Term Two 2014
“The best teachers don’t give you the answers... They just point the way ... Good Teacher Magazine Term 2 2014 and let you make your own choices.”
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2 Good Teacher Magazine Term 2 2014
Index 3 Your Soapbox
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Is it time to do blended learning PD the right way?
Peter West
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Nunavik school board launches online teacher training
Sarah Rogers
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New Zealand School of Dance
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Expats in Kazakhstan: Teaching and Living in Kazakhstan Anne Keeling
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From STEAM to STEM
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Paul Swift
Amazing use of ‘found objects’ for painting
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SPEAK UP !
Elaine Le Sueur
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Lifting that dragging tail
Laurie Loper
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Introducing Little Campers - The Ultimate Children’s Tent
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Laugh Your Way to the Top
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Michelle LaBrosse
Street Art/Craft... and now Guerilla Gardening
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Beautiful sand paintings
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Joe Mangrum.com
Roger’s Rant 56 Front Cover: Guerilla Gardening in the UK 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!
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If you want to have YOUR SAY please email your offering to: soapbox@goodteacher.co.nz
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Is it time to do blended learning PD the right way? If we want teachers to use courses to teach effectively using blended learning, we need to design PD programs that use this approach 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 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? 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 collaborative seating format. Instructors are present at
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Good Teacher Magazine Term 2 2014 5
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. 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. 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). 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. http://www.eschoolnews.com
Nunavik school board launches online teacher training “If they feel equipped and supported, they will stay” When Oleepeka Metuq started teaching in 2001, the Inukjuak woman knew she had found a career she wanted to stick with. To prove her commitment, the young mother took a leave from her job at Innalik school to study towards her bachelor degree in education at Nunavut Arctic College in Iqaluit. “I love my job — I love what I do,” Metuq said. But three years into the program, an unexpected pregnancy forced Metuq to leave her studies. Metuq, like many Inuit teachers working in schools across Nunavik, are already raising young families at the time they’re hired by the Kativik School Board. And few have any previous formal training in education. That’s made training Nunavimmiut teachers a challenge, even through the KSB-McGill University Inuit teacher training program, which allows teachers to earn their degree part-time while they work. “Our teachers are parents — they’re busy,” said Eliana Manrique, the KSB’s assistant director of training and development. “It takes an average of nine years to complete the program.” There are currently more than 100 KSB teachers in training and 95 per cent of them are women. 6 Good Teacher Magazine Term 2 2014
And their biggest challenge, Manrique realized, were the three trips a year that are required under the program, where teachers travel to another community for face-to-face instruction. That’s a long time to leave a husband and young children behind, Manrique acknowledged, and it’s proven to be a barrier to students graduating. That’s why the KSB recently launched an online module for its student teachers, which only requires them to leave home for one week a year. “One of the problems we have in the North is isolation, so we need to break that,” Manrique said. “We need them to come together at least once as a group to exchange their experiences.” In February, a first batch of student teachers gathered at the KSB offices in Kuujjuaq to try out the new program. Using the software platform Moodle, teachers open their modules to find the avatars of Nunavimmiut instructors Mary Aitchison and Suzie Koneak awaiting them. “Welcome, we’re your instructors for your upcoming course,” reads the introductory message. The platform, used in most Canadian universities, allows students to interact with their instructors and fellow students, as well as share documents — all adapted to the bandwidth in the North. About a third of the online classes are “live” with the instructor present; students follow the rest of the curriculum on their own time. While the platform is standard and developed with help from a consultant from McGill University, the
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Eliana Manrique, the KSB’s assistant director of training and development, demonstrates Zen Live, one of the e-learning platforms used for the school board’s new online teacher training program. KSB added a personal touch to the Inuktitut-language program. This module’s layout was designed by Ivujivik graphic designer Thomassie Mangiok, and narrated by Nunavik singer Beatrice Deer. “When you come to your course and you see that your instructor is Inuk, it is very powerful,” Manrique said. “This has created capacity.” Back in Inukjuak, Metuq is finishing her bachelor through the KSB-McGill program; not only that, but she’s helping teach a math course to fellow teachers-in-training. It’s a slow process, but Metuq says the online component gives her the freedom to work at her own pace to complete the nine credits she has left to earn. “It’s a lot more independent,” said Metuq, who teaches Grade 2 in Inuktitut at Inukjuak’s Innalik school when she’s not studying and caring for her four children. “This online portion feels a lot easier — we can do it in our own community, on our own time.” For Metuq, that’s usually Friday afternoons after class lets out. She reserves an hour to focus on her studies in a quiet place, before the weekend starts. As part of the new online component, the KSB has purchased a computer for every school in the region, for the teacher trainers to use. In Inukjuak, there are four teachers, including Metuq, doing their training.
At the rate she’s going, Metuq plans to finish her degree in early 2015. “I’m hoping I can,” she said. “The more I learn, the more I love education.” She hopes that online training will help her reach her goal faster, but Manrique warns student teachers to be realistic. “The program means teachers will be accompanied for a longer time, and we can expect that there’ll be more technology integrated into the classroom,” she said. “But this new model isn’t easier, and teachers still need to invest the time.” Manrique, who recently began a masters in distance education to understand more about the programs she’s helping put in place, emphasizes that this is just a start. “It’s an effort to respond to a need, but we don’t know where this will take us,” she said. It likely means that more Inuit will go into teacher training, Manrique said, but she senses students are still more interested in quality over quantity. “If they feel equipped and supported, they will stay,” she said. www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/ Article and photo by Sarah Rogers
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New Zealand School of Dance
The Residents is a theatrical, curious and technically impressive contemporary dance show, inspired by the students’ own eclectic backgrounds. James Wasmer’s choreography explores aspects of his dual heritage, “I chose my work to be inspired by the carnival in Waldkirch. It is something I looked forward to with great anticipation year after year growing up in Germany. Since moving back to New Zealand I was also able to further explore my Tongan heritage, especially in the performing arts. I was intrigued in finding ways of using both my German and Tongan side in order to create an exciting and unique experience for the New Zealand audiences.” The Residents: New Zealand School of Dance Choreographic Season 2014 16 - 24 May 2014 Te Whaea: National Dance & Drama Centre, 11 Hutchison Road, Newtown, Wellington Ticket prices:
$23 Adult,
$17 Student/Senior/Groups of 10+,
$12 Child under 13
Bookings and information www.nzschoolofdance.ac.nz 8 Good Teacher Magazine Term 2 2014
The Residents inhabit a distressed, deconstructed world, with doors that float and staircases that lead to nowhere. A place where they come together by chance, uncovering mystery, chaos and creation through movement. Jeremy Beck, another student choreographer of The Residents, says his work takes the audience on a journey with a mix of visual and movement based scenes, “The most exciting thing about choreographing your own work, is being able to make imagination reality. I want my piece to feel like a journey and I want the audience to take their own experience away with them”. The Residents is a feast for the senses, with set and lighting design by students of Toi Whakaari: NZ Drama School and costume design by Jane Boocock and Donna Jefferis.With a dismantled set and costumes - a fireplace here, a crinoline there - enhanced by an evocative soundscape, you will come away from this dance show with a sense of intrigue and surreal images burnt into your memory. “Choreographic Season is an incredible opportunity for us to explore our creativity as dancers and develop our individual choreographic voice,” said third year contemporary dance student Tessa Hall. “I’m really enjoying the fact that every day I learn something new about lighting, music editing, set and costume design and I can’t wait to be part of the final product.” Students train at tertiary level for 2-3 years at the School to become professional dancers. Choreographing their own work is a core aspect of the course and an essential skill for a career in contemporary dance. The School’s Choreographic Season shows the culmination of these three years of exploration into the art of choreography. The participating students have worked hard to get the show on the stage this year, completing a unique fundraising stunt of dancing through a door 1000 times on Cuba Street in Wellington in April. The challenge, which took over two hours to complete in pouring rain, raised the money needed to install a repurposed film set into the theatre.
Photography by Stephen A’Court
The New Zealand School of Dance in Wellington presents their annual Choreographic Season from 16 May, introducing a series of new works choreographed by third year contemporary dance students.
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Choreographic Season 2014
NZSD Choreographic Season 2014 duo - New Zealand School of Dance students Amanda Mitrevski and Michael Ramsay performing in ‘The Residents’.
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Third year New Zealand School of Dance students, choreographers of ‘The Residents’ 10 Good Teacher Magazine Term 2 2014
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Expats in Kazakhstan: Teaching
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g and Living in Kazakhstan Kazakhstan is offering many excellent one-year contracts to qualified teachers from around the world right now. As part of a programme to develop the education of the country, the roles combine teaching students and mentoring local teachers using English as the language of learning. The teachers of choice are skilled, experienced teachers from Australia and New Zealand, UK, America and South Africa. So what is it like to teach and live in Kazakhstan; a place that seems more Russian than European, much smaller than it really is, more about oil and uranium then teaching and learning?
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An American in Kazakhstan American teacher, William Lutschak recently taught Physics at the Nazarbayev International School (NIS) in Uralsk, Kazakhstan. He describes his experience there: “I was teaching Physics to year 11 students. The school had about 100 teachers with 15 international teachers. There were about 500 students in the school. They were all friendly, respectful and happy to have international teachers there. I started an astronomy study group at the school. My main surprise working in Kazakhstan was the emphasis on team teaching. At first, communication between us teachers was difficult and I often needed to use Google Translate. However, as time went on, our communication did get easier. The local teachers were friendly and happy to have international teachers at the school. I appeared on the local television talking about the school and Uralsk. I did like the city and its cultural aspects and participated in what is called the American Corner on Saturdays and in the local church.”
Teaching Geography in Kazakhstan Geography teacher Corey Johnson, who also taught at one of the NIS schools in Kazakhstan, says: “The students were fantastic and really eager to learn, and that made teaching fun for me; especially when my students were engaged in the lesson. We used a curriculum developed by Cambridge for all of the NIS schools. The teachers I worked with were very diverse, also the students came from many different cultures and backgrounds, and this meant I had to be aware of cultural differences, and adapt my teaching to fit my students. Even though all of the teachers and students came from different backgrounds they found a way to work together in harmony, and I think that was pretty amazing.”
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Teaching and living in Kazakhstan Ex-international school Headteacher and now an international teacher recruitment advisor, Andrew Wigford from the UK, who has travelled on several occasions to schools in Kazakhstan says: “It’s a huge country; as big as the whole of Western Europe. It is located in northern and central Eurasia and shares borders with Russia, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan and the Republic of China. Astana is the capital city and has been so since 1997. All the schools in the Nazarbayev Intellectual School network are trilingual with the main subjects being taught in Kazakh, Russian and English. The schools are state funded and selective. The students also receive exceptional funding support if they move on to higher education in Kazakhstan and even gain good state financial support if they choose to attend universities overseas. Having spent time at schools in Russia, China and Eastern Europe, on my first visit to Kazakhstan, I expected similarities in terms of people, architecture, education and culture. However what I experienced
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surprised me. Astana is a new city, most of which has been built in the last ten years. The architecture is striking and, in some cases, unlike anything I’d seen before. The city has a very different feel and you immediately sense that you are in a very unusual country. The infrastructure in Astana is good. Driving is relatively calm compared to other countries I’ve visited. The buildings are well spread out and there is a sense of order to the city layout. It’s a small city of just over one million people and there is real sense of space. The roads are wide and there is a good traffic system. The drivers even stop for you at zebra crossings! Many apartments have good internet connection, satellite TV, excellent heating and hot water, and are very spacious. The people of Kazakhstan are amazingly friendly who warmly welcome you. They’re incredibly helpful and inquisitive at the same time. As a foreigner you do stand out and people in the street do notice you. Most Kazakh teachers and students have a good level of English but many local Kazakhs who work in the shops speak little or no English. A basic grasp of Russian goes a long way here. There are big shopping centres and they’re amazingly well stocked with popular stores from all over the world. The weather can be very cold! Temperatures can drop to -40 degrees in the middle of the winter and snow storms are common but nothing stops here during bad weather. Good clothing is a must and you can get told off by concerned locals if you go out without a hat (only because they are concerned for your good health)! In the summer though the temperature soars into the high 30’s and for five months the weather can get very hot and sometimes humid. The NIS schools all have a friendly atmosphere. The students are very studious and highly motivated and all want to get into university. They do not pay for their schooling and have all won scholarships to attend the school based on academic achievement. Most of them have a very good level of English. They hold the overseas teachers in very high esteem. Most international teachers working in Kazakhstan say that the work is incredibly rewarding – a place where they are making a real impact. The expat teachers work alongside their Kazakh counterparts and are heavily involved in mentoring and professional development.” Lee Wilson who has been teaching in Kazakhstan for two years says: “For all the differences, I’m loving Kazakhstan. The people are amazing, the students ultra bright and the local staff are incredibly dedicated. There’s nothing quite like a class of twelve super bright students to remind you of the very reasons why you went into teaching in the first place!” More information about teaching in Kazakhstan is available at http://www.ticrecruitment.com/nis
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From STEAM to STEM
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Auckland’s Museum of Transport and Technology (MOTAT) welcomes over 25,000 children each year to participate in the varied range of taught sessions that form part of the Ministry of Education’s Learning Experiences Outside the Classroom programme. With a diverse collection ranging from operational steam engines and trams through to historic motor vehicles and displays of both household and industrial technology MOTAT is well positioned to help develop an awareness of and a passion for STEM subjects. Students currently visit MOTAT to learn about topics such as Inventions, Communication and Flight and these sessions are designed to showcase how scientific developments and technological advances have helped shape the world in which we live. Students can follow the path from visual communication signals to telegraphs, telephones and radio waves in order to see how scientific developments have allowed news and information to travel around the world at faster and faster speeds. These programmes provide an excellent way to engage students with aspects of the Nature of Technology strand of the Technology curriculum and uses hands-on handling resources to inspire and engage students. As well as continuing to help bring the ‘past to life’ for the visiting school groups MOTAT now has a new strategy and vision that involves providing examples of forward looking, contemporary and real life, science and technology that will continue to influence how we live. In April this year MOTAT hosted a Science Street Fair in partnership with the New Zealand Association of Scientists where scientists (including the current recipient of the Prime Minister’s Science Communication Award) from New Zealand universities, local technology businesses and specialist groups showcased the work they are currently doing to over 1300 visitors.
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Family groups had the opportunity to experience nanotechnology, extract DNA, drive robotic vehicles and have their photographs illuminated by bioluminescent bacteria! This day was aimed at developing an interest in science for family groups - however the main focus for the Education Team at MOTAT is to support science education within schools. The Royal Society of New Zealand’s 2012 report, The Future of Science Education in New Zealand, emphasized the need to ‘go deep’ in order to help young children to think about and develop knowledge of the process of science. This is in-line with the requirements of the New Zealand Curriculum as it aligns with the Nature of Science strand that places an emphasis on aspects such as Understanding, Investigating and Communicating in Science. During Term 1 of 2014 MOTAT launched two new science focussed programmes (Bust that Myth and Super Science Mix) which were specifically designed to develop key aspects of the Nature of Science strand and build upon the five science capabilities previously identified by the Ministry of Education. Bust that Myth allows students to don lab coats and safety glasses and take part in a series of scientific enquiries. Students taking part in the Bust that Myth programme begin their session by hypothesising about what may happen when a Van de Graaff generator is switched on. Through a structured series of questions and prompts the concept of scientific enquiry, fair testing, observation, recording and analysing is explained and experienced.
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:
$40 $75 $20
The children are then set a series of challenges to investigate emphasising the Science Capabilities of gathering and interpreting data, using and critiquing evidence, interpreting representations and most importantly engaging with science. The use of the lab coats and safety glasses enables the children to get into character and really believe that they are scientists. With the use of an Experiment Write-up Sheet the students put into practice the process of testing their hypothesis and recording their scientific enquiries. Super Science Mix provides schools with access to a wide range of scientific resources that may not be available to use at back at school. By combining two topics from a selection that includes Simple Mechanisms, Sound, Magnets, Electricity and Light the students are able to get their hands on a wide range of equipment and engage with science in everyday contexts. Looking to the future MOTAT is keen to develop its range of programmes to introduce Robotics workshops that combine hands-on activities with examples of real world applications. Students will have the opportunity to use Arduino inspired robotic components and sensors and learn basic programming so that they can begin to understand how these technologies are controlled and are helping to shape the world we live in. At MOTAT, it is our aim to provide fun, interactive learning experiences which have the potential to inspire young minds so that they may go on to become New Zealand’s future innovators. Paul Swift MOTAT Education Manager
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: 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..
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Khaleila Dunn age 7 from Waiheke Island making polymer slime at the MOTAT Science Fair
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Amazing use of ‘found objects’ In her “Plastic Classics” series, British artist Jane Perkins uses almost anything she can find – buttons, plastic toys, LEGO pieces, etc. – to re-create recognizable iconic paintings like DaVinci’s Mona Lisa and portraits of stars like Albert Einstein and Nelson Mandela. Although she has her artistic roots in textile work, she works almost exclusively with plastic parts.
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Each portrait or “painting” she has created, when inspected close up, reveals a miniature textured world of forgotten knick-knacks, somewhat like an impressionist painting. By creating her work from found objects, her works not only make a strong and important statement about our mass-consumption society, they also join a long line of other awesome artists we’ve covered on Bored Panda who have also created amazing works from found or recycled objects. Edouard Martinet’s amazing retro insect sculptures, Susan Beatrice’s elegant recycled watch part sculptures, and the amazing textile flora and fauna of Mr. Finch are all excellent examples of what an artist can do when they out their mind to reducing the amount of waste we create.
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for painting
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Zoom into a really close close-up to discover and identify what Jane Perkins uses to create these amazing pictures
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SPEAK UP ! Elaine Le Sueur OMG it is Term 2 already and time to
task for many but modern technology
think about persuasive writing and
offers assistance and we can take
speech making.
advantage of that in the classroom.
Many of our able students are visual
Have you considered students recording
thinkers.
their speeches online and presenting
They think in pictures instead of words
them to parents as a film festival?
and often know more than we think they
What follows are suggestions based on a
know but have trouble writing it down.
series of conversations with a nine year
Speaking in front of a group is a daunting
old student using a mnemonic as a
G
G – R – A – P - H – I - C organiser.
is for GATHERING YOUR THOUGHTS
Where to start? For the teacher: There are a number of sites offering ideas persuasive speech topics using these three keywords for a search. http://www.buzzle.com/articles/persuasive-speech-topics-for-kids.html
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SHORTLIST People shouldn’t be allowed to keep pitbulls
COMMENTS Maybe. That’s what I think but I don’t think that I should talk about that because it’s too controversial.
Too much money is/ is not a bad thing.
Mmm Maybe. It’s not the money. It’s when people brag about it. No, not for me. I don’t think there is such a thing as too much money because you can do good with it. No.
Short hair is better than long hair Bullies should be kicked out of school
Why kids should/ shouldn’t choose their bedtime Video games are good for students my age
R
Kicking them out of school isn’t the answer because it wouldn’t change anything. If they weren’t at school then they would just find other ways to bully. No. I don’t want to have to think about that because I have enough trouble getting ready for school as it is. This is interesting. I like this one the best.
VOTE
√ √
X X X √√
is for RESEARCHING
For the student: Once you have decided on your topic then you are ready to research and highlight three ideas that support your stance on the topic and find evidence to support each one. These will form the basis of the speech. • Bubbl.us This is a good simple online tool that creates bubbles and connects your ideas. • Webspiration: Online Visual Thinking Tool | myWebspiration Free Web Tool to download For the teacher : Is the student able to evaluate the websites visited enough to make informed decisions about the facts gathered to support his arguments? Is the student able to use the online tool adequately?
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A
is for ADDING DETAIL and ELABORATING
Paraphrasing Winston Churchill for the student... ‘The audience are likely to remember only three things from your speech Make each one count by relating it back to your view on the topic.’ For the teacher:
There are many graphic organiser templates to help students with the recording of their ideas. For free printables:
https://www.teachervision.com graphicorganizers/printable/6293.htm http://www.worksheetplace.com For useful printed and ebook publications try www.thinkshop.org
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P
is for PLAYING with PARAGRAPHING
or
For the student: Decide on the order in which your arguments should be presented. Each idea should have its own paragraph.
“If you have an important point to make, don’t try to be subtle or clever. Use a pile driver. Hit the point once. Then come back and hit it again. Then hit it a third time - a tremendous whack.” Winston Churchill For the teacher: Do you need to review paragraphing with the students?
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H
is for HOLDING it all TOGETHER
For the student: Check that all your work supports the title of your speech so that your listeners know exactly what your stance is on the topic and then write your conclusion. Hang in there... you are nearly at the finish line!
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I
is the INTRODUCTION and
C
the CONCLUSION
For the teacher: Not everyone will agree with me leaving the writing of the introduction and conclusion until after the body of the speech has been written but many writers of note do not always start at the beginning and follow a linear path, and I know that this is an issue for many students who struggle to get underway with a topic when they are required to work within the confines of a strict orderly fashion.
It is often easier to think of a suitable ‘hook’ to start the speech off with once the main part of the work has been done.
For the student: The hook is your chance to catch the listeners ‘ attention and make them want to go on listening. It needs to match the tone of the rest of the speech.
That means that if your speech is humorous then the hook should be along those lines too.
If the speech is serious then the hookneeds to reflect that and support the central point of the talk.
The conclusion is easier because it is just finding another way to say what you have already said and ties everything together in a neat package. Keep it simple. Don’t add anything new. And finally... transfer your speech to cards that you can hold in your hand to remind you of what you want to say, and then learn it all off by heart so that they are only there as prompts to refer to if necessary. Your chance to say what you want the world to hear. Speak up!
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Lifting that dragging tail When I first became aware of Nuthall’s view of the inefficient nature of the learning process I thought that it would be useful to have some way of demonstrating how inefficient the process actually was. After much trial and error, I hit on the the idea of doing a notional comparison of how much learning capacity would be developed in an efficient versus an inefficient learning regime. Knowing from Nuthall’s discovery that almost all students share a “remarkably similar” capacity to learn enabled me to construct a diagram to compare the two situations.
The situation revealed by my Notional Diagram astounded me – it has done so to every other person to whom I’ve since shown it. For it showed that only about half the total learning capacity of the nation’s young was being developed. There and then, I realised that expecting any lifting of that dragging academic tail while that situation pertained was a no brainer. The connection between inefficacy and underachievement was stark, pointing to the fact that the only way underachieving students could have all of their “remarkably similar” capacity to learn developed would be when that possibility was available to every student in every place of learning whatsoever.
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By far the hardest notion educators have to contend with arises from the now well-proven fact that the learning process as everyone understands it is fundamentally flawed. For all of a dozen or so well substantiated reasons, it is so flawed, as said, that we’re loosing perhaps as much as half the total capacity to learn of the nation’s students. Thus, any evidence gathered that purports to show improved learning has taken place is rendered virtually meaningless by the fact that only about half the available learning potential has contributed to the result. Any discussion about how to raise achievement across the board, then, simply has to take this inefficacy situation into account. Notwithstanding this, the tone of ministerial and ministry chatter on the topic changes little, forever implying that by sticking to the current policies there’s a golden era of even handed achievement about to descend upon us. Despite PISA results showing a slide in New Zealand’s international standing, despite scheme after scheme dealing to achievement trouble spots not producing sufficient and sustained gains, apparently we’re to believe that better achievement for all is just around the corner. Actually, the visibly failing students are not the only ones who are missing out achievement wise. For all the trumpeting that goes on about the achievements of our best performed students, as a group, because they learn in an inefficient regime, by definition they’re also under performing, this making their situation far less rosy than is generally appreciated. Both the education sector and the public have been extraordinarily slow in coming to realise that under performance affects all students across the board. I guess it’s something no one wants to acknowledge. In the sector’s purview there’s apparently little room for the thought – as Nuthall has reported – that virtually every student has the capacity to be a top performing learner. With so much focus on getting the “best” students to the top, no one stops to ask why isn’t the number far, far larger while at a systems
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Laurie Loper Psychologist level, no one does anything significant about ensuring achievement becomes universally high right across the board. Nevertheless the aforesaid chatter persists, giving the impression that improving student achievement across the board ranks as the highest priority. Excellence, the term widely used to denote the apex of human learning achievement, is typically seen to be the province of a very select few. Hence the belief that this is the natural state, this is how things are meant to be. Doubtless the sector would be quick to deny any such assertion. What happens in practice, though, gives the lie to all such denials. Hence, the illiberal distribution of excellence awards where learning is concerned, keeping alive the myth that only the few are worthy, only the top of the top have that sort of ability. The ability myth, debunked by Nuthall, has long been embedded in teaching practice and the means by which it’s perpetuated is that very early in the lives of students, they all buy into it. It’s not so much that there’s pressure involved in this early-age uptake, it’s just that the ability myth is so much part of the education environment, students absorb it without being aware of doing so. Thus by the time they’re ready to go on to tertiary education, in relation to their own learning, they have little understanding that they might be somewhat more capable than they think they are. Those not going on have virtually had that decision made for them for very early in the piece they’ve experienced a learning process that tells them they’re not up to it. Competition serves only to affirm the ability myth, it’s all about valuing the few who get to be winners. The practice of awarding scholarships is similarly about supporting the few who are seen to be potential winners. One cannot be too critical about this state of affairs for it’s a situation that has evolved over a very long time. The history of belief based teaching practice stretches from well back into antiquity to the present day. While the proponents of IT learning may well claim digital learning as being a new paradigm, as far as learning
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practices are concerned, it has little to offer. Any newness it purports to be bringing to the table is due merely to the fact that electronic devices are being used and to little else. In this situation folklore understandings of learning are still paramount, as is the distinct lack of knowledge about learning and how it works in classrooms. The folklore elements here are so well established that it’ll take dynamite to free learning practices from them. Change, something teachers are continually having to contend with, never seems to impact advantageously to the benefit of across-the-board achievement as that chatter would have us believe. The various improvement initiatives undertaken keep on providing the sector and politicians with the opportunity to demonstrate that they are “doing something” while any “success” that’s achieved provides the chance to show things are moving in the right direction. Control of funding allows the plug to be pulled on initiatives that don’t produce the goods just as it allows for the introduction of initiatives of dubious value like charter schools. Control of funding can also see the chopping of initiatives that do provide positive outcomes – especially in times of recession when Government programme cut backs are numerous. Similarly, others are lost when government policies change tack. Any discussion about change must include the notion of incremental change. Since the impediments to educational change are so many, most people likely see incremental change as being inevitable. Perhaps that’s why the notion has become so well accepted. Being so much part of the furniture for so long, abandoning it seems an unlikely option. What’s not so well appreciated, though, is the extent to which the notion of incremental change acts as an anti change agent. Because our learning regime is so inefficient, incremental change has little chance of dealing to both the scale of change that’s needed and to the urgency with which it needs to occur. Persisting with incremental change in a situation that clearly requires epoch-making change is like
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expecting a boy to do a man’s job. The lack of progress in the equalisation of student performance across the board in the last more than two decades – a fairly recent finding by Dr Cathy Wylie, a senior researcher with the NZCER – suggests to me incremental change has virtually become proxy for no change at all. In any discussion about achieving better educational outcomes for all, “best evidence” as a concept must not be allowed to escape scrutiny either. As implied elsewhere, the tactic of using evidence that’s been gathered from a learning regime proven to be “inherently inefficient” at promoting learning is simply faux science. The practice takes no account of the fact there’s a significant amount of learning capacity – perhaps as much as half the total of the nation’s young – that’s being left out of the equation. Like the family car that’s down on power, not everything that should be contributing, is. The first trick is to be aware of what’s happening, the second is to know what’s the cause. As matters stand, on both counts, the family car is far, far more likely to get fixed than is our erring learning regime. It’s as well to remember that “best evidence” is the basis for the selection of whizz bang ideas from overseas. Or so we’re told, too often the reason seems to be that nothing else seems to be working so let’s give this one a go. Whatever the truth of it, this practice has seen little of significance happen to the equalisation of outcomes across the board, not that that has put a halt to the sort of piggy-backing being spoken about here. The use of “best evidence” also seems to come in handy whenever the Minister and Ministry officials are experiencing heat and need a little wriggle room. Constructing the sort of change model that will significantly and enduringly lift achievement across the board has so far proved impossible. Yet to be established, though, is what could be achieved by using new knowledge about the learning process – knowledge that doesn’t for instance just try to shoehorn students into engagement, put nifty electronic devices in their hands and then kids everyone into thinking the job’s done. Whether teachers are digitally savvy or not, there’s a whole pedagogy beyond engagement that’s substantially in advance of what teachers currently
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know and understand about learning and the learning process. In the face of the fact that the efficacy situation is little improved on what Nuthall reported back in 2001 – hardly surprising as the efficacy situation isn’t even acknowledged – what needs to be tackled right now is raising the public profile of the issue. I say this having spent 14 years trying to do just that with not a great deal to show for the effort. Hard work is the learning strategy of choice reported by some high achieving NCEA students in an interview in the local press recently. Hard work has an image problem, particularly with teenage students who have experienced long term school failure. Where hard work is all the go, you can bet memorisation is getting worked to death, adding further stress to the burdensome workload that goes with surviving an inefficient learning regime. It’s pertinent therefore to ask how much wasted effort all this hard work is causing learners and what mental health issues are involved? What’s needed here is a learning experience that better prepares students for their role as learners. A large part of that would be making students much more the centre of the learning process than even the most liberal of the modern interpretations of this ideal currently attain. Of course in this context, making use of Nuthall’s efficiency-rich “three times at two day intervals” learning rule would be an absolute must. What’s also needed is a much more expanded interpretation of the idea of learning support than currently exists. The part that parents play in this regard needs to be re-examined and a better means of facilitating their participation devised. This particularly applies to the parents of students who have hitherto not been successful at school. This is an urgent need as what currently exists casts those parents in particular in a Third World role, effectively sidelining them. Don’t tell me such things can’t be done, a workable model already exists and awaits being taken up. We need to engineer a situation wherein the afterglow experienced in the wake of successful learning becomes the driving force in education. Long gone are the days when anyone should be seeing any child behaving as described by Shakespeare, “And then the whining school-boy, with his satchel And shining morning face, creeping like snail Unwilling to school.”
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In must come a pedagogy that’s based on a proper understanding of the learning process and not on the myths and erroneous beliefs as is the situation currently. We need to forget about thinking things like poverty, cultural dissonance and social disadvantage, either individually or collectively, hold the key to raising achievement across the board. Such evidence as we do have indicates that when schools directly impact on learning, that’s what raises learning performance. The latest PISA report on how schools are able to significantly lift their game confirms this as a critical strategy. This is not to say schools have no place in creating environments outside of school that foster learning, but the job of fostering learning is theirs, that’s what they’re funded for. This is not to say either that schools shouldn’t be seeking a better, more effective learning model and learning process, because what they’re using currently is compounding their difficulties. Long gone, too, are the days when the priority is seen to be students learning stuff, there’s now simply too much stuff out there to learn. Common sense surely dictates the priority needs to switch from learning stuff to learning how to learn effectively. Where is such training to come from? I hesitate to say that teachers – or teachers turned facilitators – are the right people to conduct such training but the reality is there are few others available to fill the role. There is little option but to retain them in it but by the same token, there’s little option that they must be retrained to undertake the role. Such is the grip that the old learning culture has on teaching practice, betting against the success of this training would be easy money. On the question of producing the lifelong independent learners that the New Curriculum stipulates as being education’s chief objective, forms of so-called independent learning in use seem to me to be little more than situations where students are handed the responsibility of finding their own way as learners. Their choice of learning model anyway is always going to be heavily weighted towards what they have been experiencing prior to being granted their independent learner status. Their main supporters on this learning pathway are of course their former learning-manager teachers, who now are trying hard not to look and act like they did previously.
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Given this sort of set up, what chance would anyone give of things panning out for the better? I think we completely underestimate the power that successful, self-managed learning confers on students. And our system does little to ensure students get a taste of that power in that it does a very poor job of teaching students how to learn and how to manage their own learning. What still passes for the practice of learning are variations of the common teaching/learning model Nuthall gave the name teacher-as-classroom-manager of learning and which he proved was so very inefficient. Even when teachers try to change to a facilitator role, they’re still going to be learning managers for they are still expected to control a lot of the decision making especially around curriculum and assessment. We also completely underestimate the power that whole classrooms can generate as successful, self managing learning communities. Or for that matter, of whole schools and whole local communities acting similarly. If all students are to become truly independent lifelong learners, they’re never going to achieve that status through experiencing the learning models currently in use as, frankly, none of them are up to the task. What’s needed is a completely new learning model that’s been designed specifically for the job. Don’t tell me this can’t be done, I’ve developed one such, trialed it and it works just fine. And the innovation we so much admire Apple for, with all of the “I” series devices it has developed, draws attention to another successful example operating, this time though, in an manufacturing setting. I see learning practice as being not only so anchored to the past by it’s belief-based culture that it cannot possibly move forward, it’s not aware of the nature of its own predicament. In an education scene where calls for better outcomes are virtually an everyday occurrence, it’s surely time to replace outdated thinking and practice with something that can gobble up all the wasted potential created by the present system and ensure it’s transformed into the better fulfilled dreams of every learner. In a world that’s rife with unfulfilled dreams, that’s the sort of radical goal that’ll be needed to shake education free of its present limitations.
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Introducing Little Campers - The Little Campers is a beautiful new children’s tent range created by FieldCandy, specifically designed for children to spark their imagination into creative playtime. The new Little Campers range is available in eight different fun-filled designs, including a spaceship, fairground carousel and a mini circus tent all modelled on a traditional teepee with a contemporary twist. Youngsters will delight at their very own aquarium filled with an array of tropical, colourful fish or how about a teepee chocked full of Jelly Beans!? The possibilities are endless. The Little Campers are easy to assemble and 100% waterproof; when pegged down, they are suitable to be left in the garden all year round. Alternatively, simply lift the tent inside for an indoor play tent - no need to peg it down! Each tent is extremely durable and made to a high quality standard in England. Little Campers can be purchased online at www.fieldcandy.com for GBP £195. FieldCandy guarantee a speedy and efficient worldwide shipping service.
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e Ultimate Children’s Tent
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Field Candy also make amazing tents for ‘big people’! (this one is ‘Field of Dreams”)
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Laugh Your Way to the Top “Sometimes your joy is the source of your smile, but sometimes your smile can be the source of your joy.” ~ Thich Nhat Hanh The Science Behind a Smile
My morning was what you would call “less than stellar.” Besides my neighbor’s car alarm going off intermittently throughout the night and keeping me awake, I’d also found that my bike lock was broken and my bike stolen. And it was raining – again. As I walked down the street with a figurative and literal raincloud over my head, I rounded the corner to find a young woman with her cute little dog both beaming at me. As I stooped to pet the little canine, I felt the fake grin that I had plastered on my face relax and I started to feel more natural. I also began to feel much better
A scientist at heart, I wanted to look more into this phenomenon. It turns out that when you smile, you are actually causing a chemical reaction in your brain that makes you feel happier. Charles Darwin was one to declare this body-brain relationship in 1872 when he wrote: “The free expression by outward signs of an emotion intensified it.” Scientists have now confirmed this hypothesis: when you smile, you release chemicals that cause you to feel happy, such as dopamine (relaxer), endorphins (pain reliever), and serotonin (antidepressant). “Hogwash,” you say? If you don’t believe me, try it right now. For the next ten seconds, paste a big smile on your face. How do you feel? I just did it, and while I felt a little foolish giving my computer a big toothy grin, I have to admit that it felt gooood.
An Excellent Reason to Smile The chemical effect that smiling has on our mind and bodies is the exact reason why humor is such an important part of every aspect of our lives – including our professional lives as Project Managers. I have found that the most successful project teams are those in which humor has found a rightful place within the group’s dynamics. When exercised appropriately, humor can do wonders to improve team performance, including: •
Reducing Stress – “Humor offers a cognitive shift in how you view your stressors; an emotional response; and a physical response that relaxes you when you laugh,” says Michael Kerr, author of the Humor Advantage: Why Some Businesses are Laughing all the Way to the Bank.
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Encourages Creativity – When you are relaxed and having fun, you are more able to think outside of the box and are less critical of others’, as well as your own, ideas.
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Creating Authenticity – How many of you can fake a big belly laugh? It’s pretty hard to do authentically. When you find something truly humorous, you tend to take off you “corporate” mask and show your true colors. This helps to build authentic relationships with your other team members.
about the day ahead. What just happened?
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By Michelle LaBrosse, PMP® and Kristen Medina, PMP®, Co-Author •
•
Building Mutual Trust – When you smile at someone, something in their brain is wired to smile back at you. (Try smiling at the next person you see to get a demonstration!). When members of your project team smile at each other from time to time, they are creating a symbiotic relationship where each party is releasing feelgood chemicals. This leads to team bonding and mutual trust.
This month, take some time to consider: am I taking myself too seriously? How can I better incorporate humor in my project team to create a better place to work and a more successful workplace?
May the laughter be with you!
Increasing Productivity – When do you feel more engaged in your work - when you are moving mechanically through the motions, afraid that your next step will be ridiculed? Or when you are working on a project that you find to be fun and exciting, with freedom to move and make small mistakes as you go knowing you will be supported by your project team? When your project team creates a jovial and collaborative atmosphere, team members’ egos will take a backseat, allowing everyone to focus on the task at hand with enthusiasm.
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... and now Guerilla We have been following he development of street art from tagging to graffiti...on to complex street art and then through to yarn bombing. Another street guerilla occurrence which is gaining traction with varying degrees of official approval is that of guerilla gardening. The introduction of greenery into the grey of the cityscape. Most frequently undertaken under the cover of darkness it can be the subversive introduction of one small plant through to the conversion of a entire street corner... Here are some pictures sourced from around the world to illustrate the theme... It does not include where council land has been gifted to communities for gardening that will be another article.
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Gardening
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Artist spends up to 8 hours on beautiful sand paintings that will be swept away by the wind New York-based artist Joe Mangrum has spent the last 8 years drawing beautiful, hypnotic patterns and designs on the streets and squares of New York. But chances are you probably won’t see any of them, because they tend to disappear. Mangrum draws his impressive and expansive works by pouring brightly-colored sand from his hands. The circular geometric forms he uses, as well as his use of colored sand, makes his work resemble traditional Buddhist mandalas, but he also mixed in marine biological design elements and other to give his work
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a unique look. The artist writes that his “paintings are influenced by an abundant world of undersea creatures, carnivorous plants emanating electrical impulses,… [and] cross-cultural metaphors from many years of travels around the world.” Even more interesting, however, is the impermanent nature of his work and the philosophical questions such art raises. If the paintings you spend hours creating can be blown away overnight, do they lose or gain value? Could it be that we are over-attached to things that provide us with fleeting moments of emotion or beauty? Is losing such a beautiful work of art to the wind wasteful or sacred? Source: joemangrum.com | kingartcollective.com | Facebook (via: thisiscolossal)
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Roger’s Rant Let respect be earned! It’s difficult to rant about something when autumn is a coming in and the boids are on de wing, to misquote the poet. I could rave on about the genius who positioned the Shift key immediately under the Caps Lock key on keyboards, causing me to waste time case- correcting. Or I could vilify our rural-delivery postie who seems to think getting the right road is accurate enough. I’m avoiding on-line blog comments about teachers, national standards, league tables and charter schools, as the ignorant comments from Joe and Josephine Public about teachers (and all their holidays) and teacher unions are so passé. What I really am trying to come to terms with is my nascent unease with a dominant theme of my upbringing. I was always told to respect other people, their culture and their beliefs. I still hear this all the time and until a few months ago, had no quarrel with it. The other day I read a review of a book1 about conflict in Afghanistan. Here is a quote-the author relating his first experience of war: “The moment I arrived at Forward Operating Base Bermel, the insurgents attacked the base with rocket fire. They missed the FOB, but hit a local village, killing and wounding a number of children. The villagers rushed their injured to our front gate, and I ran to help. Our troops wanted to help all of the children, but the Afghan fathers insisted the boys be treated first. I grabbed a little girl anyways and sprinted for the aid station. She bled out in my arms as I ran.” 1 Outlaw Platoon-Sean Parnell 56 Good Teacher Magazine Term 2 2014
This anecdote has stayed with me, nagging like the proverbial sore molar. Leaving aside the questionable morality of outsiders’ presence in that country, I feel incensed. We are constantly reminded that we are a tolerant, multi-cultural society; we are enriched by diversity. We are urged to embrace what is new and different. Let’s not be racist! No problem so far. But what if some practices grate with our sense of fair play and equality, with our belief in the sanctity of life, the basic need for health and happiness? Should different cultures and their practices automatically deserve respect just because they are different and we don’t want to be seen as intolerant bigots? We are all aware of the riots which ‘spontaneously’ arise over a perceived insult to a religious belief. Outraged men scream their hatred for the cameras and demand that their beliefs be respected. Whoa! Sometimes the irony is breathtaking: Death to Free Speech was the message on one poster in a mass protest in one European capital. Then we have, in several different cultures, young girls maimed and murdered, civilians massacred by their own governments, rape victims punished instead of the perpetrators, homosexuals ‘executed’, children sexually abused by priests. Outraged protests over these heinous acts? Tui ad here… I just saw a pig fly past the window. (Note to the editor- If this is to be published in a country where
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political correctness rules, then you have permission to amend the afore-mentioned pig to ‘even-toed ungulate’. We can’t afford to cause offence, can we?) Then we have our own protestors, throwing shoes at the American Embassy (as a proxy for Israel) and flying flags of a regime that is intent on genocide. What? Protest against injustice to civilians surely but to assume that their leaders are pure as snow is naive. To identify with them is appalling. It’s like protesting against the Nazis by endorsing Stalin. Whoops, that did happen. In some countries, craven governments have capitulated and ignore practices that would be prosecuted in most societies, ostensibly out of respect for diversity but most likely due to fear. Multiculturalism is not the acceptance of racial diversity any more in these places. It’s the adoption of, or at least turning a blind eye to the mores of the fanatic, where fear, under the self-deluding guise of respect, has allowed unacceptable practices into the mainstream, where dissent is legislated against. And all this is endorsed by the disingenuous liberal media and leftist intelligentsia. I think the issue if pretty simple. Should we respect a belief system which relegates half of the population to a status probably lower than that of cattle? (Where, oh where are the feminists when they’re needed? ) Come to think of it, should we accept that animals be slaughtered inhumanely to accommodate at least three different belief systems I can think of? Should respect be granted automatically to any belief that is different from ours? How can we teach values in school when there is a clash between the value of tolerance and an abhorrence of the practices of the belief that
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is meant to be tolerated? Respect the right for people to think differently, to hold different beliefs? Of course but inhuman practices have no part in our canon of respect. If we accept such practices, following the imperative of tolerance no matter what, surely we must lose self-respect. This rant is not aimed specifically at one belief- structure. There are many societies where some people’s behaviours are contrary to our basic values. Immigrate here? OK, you’re welcome but declare your hatred for our humanitarian values and love of freedom at the border. Leave your barbaric practices in the bins provided. Savage treatment of women and girls, cruelty to animals, slavery, barbaric forms of punishment, illegal imprisonment, genocide, torture; do these have any place alongside the things we accept and respect? Do these have to be fundamental components of a religion or belief system? Let respect be earned. It is not racist to abhor inhuman behaviour. It Is not racist to disrespect the people who perpetrate these acts. It’s acceptable to be intolerant of atrocity. Difference should not mean deference. There are far more articulate people who have dealt with this at length. Check out Pat Condell2 on YouTube. He bravely stands up to what he see is a gradual takeover of civilized behavior, in some instances abetted by ‘liberal’ media. Read the hate-filled comments under his posts.
Roger
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and let you make your own choices.”