Good Teacher Magazine 2014, Term 1

Term One 2014

“The best teachers don’t give you the answers...

They just point the way ...

Good Teacher Magazine Term 1 2014 and let you make your own choices.”

1

ATTENTION TEACHERS O-I NZ Glass Environmental Fund

Expressions of interest to make application for a grant from the O-I NZ Glass Environmental Fund are invited. Up to $25,000 will be available in total for suitable environmental projects.

For application forms and guidelines see our website www.recycleglass.co.nz or contact: O-I NZ Glass Environmental Fund: PO Box 12-345 Penrose, Auckland 1642 Phone: 09-976 7127 Fax: 09-976 7119

Deadline for expression of interest is 31 March 2014

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2 Good Teacher Magazine Term 1 2014

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Index 3 Your Soapbox

4

Developing writing teachers

Professor Terry Locke

5

WW1 Signals, Soldiers and Secrets

Nicole Jones: MOTAT

12

Who am I now?

Rachel Williams

16

Ancient Turkish tale could have modern counterpart

Richard Moore

17

Emergent Curriculum

Pam Wardrope

18

Research findings outline young people’s views on educationEducation World Forum

26

11 New Year Resolutions For Teachers

Elaine Le Sueur

24

Please Don’t Help My Kids

Kate Bassford Baker

26

Reverse engineering a culture

Laurie Loper

28

Winning Photographs from the International 2013 Savewater!® Photographic Competition

32

What’s on Your Mind?

Workshop info and enrolment

37

Landscape Floor Installations

Suzan Drummen

43

‘WWW’ Working in our Wired World

Workshop info and enrolment

49

Smart Learning Programme transforms education...

Roberta Pennington

55

If the Shoe Fits

Michelle LaBrosse

56

Street Art/Craft

58

Gardner Center teams up with Californian schools on new standards to measure success Brooke Donald 66 Edinburgh Business School Celebrates Success Of African Graduates

68

Is it time to do blended learning PD the right way?

Peter West

69

Intrepid Roger faces South Africa

Roger

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Front Cover: Sculpture Park, Waikato, New Zealand, email us for further information Back Cover:

Adelaide Zoo, email us for further information

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

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Your Soapbox!

“

New Years day the sun arose again and traversed the sky as it has every day since time began.

However for us the number of sunrises where we are currently living is limited. In fact the number of sunrises for all of us on earth is limited.

Today is when many people make resolutions which seldom last longer than the current day.

We came across this article the other day and it is probably pertinent to About NURSES: Somebody asked: “You’re a nurse?!? That’s cool, I wanted to do that when I was a kid. How much do you make?”

The nurse replied: “HOW MUCH DO I MAKE?” I can make holding your hand seem like the most important thing in the world when you’re scared.

I can make your child breathe when they stop. ...

I can help your father survive a heart attack.

I can make myself get up at 5am to make sure your mother has the medicine she needs to live.

I work all day to save the lives of strangers.

I make my family wait for dinner until I know your family member is taken care of.

I make myself skip lunch so that I can make sure that everything I did for your wife today is charted.

I make myself work weekends and holidays because people don’t just get sick Monday thru Friday.

Today, I might save your life.

How much do I make?

All I know is, I make a difference.

”

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

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Developing writing teachers: Implications for teacher professional identity

Professor Terry Locke

In 2010, my friend and colleague Helen, was Head of English at a rural school in New Zealand.

The school was a Decile 5, co-educational school with a roll of around 470 students of whom 32% were Māori.

The school drew students from a range of communities, some relatively affluent and others characterized by low incomes and benefit dependency.

The school had significant numbers of Māori and Pasifika students, many of whom were from families that struggled to make ends meet.

The school also suffered from what is sometimes called “white flight”. Helen had two Year 12 English classes (equivalent to Year 11 in the Australian system), one of which was a small class made up of unmotivated students, alienated from school and characterized by frequent absences from school.

At a pivotal moment in her relationship with these students, Helen read to them a poem she had written about her daughter during a six-day writing workshop the previous January.

She had just begun a unit of work on poetry with the class – a unit that was her intervention as teacher-researcher, as a participant in a two-year project entitled: “Teachers as writers: Transforming professional identity and classroom practice”.

Here is the poem:

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Good Teacher Magazine Term 1 2014 5

For Anna A baldly beautiful E.T. legs as substantial as Daddy’s thumb, ponga frond-shaped body nestled neatly along his forearm, wails constantly imminent as your headache throbs in your eyes

writer, sharing a piece of writing that was personal and clearly deeply meaningful.

My intention is share with you some thoughts on the following: •

A teacher’s professional knowledge and identity in relation to writing;

•

The Writing Workshop as a locus of professional assertion;

•

“Teachers as writers” as a means of identity transformation and the flow-on effects in classroom practice;

•

The need to democratise the profession by reclaiming the professional development agenda.

sorry for the rude entry my daughter.

Unfurling, delicate sensitive tomboy, a fantail, gumboots and water, magnolia tree and Granddad’s homemade, pixie-sized chair, plum juice-stained t-shirts, sticky and smeared only one limp tattered be-ribboned pigtail intact.

Tautly reaching tensile green koru body tears of determination streaking cheeks pinched with cold, mixing with sweat in the foggy morning air, petite rocket terrier child.

Tensile harp strings harmonising unsourced DNA, gutsy, stubborn, Asianly emotionally aware, loving, with an ever-maturing sense of humour building a bridge of steel and perfumed ether between us.

Vulnerable in recently born femininity glossy, sun-kissed hair, straightened to attention, txt happy, cuddle needy, treasured daughter sipping at life’s cup, which is tantalisingly full of yet unsavoured flavours.

Blossom safely and fly high, falcon girl!

The day before reading her poem Helen had written in her reflective journal: “I feel slightly out of my depth – have never ventured to teach poetry which is more than analysis-centred.” Reflecting on the impact of her reading, she wrote later: “They were silent for seconds after I had finished...then began asking questions: ‘Why did you use that word....what does that mean?’ Good start.”

I wanted to start with this teaching moment because it marks a professional transformation involving risk-taking.

Particular to the theme of this address is the specific nature of Helen’s risk-taking. In her case, she was assuming in full view of her students the identity of 6 Good Teacher Magazine Term 1 2014

Before doing so, let me share some statements with you, some of which are research-based: •

Writing lags behind reading in all Anglophone countries by around 2 years.

•

Most literacy/English teachers don’t write much, or write in a very narrow range of genres and many don’t write well.

•

Many literacy/English teachers are insecure as writers and don’t identity as writers.

•

Many literacy/English teachers are insecure in their grammatical knowledge.

•

Curriculums in most if not all Anglophone countries privilege consuming texts over producing them (not just in the English/literacy classroom, but also in subjects such as music, where “appreciation” is privileged over “composition”).

A teacher’s professional knowledge and identity in respect of writing Identity is a contested term. For now, let me say simply that our identity is who we are and what we stand for and is best seen as multiple and subject to change over time. When I say “multiple”, I mean that our identity is made up of a number of subjectivities: discourses that we subscribe to, consciously or unconsciously. I’m using the word “discourse” to refer to a coherent set of practices – ways of being and thinking – that enable us to make sense of the world or some aspect of it. A discourse is a way we story our experience of life. We can expect the discourses we subscribe to to change over time. As an English teacher, the first discourse related to literary reading I was exposed to was the New Criticism. Then I met Reader Response criticism, then Critical Literacy and more recently Evolutionary Criticism. All of these discourses offered me a “story” about how to read a literary text and even what a literary text was. Even as a rolling stone, I seem to have gathered a fair amount of moss, since I’ve never really given up my allegiance to any of these ways of thinking about literary texts. They all have their part to play in the way I teach.

The pronoun “I” that I have been using is something

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of a give-away, isn’t it. It’s telling you that I subscribe to some notion of an autobiographical self. I think of this self as a self-reflexive navigator helping me chart my way through the waters of discourse. I believe it is possible to identify the discourses that have a role in shaping our identities, to interrogate these discourses and to change. To continue the journeying metaphor, I think of a transformation as a radical change that takes us in a new direction. An example of this for me was my reading Louise Rosenblatt’s book, The Reader, the Text, the Poem in the 1980s. I was never the same teacher of literary texts after reading that book.

knowledge. This is the sort of knowledge that enables us as teachers to make connections between the “professional learning” segment in Mockler’s diagram and the external political environment. In particular it helps us identify the discourses which are operating in the sociopolitical environment that relate to education and play a big role in shaping the work lives of teachers. I used the term “self-reflexive navigator”.

Self-reflexivity is the ability to identify the discourses or stories we tell ourselves about some aspect of teaching, for example, writing and the teaching of writing. It also means having as sense of where these discourses or stories are coming from. Who or what out there has designs on how we think??

Let’s remind ourselves that Shulman’s categories were a response to the question: “Where did the subject matter go?” (p. 5), a question which I suggest is as pertinent today as it was in 1986, if not more so. I want to continue with Shulman’s trio and begin relating them to writing:

Figure 1. The formation and mediation of teacher professional identity (Mockler, 2011, p. 521)

Australian educator, Nicole Mockler, uses the term teacher professional identity to refer to the way that “teachers, both individually and collectively, view and understand themselves as teachers” (2011, p. 519).

I’m happy to go along with this. She views teacher professional identity as “constituted across and out of the three key domains of...personal experience, professional context, and the external political environment” (p. 520). Like any map, her way of expressing this in diagrammatic form has its strengths and limitations in helping us explore the territory of teacher identity.

Let’s go with it for the moment and zoom in on the domain of “professional context” and the segment of “professional learning”. It is here where we might expect to find Lee Shulman’s well-known professional knowledge trio of content knowledge, pedagogical content knowledge and curricular knowledge, which he formulated back in 1986. A teacher worth her salt was expected to have all three. A few years ago, I suggested that there was a fourth kind of knowledge teachers needed. I called this critically strategic

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Content knowledge: In a grumpy moment at the start of his book on How to read a poem (2006), Terry Eagleton asserts boldly that many literature teachers don’t practise literary criticism since they were never taught to do so” (p. 1). I was reminded of Eagleton’s comment when I read the following comment in the response journal of a pre-service primary teacher, who was participating in a writing workshop with me as part of a course entitled “The teacher as writer”. She wrote: What I did notice today was that, not for lack of trying, no one in my peer response group including myself felt particularly confident in giving specific feedback, positive or constructive, for our poems. There was a lot of uncertainty around what merited a strength/ weakness and what indicators can be identified for a good poem. Everyone just kind of mumbled, “good work, yep that was good” or “Oh yeah, I really liked that poem.” (Karen) Karen is experiencing a gap here in “content knowledge” – what I’d prefer to call disciplinary knowledge. When Eagleton talks about “literary criticism”, he is referring to a discipline which English majors in universities were inducted into before the core business of English degrees became transformed via critical theory and cultural studies.

For all its shortcomings, literary criticism provided a metalanguage for talking about the language of literary texts.

A number of disciplines feed the disciplinary knowledge of English/literacy teachers, of course.

Literary criticism is but one. As I have argued elsewhere, while the impact of literary criticism has Good Teacher Magazine Term 1 2014 7

waned, the influence of applied linguistics and critical theory has increased. Australian genre theory is an example of an educational discourse that has, to use Bernstein’s term, recontextualised the discipline of applied linguistics in school settings by adopting certain concepts and terms from systemic functional grammar. No one can accuse Australian Genre theorists of short-changing teachers in respect of providing them with a metalanguage to talk about writing. However, I hope I don’t offend anyone here if I suggest that the impact of Australia Genre theory on the teaching of writing in New Zealand has been awful. Why awful! Well, because metalanguage can sometimes lead to flawed understandings and unhelpful practices. All disciplinary knowledge needs to be interrogated, especially as it becomes recontextualised in educational settings.

The main point I want to make, however, is that there is more to disciplinary knowledge than metalanguage.

The discipline of musicianship requires more than the ability to read key signatures and know the difference between a crotchet and a quaver. It extends to the ability to master an instrument (including the human voice) and make music and to have a sense of what it means to compose. Likewise, I argue, the disciplinary knowledge of a teacher of writing includes the knowledge of how to write: what it means to be a writer. The issue Mockler’s diagram raises at this point is: “Where does this knowledge come from?” In the New Zealand context, I see little evidence of teachers being able to develop it in their “Professional context”, especially as teacher education becomes more standards-driven and instrumentalist. The professional context may be teaching teachers to complete assignments or write reports. But I don’t think it is teaching them to identify as writers.

Pedagogical content knowledge: In my institution, pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) is all the rage.

Of course, the how of teaching is important. But I offer two caveats.

Knowing how to teach is dependent on knowing what to teach and why; In an environment which has a fetish for skills or competencies, a teacher without a solid disciplinary and critical foundation is a sitting duck for being shaped as a technicist and compliant teacher – a managerialist’s dream. In other words, PCK without disciplinary and critically strategic knowledge is a recipe for deprofessionalisation.

Curricular knowledge: In most Anglophone countries, the State has assumed virtually total control of the official curriculum and its attendant assessment regimes. In terms of Mockler’s diagram, the official curriculum is a locus for overlap between the external political environment and the professional context. We have become so used to stepped ladders of skills or competencies that we have perhaps forgotten how flawed the constructions of literacy development are that underpin these structures. While Shulman is suggesting that teachers need to have a good 8 Good Teacher Magazine Term 1 2014

knowledge of the curriculum, he doesn’t spell out which curriculum teachers should teach. The question becomes: “In what ways might the official curriculum be operationalized in schools so that the learning needs of students are adequately met?” [Richard Beach, Amanda Thein and Allen Webb have just published a book in the US with the instructive title: Teaching to exceed the English Language Arts Common Core State Standards.]

The Writing Workshop as a locus of professional assertion The National Writing Project (NWP) had its genesis in the United States in the Bay Area Writing Project (1973) and in the US context has become a national professional development initiative with 200 sites. The Project has been both long-lived and highly influential as a locus for teacher professional learning.

Fundamental to its ethos is teacher control of their own professional development agenda in respect of writing. In a useful overview, Richard Andrews summarizes the basis tenets of Writing Project thinking as follows: 1. To teach writing, you need to be able to write; 2. Students should respond to each other’s writing; 3. The teacher should act as writer alongside the students, and be prepared to undertake the same assignments as the students; 4. There is research about the teaching of writing that needs to be considered and applied, where appropriate, in the classroom; 5. Teachers can be their own researchers in the classroom; 6. The best teacher of writing teachers is another writing teacher; and 7. Various stages of the writing process need to be mapped and practised: these include pre-writing, drafting, revising, editing, conferencing (see no 2 above) and publishing (2008, p. 8).

National Writing Projects were established in England and New Zealand in the late 1980s, but in both cases faded away as funding dried up and teachers became caught up in curriculum reforms and the so-called PD that accompanied them. I say “so-called” because in my own experience in New Zealand, the large-scale PD gatherings which have taken place in the last two decades have been about compliance rather than critique. Termed “jumbo days”, they would better have been termed “dumbo days”.

“Teachers as writers” initiatives are one kind of antidote to this top-down approach to “reprofessionalising” teachers. In recent years the situation in England has been characterized by a range of small projects based on “teachers as writers” principles that have spring up towards the end of the first decade of this century, all committed to the fostering of professional autonomy and authority in teachers. In the New Zealand context, the project

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Helen was involved in began in late 2009 and lasted for a little over two years. With three colleagues from the University of Waikato, I invited 14 teachers from eight schools (four primary and four secondary) to join us as teacher-researchers in this project. The project took the position that all teachers are teachers of writing. Secondary participants included teachers of English, History, Technology and Chemistry.

Potentially, each teacher and her class constituted a separate “case”, though not all teachers formally assumed the mantle of practitioner researcher. For different reasons, four teachers dropped out of the project during the two-year period, three because they changed schools or resigned from teaching.

By the time the project had finished, each participant had participated in around 80 hours of professional learning in the context of writing workshops, including six-day workshops in successive Januaries. Among the genres Helen and other teachers produced were a childhood memory, a biopoem, a personal narrative, a character poem, a group memory poem and a position statement. In broad terms, the approach to writing she experienced drew on the view of writingas-process represented by such writers as Pritchard & Honeycutt (2006, 2007). That is, the approach allowed for the use of prompts, drafting, re-visioning, editing and publication, but incorporated formal instruction in writing strategies and the kind of context-oriented approach to choice-making around language (grammar) that can be found in rhetorical and critical literacy approaches to writing.

“Teachers as writers” as a means of identity transformation, enhanced selfeffiacy and the flow-on effects on classroom practice.

One of the goals of the “Teachers as writers” project was to monitor over a two-year period changes in professional identity and self-efficacy of teacherparticipant partners. Self-efficacy is a distinct concept from professional identity. Building on Bandura’s work, Klassen and colleagues (2011) have defined selfefficacy as “the confidence teachers hold about their individual and collective capability to influence student learning” (p. 21). Bandura’s (1997) four sources self-efficacy are shown here. They have stood the test of time remarkably well.

Before and after the project, we administered a 22-item self-efficacy questionnaire to participants, which consisted of a 100-point Likert scale. The three sections of the questionnaire related to teachers’ confidence as writers and essay writers and their understanding of the writing process. Pre-to-post changes were further investigated using a pairedsamples t-test. Differences between mean pre-test and post-test scores were significant in respect to 14 of the 22 items. Significant changes in confidence as writers of fiction, non-fiction and poetry were mirrored by significant changes in confidence when talking about the pre-writing, writing and post-writing processes.

Interviews with participating teachers were conducted to investigate changes in identity and to explore in some depth through qualitative data the sources of information teachers’ focused on, interpreted and used to modify their self-efficacy as writers and teachers of writing. In Table 1, I offer in the left-hand column a selection of Writing Workshop features that, as I see it, have the potential (positive or negative) to operate as “sources” of self-efficacy information for participants. What the interview data from the five secondary participants indicated was that different teachers attributed different sources as having an effect on their self-efficacy as writers and teachers of writing. Not all teachers interpreted the same source, e.g. peer response to writing, in the same Source Writing Workshop feature way. While all of the Self-efficacy as a writer secondary teachers Mastery experiences Producing one or more text-types interviewed developed Physiological and emotional states Sharing writing with a small or large group enhanced self-efficacy Vicarious experiences Listening to and reading others’ writing as writers, there was Social persuasion Receiving feedback from others an instance where for Self-efficacy as a teacher of writing one participant this did Mastery experiences Producing unfamiliar genres not translate into an Teaching peers identity shift where the Being exposed to new approaches to teaching teacher began to see Engaging with selected scholarly material herself as a writer.

The various writing workshops shared many of the features of Writing Projects in the United States.

Participants engaged in writing tasks in response to a range of stimuli, giving and receiving feedback in small groups, and taking turns at sharing writing with the whole group. They also took on the role of teacher of writing to their peers, completed a writing apprehension and self-efficacy questionnaire, took a turn as daily scribe, engaged in the close reading of academic articles on teaching writing (including the assessing of writing), developed a “composing vocabulary”, engaged in the critique and development of rubrics, and listened to expository presentations on aspects of genre, language and grammar.

Physiological and emotional states

Teaching peers Response group processes

Vicarious experiences

Watching peers teach Reading/hearing about others’ teaching experiences

Social persuasion

Receiving feedback on one’s teaching

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Table 1. Writing Workshop potentials in relation to Bandura’s four sources of selfefficacy (1997)

Good Teacher Magazine Term 1 2014 9

One indication of the value our teacher participants put on the various features and activities they experienced through Writing Workshop involvement is the way those of them who formally engaged in practitioner research framed their classroom interventions.

These are as follows: Teacher

Intervention focus

Jenny

Peer response groups (with six-year olds) (Dix & Cawkwell, 2011)

Fiona

Teacher writing alongside students, modelling, a focus on causal text connectives (with Year 11 Chemistry students) (Whitehead & Murphy, 2012)

Sally

Teacher writing alongside students, response pairs, a focus on sentence combining (with Year 10 English students) (Barrett, 2013)

Helen

Teacher writing alongside students, response groups, a focus on concrete language (with Year 12 English students) (Locke & Kato, 2012)

Another goal of the “Teachers as writers” project was to identify pedagogical strategies that productively enhanced the motivation and writing/composing competence of student participants. I started this talk with Helen Kato’s voice and I would like to bring her voice back as I begin my descent. Those of you who have read Helen and my account in English in Australia of her intervention with her marginalised Year 12 students will know that all of them achieved the Creative Writing standard for NCEA. I want to share with you part of a letter to the project team Helen wrote at the end of the second year of the project.

How did a disparate, multicultural and mixed gender class of students who had little confidence in their abilities in English develop into a group who clearly enjoyed writing creatively, and sharing their work?

Looking back over my personal journal, I realised that my own teaching practice had altered, fostered an environment in which this could happen. Initially, there were many challenges for me as a teacher. I had not been confident about teaching the genre of poetry.

This had made my practice wooden, firmly structured and probably very boring. I had taught interpretation of meaning, but never writing. My lack of passion for writing had, I concluded, probably communicated itself to my students.

What had I done differently this time? The following is a list of practices which I learned from this class.

They are now part of my practice for teaching all creative writing genres to all levels of students.

•

Always write when students are writing. Model the practice.

•

Begin by reading lots of writing and discussing with the class what they enjoy and why.

•

Validate sincere personal responses from students.

•

Model the creative process on the whiteboard: the alteration of vocabulary, the scribbles, crossingouts, the reading aloud to “hear” rhythm, the alteration of structure.

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•

Respect the fact that no-one can write to order. If students can’t write during class time and want to write later/at home/tomorrow, then try to accommodate their wishes. Sometimes this is difficult!!

•

Share our own journal work if it is hoped that they have confidence to share theirs.

•

Respect and be aware of the fact that some students will not want to share their thoughts about personal writing with others.

•

Give them control over which work they wish to submit, if there is an assessment goal.

•

Be acutely aware of the privileged position of teacher when asking students to write personally.

I’m glad to report that one of the students who were in that class is now undertaking initial teacher education to become an English teacher.

Reclaiming the professional development agenda I hope that I have given some indication of how movements such as “Teachers as Writers” can transform classroom practice because of the way they privilege concepts of teacher professional identity and self-efficacy. Identity is a crucial concept in our attempts to democratize the profession because it creates a bridge between who we are and what we know – between personal experience and professional context, to use Mockler’s terms.

Identifying as a writer means knowing what it means to be a writer from the inside.

Another crucial step in reclaiming our professional knowledge is practitioner inquiry, especially in the context of projects underpinned by an ethos of participatory action research. At a time when Governments are at best selective and at worst downright shifty in relation to the research they privilege, it is imperative that our profession determines the research agenda in response to the needs of our students and constructs its own version of what constitutes “best evidence”. At its best, Writing

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Workshops afford the development of discourse communities where professional disciplinary and pedagogical content knowledge can be sourced, developed and shared.

References

I am deeply suspicious of the term “knowledge economy”, partly because it begs the question of how knowledge is being constructed, privileged and distributed.

Bandura, A. (1997). Self-efficacy in changing societies. New York, NY: Cambridge University Press.

Who are the knowledge power-brokers for our profession?

Who decides what comprises worthwhile knowledge about what writing is and how it should be taught?

If we are to be truly professional, then we need to reclaim our right to determine, on the best research evidence available, what it means to be a writer in the 21st Century and how writers are to be developed.

Until we do this, we are at the mercy of ways testing regimes associated with standardizing agendas construct writing, for example, as decontextualised skillsets.

In Huxley’s Brave New World, SOMA tablets were pleasure-inducing devices for pacifying the population. In our times, SOMA is an acronym for Standardised Outcomes for Mass Assessment. These also have the power to pacify and control, not just ourselves as teachers, but our students as learners in our care. One of our tasks is to neutralize these technologies by bringing our own professional knowledge to bear on the learning and assessment process.

Andrews, R. (2008). The case for a National Writing Project for teachers. Reading. CfBT Education Trust.

Barrett, S. (2013). Supporting student growth in syntactical fluency as writers: A paired learning approach (Master’s thesis. The University of Waikato, Hamilton, New Zealand).

Dix, S., & Cawkwell, G. (2011). The influence of peer group response: Building a teacher and students’ expertise in the writing classroom. English Teaching: Practice and Critique, 10(4), 41-57.

Eagleton, T. (2007). How to read a poem. Malden, MA: Blackwell Publishing.

Klassen, R., Tze, V., Betts, S., & Gordon. K. (2011).

Teacher efficacy research 1998-2009: Signs of progress or unfulfilled promise. Educational Psychological Review, 23, 21-43.

Locke, T., & Kato, H. (2012). Poetry for the brokenhearted: How a marginal year 12 English class was turned on to writing. English in Australia, 47(1), 61-79.

Mockler, N. (2011). Beyond “what works”: Understanding teacher identity as a practical and political tool. Teachers and Teaching: Theory and practice, 17(5), 517-528.

Shulman, L. S. (1986). Those who understand: Knowledge growth in teaching. Educational Researcher, 15(2), 4-14.

Whitehead, D., & Murphy, F. (2012). Teaching causal text connectives in chemistry. NZ Science Teacher, 129, 36-38.

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Good Teacher Magazine Term 1 2014 11

WWI Signals, Soldiers and Secre

2014 marks the Centenary of the start of the First World War - a global event that changed the shape of our world.

With a variety of commemorations planned to take place over the next 5 years as we remember the Great War, the Education team at MOTAT has created a new programme, Signals, Soldiers and Secrets, which looks at the role that communication technology played within the First World War. 12 Good Teacher Magazine Term 1 2014

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ets

By looking at WWI through a communication technology lens; we are planning to engage students with their history through a series of hands-on and minds-on activities. Communication has always been an essential aspect of military operations and students visiting MOTAT will have the opportunity to try their hands at a variety of different communication techniques that the ANZAC troops at Gallipoli would have encountered.

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Nicole Jones – MOTAT

Good Teacher Magazine Term 1 2014 13

1914 was an exciting time for technology. The turn of the century had seen much experimentation with electricity and wireless technologies. The Radio, Telephone, Camera and Telegraph had all been invented, and the Airplane was just over a decade old.

Once the war began, a strong focus was placed on developing these technologies as a way to get an edge over the opposition.

As well as the newer technologies some tried and tested methods of communication were also utilized.

Homing pigeons were used with great success, despite the awkwardness of the cages needed to transport them. The use of messenger dogs in a similar way to pigeons was seen as less practical since dogs were too easily distracted by soldiers offering a drink of water or a pat.

Visual telegraphy such as Semaphore during the day, Signal Lamps in the dark and sun lamp Heliographs to send messages over long distances were also used.

Not only was communication technology important in the battlefield, but it also opened up the way troops could communicate to their family back home. The Vest Pocket Kodak was a type of camera which was marketed at soldiers to take to war with them.

However this posed all sorts of censorship problems as the Governments wanted to protect those at home from the realities of the war.

Photography on the front line was initially banned, and any photos that did get taken had to be smuggled out. There were also very strict rules as to what could be written in letters home because, if they were to fall into enemy hands, they could potentially reveal important information.

Messages sent were always at risk of being intercepted, and this led to the development of many codes as a secondary way of keeping information secure. Code breaking became an important way to get important information about enemy troops.

In particular the field telephone was a target that was easily intercepted, which led to the development of the Fullerphone – the first widely used technique of electronic message encryption. Students will gain an understanding of the important role that communications played in the War when they encounter the story of Cyril Basset, the only New Zealander to be awarded the Victoria Cross in Gallipoli Campaign. Bassett won his VC for repeatedly repairing damaged telephone lines at Chunak Bair.

In the session at MOTAT students will have access to a variety of different technologies that were utilized during the war, including Pigeon Post, Telegrams, Semaphore, Telephones, Cameras and more.

Students will be able to interact with the communication tools to send messages and learn why Censorship and Cryptography were important to WWI. Signals, Soldiers and Secrets will suit students who are studying the First World War as well of providing an interesting way to cover the Communications or Kiwi identity strands of the Curriculum during the Centenary of this conflict that helped shape our ANZAC identity.

Nicole Jones Educator at MOTAT (Museum of Transport and Technology) in Auckland.

More information can be found at www.motat.org.nz

MOTAT Information 1 entry cost for access to both MOTAT sites (main site on Great North Rd and our Meola Rd site).

General Admission Price Adults $16.00 Children (5-16 years) $8.00 Student with ID $8.00 Family Pass (2 adults and up to 4 children) $40.00 Under 5s FREE SuperGold Card Holders FREE Please enquire on 0800 MOTATNZ (0800 668 2869) for schedule or check ‘What’s On’.

Become a MOTAT Mate!

12 month Adult Pass: 12 month Family Pass: 12 month Student Pass:

Tram Fares MOTAT admission includes a return tram ride.

Off the street tram fares: Tram Fare Family Pass (2 adults and up to 4 children) Adult Return Adult One Way Child Return Child One Way Under 5s Great Gifts!

Price $5.00 $2.00 $1.00 $1.00 $0.50 FREE

Please Note: $40 $75 $20

MOTAT is an operating museum and suitable footwear must be worn at all times. Children under 14 years of age must be accompanied by a parent or guardian at all times.

Phone MOTAT (09) 815 4243 for more information..

14 Good Teacher Magazine Term 1 2014

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Good Teacher Magazine Term 1 2014 15

Who Am I Now? Who Am I Now?

That my Granddad has gone

differences. If others do, they have not said.

their Mum or Dad, there’s instant connection. same club,

I notice subtle

On hearing that someone’s lost Brothers and sisters in the

with a lifetime’s membership.

took me by surprise, envious of dutiful sons and daughters talking of grandparents in the present.

Envious even of petty conflicts.

Give anything to be with him

The envy

our day.

especially on a Sunday,

‘Look at the beautiful shape of that tree’ he’d say.

On days when I was

young and cruel, I’d be bored of him saying that. But when I became too busy,

important or perpetually worried about life, his comments would remind me of what really mattered.

He’d point at the Mackrel sky and I’d

see a shoal of ‘fishes’ in the blue above. dry.

Not long wet, not long

Because of him, I know names of wild flowers.

nightshade’ he’d warn dramatically. as if talking of a close relative.

‘Deadly

‘Anti rhynams’, he’d fondly say,

As with a lot of things I only really

appreciated his knowledge later in life.

I have come full circle. like my Mum,

Where once I dreaded the thought of growing

Now I welcome the similarities.

Sometimes

It’s uncanny but I’m not afraid.

I hear Mum in my voice.

I savour anything I can.

the way I move reminds me of my Mum. My Mum is much

older than me.

And now I am getting older,

a little. I have an inkling

of how difficult things must have been for her. Instead of

impatience I should have showed more kindness. Thinking that she does things slowly Just to irritate me.

Who Am I Now.?

I am embarking on an exciting and fearful journey.

Someone who is changing.

presence. Of the guy someone

Someone who lives without the reassuring who was my best friend.

who can say that I was loved.

I am

That is my Grandfather’s legacy.

Rachel Williams 16 Good Teacher Magazine Term 1 2014

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Ancient Turkish tale could have modern counterpart Isn’t it astounding how some people believe they are owed something - without actually doing very much to earn it? It goes on around the world but, it seems to me, it is particularly prevalent in the Land of the Long White Shroud.

Hodja tells us of a beggar who only had a piece of bread with which to sustain himself.He wanted to add to its flavour and snuck into a shop where he held the bread over a pot of stew trying to have his food absorb some of the flavour wafting up from the dish.

At the moment there are battle lines being drawn up in the Bay of Islands between a local iwi and tourism operators over whether or not a fee should be paid for the business ventures to continue to take visitors to and through the famed Hole in the Rock.

The owner of the establishment saw the beggar, grabbed him and shouted: “Stop thief you are stealing my food.”

Protesting his innocence the beggar said: “I didn’t take your food I only tried to make the best of its smell.”

It is a fabulous place to view and tens of thousands of tourists visit each year bringing millions of dollars into Paihia and its surrounding area.

Now the 612 members of Motu Kokako Ahu Whenua Trust, want a clip of the ticket.

As far as I can tell they have done little to promote the trips, they are claiming they are due a fee just because they own the island called Motu Kokako.

Presumably they also are claiming the hole, although how any group can claim an empty space could only be done in this country. The trust is now blockading the area and handing out leaflets to tourists putting their position to stop visitors from making the trips.

The way I see it no one can lay claim to views.

Whether it be a landscape, seascape or holescape.

Views are in the public domain and - just as having blue skies, white clouds and clear water - are provided by the Creator for everyone to look at and enjoy.

This situation reminds me of an ancient Turkish tale involving the clever character Nasruddin Hodja.

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Ignoring the answer the businessman dragged him away before the local magistrate, who at the time was Hodja, demanding the man pay for the smell of the food. Hodja heard the evidence and agreed the beggar should pay for the wonderful aroma he had enjoyed. “But, I have no money,” he protested, “I cannot pay for a smell.” Hodja told the man: “Never mind, I will pay for the aroma.”

With that he took out two small coins and facing the merchant he rubbed them together making a slight scraping sound.

“There,” he told the businessman, “for the smell of your food, you can hear the sound of my two coins “.

I love that tale and wonder what Hodja would think of the Hole in the Rock situation.

Richard Moore is an award-winning Western Bay journalist and photographer. richard@richardmoore.com Good Teacher Magazine Term 1 2014 17

Emergent Curriculum... Opportun early childhood context Early childhood educators are long familiar with the term ‘emergent curriculum’.

We often interpret this as ‘noticing’, ‘recognising’ and ‘responding’ to a child’s interests.

If we are striving to do this effectively, we are in effect implementing the Early Childhood Curriculum, Te Whariki’s, aspirations for children: “to grow up as competent and confident learners and communicators, healthy in mind, body, and spirit, secure in their sense of belonging and in the knowledge that they make a valued contribution to society.” (p. 9).

However, in order to effectively implement a curriculum, supportive of children’s interests, we need to understand first the terms ‘emergent’ and ‘curriculum’ and then explore what this might look like in practice.

The Ministry of Education defines the term emergent learning as: •

Learning that emerges out of a child’s immediate experiences. It is often recognised and supported by an Educator.

The Early Childhood Regulations interpret service curriculum as follows: •

“means all of the experiences, interactions, activities and events – both direct and indirect, planned and spontaneous – that happen at the service. Teaching practices including planning, assessment, and evaluation form part of the service curriculum.” (p.7).

This is supported by Te Whariki, which continues: •

The curriculum is provided by the people, places, and things in the child’s environment: the adults, the other children, the physical environment, and the resources. The curriculum integrates care and education and includes both specifically planned experiences and activities and interactions that arise spontaneously. (p. 11).

Therefore, we may surmise emergent curriculum as being a collaboration between children and teachers.

That is, children are not isolated in their play nor are left to come up with their own interests but rather are supported by nurturing, experienced teachers/ facilitators who understand the importance of providing appropriate opportunities and experiences to support children’s interests. Opportunities and experiences may therefore be as a result of planning, and may also arise from spontaneous moments.

Dunkin (2001) notes “When we follow a child’s lead, in their actions or words, we are supporting them in a positive way to share and develop their own thinking, instead of directing, telling or showing them what to think or do.” (p. 33).

In order for teachers to effectively support children in their learning, they need to form genuine responsive and reciprocal interactions with all children. An interesting exercise for teachers to undertake as a team is to reflect on the quality of interactions they have with children during the day. Data gathered might include where quality interactions take place (eg. at the art table, in the vegetable garden, etc), and what children were involved in the interaction. The purpose of this exercise is to become more aware of the number of genuine and sustained interactions that take place during the day, where these interactions occur, and to see if quality time has been spent with all children during the day. The information gathered

18 Good Teacher Magazine Term 1 2014

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nities for children to learn in an

By Pam Wardrope

may start to tell us how many teachers are actually engaged in genuine interactions with children, what changes might be needed to the environment in order to encourage more quality interactions, and to ensure that all children have opportunities during the day to engage in genuine and sustained teacher/learner reciprocal and responsive interactions. It is only when we have formed strong relationships built on mutual trust and respect that we truly begin to know our children, their family and whānau, and their interests.

(Dunkin, 2001).

So, what opportunities during the day do we have to discover children’s interests? There are many and as teachers, we have to be constantly alert and ready to respond appropriately to the play, environment, and routine of the day in order to uncover children’s interests. Emergent learning may be discovered in:

teachers may discover exactly how much quality time is actually left over for children’s spontaneous play, supported by teachers who are available and engaged for a sustained length of time. Information gathered from this exercise may then be used to inform teachers when reviewing the routine of the day, the set-up of the environment, the number of teachers available, and how this may be improved in order to have more opportunities to be engaged in genuine and sustained learning with and alongside children.

Discovering emergent learning through both planned and spontaneous events requires teachers to use strategies to gain a deeper understanding of a child’s interests. Some teaching strategies may include: •

Giving children time to think and respond

•

Listening to children; joining in their play

•

Children’s interests – their motivation for learning

•

Asking children about their own learning

•

Using words to name objects or actions

•

Teacher’s interests – their motivation for teaching and role-modelling

•

Encouraging children to persist

•

Developmental tasks – opportunities for children to engage in spontaneous skill practice

•

Showing interest in what a child is doing

•

Demonstrating how to do something

Physical environment – opportunities for children to experience both natural and manmade environments

•

Explaining how something works

•

Suggesting ideas; asking questions

•

•

Social environment – social interaction

•

Curriculum resource materials – opportunities for children to explore what’s already available within the service and wider community

•

Serendipity: unexpected events – teachers becoming skilled in on-the-spot decision making

•

Living together: children have opportunities to engage in conflict resolution, caregiving, and routines

•

Values held in the service, community, family/ whānau, and culture – children have the opportunity to learn and to talk about these

(Jones & Nimmo, 1994)

Another interesting exercise, designed to inform teachers of how many opportunities they actually have during the day to discover emergent learning, is to make a list of all the routine activities of the day that currently exist. For example, note all of the routines that are required to occur such as mealtimes, sleep, toileting, washing, cleaning, etc. From there

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Good Teacher Magazine Term 1 2014 19

However, when we notice a child engaged in spontaneous play, we are faced with teaching strategy choices such as: Do I join in the play and if so, when?

Do I ask the child questions about their play?

Do I support the play by making suggestions?

Do I quietly observe?

Whatever decision we make impacts instantly on the moment. For example, if we join in the play too early are we inadvertently changing or disturbing the play by adding ourselves as an adult, bringing along our own thoughts and ideas? And if we change the play, is it still the child’s interest? The child might continue to be engaged with us in the play, but have we allowed the child the time and space to extend their own learning first before we joined in?

It’s critical to the child’s potential for learning to find the balance between the ‘teachable moment’ and allowing children the time and space to explore, discover and learn on their own. Quietly observing first will help us to not make judgements about the type of playing happening, but to let the child show and/or tell us about what play might be happening.

Only when we genuinely know our children will we make appropriate decisions to discover and support a child’s interest.

Emergent curriculum is forever changing and teachers are faced with the challenge of keeping pace with a child’s current interests and responding honestly to what is actually happening. This doesn’t imply that the child is the only one coming up with

their own learning ideas, but rather a collaboration between the child and the teacher. Further, it would be incorrect to interpret this as the teacher planning for what ‘topics’ will be taught to enhance children’s learning.

It’s important to remember that curriculum isn’t the focus – children are. Accurate curriculum plans can really only be written after the fact. Now that we have explored what emergent curriculum is, what do we do once we’ve discovered a child’s interest, and how do we plan for sustained learning? Therefore in the next edition, we’ll look at planning and assessment in order to review curriculum, assess its effectiveness, and guide us to what might come next in order to provide honest and engaging learning experiences for children.

References Dunkin, D. (2001). Thinking together, quality adult:child interactions. Wellington, New Zealand: NZCER. Jones, E. & Nimmo, J. (1994). Emergent curriculum.

Washington DC, USA: NAEYC. Ministry of Education. (1996). Te Whāriki – He Whāriki Mātauranga mō ngā Mokopuna o Aotearoa, Early Childhood Curriculum. Wellington, New Zealand: Learning Media.

Ministry of Education. (2004). Kei Tua o te Pae – Assessment for Learning: Early Childhood Exemplar. Wellington, New Zealand: Learning Media Ministry of Education. (2009). Licensing Criteria for Early Childhood Education and Care Centres 2008 and Early Childhood Education Curriculum Frameworks. Wellington, New Zealand: Learning Media.

Ministry of Education. www.minedu.govt.nz.

Accessed 20 January 2014.

20 Good Teacher Magazine Term 1 2014

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For immediate release.

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Good Teacher Magazine Term 1 2014 21

13/12/13 3:55 PM

Research findings outline young Children of the recession demand a rigorous education to future-proof their careers • New research into young people’s views on education from Pearson and Teach First shows demand for modern skills, underpinned by great teaching and strong discipline in the classroom • My Education Youth Ambassadors take message to Parliament and No 10 Today’s school children want to make savvy choices about their education to recession-proof their futures, according to new research published today by Pearson and Teach First.

Workplace skills topped the list of those that students wish to acquire, as more than four fifths agreed that it is important to learn communication skills (92 per cent), as well as develop confidence and motivation (92 per cent) at school, and experience lessons that are linked to the workplace (82 per cent).

The research has been conducted as part of Pearson and Teach First’s My Education initiative, a campaign designed to give young people a voice on their education and put learners at the heart of decisionmaking for policy makers, teachers and education providers. It draws together the views of more than 8,000 young people across the UK, collected via a series of school debates involving 420 pupils, a Populus poll of 2,002 young people and an online survey by the Quaglia Institute for Student Aspirations of 5,800 students.

22 Good Teacher Magazine Term 1 2014

Seven My Education Youth Ambassadors are today presenting the final report to a group of leading education figures including Shadow Education Secretary Tristram Hunt, Chair of the Education Committee Graham Stuart, and Laura Trott the PM’s education adviser. The ambassadors, aged between 15 and 19, have been involved in writing the report and addressing MPs about initial results at the Labour and Conservative party conferences.

The young people have called for an education that better prepares them for a vocation, as 83 per cent of those surveyed in the Populus poll agreed that more opportunities for work experience and better careers advice are important. 88 per cent said they would benefit from being taught practical life skills such as writing a CV or managing a bank account.

Although they are focused on acquiring modern skills for the workplace, today’s students also favour traditional educational values and techniques.

Inspiring teachers, strong discipline, good text books and top-quality qualifications are all on students’ wishlists: • 81 per cent agreed that teachers should have more time to get to know what their students want to achieve so that they can help them to reach their goals. 93 per cent said the top qualities of a teacher were passion for their subject and an enjoyment of teaching • More than three quarters (76 per cent) agreed that encouraging tougher discipline in schools would help students to achieve their goals • 91 per cent of young people agreed that high-quality qualifications that are respected by universities and employers will help them to improve their learning and reach their goals • 85 per cent agreed that these qualifications should test understanding rather than a student’s ability to regurgitate facts Haenguen Chi, youth ambassador for the My Education campaign, commented: “There are huge changes being made to education and schools, but a vital voice is missing from debates about those reforms: that of students themselves. Through the My Education campaign, other youth ambassadors and I have been working hard with Pearson and Teach First to change this. Young people really value the opportunities that an education brings and we want our studies to help us succeed in our careers and achieve our dreams. It is fantastic that Tristram Hunt, Graham Stuart and other politicians have shown today that they value what young people have to say.

I hope that we can continue to work together to deliver an education system which supports all young people in reaching their full potential.”

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g people’s views on education Graham Stuart MP, Chair of the Education Select Committee, commented: “The report shows how mature and reflective the views of young people are, if you take the time to ask them about their education.

The Education Select Committee’s job is to challenge and scrutinise the Department for Education. The authenticity of young people’s views expressed in this report should mean that, for once, they are not ignored.”

Rod Bristow, president of Pearson UK commented: “What is striking about the My Education report is just how high our young people’s aspirations are. The data shows that they want the best, but they do want education to be engaging, challenging and adaptable.

That’s a challenge to everyone in education – be they the Government, teachers or exam boards. We have been inspired by the motivation of the young people we have been working with to use their education to build a great future for themselves, and also their perceptiveness in identifying the barriers that might prevent them from making the progress they would like. The young people we have spoken to are effectively laying down a challenge. As the data

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shows they are ambitious enough – the challenge for us is to provide the infrastructure, create the lessons and the assessment techniques that relate to the future, and build in standards that meet their high ambitions. Ministers have rightly focused on raising standards, but young people are telling us we should be more ambitious yet. We need to listen to them.”

Brett Wigdortz, founder and CEO of Teach First, said: “This research has demonstrated the importance of having capable, passionate teachers in the classroom, not just to help students pass exams, but to help them develop a full range of personal and professional skills that will be most useful to them in the world of work. Recruiting and training exceptional teachers to be leaders and role models is something we have always been committed to at Teach First, but there is always more we can learn from students. This is why we’re introducing QISA’s iKnow My Class pupil survey, which will give students the chance to comment on their learning experiences, and help teachers understand what inspires them to succeed.” http://uk.pearson.com/content/dam/ped/pei/uk/pearson-uk/ Campaigns/myeducation/my-education-full-report.pdf

Good Teacher Magazine Term 1 2014 23

11 New Year Resolutions For Suggestions from an experienced educator

Once a year thousands of children get a different teacher and are given the chance to be seen in a new light through different eyes.

New Year’s Day has long since passed by the time that you are reading this, but these resolutions are for the start of the academic new year...

Establish... a future orientated outlook that embraces technology and encourages the students to share their knowledge with each other. Classroom networking encourages leadership development. Many able students are digital natives and natural problem solvers when faced with technology challenges and their solutions can benefit others.

Start... at high intensity in learning about your students as intellectuals as well as students of the subject at hand. Challenge their thinking. Discuss criteria for success and make them obvious but know that it doesn’t take long for students to size up your level of expectation and be consistent in setting and maintaining your standards.

Offset... any negative perceptions that you may have of students from previous encounters by actively looking for the positives in each. Allow your students to ‘start afresh’.’ Be aware that you may have developed stereotypes that need to be challenged.

Learn...

Reduce... the unpredictability by focusing on the essentials and the non negotiables. Seek student input to create a classroom social contract that reflects the parameters for a quality environment focusing on the positive that everyone agrees to and signs. Publish the document and display it so that the students are aware of both their classmates and your expectations for a learning environment. Revisit these frequently and comment when the criteria are met.

something new yourself and experience the thrill of learning. Enrol in a university course and share what you are doing with your students. Some of the world’s sought after universities have joined the information superhighway and provide lectures and seminars online. Find out how to do something that you can’t do at the moment... there are lots of free online courses for teachers available.

Some suggestions...

Art and Inquiry- Museum teaching strategies for your classroom. www.coursera.org The Teacher’s guide to Twitter in the classroom www.edudemic.com

24 Good Teacher Magazine Term 1 2014

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Teachers Elaine Le Sueur

Support resources for using technology in the classroom www.shrockguide.net

Understand... how our brains create patterns and be prepared to use a variety of strategies to enable students to take risks with their learning. Ask open ended questions that promote high order thinking.

‘How many ways can you use to ...’ rather than ‘Give three ways to ....’

Use activities such as ‘What do you think?’ to challenge ideas. www.conceptcartoons.co

Identify... learning needs and differentiate for ability wherever possible. There is no one size fits all in fashion as we all know, and the same is true in education. Learning Centres are a useful starting strategy. Take some time to share any specific directions and expectations for each of the centres before you start so that the students can use them independently. There are heaps of ideas for implementation to be found by an internet search for ‘ideas for classroom learning centres.’

Organise... the classroom to allow for opportunities for students to develop their leadership abilities and create flexible grouping. Think, ‘Do I really need to do this or could the task be accomplished by the students?’ If the answer is no then you are taking away the opportunity and satisfaction for leadership development by doing the task for them.

Negotiate... negotiate... negotiate. Freedom to make personal decisions implies responsibility for outcomes. Err on the side of ‘can’ rather than ‘can’t.’ Many able students do not realise that they have the ability to organise challenge for themselves so that an activity is more appropriate to their earning needs as long as they meet the learning aims. Negotiation helps to spell out those parameters and lets the student know the expectations. It often opens up possibilities for talent to exceed expectations.

Spend...

Talent Find and Talent Develop...

Look for ways to allow students to show what they are capable of. Keep dated records for anecdotal evidence. Encourage your peers to find ways to focus the lens on ability and expand your personal repertoire. (www.willowbank.school.nz in Auckland has developed an identification card game for staff development which can be purchased from the school) Build a network of people who can nurture specific talents when you have recognised them. Universities often have media guides designed to help those in the media to find appropriate contacts for comment on issues of interest to the public. These publications list academics with specific interests within the university’s faculties and can be of great starting place for gifted students in the class wanting specific but complicated and difficult responses to questions.

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time with people who have the habits that you want to develop and it will get easier. Everyone is enthusiastic about the things that they love to do. It won’t take long for your students to know the things that you are passionate about. You don’t even need to tell them!

Have a small spot in your classroom to remind you that learning doesn’t end with the classroom walls.

•

Love reading/ words?

Have a dictionary on your table and share interesting words that you have found. Challenge the students to do the same. Share a favourite book.

•

Love gardening?

Cultivate a classroom garden. Always have a vase of flowers or a plant on your desk.

•

Love art?

Hang a piece of your own art up on the classroom wall. Display a favourite artwork.

Good Teacher Magazine Term 1 2014 25

Please Don’t Help My Kids I am not sitting here, 15 whole feet away from my kids, because I am too lazy to get up and help them climb the ladder. I brought them here so they could learn to climb it themselves.

Dear Other Parents At The Park: Please do not lift my daughters to the top of the ladder, especially after you’ve just heard me tell them I wasn’t going to do it for them and encourage them to try it themselves.

I am not sitting here, 15 whole feet away from my kids, because I am too lazy to get up. I am sitting here because I didn’t bring them to the park so they could learn how to manipulate others into 26 Good Teacher Magazine Term 1 2014

doing the hard work for them. I brought them here so they could learn to do it themselves.

They’re not here to be at the top of the ladder; they are here to learn to climb. If they can’t do it on their own, they will survive the disappointment. What’s more, they will have a goal and the incentive to work to achieve it.

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In the meantime, they can use the stairs.

I want them to tire of their own limitations and decide to push past them and put in the effort to make that happen without any help from me.

It is not my job — and it is certainly not yours — to prevent my children from feeling frustration, fear, or discomfort. If I do, I have robbed them of the opportunity to learn that those things are not the end of the world, and can be overcome or used to their advantage.

If they get stuck, it is not my job to save them immediately. If I do, I have robbed them of the opportunity to learn to calm themselves, assess their situation, and try to problem solve their own way out of it.

It is not my job to keep them from falling. If I do, I have robbed them of the opportunity to learn that falling is possible but worth the risk, and that they can, in fact, get up again.

I don’t want my daughters to learn that they can’t overcome obstacles without help. I don’t want them to learn that they can reach great heights without effort. I don’t want them to learn that they are entitled to the reward without having to push through whatever it is that’s holding them back and *earn* it.

Because — and this might come as a surprise to you — none of those things are true. And if I let them think for one moment that they are, I have failed them as a mother.

I want my girls to know the exhilaration of overcoming fear and doubt and achieving a hard-won success.

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I want them to believe in their own abilities and be confident and determined in their actions.

I want them to accept their limitations until they can figure out a way past them on their own significant power.

I want them to feel capable of making their own decisions, developing their own skills, taking their own risks, and coping with their own feelings.

I want them to climb that ladder without any help, however well-intentioned, from you.

Because they can. I know it. And if I give them a little space, they will soon know it, too.

So I’ll thank you to stand back and let me do my job, here, which consists mostly of resisting the very same impulses you are indulging, and biting my tongue when I want to yell, “BE CAREFUL,” and choosing, deliberately, painfully, repeatedly, to stand back instead of rush forward.

Because, as they grow up, the ladders will only get taller, and scarier, and much more difficult to climb. And I don’t know about you, but I’d rather help them learn the skills they’ll need to navigate them now, while a misstep means a bumped head or scraped knee that can be healed with a kiss, while the most difficult of hills can be conquered by chanting, “I think I can, I think I can”, and while those 15 whole feet between us still feels, to them, like I’m much too far away.

Posted by Kate Bassford Baker , September 14, 2012 Good Teacher Magazine Term 1 2014 27

Reverse engineering a culture The world awaits the day it will see an education system producing achievement outcomes to match the late Professor Graham Nuthall’s finding that, bar for a handful, most every student possesses a “remarkably similar” capacity to learn.

It waits in vain it seems. In the meantime, it goes on seeking an understanding of why it is that an achievement gap situation exists.

All the understandings arrived at so far haven’t ensured change of the nature and scale needed to effect the sort of lasting and across-the-board improvement everyone’s wanting.

It appears we’ve used up all the obvious explanations, perhaps it’s time we started hunting amongst the less obvious?

Bedevilling efforts here is the tendency to continually tinker with educational inputs in the mistaken belief that by sticking with that failed tactic, somehow better outcomes will result. What’s not understood is that the thing being tinkered with is itself flawed and incapable of being fixed. Certainly not by tinkering. Nuthall’s finding that the learning process and it’s associated learning model are “inherently inefficient” is rock solid. That process and its associated learning model are not only flawed, they are causing massive damage and need to be replaced.

The popular tactic of studying the most “successful” education systems – deducing what’s going on in them and trying to replicate it elsewhere – is similarly flawed. The devotees of ‘best practice’ are in the same boat. Nobody involved in such practices seemingly realises they’re messing with a flawed system. What stops them seeing this is culture, their mistaken beliefs about how learning works. Only someone from another planet would possess eyes fresh enough to twig what’s going awry here and they’d need to be exceptionally sceptically minded at that.

One development of recent times that might perhaps bring about the sort of scales-falling-off-eyes response that will advance thinking here is PISA, the OECD Programme for International Student Assessment. It involves 34 participant countries testing their 15 year olds’ skills and knowledge. Every three years, a large number of students are tested. Rather than trying to find out how much students know, PISA uses problem solving situations to test what use they can make of the knowledge they have acquired to date.

Skills in Reading, Maths and Science are sampled.

28 Good Teacher Magazine Term 1 2014

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Laurie Loper Psychologist Rankings are made of the results while the collected data is also processed in various other ways to provide more information about the factors that seem to be influencing the outcomes.

An investigative journalist for Time Magazine, Amanda Ripley, became interested in the PISA data and investigated why students in some of the countries that spent much less on education per head than America does were out performing American students who hailed from privileged backgrounds. The study she undertook saw her publish a book not long ago titled How Do Other Countries Raise Smarter Kids?

Her interest in this topic was sparked by a chart she saw that showed how Finland had rocketed from bottom to top place of the OECD educational achievement rankings as she puts it, “without pausing for breathe”. That turned her attention to what it is that other countries actually do that takes them into the very top ranks. To find out she decided to investigate the three top ranked countries, Finland, South Korea and Poland.

In addition to the more usual data gathering methods, she hit on the novel device of using student infiltrators, three fifteen year old American students, all from privileged homes, who spent a year respectively embedded, as it were, in each of the top three countries. Raising the necessary $10,000 dollars was no problem to the two male students involved, their parents paid. The sole female student, however, had to fund raise to finance her year’s stay because that was the only condition on which her parents would allow her to take part. Ripley decided to use students because they spend so much time enduring the learning process they see everything that goes on and have opinions about it. She

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considered them too valuable a source of information to ignore and was more than happy to use them as reporters on the ground.

Not surprisingly the three fifteen year olds, each in their country of choice, came to conclusions very similar to Ripley as to the things that were important for ensuring success. The first was that school was harder. Everything about schooling was taken seriously. Teachers took it seriously, parents also. Everyone worked hard. There was a challenging exam system. Rigour was a descriptor that cropped up regularly in Ripley’s account. In South Korea, dubbed the pressure cooker system, many families were not wealthy. Students were typically operating off tight budgets necessitating them having to hold down a job as well as attend school. For many the situation was tough, tough enough to mean school had also to be a place to catch up on sleep. In fact students could buy a special pad or pillow, worn on a forearm, so they could nod off in class. Poland was a very low technology situation, schools there were not well equipped, yet nothing of that has hindered its progress through to the upper echelons.

The second was that sport wasn’t in the curriculum, if students wanted to take part, they did so in their own time. The third thing was that the students had to believe there was something in it for them. Like all the other students in those three top scoring schools, each of the student reporters found something in the classes and courses that hooked them in. One found it was the challenge presented by the way branches of math were taught in a integrated and holistic way. Other things the student reporters liked included the purpose of the learning was always stressed, thinking and problem solving were valued, and clear

Good Teacher Magazine Term 1 2014 29

pathways to the world of work were signalled.

Reading Ripley’s website and other information that’s available on the internet about PISA, one thing is very clear. It is that the “inherently inefficient” teaching process and learning model Nuthall found to be so influential in determining student outcomes, is still very much the accepted view of how learning works in classrooms, schools or wherever.

Nowhere is this more apparent than in the schools of the three countries that topped the PISA rankings.

It could be argued that, learning wise, by focusing on the use that students can make of the knowledge they hold, rather than continuing with the traditional emphasis on just assessing how much knowledge is held, that PISA is heralding an advance. The impression I get, though, is that PISA uses this tactic to solve the methodological bind of how to make comparisons across the many different school systems involved. It doesn’t appear to represent any advance in the understanding of learning as a process, neither does it show any understanding of the damage that the traditional learning model causes.

The designers of PISA then may think that their testing is contributing to an understanding of what is going on in education around the globe. However, because they display no inkling of how the learning process works in classrooms and how much that process disadvantages every student, they’re most certainly not in any position to say what it is, and/or what it takes, to make every student “smarter”, to use Ripley’s word.

Which brings the discussion to the crunch question, how can the world’s countries be helped to make all of their student’s top notch smart? Expecting to find the answer by not understanding the reason why the learning regimes they’re studying are dysfunctional – seriously so if one only takes the trouble to look properly – won’t take us far.

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The sticking point here is, as Nuthall pointed out, is culture. Not culture in any general sense but culture in the sense of the beliefs and practices – its rituals and routines – that surround learning and teaching, more specifically that which involves both the process of learning and its associated learning model. It needs to be understood that this is a super culture, one that transcends national boundaries, it is patently the most powerful in the world. I’ve spoken about this culture too many times and have little desire to keep rabbitting on about it so ask readers to seek out Nuthall’s writings for it’s his discovery, not mine. Besides, he tells it so much better than I can. Google his 2001 paper, The cultural myths and the realities of teaching and learning and check out what I’m saying for yourselves.

How then can that culture be be countered? Another good question. In effect it’s asking about how to deal to individuals and organisations that have been brainwashed through and through, as have their counterparts for millenniums before them. Ripley has it right in saying the task requires that we “ reverse engineer” teaching culture but not by using “dazzlingly complex performance evaluations and value-added data analysis”, as is the America way. And also ours, is it not? No, it’s going to take more than the realisation that the world is changing and that education matters more than ever now to get the powerful decision makers to back a different approach. This has to be one that recognises that going even harder-out at tinkering that’s proved unsuccessful in the past, isn’t going to get anybody anywhere.

It also has to be acknowledged how wasteful that culture is. It stops any change being made to the only mechanisms – the inherently flawed learning process and it’s associated learning model – teachers know and use dead in its tracks before it even gets started. It ensures half the total capacity to learn of the nation’s scholars doesn’t get developed, thereby denying most every individual student the benefit of

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their “remarkably similar” capacity to learn which is something Nuthall’s proved is their birthright. No country can afford to tolerate the scale of waste that’s involved here.

That means all countries need to understand that every student bears an achievement-loss burden. Therefore policies to combat underachievement, like leaving no child behind, need to align to that fact as focusing just on the lowest achievers will do nothing whatsoever to alleviate the loss burden carried by all the other students. Policies that don’t take this into account are a nonsense.

Neither will concentrating on the ‘tail’ be in their ultimate best interests either. For even if they do manage to ‘catch up’, what’s forever facing them into the future is that same leg-roping barrier that’s largely been responsible for their educational predicament from the word go – that ‘’inherently inefficient” learning regime.

Furthermore, evidence has it much of what teachers use in working with underachievers merely mirrors ordinary classroom practice. That is, there’s nothing all that special involved so what these dedicated, committed teachers of underachievers come up with, contributes little to the sum of the approaches other teachers might use. That’s said with the knowledge that the transfer of such teaching craft information between specialist and other teachers is fraught with barriers anyway.

It’ll perhaps be of interest to know that in this country a template for the sort of “reverse engineering” that’ll ensure learning culture will change has had a number of outings, mostly in teacher training situations with secondary trainees. The most significant outing for such ideas, though, involved a number of prominent citizens as well as representatives from most sections of the education sector. Once they had had the efficacy situation in education – as Nuthall has discovered it to be – laid out for them, they readily understood and were easily convinced of the

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necessity for change. They even endorsed a proposal that was made about how that change might be effected.

However, in the court of public opinion, where the battle for a recognition of the argument being run here has yet to be won, the task of getting the same evidence and arguments ‘out there’ to be heard has barely begun. That’s after a dozen years of more or less constant and diverse endeavour. Largely due to the power of that aforementioned culture, the message really hasn’t been heard at all. Occasionally the information and ideas involved have struck a cord with education sector people within training institutions, schools and elsewhere. Nevertheless, the response has never really been one of total comprehension, let alone one of comprehension leading to action. Instead it’s invariably been a situation that might be described as one where the novelty has caught the eye but the customer didn’t buy.

Getting such an idea over the line will likely take the sort of trigger event insurance companies call an act of god. What’s needed is something that’ll lift scales off eyes, stir investigative journalists to smell a prize winning story, catch the eye of prominent citizens, capture the backing of the major political parties, and incite the public to ask questions. The Ministry of Education, wedded as it to the doctrine of incremental progress, isn’t the sort of agency likely to give an efficacy-based change proposal a go. It would need a total reverse engineering of its culture before it could be expected to support the changes needed. One keeps on hoping a breakthrough might be possible and that it would draw the sort of attention that would get change rolling.

Meantime, anyone hoping to get thinking moving towards efficacy based solutions is left with little option but to keep on plugging away, using innovation to fend off the blanket of culture that forever tries to snuff out your endeavours by suffocation.

Good Teacher Magazine Term 1 2014 31

Winning Photographs from the Photographic Competition Four photographic winners from around the world were announced today, selected from more than 3,700 entries from over 90 countries in the International 2013 savewater!® Photographic Competition.

An independent judging panel selected one winner and one runner up from each of the three categories in the competition: Junior students (up to 12 years old), Senior students (13-17 years old), and Open.

The independent judging process was headed by designer, Damon Vaughan, with a panel of experts in photography from the USA and Australia, including representatives from the Australian Photographic Society.

Nigel Finney, CEO of the savewater!® Alliance believes that the messages captured in the winners’ images will act as a reminder to people around the world that water is one of our most valuable and precious resources.

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“This year there are some spectacular winning photographs from all over the world, with so many different representations of water from diverse geographic locations,” said Mr Finney.

“The overall meaning and story that these photographs tell is what makes them phenomenal,” said Mr Finney.

“The winning photograph in the open category by Kumar Bishwajit shows the desperation of searching for water in a scorched dry land – this is just one of the many compelling stories we have seen from this competition,” said Mr Finney.

The winners and finalists from the competition can be viewed online at www.savewater.com.au.

Junior runner up No hope left by Danny Costello

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Junior Winner - Nourishment Maya Guru

International 2013 Savewater!速

Good Teacher Magazine Term 1 2014 33

Senior runner up Life on the polluted water by Md Rafayat Haque Khan

Open runner up We will not let it come to this by Catherine Murphy 34 Good Teacher Magazine Term 1 2014

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Senior Winner In search of precious water by Kumar Bishwajit

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Open Winner Think about them before spending water unnecessarily by Ashwin

What’s On Your Mind?

Kath Murdoch Georgette Jenson Dianne Smardon Jan-Marie Kellow Ximena Aitken Perry Rush Pip Newick

Distinction Rotorua Hotel

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Inquiry Learning for the 21st Century Learner 5 - 6 August 2014

Good Teacher Magazine Term 1 2014 37

Enrolment and Workshop Choice Form: (Use ‘Workshop Selection’ to make three choices for each session) Complete symposium choice form: One form per teacher attending.

1.

2.

3.

4.

Enter your personal details.

Choose 3 workshops for each of the 3 sessions.

Insert the relevant Workshop Numbers ONLY Further information can be obtained online: www.2014IPLconferences.ac.nz

5.

Post/Email/fax back to:

Post/fax back to: Jennie Harper PO Box 641 Gisborne Phone: Fax: Email:

06 863 3741 06 863 3742 jennie@waikato.ac.nz

Closing Date:

Friday 18 July 2014 (Enrolments not accepted after this date)

Please Note:

Places for this event are limited. * Your school will be invoiced for the Conference in the month you enrol for the event

Name:

......................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

School:

......................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

Email Contact:

.......................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

Please note: your email confirmation will be sent to the above email address

Your School’s MOE Number:

..............................

Special Dietary Requirements:

................................ .......................................................................................

Select using workshop number ONLY Session 1

Session 2

Session 3

..................................

....................................

...................................

1st Choice

2nd Choice

3rd Choice

.................................

....................................

...................................

1st Choice

2nd Choice

3rd Choice

..................................

....................................

...................................

1st Choice

2nd Choice

3rd Choice

Please ensure you fill out this form completely as you may not get your first choice.

38 Good Teacher Magazine Term 1 2014

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What’s On Your Mind?

Inquiry Learning for the 21st Century Learner

5-6 August 2014

Distinction Rotorua Hotel, 390 Fenton Street, Rotorua

5 August Timetable 8.00 - 8:45

Registration with tea & coffee available on arrival

8:45 - 9:00

Welcome and Admin

9.00 - 10.30

International Presenter - Kath Murdoch

10.30 - 11.00

Morning tea provided

11.00 - 12.30

International Presenter - Kath Murdoch

12:30 - 1:15

Lunch provided

1:20 - 2.50

International Presenter - Kath Murdoch

6 August Timetable 8.00 - 8:55

Registration with tea & coffee available on arrival

9.00 - 10.30

Session One

10.30 - 11.00

Morning tea provided

11.00 - 12.30

Session Two

12:30 - 1.15

Lunch provided

1:20 - 2.50

Enrolment:

Session Three

Closing date is Friday 18 July

An attempt will be made to honour your first workshop preferences; however limits on group sizes may be necessary in some cases.

It is important that you indicate your first three workshop choices for each session on your registration form.

Confirmation of registration will be emailed upon receipt of registration form

Cost: * $600.00 + gst per person for both days * Your school will be invoiced for the Conference in the month in 2014 that you enrol

Accommodation: You are able to book accommodation at Distinction Rotorua Hotel - Standard accommodation rooms $140.00 including GST single or twin share per night. Phone Distinction Rotorua Hotel directly on 0800 654 789 quoting the “Inquiry Conference” name or reference number 225846 to make your reservation and receive this special conference accommodation rate while rooms are still available. There is complimentary parking available on site. Accommodation cancellation is the delegate’s responsibility.

Cancellations Policy: For cancellations submitted by Friday, 20 June 2014, your pre-paid conference registration fees will be refunded in full.

No refund of conference registration fees will be given for cancellations* made after Friday 20 June 2014.

If you are unable to attend we recommend that you send a replacement staff member. No refunds will be made for ‘No Shows’.

Cancellations must be received in writing only – all correspondence must be sent to Nikki Pound: poundn@waikato.ac.nz IPL reserves the right to add, withdraw, reschedule or substitute speakers and/or vary advertised programmes, prices and venues.

Should an event fail to attract a required minimum number of participants we reserve the right to cancel it. In this instance, IPL will provide a full refund but will not accept responsibility for travel and accommodation costs incurred by participants.

IPL strongly advise against booking non-refundable flights; occasionally circumstances beyond our control mean that a conference may be cancelled or postponed. Enrolment in this conference constitutes acceptance of this policy. *At the discretion of the Regional Course Coordinator up to 75% of the conference fee may be reimbursed due to extenuating circumstances.

Conference Information online: www.2014IPLconferences.ac.nz

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Good Teacher Magazine Term 1 2014 39

5 August

9.00am – 3.00pm

Kath Murdoch – Australia

Are You An Inquiry Teacher….Or A Teacher Who ‘Does’ Inquiry?....And What’s The Difference?

Teachers throughout NZ know, inquiry is not a ‘subject’ – it is an approach that can be applied as much to a spelling workshop as it can the study of history. This presentation will challenge us to embrace inquiry as a ‘mindset’ we carry into all our teaching by exploring: • The language we use with students on a day to day basis • How to embrace the competencies through the lens of inquiry • The way we use the classroom environment • Opportunities for authentic inquiry • The role of students in making decisions about their learning • Teachers as inquirers

6 August

Workshop Selection

Session 1 Choices 1. It’s time for I-Time! - Planning for Personalised Inquiry This workshop is all about supporting students in personal inquiry. A range of programming options will be shared but we will focus in detail on one approach- a weekly routine called “I-time”. The workshop will share real and practical examples of how teachers set up this engaging and powerful session and manage the demands of individualized investigations that help students learn to plan, research and communicate learning in which they have real voice and choice. Kath Murdoch (Australia)

2. Inquiry- Model or Mindset?

What do you know but have little understanding of? Teaching for understanding is critical in an age where knowledge is plentiful and easy to access. But what constitutes deep knowledge and how do we teach in a way that grows deep understanding? Perry will share a school curriculum that supports deep understanding and inquiry strategies that enable powerful, personal learning.

Perry Rush (Wellington)

3. Connecting ‘Teaching as Inquiry’ and ‘Inquiry Learning’ This 90 minute interactive workshop will provide an opportunity for participants to: • Continue to explore the concepts of inquiry and inquiry mindedness • Examine their practice and professional learning in the context of Inquiry Learning • Consider how they might use an inquiry approach to evaluate the impact of Inquiry Learning on students’ learning.

• Participants will be encouraged to link their learning to their practice and identify future actions.

Dianne Smardon and Pip Newick (Hamilton)

4. Thinking Maps From the beginning of time people have used Visual Tools to tell stories, study the sciences and teach lessons. The Thinking Maps, developed by Dr David Hyerle, are 8 graphic organisers that encompass the cognitive thinking skills to develop critical, creative and metacognitive thinking. Georgette brings her experience with practical examples from all age groups of how this common visual language integrates learning across the curriculum. Georgette Jenson (Gisborne)

5. Getting the HOTS for Inquiry How higher order thinking skills can support and be developed through inquiry. Techniques and strategies used to develop the processes and efficiency of thinking are cultivated by explicit teaching, preferably in context. This workshop looks at some of the tools and strategies, including decision-making and parts-whole thinking, that can be developed within inquiry-based learning.

Jan-Marie Kellow (Hamilton)

6. Inquiry Learning and Personal Voice Ximena will share multiple examples of practical and successful inquiry from within her own teaching. Links will be made between intentional learning, curriculum knowledge and student voice. This reflects her goal to ensure that inquiry is not a formulaic model but a living, breathing journey of curiosity that is truly student led. Ximena Aitken (Wellington)

Session 2 Choices 7. It’s time for I-Time! - Planning for Personalised Inquiry This workshop is all about supporting students in personal inquiry. A range of programming options will be shared but we will focus in detail on one approach- a weekly routine called “I-time”. The workshop will share real and practical examples of how teachers set up this engaging and powerful session and manage the demands of individualized investigations that help students learn to plan, research and communicate learning in which they have real voice and choice. Kath Murdoch (Australia)

8. Inquiry Learning and Assessment How do you assess inquiry learning and what do you assess? Perry will share a rigorous approach to assessment that places the student at the centre. The same process can be used for reporting to parents, staff professional development and Board self-review.

If assessment leaves you cold then cheer up, this presentation will breath life back into our goal to reclaim assessment from the clutches of accountability and infuse it with humanity, joy and relevance. Perry Rush (Wellington) Conference Information online: www.2014IPLconferences.ac.nz 40 Good Teacher Magazine Term 1 2014

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9. What is the Learning?

This 90 minute interactive workshop will provide an opportunity for participants to consider the following questions in the context of Inquiry Learning: • What are the students learning?

• Why are they learning this and how will they know they have learnt it?

• Participants will be encouraged to link their learning to their practice and identify future actions.

Dianne Smardon and Pip Newick (Hamilton)

10.

Analytic and Global Learners When reading a magazine do you • Jump in wherever looks most interesting • Start at page 1 and read in sequential order Depending on situations or tasks most of us are ‘anaglobes’… a mixture of both analytic and global. But we do have a preference and by understanding how we learn, we develop empathy and strategies to involve everyone in our class in powerful learning.

Georgette Jenson (Gisborne)

11. Getting the HOTS for Inquiry with Juniors How higher order thinking skills can support and be developed through inquiry with junior students. Techniques and strategies used to develop the processes and efficiency of thinking are cultivated by explicit teaching, preferably in context. This workshop looks at some of the tools and strategies, including decision-making and classification that can be developed within inquiry-based learning.

Jan-Marie Kellow (Hamilton)

12. Inquiry Planning What do we want our learners to understand? How can we grow their learning further while honouring their voice? The Inquiry planning journey: how to plan Inquiry Learning that is learner driven. This workshop will cover the initial planning stages (developing knowledge outcomes and finding/sorting out episodes), and help teachers identify areas for going further and taking action. This planning methodology will involve incorporating the Facets of Understanding and the NZ Curriculum Key Competencies to develop robust inquiry learning skills. Ximena Aitken (Wellington)

Session 3 Choices 13. It’s time for I-Time! - Planning for Personalised Inquiry This workshop is all about supporting students in personal inquiry. A range of programming options will be shared but we will focus in detail on one approach- a weekly routine called “I-time”. The workshop will share real and practical examples of how teachers set up this engaging and powerful session and manage the demands of individualized investigations that help students learn to plan, research and communicate learning in which they have real voice and choice. Kath Murdoch (Australia)

14. Inquiry- Model or Mindset?

What do you know but have little understanding of? Teaching for understanding is critical in an age where knowledge is plentiful and easy to access. But what constitutes deep knowledge and how do we teach in a way that grows deep understanding? Perry will share a school curriculum that supports deep understanding and inquiry strategies that enable powerful, personal learning.

Perry Rush (Wellington)

15. Connecting ‘Teaching as Inquiry’ and ‘Inquiry Learning’ This 90 minute interactive workshop will provide an opportunity for participants to: • Continue to explore the concepts of inquiry and inquiry mindedness • Examine their practice and professional learning in the context of Inquiry Learning • Consider how they might use an inquiry approach to evaluate the impact of Inquiry Learning on students’ learning.

• Participants will be encouraged to link their learning to their practice and identify future actions.

Dianne Smardon and Pip Newick (Hamilton)

16. Thinking Maps From the beginning of time people have used Visual Tools to tell stories, study the sciences and teach lessons. The Thinking Maps, developed by Dr David Hyerle, are 8 graphic organisers that encompass the cognitive thinking skills to develop critical, creative and metacognitive thinking. Georgette brings her experience with practical examples from all age groups of how this common visual language integrates learning across the curriculum. Georgette Jenson (Gisborne)

17. Getting the HOTS for Inquiry How higher order thinking skills can support and be developed through inquiry. Techniques and strategies used to develop the processes and efficiency of thinking are cultivated by explicit teaching, preferably in context. This workshop looks at some of the tools and strategies, including decision-making and parts-whole thinking that can be developed within inquiry-based learning.

Jan-Marie Kellow (Hamilton)

18. Inquiry Learning and Personal Voice Ximena will share multiple examples of practical and successful inquiry from within her own teaching. Links will be made between intentional learning, curriculum knowledge and student voice. This reflects her goal to ensure that inquiry is not a formulaic model but a living, breathing journey of curiosity that is truly student led. Ximena Aitken (Wellington) Conference Information online: www.2014IPLconferences.ac.nz

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Good Teacher Magazine Term 1 2014 41

Kath Murdoch Kath Murdoch is an experienced primary teacher, university lecturer, author and popular consultant. She is recognized throughout the world for her expertise in inquiry-based learning. Kath is based in Australia where she regularly works in local schools as well as maintaining consultancies with inquiry schools in a wide range of international settings. Kath has had a long association with schools throughout New Zealand.

Georgette Jenson Georgette Jenson has personally trained with some of the best thinkers in the world; Rita & Kenneth Dunn - international renowned experts in Learning Styles, David Hyerle - developer of the Thinking Maps Model, Art Costa - originator of the Habits of Mind. Georgette brings her wealth of knowledge and wisdom from the classroom. She will share practical, simple to use tools to encourage critical and creative thinking.

Dianne Smardon Dianne works collaboratively with school leaders and teachers facilitating professional learning opportunities in The New Zealand Curriculum and the Leadership and Assessment PLD Projects. She provides workshops and presents papers regionally, nationally and internationally at educational conferences. Dianne has a deep interest in developing learner’s critical thinking and reflective practices. She has a strong belief in the agency of learners, honouring the voice of students, teachers and school leaders and in working in dialogic ways.

Pip Newick I am a facilitator in the Te Toi Tupu Leadership and Assessment Professional Learning and Development (PLD) project. For the past nine years I have been privileged to have been involved in a wide range of PLD projects across a variety of contexts. I have a particular strength in ‘assessment’ and a deep interest in enhancing the capacity of teachers to ‘inquire’ into the impact of their practice on student learning and achievement.

Perry Rush Perry Rush is the Principal of Island Bay School in Wellington. He was formerly foundation Director of the innovative Discovery 1 School in Christchurch and the founder of Tawa School City Site in Wellington’s CBD. Perry is currently completing a PhD. He is a passionate advocate for student-centred learning, an avid coffee drinker, BBQ king, and owner to a tricked out Holden.

Jan-Marie Kellow Jan-Marie Kellow is a primary teacher with over 20 years classroom experience. Literacy, e-learning and Inquiry-based learning are areas she is passionate about. Jan-Marie is a CORE e-fellow, her fellowship research looked at the ways ICTs can support inquiry-based learning.

She is currently an e-learning facilitator with the University of Waikato as part of Te Toi Tupu, and an educational consultant www.inquiringmind.co.nz

Ximena Aitken Ximena is an experienced teacher and is passionate about inquiry learning. She teaches at Island Bay School in a Year 4 class. She is a native Spanish speaker whose interests include brain theory, teaching for diversity, Te Reo Maori and key competency based learning. She has worked extensively across numerous inquiry approaches and brings a practitioner’s perspective to her work.

Conference Information online: www.2014IPLconferences.ac.nz 42 Good Teacher Magazine Term 1 2014

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Landscape Floor Installations

by Suzan Drummen Working with crystals, chromed metal, precious stones, mirrors, and optical glass, Dutch artist Suzan Drummen designs labor-intensive landscape floor installations that are full of illusions and optical effects creating a visual array of colorful eye candy. Each component is individually placed by hand making up the massively intricate patterns that adorn gallery and museum floors.

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From far away the designs appear to be symmetrical patterns of colors and shapes and upon looking closer, you begin to see the complexity of the individual parts.

Good Teacher Magazine Term 1 2014 43

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‘WWW’ ... Working in our Wired World...

Enhancing learning through technology 18-19 June 2014

Ewan McIntosh Tom Barrett - Chrissie Butler - Stuart Hale Mary-Anne Murphy - Wendy Stafford

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Good Teacher Magazine Term 1 2014 49

Distinc tion Rotorua Hotel

Enrolment and Workshop Choice Form: (Use ‘Workshop Selection’ to make three choices for each session) Complete symposium choice form: One form per teacher attending.

1.

2.

3.

4.

Enter your personal details.

Choose 3 workshops for each of the 3 sessions.

Insert the relevant Workshop Numbers ONLY Further information can be obtained online: www.iplconferences.com

Post/email/fax back to: Karina Davies

Private Bag 12 027 Tauranga Phone: Fax : Email:

07 577 5356 07 577 5322 karinad@waikato.ac.nz

Closing Date:

Monday 2 June (Enrolments not accepted after this date)

Please Note:

Places for this event are limited. * Your school will be invoiced for the Conference in the month you enrol for the event

Name:

......................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

School:

......................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

Email Contact:

.......................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

Please note: your email confirmation will be sent to the above email address

Your School’s MOE Number:

..............................

Special Dietary Requirements:

................................ .......................................................................................

Select using workshop number ONLY Session 1

Session 2

Session 3

..................................

...................................

..................................

1st Choice

2nd Choice

3rd Choice

.................................

....................................

...................................

1st Choice

2nd Choice

3rd Choice

..................................

....................................

...................................

1st Choice

2nd Choice

3rd Choice

Please ensure you fill out this form completely as you may not get your first choice.

Conference Information online: www.2014IPLconferences.ac.nz 50 Good Teacher Magazine Term 1 2014

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‘WWW’ - Working in our Wired World: Enhancing Learning Through Technology...

18-19 June 2014 Distinction Rotorua Hotel, 390 Fenton Street, Rotorua

18 june Timetable 8.00 - 8:45

Registration with tea & coffee available on arrival

8:45 - 9:00

Welcome and Admin

9.00 - 10.30

International Presenter -Ewan McIntosh and Tom Barrett

10.30 - 11.00

Morning tea provided

11.00 - 12.30

International Presenter - Ewan McIntosh and Tom Barrett

12:30 - 1:20

Lunch provided

1:30 - 3.00

International Presenter - Ewan McIntosh and Tom Barrett

19 June Timetable 8.00 - 8:55

Registration with tea & coffee available on arrival

9.00 - 10.30

Session One

10.30 - 11.00

Morning tea provided

11.00 - 12.30

Session Two

12:30 - 1.20

Lunch provided

1:30 - 3.00

Enrolment:

Session Three

Closing date is Monday 2 June

An attempt will be made to honour your first workshop preferences; however limits on group sizes may be necessary in some cases.

It is important that you indicate your first three workshop choices for each session on your registration form.

Confirmation of registration will be emailed upon receipt of registration form

Cost: * $600.00 + gst per person for both days * Your school will be invoiced for the Conference in the month in 2014 that you enrol

Accommodation: You are able to book accommodation at Distinction Rotorua Hotel - Standard accommodation rooms $140.00 including GST single or twin share per night. Phone Distinction Rotorua Hotel directly on 0800 654 789 quoting the “WWW Working in our Wired World” name or reference number 225845 to make your reservation and receive this special conference accommodation rate while rooms are still available. There is complimentary parking available on site. Accommodation cancellation is the delegate’s responsibility.

Cancellations Policy: For cancellations submitted by Friday, 9 May 2014, your pre-paid conference registration fees will be refunded in full.

No refund of conference registration fees will be given for cancellations* made after Friday 9 May 2014.

If you are unable to attend we recommend that you send a replacement staff member. No refunds will be made for ‘No Shows’.

Cancellations must be received in writing only – all correspondence must be sent to Nikki Pound: poundn@waikato.ac.nz IPL reserves the right to add, withdraw, reschedule or substitute speakers and/or vary advertised programmes, prices and venues.

Should an event fail to attract a required minimum number of participants we reserve the right to cancel it. In this instance, IPL will provide a full refund but will not accept responsibility for travel and accommodation costs incurred by participants.

IPL strongly advise against booking non-refundable flights; occasionally circumstances beyond our control mean that a conference may be cancelled or postponed.

Enrolment in this conference constitutes acceptance of this policy. *At the discretion of the Regional Course Coordinator up to 75% of the conference fee may be reimbursed due to extenuating circumstances.

Conference Information online: www.2014IPLconferences.ac.nz

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Good Teacher Magazine Term 1 2014 51

‘WWW’ - Working in our Wired World: Enhancing Learning Through Technology...

18-19 June 2014 18 June

9.00am – 3.00pm

Ewan McIntosh (Edinburgh) and Tom Barrett (Australia)

Unpack The Broad Assessment Agenda We Face In Schools Today And Explore New Insights And Solutions That Help Us Plan For More Authentic Assessment Opportunities.

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It is all about the grade at the end of the day. How can I break this everlasting cycle?

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I want my students to be more central in their learning, how do I take steps towards this?

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There’s just stuff the kids have to learn - how can I rethink my planning to offer more engaging opportunities, with more opportunities for authentic assessment, as part of learning, baked in from the start?

19 June

Workshop Selection

Session 1 Choices 1

Creating Generative Topics If you are going to be in a position to inspire your students you need to feel inspired yourself. Most of our traditional topics can very quickly be given a new lease of life by developing a more generative topic title. We need to be able to literally propel our learners into the topic with these few words. The title is their first introduction to a project and so should immediately inspire them to be involved, and therefore make the most of the digital tools you plan into an immersive learning experience.

Ewan McIntosh (Edinburgh)

2 Generating Ideas and Sharing our Professional Expertise A workshop that aims to gather and share practical ideas for the classroom, building an extensive resource as we go. We will explore the role of ideation in the creative process, how this mindset ties in with design thinking and use these new skills to crowdsource teaching and learning ideas. Tom Barrett (Australia)

3 Identifying and removing barriers to learning?

For students, many barriers to learning are inadvertently created by teachers passionate about designing great learning environments. Using the Universal Design for Learning framework, we will take a look at learning from a student perspective and identify where a tweak in our practice can better align our learning design and increase our effective use of digital tools.

Chrissie Butler (Auckland)

4 Capturing The Learning Share means of capturing and storing evidence of student learning within a Literacy context. Will suit Years 0-8 level.

Mary-Anne Murphy (Hamilton)

5 Why iPad? With Steps And Structures To Make It Work!

At the top of the list of trends for 2010 - 2013 is the use of portable technologies. This workshop will look at why this is so with the special focus on the iPad. We will examine why this technology is here to stay. Based on working with many New Zealand schools the length of the country - what are steps and structures to make this work for your school! Stuart Hale (Auckland)

6 iPads As A Storytelling Tool Digital Storytelling can transform your students’ writing into a visual masterpiece that is filled with voice and emotion, while enhancing critical thinking skills. The iPad takes digital storytelling to a new level by making the process easier, and even more engaging for students of all grade levels as well as for their teachers. This hands on workshop will highlight the top apps available for Storytelling using the iPad. Wendy Stafford (Rotorua)

Session 2 Choices 7 Creating Generative Topics If you are going to be in a position to inspire your students you need to feel inspired yourself. Most of our traditional topics can very quickly be given a new lease of life by developing a more generative topic title. We need to be able to literally propel our learners into the topic with these few words. The title is their first introduction to a project and so should immediately inspire them to be involved, and therefore make the most of the digital tools you plan into an immersive learning experience.

Ewan McIntosh (Edinburgh) Conference Information online: www.2014IPLconferences.ac.nz 52 Good Teacher Magazine Term 1 2014

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8 Generating Ideas and Sharing our Professional Expertise A workshop that aims to gather and share practical ideas for the classroom, building an extensive resource as we go. We will explore the role of ideation in the creative process, how this mindset ties in with design thinking and use these new skills to crowdsource teaching and learning ideas. Tom Barrett (Australia)

9 Releasing Talent Across Cultures The students in our schools have a multitude of passions, skills, gifts and aptitudes. In our classrooms, much of that potential energy can remain dormant but could support a deeper engagement in learning. In our session, we will look together at how we recognise talent across cultures and how we can use a Universal Design for Learning approach to re-evaluate how we design learning that enables students to consistently build on their personal expertise and experience. Throughout the session we will be considering how we harness the potential of digital tools and online environments. Chrissie Butler (Auckland)

10 Motivating Boys To Write Using e-tools Share means of harnessing the power of e-tools to rev-up those reluctant writers amongst your boys. Will suit Years Middle-Senior Primary school level. Mary-Anne Murphy (Hamilton)

11 iPads Transforming Teaching A)nd Learning - With 8 Key Apps With 900,000 Apps the numbers are daunting! This workshop will look at just 8 amazing Apps that are transforming classrooms from Yr 1-13 and in all subject areas. NB This will show the potential and linkage of these Apps but in the time given it is not a hands on workshop! Stuart Hale (Auckland)

12 iPad - Tools For The Teacher With iPad, your classroom materials go way beyond the classroom. iPads have exploded throughout schools and classrooms. Their flexibility, versatility, and mobility make them a phenomenal learning and teaching tool. Join me to explore the endless possibilities available to you as a teaching professional and how you can enhance your own professional development.

Wendy Stafford (Rotorua)

Session 3 Choices 13 From Theory To Practice: An End-of-conference Deep Dive, Wrap-up And A Bout Of Pragmatism At the end of a day or two of professional learning, it’s essential to wrap up those loose ends, see things from different angles, explore potentially interesting tangents and commit to action. In this workshop, we will use suggestions and queries from the group of participants to explore the area’s most in need of some more thought, and learn some creative and pragmatic tips for putting our learning’s into practice effectively, and bring our colleagues on board. Ewan McIntosh (Edinburgh)

14. Generating Ideas and Sharing our Professional Expertise A workshop that aims to gather and share practical ideas for the classroom, building an extensive resource as we go. We will explore the role of ideation in the creative process, how this mindset ties in with design thinking and use these new skills to crowdsource teaching and learning ideas. Tom Barrett (Australia)

15 Expand your expectations of storytelling and sharing thinking Even with all the bling and shiny screens of new technology, it’s easy to get stuck in a rut and find yourself and your students repeatedly representing their ideas in the same ways across the curriculum. As a tonic to the stalemate, come and participate in a hands-on, immersive, studio session trialling and experimenting with alternative ways of telling stories and expressing ideas using sound, text, digital tools and a few props. Chrissie Butler (Auckland)

16 Harnessing The Use Of e- tools To Support Reading Comprehension Development Share ways of optimizing the use of e-tools to support the development of reading comprehension. Will suit Years Middle-Senior Primary school level. Mary-Anne Murphy (Hamilton)

17 iPad And The Evolution Of Literacy To be able to have access to all the books you need 24/7 because you carry them with you! To be able to read, write and publish interactive media rich publications is revolutionary. To link the real with the virtual! This is all possible now. This workshop will demonstrate and address these issues and how they will impact teaching and learning.

“It is a book Jim but not as we know it!” Stuart Hale (Auckland)

18 Classroom 5th Wall Teaching and Learning in the 21st Century has moved way beyond the classroom. Classroom websites and blogs provide a platform for students to engage in their learning outside of school hours and encourage community involvement. Develop your own Classroom 5th Wall using Weebly and learn how to utilize it as a teaching and learning tool that enhances your classroom programme. Wendy Stafford (Rotorua) Conference Information online: www.2014IPLconferences.ac.nz

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Good Teacher Magazine Term 1 2014 53

Ewan McIntosh Ewan leads the development of work with key clients globally, in both the education world and creative industries, and is a keynote speaker on innovation, design thinking and creativity. We are world leaders in leading innovation, showing how design thinking can provide a process for learning anything, and how to build teacher capacity in thinking skills & formative assessment. I’ve been advisor on the digital agenda to the Vice President of the European Commission, Mrs Neelie Kroes, and sit on the ICT Excellence Expert Group advising the Cabinet Minister for Education in Scotland.

Tom Barrett Tom Barrett was one of the UK’s best known primary classroom teachers before starting with NoTosh in 2011, and is now known for his highly innovative approaches with schools around the world. He curates and shares thousands of practical ideas from teachers across the globe on his blog edte.ch, and puts into practice the very best thinking on educational technology to inspire and engage children in their learning. Tom works on leadership, technology adoption and improving teacher capacity with NoTosh in schools across Australia, and provides regular input on other projects globally. He inspires teacher audiences with fresh ideas for engaging young people in learning at conferences and workshops.

Tom leads education and creative projects for the Australian branch, based in Melbourne and working globally.

Mary-Anne Murphy Mary-Anne is a Learning Facilitator/Consultant, based in the Waikato and works throughout NZ. She partners with schools to offer tailored professional support that provides practical and innovative learning for teachers. She is committed to supporting teachers in their quest to provide learners with the tools, strategies and competencies that equip them to become global citizens of tomorrow. She has extensive teaching and leadership experience within both Primary and Secondary contexts. Her experience includes roles as a Primary Principal, Assessment Adviser, Specialist Classroom Teacher and Professional Development Co-ordinator of Literacy and Assess To Learn initiatives, school-wide Syndicate Leader with a particular emphasis on student engagement and motivation programmes, HOD English Department and e-Learning and Inquiry facilitator.

Chrissie Butler Chrissie is a leader, writer, speaker, teacher and facilitator in the areas of Universal Design for Learning (UDL), e-Learning, inclusive education, and professional learning development. She’s works with the team at CORE Education where she is highly regarded for her ability to illustrate and make accessible differing perspectives, complex concepts, and new educational ideas with humour, a pencil, a camera and few props. She also has a reputation for closely connecting culture with learning and bending the expectations of how we can use technology and the Arts to transform learning environments

Wendy Stafford Wendy Stafford has an extensive background in ICT, is a trained teacher in the 21st Century and a parent of two dyslexic boys. As an Aunty, mother and teacher of children with special learning needs (Aspergers, ADHD and Autism) she has dedicated many years to researching literacy, numeracy and e-learning programmes that cater for all children in a whole class setting, incorporating learning styles, multi media and that promote independence.

Stuart Hale Stuart specialises in delivering eLearning Professional Development to New Zealand schools and has worked extensively with schools, staff and students to explore the full extent that eLearning can be integrated in a Teaching and Learning environment that is centred on the needs of the learner throughout New Zealand schools. In the last 3 years he has worked with many schools with hands on innovative workshops as they have introduced iPads.

Conference Information online: www.2014IPLconferences.ac.nz 54 Good Teacher Magazine Term 1 2014

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Smart Learning Programme transforms education in UAE’s government schools Roberta Pennington DUBAI: Textbooks have been replaced by tablet computers in Rasha El Khatib’s Grade 7 English class, and everyone is connected to the internet.Pencils are no longer in play, having been swapped for stylus pens with which pupils tap answers on their personal screens or the classroom Smart Board.

Pupils who do not feel comfortable raising their hands in class can submit their questions electronically through an instant messaging system. The messages can be sent privately to the teacher or shared with the classroom.

At the end of the day students and teachers take their free, school-issued tablets home. A series of educational applications that can be accessed offline lets the children review their teacher’s lesson plans, complete homework assignments and read digital textbooks.

Ms El Khatib’s students at Umm Suqeim Model School are among 9,963 Grade 7 and 1,439 Grade 8 pupils in 123 government schools taking part in the Mohammed bin Rashid Smart Learning Programme.

The initiative was launched in 2012 after an edict by Sheikh Mohammed, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai. It was introduced to schools this academic year. By 2017, the Smart Learning Programme will be installed in all K-12 government school classes.

“The main goal is to reform education in the UAE to become one of the best education systems in the world,” said Mohammed Gheyath, director general of the programme. “We’re not giving tablets or internet connections only, we are enhancing the entire education ecosystem, starting from the curriculum all the way through to the technology and gadgets that will help them to access the curriculum.”

The programme has supplied students and teachers with Samsung tablets and placed Smart Boards in classrooms. The tablets come installed with programs called Smart Author for teachers and Smart Reader for students. Developed by ITWorx, Smart Author gives teachers digital tools to develop and teach interactive lessons. The Smart Reader allows students to review their e-lessons and access textbooks even without an internet connection.

There is also a social-learning “gateway” called Study Live, with live discussions and messaging that can foster communications among the teachers, students and parents.

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“The programme has a lot of benefits,” said Ms El Khatib, who oversees the introduction of Smart Learning at Umm Suqeim Model School for girls in Dubai. “It helps us in preparing interesting lessons that can attract the attention of the students. It also gives all the students the opportunity to practise the interactive content at the same time, which saves a lot of time.

“The gateway also helps the teachers to communicate with all the students and their parents. We can also communicate with other teachers, so we can share the learning resources and the experience together. In addition, the programme can correct the students’ exams and analyse their results, which also saves a lot of time for the teachers.”

Teachers underwent five weeks of intensive training for the new system.

“Everything at the beginning is difficult but we try to support the programme as much as we can,” said Lobna El Gammal, adoption team specialist at Umm Suqeim Girls School. “ITWorx visits us every week.

The engineers come to the school every week. We’re here every day trying to support the teachers.

“At the beginning we started doing some lessons together until they managed how to do them by themselves, so they’re working on it fine now.”

Noora Mohammad, 14, a Grade 7 pupil at Umm Suqeim, said the new system was welcome.

“There have been a lot of changes since we started using tablets,” said Noora, an Emirati.

“Now I can use the internet to do research in the classroom and we can communicate with our teacher and other students.

“The classroom has changed because before a lot of time was spent writing notes and the teacher talking about what she’s writing, and now the material is on the screen so we don’t have to write as much.

“I feel more comfortable using the tablet than the books because it’s much more entertaining.”

January 13, 2014 Updated: January 13, 2014 Good Teacher Magazine Term 1 2014 55

If the Shoe Fits Finding the Right Shoe

Have you ever worn a shoe that doesn’t fit just right?

A study done in May 2013 by Bank of Montreal revealed that personality traits outranked both credentials and education for many employers who were looking to hire, with 30% of respondents ranking personality as the most important factor - over even skill and work experience.

Sometimes, when you first try it on, it appears to fit just fine.

More and more employers are focusing on personality because while skills can be taught, personality is harder to change.

As more time goes on though, you notice that it is pinching here and there, creating calluses as you walk, and just doesn’t feel right. In this particular situation, would you try to correct your foot so that it fit the shoe, or would you go searching for a new shoe that didn’t pinch so much and better matched your stride?

But it’s not just about employers. Prospective employees will find more success in the job hunt - and find a job better suited to their strengths - when they take time to find out who they are and what that means in terms of finding a career that fits them.

This pinch - where reality and you as a person are at odds - can be felt in many areas in life.

The assessment uses your answers to these yes-orno questions to group you as one of 16 personality types, defined by four elements:

From relationships to career choices, it can be easy to identify when the “shoe” doesn’t fit.

Extrovert or Introvert (E or I)

The question is: what do you do about it?

Do you focus on concrete information (S) or do you prefer to interpret and add meaning (I)?

More often than not, it is not you that needs to change, but rather your situation.

It might simply be time for a new shoe.

Many of you have most likely heard about MyersBriggs Type Indicator® (MBTI®) personality assessments, in which you answer questions about your preferences and how you make decisions.

Do you focus on the outer world (E) or inner world (I)?

Sensing or Intuition (S or N)

Thinking or Feeling (T or F) When making decisions, do you first look to logic (T) or to people and their needs (F)?

Judging or Perceiving (J or P) Do you prefer to have a set plan (J) or to keep things open and flexible as new information comes in (P)?

The MBTI® assessment puts these elements together to define 16 distinct personality types: What is fascinating about knowing your personality type is the ability to know what career might best suit you based on your innate characteristics. For example, ENTJs have personality types that are very compatible with the careers of a lawyer or corporate executive, while an ISTP may find more satisfaction as an engineer or police officer.

56 Good Teacher Magazine Term 1 2014

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By Michelle LaBrosse, PMP® and Kristen Medina, PMP®, Co-Author

The bottom line is: if the shoe doesn’t fit, don’t change the foot; change the shoe! Ask yourself why it doesn’t fit, and what needs to change in your environment so that you can run towards your goals.

To expand your knowledge on how to use your personality type to achieve your goals and career success, visit us at www.cheetahcertifiedpm.com.

MBTI® Personality Types Protector (SJ) ESTJ

ESFJ

ISTJ

ISFJ

"Overseer"

"Supporter"

"Examiner"

"Defender"

Creator (SP) ESTP

ESFP

ISTP

ISFP

"Persuader"

"Entertainer"

"Craftsman"

"Artist"

Intellectual (NT) ENTJ

ENTP

INTJ

INTP

"Chief"

"Originator"

"Strategist"

"Engineer"

Visionary (NF) ENFJ

ENFP

INFJ

INFP

"Mentor"

"Advocate"

"Confidant"

"Dreamer"

About the Author: Michelle LaBrosse, PMP, is an entrepreneurial powerhouse with a penchant for making success easy, fun, and fast. She is the founder of Cheetah Learning, the author of the Cheetah Success Series, and a prolific blogger whose mission is to bring Project Management to the masses.

Cheetah Learning is a virtual company with 100 employees, contractors, and licensees worldwide. To date, more than 50,000 people have become “Cheetahs” using Cheetah Learning’s innovative Project Management and accelerated learning techniques.

publications and websites around the world. Her monthly column, the Know How Network, is carried by over 400 publications.

She is a graduate of the Harvard Business School’s Owner/President Management (OPM) program and holds engineering degrees from Syracuse University and the University of Dayton.

Recently honored by the Project Management Institute (PMI®), Cheetah Learning was named Professional Development Provider of the Year at the 2008 PMI® Global Congress. A dynamic keynote speaker and industry thought leader, Michelle is recognized by PMI as one of the 25 Most Influential Women in Project Management in the world.

Michelle’s articles have appeared in more than 100

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Street Art/Craft

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Damage-free graffiti for a softer and more cuddly urban environment.

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PEAS, London, United Kingdom

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Good Teacher Magazine Term 1 2014 65

Gardner Center teams up with Californian scho

School culture, student resilience, and motivation are among measures researchers will investigate to gauge performance

The work with the districts comes after each was granted an unprecedentedwaiver from certain rules in the No Child Left Behind Act, and makes the Gardner Center the data and analysis hub for one of the most closely watched school reform efforts in the country.

Researchers help districts build an accountability system that examines social and emotional learning, as well as academic performance.

“The new accountability system that the districts are proposing is hugely important and really pathbreaking,” said Amy Gerstein, executive director of the Gardner Center. “It demonstrates a way to address severe inequalities for today’s youth in opportunities and achievement. It’s an incredible step forward.”

Stanford’s John W. Gardner Center for Youth and Their Communities is helping eight of California’s largest school districts to adopt new measures of success — going beyond standardized test scores — to improve student learning and close achievement gaps.

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The plan, called the School Quality Improvement System, breaks from the traditional model of using standardized tests as the primary factor for evaluating student performance. Instead, it incorporates a multi-faceted approach, one that evaluates social and emotional/learning indicators of success as well as school climate and academic ones.

Researchers at the Gardner Center, which is part of the Stanford Graduate School of Education, will assist

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ools on new standards to measure success

By Brooke Donald in the design and execution of the new accountability system, collecting and analyzing data from the districts, which represent more than 1 million children — a larger enrollment than most states.

“This is completely new territory,” said Professor Prudence Carter, faculty director of the Gardner Center. “No one else is working on an accountability system like this with a population of this size.”

The system was conceived by the California Office to Reform Education (CORE), the umbrella organization under which the districts operate. CORE hired the Gardner Center for an initial one-year contract.

What sets apart the CORE plan is its attention to broad measures of achievement and its commitment to equity, closing gaps in achievement and serving students, including many minorities, English language learners and those in special education, that had previously not been counted in success ratings.

“The districts’ approved plan includes key accountability components that when implemented will surpass the rigor of the current NCLB system,” U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan said in an August press release announcing the waiver. “The significance of their willingness to step up, and for the first time, hold themselves accountable for literally tens of thousands of children who were invisible under NCLB cannot be overstated.”

With CORE, the Gardner Center will design tools to measure factors such as mindset, self-management and social awareness skills.

Parent, student and teacher surveys will be used to gauge campus climate and environment, and researchers will also look at absenteeism, graduation and expulsion rates to get a better picture of what’s happening at a school.

Standardized tests will continue to be used to measure academic proficiency and growth over time.

“Do children feel included, welcome and safe? Are they supported, interested? Do they go to class?

These are the kinds of questions we’ll be looking for answers to in the data,” said Jorge Ruiz de Velasco, associate director of the Gardner Center, and an expert in state education policy and accountability systems.

These kinds of questions, said Ruiz de Velasco, also are strong predictors of success. Research has shown that kids with the most persistence, self-control and resilience often get the best grades and do better in the long run.

“There’s a promise in working with the Gardner Center that we’re going to learn a lot about what fuels

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achievement,” said Rick Miller, the executive director of CORE. The Gardner Center has had similar partnerships with schools in Redwood City, Garden Grove, San Francisco and Oakland, Calif. It also was tapped for another project, with the Annenberg Institute for School Reform at Brown University, to help improve early warning systems that focus on college readiness in several districts nationwide.

But this most recent work with CORE is notable for its size and also how it came to be.

The districts _ Los Angeles, San Francisco, Sacramento, Fresno, Long Beach, Oakland, Sanger and Santa Ana _ are the first to be awarded NCLB waivers on their own. Until now, flexibility under the law was only given to states as a whole.

This departure from the norm by Duncan has stirred criticism from those worried about districts bypassing state leadership and policies to work directly with the federal government.

But the unusual arrangement also has spawned a lot of interest, and raised the stakes for those involved.

“This is an extraordinary opportunity for the Gardner Center to dive into an immense amount of data on a very diverse population of students to learn what works and what changes need to be made to improve schooling and reduce disparities,” said Carter, who researches social inequality.

The Gardner Center is well-regarded for its capacity to protect and store student data securely, understand the interplay of multiple measures of success and recommend solutions to improve practice and policy.

The districts plan to share the lessons gleaned from the Gardner Center among themselves to learn best practices, and they intend to pair low performing schools with higher performing ones as mentors to help lift performance overall.

“To a certain extent, we can let the data – and the information we’re learning from it – drive the direction we take in coming up with better practices,” Miller said.

Ruiz de Velasco describes the performance evaluation as a “learning system.”

“We don’t just want to take data from the schools, but we want to give them something back,” he said.

“We’re not just helping to design and test an accountability system, but we’re helping implement a data-driven, professional learning system, one that will let them figure out what actions they can take to be better.”

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Edinburgh Business School Celebrates Success Of African Graduates On the 8th February, Edinburgh Business School marked the achievements of its long-standing presence in Africa with a celebration event for graduates. The event saw 200 graduates from across the continent gather in Johannesburg. Edinburgh Business School has been offering executive education in Africa since 1990 and currently has 3760 students with a further 2000 alumni from its MBA programme.

The event also celebrated the first 23 graduates from the African Scholarship programme launched and funded by Edinburgh Business School in 2010. The scholarship scheme is the largest of its kind; offering 250 people in Africa a fully-funded place on the Edinburgh Business School distance learning MBA (Master of Business Administration) programme.

The scholarship programme, established in 2010 by Edinburgh Business School, has enabled applicants from across Africa to gain access to advanced management skills and expertise, helping them to effect change in their organisations and communities. The flexibility of the distance learning MBA has also enabled students to continue working while they learn, implementing their new knowledge and skills in the workplace immediately.

Professor Keith Lumsden, Academic Director of Edinburgh Business School, the Graduate School of Business of Heriot-Watt University, on the school’s presence in Africa and scholarship scheme: “Edinburgh Business School has been active in Africa for over 20 years and to celebrate this long standing relationship, we established The Africa Scholarship Programme in 2010. We are very proud to recognise and celebrate all of our graduates who emerge equipped with skills that will enhance not only their own

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lives but also their communities. They have worked hard to secure their MBA’s and will no doubt go on to achieve great things”.

Graduating student Simon Peter Kavuma from Uganda commented on the opportunity and the impact the MBA and The African Scholarship Programme has had on his life, “Receiving the scholarship was a life changing event, and it’s difficult to see how I would have studied for the MBA without it. My MBA studies have led to career progression and possibilities that would have been impossible without it”.

Recently appointed Deputy Chief Finance Office at Citbank Uganda, Simon believes that the MBA was an important factor in securing the new position.

Graça Machel, leading educationalist and wife of the late Nelson Mandela, comments on the scholarship programme, “Scholarship programmes offer a wonderful opportunity for students from all over Africa to learn, gain and share invaluable technical, managerial and leadership skills, as well as obtain recognised qualifications. These skills are vital in our future leaders. I hope that as the Edinburgh Business School scholars graduate, they will continue to develop leadership which promote the conditions for the full exercise of citizen’s rights including equity and dignity for all”.

In order to apply for a place on the MBA programme, students must be a national or resident in a sub-Saharan African country, have a university degree and at least two years of full time work experience.

You can find out more here www.ebsglobal.net/africa

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Is it time to do blended learning PD the right way? effectively using blended learning, we need to design PD programs that use this approach

collaborative seating format. Instructors are present at all times, providing guidance and feedback, answering any questions that may arise, etc. Of course, many aspects of the courses could be used in a largely online format.

How often have we heard that education is changing, and that flipped learning/blended learning/integrated learning/hybrid learning/ (enter the latest term here) is the future and needs to be embraced now?

Some PD courses have a linear structure, while others branch to review concepts. Conditional release is used regularly, so that an activity, whether it be a series of learning resources, a survey, etc. must be completed before the next resource can be accessed.

Yet how many times do schools train their staff in blended learning by having professional development (PD) presented in the form of a lecture or a traditional lesson-exactly the type of learning that they are trying to replace in the classroom?

Feedback, such as surveys, quizzes and activities to demonstrate understanding, is regularly spaced between learning activities to ensure that participants are engaged and have an understanding of the concepts discussed (in exactly the way we would design a course for students).

If we want teachers to use courses to teach

Teachers, as well as students, learn better by doing, and learn better by participating in models that work rather than simply discussing models of learning. Professional development delivery must change. It is time to “walk the walk” rather than just “talk the talk.”

The author has done this in a number of successful training courses in a K-12 school. The programs use a range of online materials, such as text, audio, video, surveys, feedback and embedded interactive and collaborative specialist resources such as VoiceThread. The courses also use features of the Online Learning Environment (LMS), such as conditional release of resources and activities, rubrics and quizzes.

As this is blended learning rather than individual online learning, much of the PD still occurs in a learning space (sometimes even a traditional classroom). However, the traditional lecture theater and traditional classroom layout are shunned. Staff are not lined up in rows; they are often in a

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Courses sometimes contain rubrics to provide feedback for activities that reflect levels of mastery.

The rubric is visible to participants before the course is undertaken.

Conclusion We need to change the way professional development is delivered. If we want teachers to design and use courses to teach effectively using blended learning, we need to design effective PD programs that use this approach.

We must lead by modelling rather than by simply telling teachers how education needs to change.

Peter West is Director of eLearning at Saint Stephen’s College in Australia. He has over 15 years experience leading K-12 schools in technology enhanced education, particularly Blended Learning using Online Learning Environments.

He can be contacted at pwest@ssc.qld.edu.au.

Article from eSchool News - http://www.eschoolnews.com URL to article: http://www.eschoolnews.com/2014/01/13/ blended-learning-development-401/

Good Teacher Magazine Term 1 2014 69

Intrepid Roger faces South Africa Arrived in Johannesburg, gave up trying to do the maths and figure out exactly how long the flight took. We had to hurry to catch the connecting flight to Cape Town, so I just filed to my addled brain that I’d survived over 21 hours in cattle class and transit from Auckland via Seedney.

My partner, being a South African citizen, was able to take the high road through immigration and so left me with a ‘see you- I’ll wait on the other side.’ I had the choice of two gates and guessed correctly that I should enter the NO VISA REQUIRED portal. My semi-smugness at being from a favoured country morphed into horror at the sight of about 400 people ahead of me waiting to be allowed into the Rainbow Nation.

I moved slowly down the first aisle, turned the corner, noting another six ahead. Things went quite quickly, however and the queueing took only twenty minutes for me to be in the last lane. There I was intrigued by a woman who lane-hopped to the front, limbo-rocking her notinconsiderable frame under the bars, ignoring the incredulous stares of those who had patiently queued. Finally, I was at the front of the line and started to move towards an empty booth. Not fast enough for the official, a very young, lean man, sporting a number one haircut, who stared at me and gestured impatiently. My greeting was not reciprocated. All communication on his part was via hand signals. I had thought the Australian immigration officials were pretty surly but this guy was on a different level. Lounging back in his seat, he took my passport, yawned and looked at me. Up came his hands, pointing to his eyes.

I congratulated myself as he nodded when I put my glasses on. He looked at me and looked at the passport again. My photo was sans-specs, so why do this? Things seemed in order though- he took about 20 seconds to stamp and sign it. He slid it across the counter. Afterwards I figured out that he must have mistaken the rings around my eyes in the passport photo for spectacles.

waiting there. He smiled, welcomed me and told me to take my pick of the cubicles. Afterwards, he steered me towards the basins and the hand drier. I complimented him on the cleanliness and thanked him, thinking that a straight swap with the immigration official would not be out of order.

Next, a two-hour flight to Cape Town. The economy seats looked slightly more roomy than those in the Qantas aeroplane but I was in front of one of those horrors who periodically booted me in the back, raising my systolic pressure to that of a typical Tendulkar innings.. That aside, the flight was smooth and the crew kept us informed as we slid between gigantic cumulonimbus aircastles.

We arrived in Cape Town around 9 p.m.

Wise heads had advised us against trying to drive to our destination at night. Recent, illegal road blocks and stories of bricks being thrown off motorway bridges had convinced us that an overnight stay in a hotel close to the airport was in order. Everything went smoothly. A pleasant young lady met us and ferried us to one of the most amazing hotels we had ever stayed in. I

I was now in South Africa.

Next stop the toilet. I entered a shiny, freshlypainted room. Another number one haircut was 70 Good Teacher Magazine Term 1 2014

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plan to devote a separate article to this haven but the Verde Hotel – the GREENEST IN AFRICA, is to be recommended.

Next day we picked up our rental car. Totally plain-sailing apart from my queuing at the wrong company, being given the wrong car park and finding half a dozen unacknowledged blemishes and dents in our smart little Kia, which would have been charged to us if not reported. Fortunately my partner has an eye for detail; she’s up to scratch.

The motorway into Cape Town bisects unofficial ‘townships’. I felt a definite unease at the obvious poverty: rusty shacks constructed with wood and corrugated iron, some incongruously displaying satellite dishes. Rows of what looked like Portaloos lined the perimeters. Power poles were festooned with what I took to be illegal lines feeding the shacks. A storm the following week demolished thousands of these homes.

Traffic was heavy but well-behaved, apart from frequent short blasts on the horn, mainly from ‘taxis’. More of those later.

Next day we visited a local supermarket. Dividing the Rand by 8 gave me a great delight.* We bought a huge number of groceries for about NZ$25.00. I bought a loaf of bread-a quality Vienna for the equivalent of $0.90. Supermarket carparks have attendants who direct traffic and

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help people load groceries. In the up-market areas, these people are dressed in smart uniforms.

In one fashionable mall, I had a photo taken, standing in front of a sign with symbols stating that no dogs or guns were permitted.

I found the traffic somewhat disconcerting, despite road rules and conventions being similar to those here. Green arrows for right turns at traffic lights were about as plentiful as a molar on a brown shaver and this caused right-turning motorists to pull into the middle of intersections and hope that approaching cars would stop at the red light so they could accelerate across the lanes before the onslaught from the other direction. If not, gridlock became the norm.

The previously-mentioned ‘taxis’, which are old Toyota vans, usually crowded, would cause huge road rage back home. Our drivers would take umbrage at being honked at just because they stopped at red lights. I was informed that it would be prudent to not do anything that could give offence to the taxi drivers, keep my window up, door locked and look the other way. Traffic lights are called robots and it’s not uncommon for beggars and street salesmen to approach.

Being turned down didn’t seem to worry them too much although one day one particular guy was persistent. He gummed an old melodica close to the driver’s window, delivering a version of ‘Happy Birthday’. We had no change apart from

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a couple of NZ dollars. He didn’t appreciate that but we got safely away. Perhaps he was unaware of the exchange rate.

together. They rolled on the grass, performed awkward ballet moves and raced around, obviously enjoying each other’s company.

Another feature was that T intersections had three stop signs - creating confusion all round-much worse than the daft left turn rule we recently changed in Godzone. Generally the roads are well-signed although we did get confused and had to take the motorway into Cape Town CBD three times. Reminder, acquire a map that is not twenty years old. It’s very frustrating to see one’s destination with no nearby off-ramp, having to drive another ten minutes to get back on track.

Television was similar to back home-abysmal!

Corny game shows, cutesy animal programmes and advertisements. News on the free network was hugely political with a heavy bias towards the ruling party.

Some motorway speed limits were 120kph. One sign warned that people keeping up with traffic would be prosecuted. Make of that what you will.

Safety is obviously an issue in South Africa.

Most of the houses had high fences, topped with razor wire, spikes and electric fences. Some of the more affluent homes had guard houses as well.

Many had large signs advertising security firms providing armed response. However, we walked around our neighbourhood several times and felt safe, although we were advised not to venture out at night. Our house reminded me of those old lifts you see in movies about New York. Sliding grills are locked at night, along with outside and internal doors. All windows are barred. More than once I was locked out.

Despite security issues, daytime seemed benign.

I appreciated the lack of graffiti. People seemed orderly and happy. I can’t remember hearing any profanity in the streets, litter was scarce. Realestate signs were non-existent; perhaps nobody wanted to move.

It’s as if there are several parallel universes.

Huge mansions occupy the richer suburbs. A few kilometres away shanty towns fill the landscape.

Black, coloured and white share shops, roads and restaurants but seem to be marching to different drums. On the surface there seems to be good cheer.

Post-apartheid Cape Town has coloureds, blacks, whites, Muslims, Christians and Jews co-existing.

Crime is high but we saw nothing untoward.

At one upmarket shopping centre I witnessed two little girls, one black with tightly-woven ringlets, one white with a long blonde pony tail, playing 72 Good Teacher Magazine Term 1 2014

News focused on political engagements between the ruling ANC and opposition parties. Much was being made about corruption at all levels and specifically about the president’s R206 000 000.00 mansion upgrade. Much was made about a Public Protector who actually performed her job admirably and was not just a rubber-stamper, probably to the consternation of the people who appointed her.

New Zealand’s only mention was in the local newspaper, with an article on how to beat the ‘Blacks’- bemoaning how the world-champion rugby team only beat a 14- man Springbok side by having Richie McCaw manipulating the referee and when he was absent from the team, Keiran Read being the puppeteer. The article concluded with a little quip that if all else fails, opposition teams could resurrect Suzie and poison the All Blacks.

We had need to visit a private hospital in Constantia as our host, unfortunately had a heart attack. The facilities were first rate, with a multi-national team providing caring and mostly effective nursing. The only blot was my being deliberately short-changed in the hospital cafeteria. Note: learn to recognise the denomination of coins.

We managed to visit Kirstenbosch. The mountains of Cape Town burst out of the ground with virtually no foothills. They are dramatic and beautiful. Rocky crags peer out of bush and heather. Kirstenbosch is a garden that occupies the eastern edge of one of these mountains. For about $10 you can wander for hours amongst exotic trees and shrubs or follow the paths beside streams and even climb the mountain. The park is well-maintained, with plenty of information about the flora encountered.

We paid a whistle stop to Haut Bay, a beautiful harbour with a busy tourist/fishing industry.

I did my usual thing at a craft store and asked to use the toilet. A smartly-uniformed security guard asked where I was from. He responded to my answer with, “Ah, New Zealand....All Blacks!” I considered telling him that I was Colin Meads.

What were the big issues?

Canned Hunting is a huge disgrace. Foreign hunters are permitted to stalk game in fencedoff parks. Fences are concealed to give the land the appearance of being open range. The animals are sedated and these people are able to get within point-blank range of their trophies. One such event was given wide publicity. An American news host shot a lion and a picture of her standing proudly over her kill was given frontpage prominence. She boasted of her prowess on Facebook and Twitter and was surprised to find that others did not share her enthusiasm.

I watched a television chat show. It featured a CCTV video of a gang attacking a family at traffic lights in Johannesburg. The panel were furious. They berated the police for doing nothing until social media broadcast the video. They attacked the brutality of the AK47-toting thugs who threw the family to the ground before taking the car. They castigated other commentators who said ‘at least nobody was killed.’

I read an article in the daily newspaper entitled We Can’t Measure what we Treasure. All about how inspired teaching can’t be quantified and how league tables and constant assessment impede learning. The author must have consulted our Ministry of Education and NZ newspaper editors. (Just kidding).

Home Time. (Switch to present tense. Past tense is so yesterday!)

Up at 5-a bit early but we want to allow for another Cape Town CBD misdirection and heavy traffic. We stop off for petrol. 91 octane costs R12.65 a litre. To convert to NZ dollars, divide by 8.3. Not a bad price! The forecourt attendant is helpful and friendly. He shakes my hand.

There is no traffic on the motorway and we speed past the townships. The street lights are still on there. We take all the right turns and arrive at the airport early. Dropping off the rental car is easy.

Looked like we’re going to have a trouble-free day.

We arrive at the check-in counter. The uninterested clerk informs us that our connecting flight to Johannesburg is in order but instead of a seven hours wait for the Sydney leg, it will be thirty one. Our travel agent has mucked up. We hadn’t realised, confused by the time difference between the two countries. We decide to push on to Jozy (Johannesburg to locals) with the words to Elvis Costello’s Oliver’s Army looping in my tired brain..

What an amazing airport! Johannesburg is huge - dozens of Airbuses and Boeings are aligned along the vast terminals. A bright-orange Mango Airlines 737 taxis past. A Kalulu Boeing has large arrows and this way up painted on its fuselage.

We manage to find seats on a Qantas flight that day. Impressive service indeed.

We go through several customs checks. Nothing is confiscated. We sidle aboard our 747-400. I resist the impulse to baaa as I queue. Our seats are in the middle of the centre row. Aaaaaaagghhhh!

An elderly woman obligingly stands so we can squeeze in. My knees are touching the back of the seat in front. The in-flight movie screen is about 10cm in front of me. I practise crossing my eyes.

Take off is accompanied by a loud vibration. I can sense people tensing up around me. After a few seconds it’s relatively quiet. The expected turbulence from the semi-permanent Cbs around the city doesn’t eventuate. The elderly woman spills hot chocolate on my legs.

Sleep may have been a gentle thing for Coleridge but the Ancient Mariner was never confined to an economy-class seat. I manage to grab a few hours but discomfort and a screaming baby four seats away prevent a leisurely sleep in. At least the food is great and I have much admiration for cabin crews on international flights. Dealing with jet lag, boorish and demanding passengers and noisy, cramped environments must be hell on air.

Oh, this time around, all immigration staff are cordial, especially the New Zealand ones, who are cheerful and welcoming at 1.30 a.m.

I think I’d like to go back.

Roger

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“The best teachers don’t give you the answers...

They just point the way ... and let you make your own choices.”

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