human potential, and such desensitisation occurring about the growing social disparity, nobody sees anything scary about it at all. Sure, periodically concern gets expressed about why that gap is so hard to close. But we remain just as oblivious to what’s so dire and frightening about the whole inequitable circumstance of it, as we are devoid of ideas about what it might take to fix it. That raises two important questions: •

•

How can we ensure a much more evenhanded and higher level of learning achievement for all students than currently pertains? What mechanisms can we put in place that’ll ensure such learning outcomes will be achieved?

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The only solid research this nation possesses on learning, and on the contribution that people think teaching makes to it, shows both of the above mentioned considerations to be very pertinent. In any exercise where the objective is creating the conditions that would answer those questions, we’d be making a laughing stock of ourselves if it subsequently became known we didn’t make use of the only very solidly based knowledge we possess, there isn’t anything more relevant that we could call upon. A double indignity would be suffered here if it also became known it was a New Zealander, the late Professor Graham Nuthall, who has contributed these new understandings, We can’t afford to treat him any longer as the proverbial prophet in his own land. There seems little point to having a blue print like the New Zealand Curriculum if its implementation remains reliant on the same inefficient means of delivering it that have proved so problematic in the past. The problem here has always been the existing learning practices – the inefficient leaning process and it associated learning model – that are being employed every day in all places of learning. Inherited from the past, those practices are based on beliefs about learning that have no evidential basis (Nuthall, 2001) and are very inefficient at promoting learning. Likewise, there seems little value in having any blue print like a curriculum at all if it makes no real contribution to improving the across-the-board quality and equity of learning outcomes. Nuthall’s very well based research demonstrates clearly that those unsatisfactory outcomes are mostly the unintended consequences of using flawed, belief-based understandings about learning. These mistaken understandings and the practices built on them have become so hardwired into our culture, it makes both our understanding of them and the counteracting of their influence two almost impossibly difficult tasks. So much so, as the history of teaching reform has demonstrated, “teachers are

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Laurie Loper Psychologist – teachers simply can’t afford to have so much attention tied up in that role. (For those who would argue that IT and e-learning has changed all that, just for starters, think about the burgeoning demands assessment is placing on teachers.)

more likely to reform reforms than to be reformed by them” (Nuthall 2001). The issue with efficacy isn’t just that it arises from a misunderstood view of the learning process, it’s the fact that it’s of a magnitude that cannot be ignored for half the learning capacity of the nation’s young is going undeveloped. Something needs to be done about that. It’s impossible to imagine inclusive and equitable outcomes flowing from education without that particular issue being resolved. Were it resolved, albeit over time, the resultant educational benefit to students would likely to be sufficient to offset the disadvantages of poverty, cultural dissonance and social disadvantage, the three factors that have traditionally taken the rap for education’s “inherently inefficient” performance. Moreover, in the medium term, by making education efficacious to the degree Nuthall hints at as being possible, it’s certainly conceivable that in the wider society, without too much effort from anyone or anything, those three societal blights might well of themselves, begin to disappear off the radar. For those who might be struggling to get their heads around what’s been argued for here and who can’t divorce their thinking from the grip that their beliefs about learning hold them to, cast your eyes over the following listing of just a few bits of the solid evidence that’s available: •

That there is not a single evidenced based theory of learning in use in teaching at all.

•

That the full information on new topics/ideas/ concepts (tics) needs to be experienced three times, with each experience after the first occurring at 2 day intervals, otherwise there would be no proper processing happening of any new tics whatsoever (there’d be few if any teachers who would know this rule, let alone make use of it).

•

That teachers do not have accurate ways of knowing what prior knowledge students have before, say, starting on a new topic. As the following item exemplifies, since they also have no accurate ways of knowing what students have learned either, they cannot say what “added value” their teaching has supplied in respect of any individual student.

•

That individual students form unique understandings from any given lesson, different from almost every other in class. Even for those few teachers who are aware of this, it poses evaluation problems that existing practices are unable to handle. Therefore, the information teachers obtain from evaluations isn’t sufficient and/or soundly enough based, to expect it could improve/alter teaching behaviour.

•

That it’s what students bring to the task that determines whether they learn or not, it’s not what teachers do. Simply following instructions doesn’t guarantee learning, especially if the student doesn’t invest something of themselves in the task. Students, not teachers, generate the motivation required. Student ownership of the learning task aids learning, teachers controlling the learning agenda by, say, the use of

That in allocating work to students, “excellent” teachers achieve a less than 50% match of task to the skill and difficulty level of any given student (flipping a coin gives you better odds).

• That the capacity to learn is remarkably even in it’s distribution, hence there’s the potential for every student to learn as well as any other, and for most to learn as well as do the best. •

•

That teachers think it’s their role to be managers of classroom learning and that automatically makes them into such busy people they’re prevented from knowing what’s happening

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Good Teacher Magazine Term 3 2013 29

prescriptive programmes, diminishes both ownership and learning, (“interesting” work by itself, then, is never going to be the answer many people think it will be to motivation problems and underachievement). Not only that, students who in effect are being told what to do all the time become dependent learners, so do not become independent lifelong learners. • That students already know about half the information teachers give them anyway. (Note: All but the first are findings from Nuthall’s research, the first comes from Wilkinson, C., et al, of Lancaster University, in The Quality of Classroom Learning Experiences , published by Erlbaum. The particular paper of Nuthall’s that used as reference here is his iconic The cultural myths and the realities if teaching and learning, written in 2001.) To ignore such evidence and then design, say, a curriculum that doesn’t speak to the issues it raises would be foolhardy beyond all comprehension. To adopt the attitude that curriculum implementation is an issue outside the brief of curriculum design is indefensible. Given the nature and quality of the

knowledge we now we hold, it would be unconscionable not to use it. It isn’t a good idea any more, either, to simply leave to teachers the task of developing the means of implementing curriculum aims. It’s not that they’re lacking in professionalism, it’s just that their professionalism is based on flawed traditional understandings about learning. Throughout history, practices based on these understandings have demonstrated a persistently successful ability to subvert the intentions of all new curricula. Unless there’s some significant changes made, it’ll be inevitable this will continue happening in the future. Not for nothing is it said that reforms in education come and go but teaching carries on much the same as ever. Further, no nation wishing to be internationally competitive can afford to countenance the enormous loss of intellectual capital involved here. No nation either that prides itself on being inclusive and which espouses social justice ideals can afford to tolerate the low levels of efficacy – consequent upon mistaken understandings about learning – currently to be found in every single one of its places of learning. Places of

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particular concern in this respect need to include families and, to a lesser extent, work places. For it is not just only in classrooms – at levels child care up to post-doctoral , and not forgetting in teacher education centres and colleges either – where we need to be making improvements in how learning is understood and is carried out. A new development in the business world that gives me hope is that the concept of learning support is starting to appear in New Zealand literature as well as articles to do with mentoring and coaching. Overseas this has been happening now for some 3 years. We could do with some robust examples of it happening in education.

On six occasions now it has been my privilege to do some trials to test out the feasibility of the sorts of approaches that would be required to flesh out those three action themes. Not counting the approximately 550 primary aged children that were involved (from 420 families), there were approximately 800 parents, 35 teachers, 100 secondary trainees and 6 professional observers who took part. On each occasion there were new and different concepts involved. As well as Nuthall’s counterintuitive findings, there were a number of original applications of those findings as well as some original concepts of my own.

Crucial to the success of any new curriculum would be improving the efficacy of learning. Failure to do so would not only significantly endanger it’s intentions, it would ensure the continuance of inequitable learning outcomes, risking yet again the locking in of a widening achievement gap, and of that being increasingly seen as the defining feature of our nation’s education system. Now we have become ranked worst amongst OECD countries for the size of that gap, we surely don’t wish to have that ranking define us in the eyes of the world, any more than we would want it to be the continuing legacy of our young.

I was anxious to see whether, and how well the various things trialed would be accepted by the participants. My anxiety was unfounded, everything undertaken was accepted to a degree beyond my expectations. I now know I have a good number of the tools needed to undertake the changes that would likely ensure significantly better student learning outcomes across the board. In searching for a means to put that claim to the test, the closest I’ve come to getting the opportunity to do a proper trial, has been convincing Ngai Tahu iwi leaders and their senior education personnel to back such a trial. What remains to be seen is whether Ngai Tahu will follow through as it promised to do in June, one year ago.

Finally, in case it’s not been made clear, what needs to be done about improving learning efficacy isn’t a matter of, say, making “best practice” available for use by every teacher everywhere. No, because even though ‘’best practice’’ purports to be evidence based, it’s still part of the problem. It’s underpinning is still the same problematic mistaken beliefs and understandings about learning that are fuelling the efficacy issue. No, something quite different is required. Nuthall’s research findings makes it very clear to me what needs to be done is to significantly raise student educational outcomes across the board. To me what’s required involves three broad action themes: 1 Exposing teachers to a model of teaching and learning that better accords with what is now known about how learning works, especially about how it works in classrooms. 2

Exposing students to a self-driven model of learning and to the specific skills they’ll need to be competent in to operate it independently themselves. Students also need to acquire all the specific learning-to-learn skills all independent learners require.

3 Implementing a learning-support concept such that support for learning occurs in every place where such support might be expected to occur, and to the maximum that it might.

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Meantime, strategy considerations have led to the notion that a more oblique way of tackling the efficacy issue might be worth considering. Obviously, the main difficulty in achieving significantly better learning outcomes across the board is the existing teaching and learning infrastructure. Time after time, throughout history it has demonstrated how change resistant it is. Patently it doesn’t really matter how good a means of improving outcomes anyone comes up with, if it can’t take on that resistant infrastructure and beat it, nothing is going to change. Neither rationality nor force have ever solved this impasse. Obviously another strategy is required. Given that education sector personnel – teachers and Ministry of Education officials – are so much a part of the problem, any new strategy needs to avoid their involvement as much as possible. That’s why I see we have to turn the students themselves into being change agents. The strategy has to be one of negating the opposing hindrances and keeping teachers and Ministry officials at arms length, all the while empowering students to be in charge of the change. A very simple means that ticks all the necessary boxes here is a work in progress. It will be developed to a proof of concept stage, possibly during this coming academic term. Backed by impeccable research, it’s based on a very simple, cost neutral idea that virtually puts students in control of their own progress in a way never before envisaged. It has the potential to provide all students – the underachieving and the top achieving, and all those in between – with the means to fully develop their remarkably even capacity to learn, the gift they all share. Good Teacher Magazine Term 3 2013 31

Homework: How much are scho CensusAtSchool finds out Three-quarters of students aged 6 to 12 say they did homework the night before they completed a nationwide survey – and on average, that extra work took 53 minutes. A total of 69% of teenage students say they did homework, and that on average, they spent 1 hour 13 minutes doing it. This insight has emerged from the educational project CensusAtSchool, which so far has involved more than 19,000 students from 600 schools answering questions about their lives. For the first time this year, CensusAtSchool asked students whether they had done homework the night before filling in the online survey, and how long they spent on it. “The numbers are just a snapshot, but they are food for thought in the lively debate around homework,” says CensusAtSchool co-director Rachel Cunliffe. “It seems that everyone has an opinion on how much homework children should do – and more recently, we’ve seen some education experts suggesting that children are, perhaps, better off playing after school rather than studying.”

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The survey also found that 74% of teen girls said they did homework the night before – but just 61% of teen boys. Some students said they did two or more hours of homework – 7% of all 6 to 12-yearolds and 15% of all 13 to 18-year-olds.

WHO’S DOING HOMEWORK? Students who did homework the night before CensusAtSchool: All All

aged 6-12: 77% aged 13-18: 69%

Average time on homework the night before CensusAtSchool: All All

aged 6-12: aged 13-18:

53 mins 1 hour 13 mins

Boys aged 6 to 12: Girls aged 6 to 12:

53 mins 54 mins

Boys aged 13 to 18: Girls aged 13 to 18:

1 hour 5 mins 1 hour 17 mins

Source: CensusAtSchool Students were also asked to name their favourite

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ool students doing?

singers or bands. Anyone with a daughter will not be at all surprised to hear that the girls’ favourite group is English-Irish boy band One Direction, formed out of the 2010 series of singing competition The X Factor in the United Kingdom. Next on the list is Taylor Swift, followed by Ed Sheeran, Justin Bieber and Beyonce. For boys, the top of the list is American singersongwriter Bruno Mars, followed by Eminem, Macklemore, Imagine Dragons, and Coldplay. CensusAtSchool is a biennial online project that brings statistics to life in the classroom. Supervised by teachers, students aged between 10 and 18 (Year 5 to Year 13) answer 32 questions about their lives, many of them involving practical activities such as weighing and measuring, then become ‘data detectives’ as they analyse the results in class. This year, more than 1408 teachers have run CAS in their classrooms. CensusAtSchool, now in its sixth edition, is a collaborative project involving teachers, the University of Auckland’s Department of Statistics, Statistics New Zealand and the Ministry of Education. It is part of an international effort to boost statistical capability

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among young people, and is carried out in Australia, the United Kingdom, Canada, the US, Japan and South Africa. The countries share some questions so comparisons can be made, but the majority reflect New Zealand students’ interests. CensusAtSchool co-director Professor Chris Wild, of the Department of Statistics at the University of Auckland, adds, “The survey produces data about kids, from kids, for kids, to enrich their learning about how to collect, explore and analyse data. But the project goes much further, by providing support to teachers.” Rachel Cunliffe co-directs CAS with Professor Chris Wild of the Department of Statistics at The University of Auckland. She holds a BSc (Hons) in Statistics from the University of Auckland and speaks about online communications and youth culture.

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Mainly 3d Street Art...yet another v

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viewpoint

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Some street art can be harrowing and unexpectedly gruesome... the question is: â&#x20AC;&#x153;Is that not necessary in bringing art to the people?â&#x20AC;?

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While the sometimes violent and visually threatening nature of street art is one form of expression and sometimes an outlet for political or social thinking, there is an emerging group of unlikely street artists whose urban expressions seem to produce smiles and good humour wherever they strike...

... more in Term Four of Good Teacher Magazine

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Do you believe in UFOs, ghosts or psychics? What can we learn from dung beetles, asteroids and Antarctica? How important are emotions in making rational decisions and does it matter if scientists tell the truth? Join us in Dunedin for the ScienceTeller Festival from 25-27 October where science and storytelling collide to reveal that our universe offers more than enough mystery and excitement! From frogs to firkins, ScienceTeller celebrates storytelling and science through its engaging speakers and events and motivates people to think critically, demand evidence and keep an open mind. Showcasing internationally renowned guests including the hugely entertaining Canadian rapper Baba Brinkman; award winning photographer and scientist Robin Moore with his “Search for Lost Frogs”; American author and sceptic Guy P Harrison; South African dung beetle expert Marcus Byrne and Harvard University Professor Noami Oreskes with “the fallacy of rationality”, to name a few. The festival is held over three days with awe inspiring and engaging events including films, workshops, talks and exhibitions.

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2013 ScienceTeller Festival

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At ScienceTeller 2013, thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s something for everyone. Dunedin, New Zealand October 25-27, 2013Â

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Ken Done joins judging panel of

Renowned iconic Australian artist, Ken Done, will this year join Countess Natalie von Faber-Castell and Archibald Prize People’s Choice 2012 winner Jenny Sages to judge the 3rd Annual Art Gallery Society of NSW Kids Drawing Prize, which is now open for entries until 14 August. Supported by the oldest pencil maker in the world, Faber-Castell, the competition theme is My Sydney, with young artists encouraged to explore themes of landscape, both natural and urban, and draw inspiration from the Art Gallery of NSW’s much-anticipated exhibition, Sydney moderns: art for a new world.

Sydney has been a constant source of inspiration for artists, from the harbour shores, city vistas, parks and rivers, to the modern forms of the Harbour Bridge, and urban landscapes. The 2013 Kids Drawing Prize will see the city’s irresistible beauty and majesty come to life as budding young artists illustrate what they love about the harbour city. The competition, which is open to Art Gallery of NSW members, accepts artworks created using pencils, coloured pencils, chalk, oil pastels, charcoal and watercolour pencils, by children in age categories 5-6, 7-8, 9-12 and 13-16 years. Judged for their imagination and drawing skills, four promising young artists will be rewarded with a Faber-Castell hamper and an encounter with the prestigious judging panel, all to help boost and nurture their creativity into the future.

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f Sydney-themed kids art prize 2013 Art Gallery Society of NSW Kids Drawing Prize

Each winner’s works will also make a tour of Sydney, first exhibited in the Art Gallery Society of NSW Member’s Lounge and later showcased on Sydney’s High Street in the Dymocks building, the largest bookstore in the southern hemisphere. Celebrated around the globe for his iconic works of Sydney and recognised with an Order of Australia for services to Art, Design and Tourism, Ken Done is Judges: Jenny Sages, Countess Natalie an exciting addition to this year’s von Faber-Castell, and Ken Done judging panel and a perfect fit for this year’s theme.“The first Faber-Castell Art Award for drawing was held at my little gallery in Nurse’s Walk in “For the children to have their works judged by two of Australia’s great artists is such an incredible The Rocks. Since then, I have always looked back opportunity. I’m excited to see what the children come with interest at the prize and the encouragement that up with this year using Sydney’s magical landmarks, it gave to drawing. So now, over 25 years later, I’m history and scenery. If the entries from the past two delighted to have the opportunity of judging this children’s prize that I’m sure will continue to remind us years are anything to go off, we’re all in for another tough day of judging this year!” said Countess Natalie. all of the great joy and inspiration to be found in children’s visions,” said Ken Done. Faber-Castell is the foundation sponsor of the annual “Oh, to be able to paint like a seven year old.” Jenny Sages, twenty times Archibald Prize finalist and People’s Choice 2012 for self-portrait ‘After Jack’ and Countess Natalie von Faber-Castell, ninth generation of Faber-Castell family, will return for their third year to judge the competition with Ken Done. With an extraordinary history of colour and innovation, Faber-Castell has focused on nurturing creativity in children for over 250 years, designing each product to inspire imagination and offer outstanding performance. “Faber-Castell has a rich history in inspiring children to realise and explore their artistic potential and the Kids Drawing Prize is a great initiative by the Art Gallery Society to encourage young artists to keep striving to be the best they can be.

Art Gallery Society of NSW Kids Drawing Prize and is a proud sponsor of the Society’s Kids Club, which runs a popular art program for budding young artists with regular workshops. Entries close 9pm, Wednesday 14 August 2013 and winners will be announced Sunday, 25 August at a special presentation at the Art Gallery of NSW. For more information on Faber-Castell visit www. faber-castell.com.au To download an entry form for the Art Gallery Society of NSW Kids Drawing Prize visit http://www.artgallery.nsw.gov.au/calendar/ kids-club-2013/

“We know how important it is to allow children’s creativity to shine as they create, pretend and play. It helps them to develop skills and coordination at a level that can only be achieved through ‘hands on’ creative play.

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Good Teacher Magazine Term 3 2013 53

Become Unstoppable with Momen Momentum is a very powerful thing. In physics, momentum = mass x velocity. The cool thing about momentum is that the faster an object is moving, the harder it is to stop. This is also true for any project that you are working on. Accomplishing project tasks (gaining “mass”) in a quick and efficient manner (gaining “velocity”) can create momentum for your project that can bear through the toughest problems and bring your project to completion. Consider this – just one brick can stop a train from beginning its journey down the tracks. But once a train has gained momentum, it can crash through an entire brick wall. The same is true for projects that you work on in life. Momentum is key, and here is how you can achieve it. Remove the Bricks What is stopping you from getting started on your lingering project? We’ve all heard the saying that “the hardest part is getting started, “ by why is that? Fear is one of the most common “bricks” that needs to be dealt with in order to get your project in motion. This can be fear of failure, fear of incompetence, fear of the unknown, or even fear of success. This is a tricky obstacle to remove because fear can hide in so many shapes, and we tend to make excuses for our fear. We say “I’m too busy to get started, that is why I haven’t.” Or, “I don’t have the appropriate

54 Good Teacher Magazine Term 3 2013

resources to start.” To overcome this obstacle you need to stop making excuses, face your fear, and start moving. Building Mass Once you have removed the bricks are ready to get moving, it is now time to build the mass of your project in terms of resources and plans. In the beginning this includes a Project Charter, Project Agreement, and obtaining buy-in from the key stakeholders in your project. When building mass, you are bringing the concept of the project to life and giving substance and direction to your project. Gaining Velocity Parkinson’s law states that: “Work expands to fill the time available for its completion.” This means the more time you give yourself, the slower your train will move. Speed things up by creating a sense of urgency for your project tasks, and practice setting fastpaced goals that keep everyone on your project team on-themove while remaining accountable. One way to do this is to Timebox Timeboxing is a practice used in Agile where you set a small chunk of time aside (1-2 hours) and focus completely at the task at hand without any distractions. While this might seem counterintuitive to the multitasking masters out there, this has been proven

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ntum time and time again to be the most efficient way to work through project tasks. By utilizing Timeboxing, your team can gain velocity in achieving your project’s goals. Stay the Course While mass and velocity are important, if you don’t know where you are going you could be moving in the wrong direction – FAST! Throughout your project you need to stop and see – is your project headed in the direction that you anticipated? Is the momentum that you are achieving bringing you closer to your goals, or further away? While trains have the luxury of running on autopilot and can stay on real tracks, you need to pull your head up out of the day-to-day project tasks to make sure that you are not veering off course.

Toot Your Horn Trains have horns to communicate to those around them – “Danger! Stay away, we can’t stop and we are coming closer!” In your project team, make sure you toot your horn at the first sign up trouble. Instead of avoiding or hiding problems, run to them and make them known so they can be fixed fast. You have the ability to gain momentum and create an unstoppable force with whatever projects you tackle – you just need to get started. When you are able to reach a high level of momentum quickly and consistently with your projects, you will find yourself on the gravy train to success. By Michelle LaBrosse, PMP®, Chief Cheetah and Founder of Cheetah Learning, and Kristen Medina, Co-Author, CAPM®

Singing helps students tune into a foreign language, study shows Singing in a foreign language can significantly improve learning how to speak it, according to a new study. Adults who listened to short Hungarian phrases and then sang them back performed better than those who spoke the phrases, researchers found. People who sang the phrases back also fared better than those who repeated the phrases by speaking them rhythmically. Three randomly assigned groups of twenty adults took part in a series of five tests as part of a study conducted by researchers at the University of Edinburgh’s Reid School of Music. The singing group performed the best in four of the five tests. In one test, participants who learned through singing performed twice as well as participants who learned by speaking the phrases. Those who learned by singing were also able to recall the Hungarian phrases with greater accuracy in the longer term. Hungarian was chosen because it is unfamiliar to

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most English speakers and a difficult language to master, with a completely different structure and sound system to the Germanic or Romance languages, such as Spanish and French. Dr Karen M. Ludke, who conducted the research as part of her PhD at the University of Edinburgh’s Institute for Music in Human and Social Development, said: “This study provides the first experimental evidence that a listen-and-repeat singing method can support foreign language learning, and opens the door for future research in this area. One question is whether melody could provide an extra cue to jog people’s memory, helping them recall foreign words and phrases more easily.” The study is published in the journal Memory & Cognition. Good Teacher Magazine Term 3 2013 55

One Man’s Dream and the Ruben Our intrepid sailor determined to tick his lifelong dream off is ‘bucket list’ continues his journey with the Ruben Jane.. 1st October Home this month or close to it anyway. With NE winds gusting to 35 knots we decided to head back to Vuda Point. After raising the anchor and avoiding some fishing floats I raised the main and put 2 reefs in it. We were reaching speeds of 7.6 knots and the wind whistled through the gaps between the islands causing some exciting sailing. Just as we exited the bay we were visited by a pod of dolphins which stayed for about 10 minutes. When they left we passed our first waypoint and turned towards Vuda Point. Out from behind the shelter of Kuata Island the swell increased until it was shadowed by a reef to the NE of us. The breeze settled down so I put up the No 4 as well. On this reach our speed stayed at around 6 knots which we averaged for over an hour. I put out a line and almost immediately got a strike but that was the last for the day. When Vomo Island was on our port bow the wind decreased to a breeze and when the island was on our beam we were becalmed on a flat sea. We waited for 10 minutes and a 6-8 knot breeze arose from the SE. so after a few more minutes we started the motor and motor sailed the rest of the way. It appears to be a local phenomenon that the wind blows towards the mainland for half the trip from the Yasawas and off the mainland when you get closer. In Vuda point marina we tied to the fuel berth and refuelled. Joy also did two loads of washing and we picked up the mail and replenished the water. Laura received a birthday present from our neighbours back home in Tauranga. Joy also learned that her father had been admitted to a rest home. He has not enjoyed good health recently. We then left the marina and raised the jib and motor sailed to Sawene Bay for the night, arriving just after 1700 hours. A very full day with a great variety of wind conditions. The anchorage was very calm with perfect reflections. Joy and I stayed in the cockpit for some hours discussing our options and responsibilities. The cane trains made a racket as they clanked past and the dogs ashore were barking a lot. In the early hours it started raining so I got up to close the hatch. The showers only last a few minutes but necessitate closing the hatch otherwise we get quite wet. Once the rain stops we have to open the hatch again because it gets very warm and stuffy with it closed in the tropics. 2nd October Susannah and I caught the 0830 bus in to Lautoka. I went to a dentist recommended by Conandale. He is 50 metres E of the traffic lights (only one set in town). 20 minutes, 2 fillings, no bib, mouthwash was a wash-your-glass-in-a-basin-in-the-corner-afterwardstrick. Still $45 is very good by New Zealand 56 Good Teacher Magazine Term 3 2013

standards. He was Otago trained and wore gloves so there was hope there was sterile equipment. I returned to Morris Hedstrom’s where Susannah had lunch then I went to The Last Stop Cafe where I waited almost an hour to read my e-mail (cost $3.20 this time). Then posted a postcard to my workmates and tried to fax Glenn Payne but kept getting engaged signal. Returned to MH’s and completed the grocery shopping Susannah had started, then caught a taxi back to Sawene Bay. After putting the groceries on board I went to the local hotel to try to send the fax but they don’t have a fax machine. A very still night again but a bunch of young people on the beach had a bonfire and fireworks until late. 3rd October The anchor chain was very dirty when we raised it so I washed it before stowing it. Exiting the reef was easy because of the floating plastic bottles on the horns of the reef. We raised the jib but the wind immediately turned round to the S again - on the nose, so we dropped the jib and motored to Vuda Point. Joy and Susannah stooged around outside the marina while Laura and I motored in Plain Jane to send the fax and pick up the mail. Back on board the breeze had moved slightly so we raised the sails and sailed in a slowly building breeze to Denerau. Laura was at the helm for most of the trip. We went outside a Magellan line tanker at anchor and successfully negotiated the beacons on the reef we had difficulty interpreting last time. Susannah lay on the foredeck sunbathing. Off Denerau lies Yakuilau Island. According to the chart it has 2 beacons to the N of it. Last time we noticed it only had 1 beacon there - not unusual for Fiji. We were 1-200 metres off it when Susannah called to say that we were heading towards the reef. I replied that I knew but it was at least 100 metres away. ‘NO’, she called. ‘It’s 30 metres!!’ I took evasive action and we missed the unmarked reef by less than 20 metres. It was lying about a metre underwater and would have caused some damage if we’d hit it at the speed we were doing - 4.5 knots. Thank God for watchful crew. That has been the closest encounter with a reef while cruising. We had been warned of an unmarked one to the S of Denerau which Sunset Quest had almost hit a month ago. Soon the crew were clamouring for me to drop the sails as we were approaching our anchorage - still 400 metres away - when we passed a Hobie cat in irons. I put Plain Jane over the side and pushed his bow around. He didn’t appear to have many clues. He was last seen heading towards the resort so it might be a lesson well learned. We anchored in 16 feet. In the afternoon Laura and I went ashore and looked at the shops. There was a pushy saleswoman who followed us around almost on our heels. She was very well dressed and groomed but emitted loud popping noises as her bubblegum burst. When we returned

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n Jane Joy and Susannah were on Sanity so we joined them. We returned to Ruben Jane at sundown so I could take a photograph of the sunset which was the most spectacular of the entire trip. We all went ashore for the Happy Hour - or so we thought but they finished their performance just as we arrived. The nibbles are free during Happy Hour but the drinks cost twice as much as other places. The sunset got better and better but unfortunately the camera was left on the boat. Just when you thought that it couldn’t get anymore spectacular, it did. An international passenger aircraft went right through the middle of it. It was so awesome that one felt like applauding the Creator. 4th October We all went over to Sanity to bid farewell to Tony and Yvonne but after an hour they said that they would see us in Vuda Point before we left. Up anchored with the idea of sailing to Mana Island but when we exited the bay the wind was on the nose again so we pointed the bow towards Malololailai. We avoided all shallows and rocks passing within 200 metres of Curacao rock. Just as the Black Rocks were abeam the wind came around onto the nose so we dropped the sails and motored in to Musket Cove. We anchored behind Defiance II and Morold. Joy had a sleep while the rest of us went ashore where Laura and I had a swim in the pool. Back on board Laura took a sunsight and a moonsight. Tonight there is a star by the moon for several hours but when I looked later it had disappeared so I suspect that it had been eclipsed by the moon. 5th October I motored over to Defiance II and borrowed a nautical almanac and worked out Laura’s sunlight. She was 7 miles out which is very good for her first attempt. Everyone else went ashore. Laura had a swim and Joy had a shower. When they returned I took the almanac back. We sailed slowly out of Musket Cove passing Ron Holland’s personal yacht and Archangel. The breeze was very light and we ghosted along. It was not the sort of day for hurrying. The reefs were readily observable and as we were passing Lokomai Resort we saw a turtle and just before Castaway Resort we saw another. At Castaway we almost had our fishing lines run over by a boat towing a ‘banana’. The breeze finally left us so we lowered the sails and motored into Mana Lagoon. We anchored in 29°C water beside Sea Hawk with Jonathan and Rogers Ford and their children - Elizabeth, Catherine and Ham (short for Hamilton) on board, from New York. We all swam over and spent a couple of hours in pleasant discourse before swimming back. It was a very lazy sort of day. They invited us back tonight for a movie. I was able to show the girls that as the moon came up over the small hill the sun was setting

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making a full moon tonight. We went over to Sea Hawk again by boat and watched the movie ‘Captain Ron’, home just before midnight. 6th October We all went snorkelling this morning. The water temperature is down to 28°C today. Rolly anchorage when the tide comes over the reef at both ends of the day. Also the Quickcats carrying tourists are obnoxiously fast within the reefs. They create quite a wake with no consideration for other sailors. The reef close to shore is dead and today we spotted 2 wheelbarrows, several bedsteads and quite a bit of corrugated iron dumped on the seabed. The glossy brochures are correct when they say that you may be surprised by the things you see whilst snorkelling. It is sad that the locals are destroying their habitat when they rely on tourism for their livelihood. Joy, Laura and I went ashore, Joy to do the washing and Laura and I had a swim in the resort pool. We were puzzled several times in Fiji to be asked by the resort staff which boat we were off until we realised that all the tourists had new tans while we had well established suntans. I took a reward ashore for Rachel Yasa for the help she had given me in locating Gold Jane. I took my chart of the Mamanuca group over to Seahawk as we wont be using it again. It is the only chart which shows Malolo and Mana Island in relation to each other. After lunch Susannah, Laura and I went snorkelling on the outer reef but it was largely dead too. Even the fish appear smaller and more frightened. We didn’t stay in long although within the shadows of the reef, visibility was excellent. We then all went ashore and had another swim in the resort pool. We were joined by Tony and Yvonne. The choppy water on our return made travel hazardous and for the first time in all our travels we took some serious water on board Plain Jane. 7th October I rowed over to Seahawk and had a chat about life in general then went back to Ruben Jane. Following lunch, on a very low tide we headed out the channel for the last time. In the entrance to Mana Island there were some small overfalls but there was enough clearance for us. In glassy conditions we motored Good Teacher Magazine Term 3 2013 57

behind Sanity back to Vuda Point. They went to Denerau. As the trip progressed the sky became more and more threatening and a slight breeze of 3-4 knots got up from behind. Apart from two strikes which only gave momentary excitement, the trip was inauspicious. This may be the last trip that Susannah and Laura make on Ruben Jane. Before John’s sked I spoke to Pericon and Makani. Pericon have some mail for Susannah in Vila. I should meet them in Noumea. 8th October Morning spent getting boat ready - refuelling, water and attaching cutter rig and tying anchor down etc. After lunch we caught a taxi to Nadi with Tony and Yvonne (7 including driver) to airport to pick up Corina, and Glenn Payne who are crewing to Noumea with me. Then a bus trip to Lautoka where I cleared out from customs and immigration. I had Corina’s and Glenn’s passports etc. with me so they wandered around Lautoka waiting for me. Got the tape deck repaired too. Then I had difficulty finding Corina and Glenn at the bus depot where I said I’d meet them. Here they were less than 3 hours in a strange place in a strange town in a strange country with no map, no money and no identification. I located them just after the last bus for Vuda Point had departed so we caught an adjacent one and were faced with a 2 km walk but were picked up by a van from First Landing (adjacent to the marina). There was a beautiful sunset tonight. We all went out to First Landing where we had the Yachties Special $9.90. The waitress had double ordered for an adjacent table so we helped her out with eating four more servings between us. Fiji To New Caledonia 9th October Joy, Susannah and Laura left for the airport at 0530 hours. We didn’t go back to sleep but slowly prepared to leave. Said goodbye to Tony and Yvonne. Rodney (Satisfaction Plus) came on board to help get the tape deck working. I had installed it and turned it on at the switchboard but it didn’t appear to be working. He turned the volume knob and it worked. I checked the weather fax (nothing sinister), paid my marina fees and at 1100 hours we departed for Noumea. Motored out of the marina and then raised the sails in a light NW breeze to 12 knots. Sailed at 4 knots to Momi Bay where we picked up the transit for going through the Navula Passage which we accomplished without difficulty. Outside the reef there was a short 1 metre swell from the NW and 20 minutes later we were becalmed. Then 10 minutes after that we were hit by a squall or front from the SE which quickly rose to 30-35 knots necessitating rapid sail changing by inexperienced crew. Corina went below suffering from mal de mer and didn’t emerge for 2 days. It’s called the Jesus factor - on the 3rd day they arise. In rapid order Glenn and I put two reefs in the main, dropped the jib, hoisted the storm jib, dropped the main and hung on tightly. While I was on the foredeck Glenn had tried to head into the wind as instructed using the 58 Good Teacher Magazine Term 3 2013

motor but the boat wouldn’t respond. The motor was out of gear!! Then we discovered that when he had raised the jib he had put about 20 turns around the winch which jammed it - I almost had to cut the halyard to get the sail down in a hurry. However somehow I managed to free it in time. I found this exercise exasperating but he was trying his best and I can’t ask more of anyone than that. The autohelm now called ‘Rod’ or ‘Slim’ (because he’s a stick and he doesn’t eat much) took over and we averaged 6 knots overnight WSW (the right direction to Noumea) under storm jib alone. I was annoyed with the weather as I had checked the weather fax before leaving and there had been no warning from the sky. By this stage we were all being sick at regular intervals. The trick I have found is to make sure I vomit immediately before the evening sked to try to be able to get through the sked without having to rush on deck or vomit in a bucket with the world listening in. John Goater couldn’t see anything ugly on his analysis either. At this stage he said the most loving thing anyone said to me for 1998. He offered to keep a sked for me in the morning if I wanted. He must have realised that things were not very pleasant out here. I declined the offer as I thought that by now things were under control. I think this is the loneliest I have ever felt tonight after switching the radio off. From being in contact with others Pacific wide to a world of just 36 feet is very sobering. One feels so lonely one can taste it. We had left on a Friday which superstitious sailors will not do but I am not superstitious at all. Things were difficult but not dangerous anymore (after undoing the line off the winch). Glenn was quite anxious and required some strong encouragement to remain on watch alone but after a while he calmed down, outwardly anyway, and I managed to catch a bit of sleep. He was harnessed on and all he had to do was to call me if he sighted any lights. It emerged that although he was Commodore of the Wanganui Yacht Club he has only sailed catamarans on sheltered rivers and lakes and when the breeze gets over 20 knots they all go home. He has received a very rude welcome to the world of Blue Water cruising. It was a hard night with Glenn and I doing 1 1/2 hour watches, more or less, as when we got sleepy we would call the other. 10th October The wind gradually calmed down to 20 knots so by mid-morning I had put the main up with 3 reefs in it. Had a sked with Tony at 0830 but he didn’t come up. Barnstorm and Sanity are leaving Vuda Point for New Zealand today. Marty came up at 0840 as arranged. A pretty miserable day with all of us feeling and being sick. Easy on the food bill though. Glenn seems least affected by the dreaded seasickness. I was my usual cheerful self, despite being sick a few times. Glenn kept the bucket brigade busy. He took a video of Corina trying to eat some tinned fruit and the aftermath - a Technicolor yawn. The sea remained confused all day. Just as life looked to be on the improve we lost our electrical power. When I tried the engine it ran but had burst a water pipe so we had

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water through the dining area too. We repaired the hose but when we restarted the engine the charging light wouldn’t go out so we stopped it again. A lot of our electrical equipment went dead very quickly but we ended up just after dark with just the compass lights on, very faintly. We kept a very good watch all night because we had no navigation lights on. The battery driven lights were available but I decided to keep them ready for an emergency or when we were near shipping lanes closer to New Caledonia. We had sprayed CRC liberally around the entire engine before dark to dry the moisture. It was comforting to have a back up GPS available but with ‘slim’ asleep we had to hand steer. John’s sked we kept short to conserve power but he now knows that if we lose contact it will probably be due to power failure. Glenn and I again did 1 1/2 hour watches more or less. He must be wondering what else can go wrong. He has fitted in well. To further conserve power I have introduced him to navigating by the stars. He is enjoying this. It is quite impressive to see how resourceful we are becoming. 11th October Some of our watches are becoming quite a bit shorter than 1 1/2 hours; in fact I think that some may be shorter than 1/2 an hour. This is not due to shirking but we are becoming quite fatigued. This morning it hit me how tired we have become when I looked down from the cockpit and saw Corina asleep on the bunk and Glenn lying face down on the floor wearing his full wet weather gear and safety harness with its buckle digging into his stomach. He was oblivious to any discomfit. Fortunately Corina arose today and steered for quite a while to give Glenn and I some much needed sleep. We slept for hours and when we awoke the world had taken on a different hue. Today being Sunday, I cleaned the bilges. This afternoon we started the motor and the charging light went out so we tried charging the house batteries. At least the voltmeter reads 0.00 now instead of being blank so we must be winning. We put the fishing line out today for the first time since leaving the Navula Passage. We hooked a mahi-mahi but after a short fight he took our hook but not the lure. I stopped the motor for John’s sked but afterwards the charging light stayed on so we stopped it quickly. We again hand steered overnight using the stars to navigate by. Corina is enjoying this as well. 12th October Becalmed today - what weather!! We started the motor and after 5 minutes of low revs and 1 minute of normal revs the charging light went out so we motored all day. There is a brownish powder in the water and on the surface and we are at a loss to explain it. We are approaching an underwater volcano so we wondered if it was pumice dust. In the afternoon we passed through one patch which looked like a thick scum so we are involved in blue and brown water cruising. Motored until 0400 hours in misty showery conditions. Retrospectively, I think that the discoloration is due to an algal bloom. We are

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currently about as far as most people get from anyone else on the planet. As far as we know there is nobody else within 250 miles of us. It’s kind of a special thought. 13th October Raised both sails at the start of my watch at 0400 hours when a 9-12 knot breeze came from the SE. From small beginnings it developed 12-17 knots for most of the day. We passed through some more areas of brown sludge. Just on daybreak we passed our first waypoint since Fiji which took us N of an underwater volcano. I turned on the handheld GPS as Corina came up for her watch and it showed we were only 1/2 mile to the side of the waypoint after some 400 miles. Not bad for navigating by the stars during the nights. Spoke to Delphis this morning. They are 70 miles S of New Caledonia bound for Brisbane. Clare is unwell. Arranged a sked for tomorrow. Also spoke to Marty, Roy and Tony. Corina remarked at how lonely it is when the radio is switched off. A good sailing day although a bit overcast. The swell rose to 4-5 metres but was very gentle. After lunch the forward bolt on the autopilot/tiller sheered so Glenn and I made running repairs with an allen key, some rope and parcel tape. However two hours later the aft bolt broke (our repair held) so we’re resigned to hand steering until Noumea. Immediately after this latest in a series of problems on this leg of the voyage I noticed a front ahead so we reduced sail down to storm jib and double reefed main. In reducing sails I fell twice on the foredeck - probably only fallen once on the entire trip to date, got a halyard around the spreaders and tangled my harness around appurtenances about 4 times. I’m beginning to hate this leg of the trip. Then on the evening sked John said the front was stationary - it certainly had me running around in circles. It didn’t amount to much but we carried reduced sails for a few hours still doing 5.5 knots. John also queried whether the wind was coming from the SE and not the NE as expected. I told him I was probably going the wrong way! It was interesting to hear the people in Fiji talking about how they had seen the green flash at sunset when for us the sun was still well above the horizon. Glenn got some good video footage of me hoisting the French flag .Whenever I raise a flag I do it with full honours - consisting of loud tuneless humming as a fanfare which lasts as long as it takes to raise the flag. It is good footage because I am silhouetted (good French word) in the setting sun and I always look my best with the light behind me. He appreciated that. Corina not feeling well again -? viral. However she did put the chicken on to cook at teatime. Just before dark we shook all the reefs out but at midnight we dropped all sails and motored in a sloppy sea with little wind. 14th October. Very difficult motoring during the night with heavy cloud cover and sloppy seas making steering by hand tedious and confusing. No stars to steer by and sometimes we appeared to be going in circles. I hate this leg. Saw Ile Mare at daybreak and when Corina Good Teacher Magazine Term 3 2013 59

came on deck she sat with her back to it without seeing it. I said ‘Land Ho’ and she looked all around except where it was. After about 4 other ‘Land Ho’s’ she finally awoke enough to see land. Heard a commotion on Ch16 this morning very clearly but didn’t understand a word of it as it was all in French. We both had a laugh about it. Stopped the motor for radio sked with Steve, Roy, Tony and Marty. Sounded the fuel tank and found we have only used 30% so far. Only light winds turning NE late afternoon. John will be pleased. Poled out the jib and had a restrainer on the boom as well. Tried twice to raise the spinnaker but conceded defeat and raised the main and jib. During the night we had lost the retaining pin at the aft end of the outhaul. It is a closed pin with a securing clip so goodness knows why it chose this leg to go swimming. Motor sailed until 1400 hours then motored then sailed until 1600 hours. Motored after dark, picking up a light that flashed 4 seconds at a time and headed towards it. It was a bit N of our track but we had been wandering over the ocean for the past 24 hours. Saw several ships leaving New Caledonia. One passed 1/2 mile to starboard but the other headed NE. Tried calling the first one on VHF Ch16 but got no response. Glassy seas. As we motored towards the light we couldn’t reconcile why the cross track error on the GPS was increasing. Because of this and a general unease I was feeling about closing a strange coast at night I decided to heave to until daybreak. There was absolutely no wind and a 1 foot swell which was very long and almost negligible. It is the only night at sea that I have been able to see the stars unmoving in their reflection in the water. It was a feeling of being suspended in the centre of the universe. There were no clouds in the sky to obscure the sensation. With the storm jib backed and the tiller lashed it appeared that we were stationary but the GPS showed we were being swept N by a 0.5-1.7 knot current. It is supposed to mend S in this area. I took the first watch and Corina took the second. Just as the sky began to lighten we got under way again still with no wind. 15th October In the light of day I discovered that the light was at Point Yate; some 20 miles further up the coast from the Havannah Passage. That light has four flashes every 15 seconds whereas Havannah light has four flashes every 10 seconds. Point Yate light has a range of 24 miles whereas Havannah light has a range of only 12 miles. Why the French, with a reputation for efficiency, would place two lights with similar characteristics, so close together beats me. Also to further complicate matters, the chart I had been using ended just N of Havannah Passage so there was no indication of any confusion. No wonder it had taken so long to reach it. We had been fractionally N of our intended course so had picked up Point Yate light first. I was glad that good navigational skills plus an uneasy feeling had stopped us going on the reef at night, shudder, shudder. I have heard that the calmest night’s anchorage is on a reef. Still, the way this leg of the voyage has been going so far why 60 Good Teacher Magazine Term 3 2013

should I be surprised? As a consequence of this deviation from our intended course we had to head down the coast and against the current. It wasn’t until 1000 hours NZST that we had Havannah light on our beam and yes it was the worst time of the tide. The passage is certainly wide enough and there were overfalls. Although the tide was supposedly with us our COG (course over ground) did not increase markedly. We saw two ships up on the reef on the port side. These wrecks are a salient reminder of how cruel the sea can be and there is no place for complacency. From the Passage it was a fairly straightforward run past Port Boise to Cape Ndoua making adjustment for the outlying reef off the cape then across the Baie du Prony. By this stage the breeze had come in and we had some good sailing in beautiful scenery under clear skies. The colours of the sea around the reefs leading in to the shallows and the first green trees we had seen for a week certainly were refreshing. Unfortunately the mining has left big scars on the hillsides but even these exposed the red soil adding to the contrast. The lighthouses are very distinctive in New Caledonia and look just like the story book says they should. We took a photo of the one in Baie du Prony. After six days of not seeing anyone, we were in a country none of us had ever been to before and the first people we finally get to see are folk that I know. Isn’t life wonderful with it’s little surprises. We hove to for a chat with Malcolm and Linda but as they still had some distance to go to the Isle of Pines we only had a short time with them. Malcolm had been the first to welcome us over VHF to ‘almost Atata’, Tonga. Linda had also been the first to greet us when we arrived in Fiji so there is a pattern starting to evolve. We continued on a tight reach towards Porc-Epic. The cruising guide said it is well differentiated from its companions as it is the only island which resembles a porcupine. This is true but we could not see this for a few more miles. Just before we arrived off Porc-Epic we sighted half a windsurfing board floating in the water. Quite eerie - one looks around for the other half, the person and the shark! From Porc-Epic we motor sailed into the sunset to Ile Maitre and thence to Petite Rade. We finally contacted Port Moselle Marina off Ile Maitre. True to form as we entered the bay John’s sked had a message for us. By the time he had contacted the boats at sea we were about to enter the marina but instead had to stooge around outside waiting to hear the message. It was from Andy Marshall and Rebecca to say that everything was going well. This was a bit of a worry because hadn’t it been going well or was it about to not go well? I made a perfect approach to the dock in front of a small crowd (10 people). Clearance was not until the morning - it was 1900hours NZST. We had to stay on the boat until 1900 hours local time. Then the marina manager came to tell us that the Customs Officers would be back at 0700 hours tomorrow so be sure we were on board at 0600 hours ready for clearance. He didn’t say we couldn’t go ashore. We borrowed a swipe card from Jim and Annette on Evergreen an Australian boat (not to be confused with the New

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Zealand boat). Corina swapped the magazines with Annette. With the swipe card we were able to have showers. The shower has a button which needs to be pushed every few seconds to maintain the flow of water. It is irregular in its action. After showers we had a chat to Evergreen and Graham Aimlis until late. Too late actually as it was almost midnight NZST when we got to bed. Pancakes for tea and Glenn found that they were not as bad as expected. I was awake early the next morning. Noumea 16th October First Health then Customs (they wear guns) cleared us. They were all very polite and caused us no trouble. Then a grumpy Immigration Officer (doesn’t wear a gun) cleared us in. When he found we didn’t speak French he was quite obnoxious - I do speak un peu, un petit peu so he should have only been a little obnoxious. We then went down town. Glenn and I did the shopping. I needed some gear to fix the broken parts so I asked several passers-by for directions. One couple was extremely helpful. Marie-Louise needed to go to the hospital for an out patient appointment one month after severing a digital tendon so they took me with them. After 1/2 an hour wait, which is not bad for a hospital, they returned and we went 5 miles out of the centre of town to a boat shop. The shop didn’t have the part so they took me a further 2 miles out to a shop which did. Then they delivered me back to the boat. I showed them through the boat. They wouldn’t accept anything for their help. Communication was difficult but fun. They didn’t speak any English and I only speak schoolboy French. I was never taught how to ask for directions to find a stainless steel bolt when I was at school. They asked when we were departing and I couldn’t think of the French word for Thursday so I said Wednesday plus one. (Mercredi et un). This amused them. We exchanged addresses. Christian is an electronics officer in the French Air Force dealing mainly with helicopters. I was very grateful to them both for their kind ministrations. It certainly changed my perception of the French people in general. After they left I tried to sleep but I was continually interrupted so I never did manage to rest. John Goater called me on the sked to ensure I had docked safely but although he could hear me I couldn’t hear him so needed a relay. A nice touch from him. The reception is very difficult amongst all the masts. The boats are very close together. The fingers are very thin and move up and down a lot when you walk on them. It is a beautiful marina with apartment buildings close by. From our deck we can see the cathedral. The twin spires are part of the navigational system with a beacon behind them which gives a transit for entering the harbour. Tonight Glenn shouted us tea at the local restaurant - a very nice touch too. I had kangaroo meat which was a bit tough, tougher than the meat we had cooked on the trip. The coffee Corina and Glenn had was astounding - the cups only held about 60 mls each.

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17th October I have been very impressed with that intangible vitality exuded by the local populace. I suppose it is the Gaelic influence but the ladies fashion sense is amazing. They wear their clothes well; it doesn’t matter whether their clothes are tight fitting clothes or flowing, the subtlety of the cut gives a flair. It is not like New Zealand where people try to outdo one another but rather a joint awareness of personal confidence and grace. It also transcends racial barriers. Of course there are those who are scruffy - 7 bodies counted sleeping on the concrete seats at the bus depot one morning but the greatest proportion by far is in the pleasant bracket. This is the most vibrant community I have ever seen. The town is busy but not rushed. There is an air of wealth and affluence about the place but no obvious source. It is very expensive - 60 Pfr (pacific francs) to change money at the bank. (1PFR =56 cents NZ). Fortunately I have brought French Francs with me and they are free to exchange. It is $30 for a cooked chook; meat - well it’s just too expensive. The people appear happy although politically speaking there is a referendum coming up as to whether they cede from France. We checked at the bus depot for the time of the bus departing for the airport and were told it was 0530 hours. The plane leaves at 0755 hours so that should be ample time to make the 40 mile trip on Sunday for Corina and Glenn. This morning Glenn and I caught a bus to the other marina (CNC - Cercle Nautique Caledonie) to pick up more mail for Susannah. Met an elderly man with a fishhook in his finger. I tried to tell him that I could extract it but he spoke no English. Finally an interpreter pointed him in the direction of a doctor - ah well... We did some more window shopping and I bought some more bolts from a

Good Teacher Magazine Term 3 2013 61

chandlery. When we returned to the boat Wayne Troughton and Donn Donnelley and Jan, his wife, were there so we chatted for several hours before Donn and Jan left for their motel. Evergreen left this morning and this afternoon Pickety Witch arrived with Martin and Chris aboard. I got help from Mike and Sandra on Dulcibella to straighten the autohelm frame under the tiller. After tea Martin and Chris came over for supper. Martin had sailed to Mururoa in 1995 with the protest fleet so it made for an interesting evening. 18th October Corina’s first wedding anniversary. I went with Corina and Glenn to the bus stop and saw them off. However instead of the bus leaving at 0530 hours it arrived at the bus depot at 0600 hours. I went and asked the driver what time he left for the airport. He said 0700hours. So I asked how long it took to get to the airport and he replied ‘40 minutes’. By my calculations this only left them 15 minutes at the airport before departure. I thought it was cutting it a bit fine but the locals must know what they are doing. After their departure I went back to the boat and Wayne and I sailed out to Ile Maitre. We sailed under jib alone but after being a tight reach for several miles and the wind increasing we dropped the jib and motored the rest of the way. We had only just set the anchor when we heard Noumea Radio calling us. They took us to Ch 23, asked where we were then directed us to Ch 6 where we spoke to Picketty Witch. Martin told us they had a very tearful girl on board - Corina. They had missed their flight home. What the bus driver had not told us was that a car going the direct path could get to the airport in 40 minutes but the bus, once it leaves Noumea goes cross-country on minor roads. At 0755 they were still 20 km from the airport. She was obviously upset and I was very angry - not at her but at the unfairness of life; when I finally had an opportunity to relax the opportunity was taken from me. C’est la vie (See I can speak French). We immediately returned to Noumea. I raised the storm jib for three reasons; 1. the wind had shifted around to aft of the beam, 2. the wind was still strong, and 3. the storm jib had been lying on that side of the deck. Motor sailing we made it back in 40 minutes to the marina. When I heard Corina’s story she said her ticket had been cancelled before she got to the airport anyway so it was not entirely her fault. Her travel agent had not confirmed it. I tried to get Noumea Radio to put a collect call through to Joy in Tauranga but they were unable to do that. They also could not contact Tauranga Coastguard so with advice and radio messages flowing thick and fast I went to Picketty Witch and contacted Taupo Maritime on 12 migs (megaherts). (I haven’t got 12 migs on my set and nothing less would reach New Zealand in the middle of the day.) They relayed the message that Corina would arrive in Auckland via Brisbane at 0100 hours tomorrow. Joy had to contact Aaron who was waiting at Auckland Airport for Corina. I had to go out to the airport with Corina to purchase a ticket which a Mrs Johnstone had arranged. We caught the bus at 1600 hours, arriving an hour later. Halfway out I realised that although I had 62 Good Teacher Magazine Term 3 2013

my credit card I had no ID on me. My passport was back on the boat. Fortunately they didn’t ask for any ID. The staff was exceedingly helpful. However the ticket cost NZ$1600. If it hadn’t been her wedding anniversary I don’t know if I would have been so generous. I saw her leave and was overcome by homesickness. I want to be with Joy. Corina told her mother that she almost stayed in New Caledonia with me when she realised how I felt. Emotionally I feel depleted after the journey from Fiji with all it’s trials. I had to wait an hour for the next bus. It was driven by a Ni Vanuatu man. I sat beside him and we conversed. With the noise of the bus I missed 90% of what he was saying. I arrived back at the boat just on dark and Wayne and Glenn had tea ready. Glenn is staying on board until Thursday. He has been passing some hints about wanting to sail back to New Zealand but I think it may produce conflict halfway home so I have ignored the hints. I do feel sorry for him but don’t think I am strong enough at present to cope with his inexperience at blue water sailing. It would require further vigilance on my behalf. After he has acquired some experience with someone else I would look at taking him. 19th October Broke the rear port support for the sunroof this morning so took it to get it welded. Spoke to another man studying the weather map. He pointed out various features which were likely to turn bad if not immediately, then as soon as we left for New Zealand. The longer I listened to him the more depressed I became. We were sure to be hit by something very big weather-wise. After I left him I realised that I was depressed by him so decided to ignore everything he said and to trust my own judgement. I immediately felt better. Hadn’t I been trusting my own judgement for the last 6 months? Then in almost a repeat of yesterday’s sail Wayne and I went out to Ile Maitre where we spent a relaxing few hours snorkelling. The underwater visibility was the worst of the trip at only 15 feet but the fish were bigger and more profuse than most other places. It was a long walk out over shallow coral to where we could swim. Walked over the island but got lots of sharp prickly things in bare feet. They don’t show those in the glossy brochures. Also played with a sea snake. Saw a line of tourists lying on the beach, scatter with screams when a sea snake slithered amongst them. Returned to Noumea to pick up the welded bracket (PFr 2000-about NZ$35 !!) They didn’t teach me in school to find out the cost of stainless steel welding. We anchored and went to the CNC marina to pick up a fax for Sunset Quest. Picked up Glenn there too. The fax to Sunset Quest had some sensitive information in it so had some fun getting the message across cryptically so nobody else could understand it over the radio. Had an enjoyable evening engaged in healthy discourse. 20th October Rowed over to Pacific Prophesy and introduced myself to Marilyn and her husband. They told me that there is two days free mooring at CNC for visiting

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boats so motored in and moored stern to. Did some grocery shopping then Wayne and I walked over the hill to Anse Vata (THE beach of Noumea). That and the bay before, Baie de Citroens, are very pleasant and clean. Lots of topless girls sunbathing and swimming with no embarrassment. Had a good look through the aquarium where there is also a good display of luminous corals. We had a swim at Anse Vata but Wayne got some fine coral spines in his foot. They broke off when he was trying to pull them out. I learnt later that the best way to remove them is to apply sticky tape and pull that off with the spines attached. One thing that has amused me in New Caledonia is that at each beach there are a few males who lie along the beach. This contrasts with anything I have seen regularly in New Zealand. They are always by themselves so perhaps that says something. The majority though, still lie up and down the beach. On the beach at the Baie de Citroens (lemons) there is a public shower for rinsing off after swimming. We returned to the boat then I went to Donn Donnelley’s hotel where I left a message for him to meet us at Port Moselle on Thursday morning. Glenn, who had spent the day organising his air ticket, had been invited to a rugby game but when he arrived at the rendezvous (another French word) found that he had been stood up. Despite this we spent another pleasant evening. After lights out Glenn and I talked until after midnight. 21st October We motored around to Port Moselle and refuelled before docking in the marina. Wayne and I then went into town looking for lip screen. It was interesting to note that they were all about Pfr800 but we finally found some for Pfr295 so felt we had achieved something. Did some reprovisioning before returning

to the boat for a late lunch. In the afternoon we all visited the Kanak Cultural Centre. The architecture is amazing - no expense spared. All the descriptions are only in French except the walk around the site. Apart from the buildings it all seemed a bit provincial and parochial. Maybe I’ve seen too many Stone Age baskets at space age prices. We arrived back just before dark and soon afterwards were visited by Mark and Ruth off Meniscus of Gweek. We had pancakes for tea. I contacted John Goater and we’re on the sked for tomorrow night. YIPPEE! I’m heading home. I miss Joy. It’s been enjoyable here but not a patch on sharing it with her. I programmed the GPS and there is only 1147 nautical miles to ‘A’ Buoy, Tauranga Martin, Pickety Witch has lent me his charts of North Cape to Cape Brett for the night so I can study them and miss the Cavallis on the way home. I have a large scale chart but his has the finer points. We are parked between an American yacht Whispers and Energetic with Joyce on board. The man on Energetic was not very thrilled with me when I started the motor to chill the freezer just as he was about to start his evening drinkies. Joyce and he had been living de facto and she apparently didn’t want a greater commitment so he flew back to the States and brought back a bride. They have all been living on the boat since Tonga but apparently the women don’t talk to each other. Must be very tempting to push the other one overboard during the night watch. Joyce left the boat in Noumea and Energetic was subsequently dismasted just N of New Zealand and ended up at Lord Howe Island. The write up in one of New Zealand’s biggest boating magazines made the skipper out to be a bit of a hero but a letter to the editor from Joyce several months later scotched this as she derided his lack of preparation as being the principle cause. Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.

Street Art Continued.... Term Four Good Teacher Magazine

How has the street art of graffitti expanded further to crafty expressions of a very different sort?

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Good Teacher Magazine Term 3 2013 63

Teachers Urged To Recommend ‘Toughlove’ Teachers are being urged to recommend TOUGHLOVE’s weekly support groups to parents suffering extreme stress from out-of-control teenagers. “All good teachers know that the home environment plays a crucial role in education and that, when students fail to reach their potential or are disruptive, violent or play truant , it may be because of circumstances at home,” says TOUGHLOVE spokesperson, Geoff Andrews (former school teacher

and is now Chief Executive Officer of TOUGHLOVE Auckland Inc., the organisation’s largest branch).

“Teachers will also have come across normally level-headed, competent parents whose selfconfidence has been shattered by out-of-control teens, who, in turn, place a disproportionate burden on schools and educational resources. “We would strongly urge teaching staff coming across such parents, to let them know about TOUGHLOVE and suggest they get in touch. It might well turn the situation around, to the benefit of parent and teenager alike,” he says. TOUGHLOVE has been running weekly support groups around New Zealand for more than thirty years, offering a sympathetic forum for tens of thousands of demoralised parents, along with the opportunity to learn and share proven and effective strategies for coping. The organisation is CYFaccredited, with most parents approaching it either as a result of word-of-mouth endorsements, through referrals from social agencies or through recommendations from education, health or other professionals. Support groups meet on weekday evenings, with participation kept strictly confidential. Newcomers pay a one-off sum of just $40, with a gold coin donation expected at subsequent sessions. According to a survey carried out between October 2011 and April 2012 by Wellington-based research company, Litmus Limited, 91 percent of parents attending TOUGHLOVE groups would recommend the experience to other parents. Of those surveyed, 84 percent also agreed that TOUGHLOVE had given them the confidence to deal with their teens, whilst providing them with the skills needed to change their own reactions and behaviour. Meanwhile, 32 percent agreed that involvement with TOUGHLOVE had led to better education, training and employment opportunities for their teens.

As Geoff Andrews points out, parental worries can range over a vast number of issues from their teenage children’s failure to do homework or refusal to help around the house to the abuse of other family members, drug or alcohol usage, staying out all night or taking the family car on joyrides. And sometimes, he adds, a parent might be living in fear of a potentially violent son or daughter, who might also be a threat to younger siblings. “Typically, those attending our support groups are sensible and conscientious people, who’ve been dragged down by situations they’d have thought completely manageable, until it happened to them and their child. Shame, grief, embarrassment and zero self-esteem are the norm, with many describing themselves as ‘jelly fish parents’. “Our group facilitators aren’t professionals but they’ve all been through similar experiences and come out the other side with restored confidence and enhanced insight. They don’t lay down the law to stressed parents but help them set practical weekly goals,” says Mr Andrews. “Contrary to a widespread misconception, the name TOUGHLOVE doesn’t mean we favour physical punishment or locking teens out of their homes. Instead, our name reflects the twin truths that parenting is a tough job and that love is an essential ingredient in helping young people behave responsibly and realise their potential. “We stress that teenagers need a clear sense of structure, boundaries and consequences. For example, if homework isn’t done or other members of the household are being treated disrespectfully, a parent might reduce pocket money or refuse to drive their teen down to the sports field. The point isn’t to punish but to show that actions have outcomes. “But we also emphasise that parents typically need to change their own behaviour, calmly laying down ground rules in advance and consistently following them through rather than reacting after the event. “Ours approach has a solid track record of helping rebuild families and of impacting positively on the education and life chances of troubled teens. As a parent and a former teacher, I’m convinced of its effectiveness,” he says. Further information concerning TOUGHLOVE is available at www.toughlove.org.nz or by telephoning the freephone number: 0800 868 445.

TOUGHLOVE 64 Good Teacher Magazine Term 3 2013

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Grants Help Environment Flourish From restoring ecosystems, to natural honey production, to helping children harvest their own fresh food Community organisations throughout the country were asked to submit an application outlining their project and why the Grant of $5,000 in Canon product would help them to achieve a positive environmental outcome. Managing Director of Canon New Zealand, Yusuke Mizoguchi, met with each of the 2012 Grant winners including a small rural school in the Hawkes Bay. “It is both a credit to the incredible work of these organisations and a testament to our products to see them working in synergy to achieve such tremendous environmental gains,” says Mizoguchi. Canon also visited Pukehou School in the Hawkes Bay, recipients of the 2012 Canon School Award. Their mission is to grow a honey bee population and educate students on how to use bees to become more sustainable, as well as learn about and care for their environment. Students running the program in Room One provided an informative tour of the school, explaining the research that has been conducted into bee species, the plant varieties being utilised to attract honey bees and their research into honey production. Bee life is analysed through binoculars

and captured by students with close-up images from their digital SLR camera. Mizoguchi says it was particularly special to see such young kiwi kids so passionate about making a difference to the environment and equally about photography. Jenny Prebble, Principal of Pukehou School, says that the Canon Environmental Grant has given the students and their project a huge boost. “As a small country school with very limited funding, students don’t normally have the opportunity to use such advanced technology.” “The grant has given us the tools to engage and excite the students about a great sustainability initiative while learning and documenting their findings at the same time” says Prebble. Applications for the 2013 Canon Environmental Grant Program are now open, until Friday 9 August. All information and criteria about the Grants can be found at http://www.canon.co.nz/About-Canon/ Sustainability-Environment/Environment/ Environmental-Grants

Canon New Zealand Managing Director, Yusuke Mizoguchi, with students from Room One at Pukehou School, Hawkes Bay.

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Good Teacher Magazine Term 3 2013 65

From Tech To Texture: Aurelie Tu I could not be more excited to talk to Aurelie Tu. Not only do I admire what she’s doing with Craftedsystems, but I can’t get enough of the gorgeous texture of her designs, patterns and wall panels. Her soft, textured vessels beg to be touched and played with rather than just looked at. And while they might not be visually reductionist, they are definitely reductionist in nature—from the lack of tools and glues needed and the material waste used to make the vessels. Here’s what she had to say when I spoke with her: Your background is in industrial design, creating primarily tech devices, so how did you end up designing soft, felted products? My entire career has revolved around design of technology for consumers. While consulting in Los Angeles, I designed numerous consumer electronic products like laptop computers, computer peripherals, desktop printers, projection TVs, speakers and consumer personal care appliances. While at Nike, I was in charge of all the women’s wearable electronic products from timing/vision/tech, including digital sport watches, sport audio players & accessories, heart rate monitors, sport performance and sport culture eyewear. This work is exciting in that it solves real problems for specific consumers, and with increasingly sophisticated materials/processes, one can explore boundless opportunity for solutions. The one element I felt was missing, however, was the organic component, the natural and tactile qualities of materials, and a human touch. How did Craftedsystems begin? Crafted began as an experiment with an alternate business model. At its core is using design and handwork in helping others, working with and for local communities, and using design/production as a means for betterment. This contrasts starkly from making/selling traditional craftwork or appropriating ethnic cultures’ work and selling it locally. I created a system of weaving which is easy for anyone to do, doesn’t require particular skill, and is intended to be done in groups. The pay is a very good wage paid per piece; thus it is incentive-driven, and not hourly, which is even more satisfying once the skill is learned and one wants to weave more and also be paid more. The weaving itself is often called “healing handwork”; doing something creative and repetitive which produces a tangible result, and is a modern form of therapy for those in difficult circumstances. I collaborate with two local organizations for production which have both been amazing to work with; the YWCA and P:EAR, a homeless youth (15-24) organization in Portland focussed on creativity and art. 66 Good Teacher Magazine Term 3 2013

Photos by Steve Bloch and Lincoln Barbour

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Jaime Derringer How did you come up with the specific interlocking patterns for Craftedsystems? What is the process of creating a piece look like? Craftedsystems is a forum for experimentation. My intent was to create something using technological/ design innovation aligned with handcraft. The first products I created were from felt, and they involve a very simple system of slots and tongues whereby the felt locks into itself without need for stitching or mechanical fasteners. I also turned the system inside out, so that the part people normally wouldn’t want to look at becomes the visual identity for the product line. The process is simply an iterative process of creating new geometries and patterns, and seeing which ones are simple to produce and result in an aesthetically pleasing form. When you made your the first Craftedsystems pieces, why was felt your choice of material? I selected felt for its inherent organic quality; felt is made from pressed wool, and was the very first textile man ever created. Its beautiful thickness and solidity was what attracted me to it; it is both solid and surface simultaneously. The fact it could be structural and flexible is what intrigued me to vessels and voids. There’s something about your work that makes one want to reach out and touch it – to feel the texture and try and understand how all the pieces fit together. Was this intentional? This is perhaps resultant of the fact I wanted to incorporate handcraft as a distinct design element; the fact that no machine could produce what these people are able to weave. How does Craftedsystems reflect your own personal style? I suppose it combines several elements of my own personal style, although that wasn’t intentional at all. I am passionate about modern design, innovation and technology, but also have a deep affinity for materials and textures, and I love both crisp geometries and flowing organic forms. You’re an avid traveler… is this where most of your inspiration comes from? Tell me more about where these patterns and shapes come from. Travel for me is an essential part of experience outside your sphere of comfort; being exposed to ideas and philosophies which are different from your own is creatively expanding, which I believe feeds the richness of one’s ideas. The patterns I use, however, tend to be more geometric and elemental in nature, and may be coincidental in reference but in substance probably extend more from modern design or natural geometries (like fibonacci sequence) than from a specific cultural root.

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Good Teacher Magazine Term 3 2013 67

Which Craftedsystems work is your favorite? Why? My favorite is the Asira [pictured below], which is now being produced by Ligne Roset in France, who, by the way, has reorganized their production line to utilize waste material from their furniture lines, and to specifically employ people with disabilities for the handweaving process. What are you currently working on? I’m in the process of creating another series of wallhangings for Room & Board, as well as a series of vessels for their collection also. What’s next? I’m looking at different combinations of materials for some hybridization of material/form for future projects.

68 Good Teacher Magazine Term 3 2013

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Roger’s Rant I met a traveller from an antique land...oops, sorry, this isn’t the forum where I can get away with plagiarism, is it? My mind must be going, like HAL 9000’s, from the latest assault on my well-being-and wallet: NEVER BUY GIFT CARDS! Clarification, never give me a gift card/voucher with an expiry date. I am the master of procrastination. When I get given a gift voucher, I really appreciate it.. I put it in a safe place and think about what I will get for it. This process of dreamy anticipation may take quite a while and of course, you can readily guess what happens, yes I forget about it and the bloody thing expires. I was given a fuel gift card last year. Now, I can hear you saying, ‘What in the name of Lady Gaga, can there to be to dream about? Whether to get 91 or 98 octane, perhaps?’ The truth is, I went into automatic mode and assigned said card to limbo. Upon resurrecting it, I saw that it had been expired a week. A call to the spokesperson for the relevant company was not productive. I had been WARNED on the back of the card in the weasel words (sorry, small print) and that was that. They have a contract with the producer company-whatever that means. She was sorry I had uttered words like ‘rip-off’ and ‘rort’ but that was that!

The trouble is, people don’t like to give money. By giving a gift card they distance themselves from this aversion. Ironically, they are limiting the choice of the recipient. Instead of saying ‘Happy Birthday’ and slipping $100 into the loved-one’s pocket, they commit him to a narrow choice of spending. OK, so you want the money spent on a book, or your darling’s pet kookaburra, what’s wrong in stipulating that. Why line someone else’s pocket by purchasing a piece of plastic that will probably end up in some land-fill or in the lungs of a Hector’s Dolphin? I have some ideas where my card could go... Of course, I may be fiscally naïve and don’t comprehend the serious and difficult world of finance. It may be totally ethical and imperative to have time limits on such things. Perhaps these companies will go into meltdown if there are a certain number of unredeemed vouchers floating around. Perhaps my suggestion to boycott such things is so twentieth-century. Oh well, back to the chalkface. My practising certificate is due to expire soon. Better not forget to renew it.

Roger

I believe in some countries that it is illegal to sell vouchers with time limits. For the life of me I cannot understand why a piece of plastic, which one day can purchase $100 worth of fuel becomes worthless one second past midnight on D-Day. Where does the money go? Perhaps it’s sent to The Salvation Army or Save the Whale. I just can’t bury the suspicion that some cynical person has hooked on to the fact that a percentage of people like me will not redeem the voucher within the time limit. Am I the only one, or is this a regular source of easy income for some greedy individuals out there? Imagine if our money expired like that.

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Good Teacher Magazine Term 3 2013 69

“The best teachers don’t give you the answers... They just point the way ... and let you make your own choices.”

70 Good Teacher Magazine Term 3 2013