Good Teacher Magazine 2020, Term 2 by Good Teacher Magazine

Term Two 2020

“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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Your Soapbox Maintaining social and emotional connectedness Charteris, Berman & Page

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TV education channels launched on April 15

Home Learning

Advice for the New Norm

Elaine Le Sueur (MNZM)

New Creative resource for teachers ready for term two

Univarsity of Auckland

The Teaching Singularity

John Hellner

So You’re Moving to Distance Learning, Eh? I’d Love to Help!

Stephanie Jankowski

Ready or not, a new era of homeschooling has begun

Liz Willen

Free Educational Websites for Kids

Clear the Clutter!

LaBrosse & Medina

MUSEUM to support teachers and students across NZ

MOTAT

Contemporary Artists Who are Reinventing Embroidery

Grace Ebert

Libraries: A journey and destination rolled into one

Carole Brungar

Going Home

Book Review

A University Wants To Be A Global Leader

Anya Kamenetz

Bright Tape Promoting Social Distancing

How Learning Happens, The Living World

Book Reviews

The Global Search for Education: Let’s Play!

C. M. Rubin

Hello, Kia ora, Welcome New Friend. Bumblebees

Book Reviews

Bunker Reports: Day 1 is in the Books!

Stephanie Jankowski

How play is making a comeback in US kindergartens

Jackie Mader

Textured Collages by Hollie Chastain

Grace Ebert

Moodle Eyes the Global Goals

C. M. Rubin

Important changes to the Mind Lab offering at MOTAT

MOTAT

Research shows gaps in children’s career aspirations

Tertiary Education Commission 76

Opinion: We must leverage the ‘Commonwealth Advantage’... Patricia Scotland

COVID’s Social Experiment

Stephanie Jankowski

Miniature Creatures Made of Felted Wool by Nastasya Shuljak Andrew Lasane

Virtual Exchange Program Focuses on the Middle East and Africa C. M. Rubin

Opinion: The rabid left doesn’t have a sense of humour

Roger’s Rant

Front Cover: ‘Hanging out during lockdown’ Photograph: barisa designs® Back Cover: Meditating meercat. Adelaide Zoo. Photograph: barisa designs®

Good Teacher Magazine would like to acknowledge the unknown designers and craftspeople internationally for the some of the images and art in the magazine, every care has been taken to identify and acknowledge writers/artists/photographers... however this is not always successful... most were collated from a wide range of internet sources.

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is produced in the first week of each school term and uploaded to http://www.goodteacher.co.nz The magazine is internationally freely available online NOTE: The opinions expressed inG Teacher are not Magazine -media or the editorial team. necessarily those of ed publications ood

Independent publishers of quality education media. Advertising enquiries and bookings: info@goodteacher.co.nz Submitting material for publication: barb@goodteacher.co.nz Enquiries: 021 244 3244 info@goodteacher.co.nz mail: ed-media publications PO Box 5531 Mt Maunganui 3150 ISSN: 1175-5911 Layout and Design: barisa designs® Good Teacher Magazine Term 2 2020 3

Your Soapbox!

“

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

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Maintaining social and emotional connectedness through the Aotearoa lockdown Dr Jennifer Charteris School of Education, University of New England Associate Professor Jeannette Berman School of Education, University of New England Dr Angela Page School of Education, University of Newcastle

Maintaining social and emotional connectedness through the Aotearoa lockdown: Connecting with students, parents and whānau through online teaching

With the move to close schools with the Covid 19 pandemic, educators and the Ministry of Education scrambled to find ways to support the learning of students who are to be educated at home. The Ministry of Education rolled out their four-channel package that involved: •

Increasing the number of students who have internet access and devices.

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Delivering hard copy packs of materials for different year levels.

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Funding two television channels to broadcast education-related content – one for English medium and one for Māori medium, including content that is targeted to Pacific and other communities.

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Providing more online resources for parents, available through the Learning from Home and Ki te Ao Mārama websites, and fasttracking ways to connect Learning Support Coordinators with families remotely. (New Zealand Government, 2020)

The pandemic has created both challenges and opportunities for teachers to trial new technologies with students through software like Google Classrooms, Microsoft Teams, Adobe Connect and Zoom for online learning. In these

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environments teachers have been challenged to quickly adopt digital pedagogies to connect with their students, families and communities. In our research, we have been looking at how social and emotional connectedness can be fostered when student are educated online. Connectedness, a feeling of belonging to or having affinity with a particular person or group, is a primary focus of all educational settings, and it is an important for successful learning. During the pandemic many relationships are mediated through technologies. Because they are not in the same physical space, teachers need to manage relationships with students and parents through synchronous (in real time) and asynchronous (not in real time) technologies. Parents and whānau at home with children may be able to assist you in your work as a teacher. However parents and caregivers may have many children of different ages to support with schoolwork in the home and this can prove challenging, especially if they are also trying to work from home. Parents and whānau are not replacement teachers. Existing relationships are important, as teachers liaise with them around how to provide optimum opportunities for their children to learn. Parents and whānau will need support to do this. Here are some suggestions for working with them to support their efforts at home. •

Where possible, assist parents and whānau to use technologies. This may involve providing internet based videos and websites or even your own podcast. Check if there is support for parents and whānau in addressing technological problems and connectivity so their children can access online education.

•

Provide guidance around what you want to achieve in your programme. Students and their parents and whānau can have input and a shared understanding of both what the learning is and how the ‘learning can take place’.

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Record podcasts or have zoom sessions for parents and whānau to help them at home with the basics of supporting their children’s learning online.

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Be conscious of the tensions between what

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you would expect in the classroom and what is possible at home. Teachers manage relationships with many students and with their families as part of their normal teaching role. This is a time for teachers to capitalise on the quality of the relationships established over the first few weeks at school this year. Many parents are daunted and even stressed about supporting their children to learn at home. It is an opportunity to celebrate the funds of knowledge (social and cultural practices) in the family and community (e.g. weaving, knitting, playing instruments, cooking). It is a chance to value the learning that happens in every day contexts. You can include a blend of authentic tasks that can be done around the home alongside the work that students undertake online. It must not be overlooked that access to online education is a privilege and according to Minister of Education, Chris Hipkins, in Aotearoa there are up to 100,000 children (about 80,000 households) without access to a digital learning device (Radio New Zealand, 2020). We therefore acknowledge social disadvantage can be exacerbated through the digital divide at times like these. Moreover in this time of lockdowns, there are children who are staying in homes that are not safe and they may be at risk of domestic violence. The importance of maintaining social and emotional connectedness is very important and your partnerships with parents, whānau and students, in whatever form it takes, is crucial at this time.

References New Zealand Government. (2020). Covid19: Government moving quickly to roll out learning from home. Retrieved from https:// www.beehive.govt.nz/release/ covid19-government-moving-quickly-rollout-learning-home Radio New Zealand. (2020). Covid-19: Ministry of Education reveals support plans for distance learning. Retrieved from https://www.rnz. co.nz/news/political/413763/ covid-19-ministry-of-education-revealssupport-plans-for-distance-learning

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TV education channels launched on April 15 Home Learning/Papa Kāinga TV started education broadcasting for early learners and students (Years 1–10) on Wednesday April 15. Māori Television launched a series of te reo educational programmes (for ages 0 to 18) on the same day. Home Learning/Papa Kāinga TV is free to air, on TVNZ channel 2+1 and on TVNZ on Demand, as well as on Sky Channel 502. It runs from 9am to 3pm on schooldays with programming for children and young people aged 0 to 15, as well as for parents. Home Learning TV will be on air for one month – with provision to extend beyond that depending on the lockdown situation. Papa Kāinga TV programming is grouped for early learners, primary and secondary students. All programmes feature highly experienced teachers and presenters, along with a range of wellbeing

and movement experts. Content includes play, literacy mathematics, science, te reo Māori, fitness and wellbeing. There is also a Pacific language content. Māori Television te reo content focus is on learning at home for tamariki, rangatahi and whānau, aged from 0 to 18. It is also tailored to specific age groups during the day, with learning content tamariki can do on their own, with siblings or as a whānau. The channel will broadcast around 300 hours of educational content over 10 weeks. Programming will feature some of the most recognised faces in te ao Māori. Teachers and leaders of kōhanga reo, early learning services, kura and schools are doing great work to keep children and young people connected to their learning at this time and their efforts are truly appreciated. Home Learning/Papa Kāinga TV and Māori TV education programming is not intended to replace teachers and kaiako. The programmes are aimed at children and students who, for whatever reason, find it tricky to learn online, or who don’t have hard pack learning resources. Home Learning | Papa Kāinga TV and Māori TV education will help make learning fun and engaging for all the whānau. All programming is linked to the curriculum for the relevant age group. The programmes will supplement the learning pack materials that some students will be receiving, as well as the learning programmes students will be getting from their school or early learning service.

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Advice for the New Norm Elaine Le Sueur (MNZM)

Change has been thrust upon the world of education as teachers strive to operate in an environment of trial and error and uncertainty. We are in the position that explorers of the past found themselves facing an uncertain future as we move within our bubbles. Bubbles are often thought of as a child’s play thing but we can all learn from them too. Soap doesn’t strengthen bubbles, it stabilises them. This is known as the Marangoni effect. Soap strengthens the weakest parts of a bubble and strengthens it, just as regular handwashing with soap increases our chances of staying healthy. So let’s just start with how we might keep ourselves and the students we work with mentally and physically healthy , focussing on the word CHANGE.

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C is for connecting. Humans are social beings.

Stay connected to give youself some feeling of control over your life. It will help to reduce anxiety and tension. Peer groups are especially important for middle school and secondary school students. Forming friendships and building trust through shared interests are important social skills, and it will be much harder to maintain connections with less face to face contact and an increased reliance on interaction online with abundant opportunities for miscommunication, but we owe it to the next generation to keep trying.

H is for having a routine. School routines have always let everyone know what and when things are going to happen. Distance learning makes things harder. We can control our own actions, but not the actions of others but having routines help to reduce anxiety by providing an anchor.

Despite the undeniable concerns that the global pandemic has unleashed, we have been given the opportunity to reflect on what would make the most impact for change so that the world is a better place for future generations to live in. Today, the saying that a teacher affects eternity, is as true as ever. Please visit my store for some classroom ideas to tempt your palate. https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/ Store/Thinking-Challenges Or Click here to follow me so that you don’t miss any new products, freebies or sales in the future and receive a newsletter once a month from me.

A is for asking for help. Providing school work

for students shouldn’t mean reinventing the wheel and working all hours at the expense of your own health. Look for opportunities to tap into expertise that is available online. Become a good role model for making mistakes and sharing them with others. It’s OK. No one is perfect.

N is for negotiating. Take advantage of

students’ natural curiosity and the availability of expertise within home bubbles and allow for flexible work options. For all those who go the extra mile, thank you. That road will never be crowded

G is for giving yourself and your students permission to – Play Think Experiment Create Read Take a break and just breathe.

E is for exercise. Stay fit. Not just physically, but mentally as well. Expanding the mind through puzzles and games is a great way to encourage social skills because they support our need for novelty, excitement and interaction.

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New Creative resource for teachers ready for term two In response to Covid-19, a project to support primary school teachers with a rich, artsbased resource when they return to school next week has been developed by a team at the University of Auckland. Led by Professor Peter O’Connor in the Faculty of Education and Social Work, Te Rito Toi provides detailed lesson plans and classroom activities designed specifically for the changed environment teachers and students now face. “The resources, which can all be found on one website, are based on years of experience by University of Auckland researchers who have worked in schools post-disaster,” says Professor O’Connor. “They are recommending teachers use an arts and wellbeing approach to engage children in this changed classroom environment.” New Zealand Educational Institute Te Riu Roa (NZEI) president, Liam Rutherford, says educators have a huge role to play in helping tamariki

Professor Peter O’Connor

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navigate the uncertainty and stress of the Covid-19 crisis over the coming months. “These beautifully presented resources will be really valuable in supporting that work,” he says. “We know these anxious times have had a deep impact on many children, and these quality curriculum resources will provide teachers with the confidence to safely navigate the issues and concerns that will tumble into classrooms next week.” The lesson plans include a poetry lesson by former Poet Laureate Selina Tusitala Marsh, a unit on dealing with anxiety supported by the John Kirwan Foundation and Māori arts resources curated by a bicultural team based in Wellington. The University of Auckland has partnered with the New Zealand Principals’ Federation, the New Zealand Educational Institute Te Riu Roa (NZEI) and the Sir John Kirwan Foundation to make sure as many teachers as possible are aware of the resource, which went live on Friday April 24 at https://www.teritotoi.org/

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The Teaching Singularity John Hellner

It’s April 2 and we’re in lockdown. Covid-19. Schools closed. Teachers and students teaching and learning online. Might be the right time to think about the future of AI in the classroom; about the future of teaching itself; about a hypothetical scenario in which the dominant force in the classroom becomes computers and robots – effectively taking the control of classroom learning away from the human species.

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AI teaching and learning In the late 1960s, my Year 12 world history class “volunteered” to be part of a six week experiment. We watched a 30-minute broadcast lecture, four times a week and completed a sheet of guided note making for each session. For the last 15-20 minutes, we discussed focus questions with the teacher. I loved it. The experiment ended. Never heard about it again. In the 1990s I took an online course in “Educational leadership” in pursuit of a Masters Degree. We were given a background series of readings. We needed to contribute to a course blog our thoughts about the readings. We submitted research papers.

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I liked having time to think about what others had written online and to comment after some reflection. As per the story of my life, I was not lost for words in the online blog, but tended to add more than my share. Not good etiquette. I taught high school in Singapore for seven years from 2009-2016. Due to the smoke from Indonesian forest fires suffocating vast areas of nearby countries as well as their own country, the school closed twice. The air was too toxic. A mini lock down. The school’s admin team told subject teachers to teach online and to develop sustainable online strategies for any future “smoke holidays”. As a subject co-ordinator, I prepared and shared power point packages for each topic we taught during the year. The power points included assessment task. Teachers shared the power points and student assessment work on Google Docs. Teachers could comment on the students’ work in real time or asynchronized time. Sharing comments and questions and responses to questions happened between student and teacher, between students, between classes and between teachers. All on a permanent electronic record. The teacher controlled the development, the delivery and the assessment of the curriculum. The teacher provided questions and prompts to engage and motivate students, marked the assessments and emailed parents if students fell behind on their work. Judging by the depth of the discernment and the individualism of their online responses, the students mostly did the work. Some thrived, others contributed reluctantly. I knew I could catch them up when the fires blew over and we went back to school. All of these imperfect expeditions fell way short of a teaching singularity, but with magnanimity, maybe we could call them small steps towards the singularity.

They’re Coming We assume the complexity of teaching requires a human touch, never to be overtaken by robotic technology. When the motion picture, radio, and 12 Good Teacher Magazine Term 2 2020

television came along, prophets claimed each in their turn would revolutionise education. None did, changing only at the fringes of centuries old models – the source of knowledge disseminated data to a group of people, sometimes using a variety of methods and devices to engage as many students as possible at any given time. But now, AI doctors can analyse X-rays for certain pathologies, while AI lawyers carry out mundane legal research, once done by clerks. In a televised contest, computers defeated human teachers to see who could teach more maths to a class in a single week. And some students find less distractions at home and prefer spending time with their devices, than trying to concentrate on one person. If programmers can devise algorithms for finding girlfriends, monitoring behaviour and assessing the status of your gout, it seems plausible a successful entrepreneur will find a series of algorithms for how to teach remotely without human interaction. Interactive programmes, complementing classroom activities, do so already. Techno – gurus believe AI can succeed where other technologies haven’t. Setting aside, but not forgetting, the ethical issues around individual data gathering, they see sensors tracking students and swooping up endless amounts of learner data, providing individual student profiles, about what the student knows and how fast they learn. Synchronised devices would identify the student’s emotions, motivations and physical state. Everything in real time. More than any human teacher could ever know. A “Fitbit” of the mind. Imagine having a teacher who knows everything about everything and knows everything about you.

Master, slave, partner Humans may wish to remain the masters of delivering learning. The burgeoning fields of educational technology and online learning challenge the “human touch” argument. The success, or failure, of our current lockdown teaching strategies, could shape any further argument, one way or another.

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On the other hand, complete AI and/or robotic takeovers challenge our deep-seated notions of the human role in the “Great Chain of Being”. Thousands of years of evolution have hard wired us to learn from each other and to cooperate in the process. It seems unlikely we’ll be slaves to the “machines” any time soon, no matter what they can do. As our role as masters of the classroom is questioned and slavery to machines seems improbable, by default, partnership offers a plausible pathway. Human teachers working with AI. The “The Guardian” Long read of March 19, 2020 “Can computers ever replace the classroom?” offers one plausible partnership integrating online learning with teachers in a bricks and mortar learning centre: (Teachers) “sat at a work console in a vast office space, headphones on, eyes focused on a laptop screen … as they monitored the dashboards of up to six students simultaneously, the face of a young learner would appear on the screen, asking for help, either via a chat box or through a video link.” https://www.theguardian.com/ technology/2020/mar/19/can-computers-everreplace-the-classroom? Accessed on 3/22/2020

But wait a minute… Go back to the focus of this piece – can AI take over education? As is often the case, the answer is, “it depends on the situation.” Technology worked for me as a high school student in the 1960s because it accelerated the pace of the material presented; I loved the material; my curiosity to learn more and to ask questions to satisfy the curiosity. It was novel and I was a fast note taker. (It wouldn’t have worked for me in maths or physics.) Online learning worked for me as an adult learner because I was motivated to learn material relevant to my profession; I could draw on prior knowledge and an extensive baseline knowledge about education; being able to work and respond online when it suited me. I also “triple dipped” by using much of the material

studied in the course not only to pass the course and directly apply to my work, but as the basis for a number of articles in “Good Teacher” and other publications. Technology worked for me teaching in Singapore because it was a private school for students whose parents were wealthy and well placed in society, who valued an education as the pathway to success, from cultures with emphasis on obedience and respect for parents and teachers. The students mirrored the parents for the most part. Eager to get ahead. Competitive. Goal orientated. Determined. Often motivated and curious to excel for intrinsic reasons, as well as high achievement. The technology in the Guardian article works in the well-funded, fee paying start up, with handpicked, highly talented “super-teachers”, without being hampered by ethical consideration around individual data gathering. How can they fail?

Things have changed. The very factors that made my fledging adventures with AI possible and successful to a degree, are not present in every student I see now. I work in public schools for the most part. Some, maybe many, of the students lack the cognitive and non-cognitive qualities, necessary for academic success in formal schooling at this level: baseline knowledge, experience, motivation, curiosity, passion, self-direction, written and verbal dexterity, determination and more. Some lack supportive home environments. Some are economically disadvantaged. What’s going to happen to those students during lockdown? How much will they do? What’s going to keep them doing a day’s work? Will they do what they need to do without a teacher hovering/helping/motivating? How many are there? Will computers and robots work for those without the prerequisite skills, attitudes and knowledge? The great “lock down educational experiment” should give up some clues about the likelihood of an all-out AI teaching singularity. Unlikely is my bet.

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So You’re Moving to Distance Lea I believe it was Mister Rogers’ mother who advised we should look for the helpers in the midst of tough times. With current, devastating hits to the economy, education, small businesses, and our sewage systems (stop flushing your Clorox wipes, dummies), I certainly consider these times tough. Heeding the advice of Mrs. Rogers, I asked myself how, if at all, I can help. With educators across the country making the involuntarily and swift transition from traditional to distance learning, I realized that’s it! I made the leap from classroom to computer more than a decade ago and can help them do the same. I KNOW STUFF! I also know in tough times we need a bit of levity, some laughter, and perspective. Thus, I give you: my non-tips* for successful distance learning. *I accept no responsibility for anything that happens to your employment as a result of you actually following these non-tips

Your Appearance Clothing: In short, it’s optional. Robes, “wifebeaters,” and thread-bare PJ shirts are perfectly acceptable as distance learning attire. No one’s going to pay attention to you anyway. Aesthetics: No need to swap those bedtime reading glasses for your socially acceptable pair or even contact lenses. Hair? Make-up? Accessories? Dry shampoo, probably not, LOL. Hygiene: Why, though?

Your Virtual Classroom Space: Desks and cleared surfaces are overrated. Roll over in the morning and turn on your computer. Welcome to class. Visual: Not important. Students are definitely not nosy or taking screen shots of you to post on Instagram later, so pay no mind to what they can see behind you. A pyramid of empty beer cans, a pile of dirty underwear, a 14 Good Teacher Magazine Term 2 2020

grunting potty-training toddler all scream RESPECT ME. I AM A PROFESSIONAL. Pro-tip: Most of you are using laptops, take advantage of the mobility. Why stop class for a quick bathroom break?! Take your students with you! Audio: While some prefer a headset to minimize background noise, I personally enjoy the competition of barking dogs, rush hour traffic, or a blender. You’re a teacher–you’re used to yelling. You’ve got this. Lighting: I like the ominous educator filter. To easily achieve this look, position yourself in front of a large window or directly in front of the sun.

Your New School Day Working hours: Your administrators will try to trick you into believing distance learning will span the entire work day for which you are contractually paid. Fake news. Ten minutes of direct instruction per class is all you really need. If students have questions, they can ask Alexa. Structure: True, in your previous school day, things like a bell schedule and the change of classes mattered. You’ll find the only real structure you need in a virtual environment is intermittent breaks. For the bathroom, for lunch, for snacks, for naps… Collaboration time: Some teachers will lie and say collaboration is effective. If you wanna waste time “learning from your colleagues” instead of watching Married at First Sight, you do you. Content: A week ago, you were ready to introduce unit 15 on quadratic equations. Scratch those plans. Now content is determined by the homeschooling mom who offers the most free printables on Pinterest. Assessments: Despite what all the research says, project-based learning is a scam. To really get a sense of whether or not a student has

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arning, Eh? I’d Love to Help! Stephanie Jankowski mastered a concept or skill, true or false tests are all you need.

Instruction Lesson development: Stop with all the fancy “student engagement strategies.” Nobody cares about your bell-ringer or interactive activity. Tell them what’s on the test and move on. Connection: Heed the experts’ advice and really hone in on your students’ emotional and social learning. Snapchat is the gateway to the soul of every tween and teenager. Follow your students on social media immediately and begin the eventual end of your career today! Availability: Unlike in the traditional school setting, you’re no longer just a few classrooms away. How will students ask questions you’ve already answered 78 times or request clarification on an assignment that was due last week? You should probably give them your cell phone number and home address. Remember to utilize social distancing when the senior class would-be valedictorian knocks on your door, sobbing, because you haven’t responded to the email she sent you twenty minutes ago.

Professional Expectations Lower standards: Do not expect students to show up, complete any work, or even realize they are supposed to be attending virtual classes. That’s really asking a lot and they’re very busy making TikToks.

• let a string of expletives fly • stand up and forget you’re not wearing pants • verbally admit you don’t know what the eff you’re doing in Google Classroom • allow students to view you, head in hands, mumbling, “I am so sorry, taxpayers.” • insult a student or parent by full name so there’s not a shadow of a doubt regarding your feelings about them • wash down your Xanax with a shot of whiskey

Distance Learning Contract Language The Freak-out: Wherein a highly-qualified educator convinces several other highlyqualified educators that this isolated cyber school experience will be the demise of public education as we know it, resulting in The Freak-out. Conspiracy: For the duration of and for approximately six months post The Freakout, many of these educators will speak with conviction of the Conspiracy: the belief that the coronavirus is a political ploy, not a health crisis. They are likely participants of the following: Forthe Restofus: There will be a very small percentage of educators who do not commit to the Distance Learning approach. They will ruin it Forthe Restofus.

Parental involvement: Do not expect parents to support, oversee, or even realize their children are supposed to be attending virtual classes. That’s really asking a lot and they’re very busy catching up on episodes of This is Us. Logging in and/or off: At least twice during your Distance Learning experience, you will function under the false assumption that • you are not visible or audible to your students. It is at this time you will:

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Ready or not, a new era of homesc As coronavirus concerns shutter school around the world, will poor students be left behind?

The halls inside Bothell High School in Bothell, Wash. stand empty. The suburban Seattle school is part of the Northshore School District, which closed earlier in March and has since paused its online learning program. Credit: (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson)

NEW YORK – Like it or not, we are suddenly a nation of home schoolers, with little preparation.

Millions more children and families are involuntarily joining the 1.7 million kids already home-schooled by choice.

The rapidly spreading coronavirus is instantly changing the way education is delivered, as school and home become the same place.

“How to homeschool” is trending on Google. For many families, the switch is a crippling inconvenience.

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For others, it’s an even bigger catastrophe: they may not be able to afford proper meals for their children, much less the technology and connectivity needed for online learning.

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chooling has begun Liz Willen

Some 70 percent of the city’s 1.1 million students come from low-income families, and thousands are homeless. In Los Angeles and Chicago, where schools closures were previously announced, the rates of poverty are even higher. For some children hastily thrust into this new way of learning, school offers far more stability and predictability than their home lives. Shuttering schools in the face of coronavirus will shine a light on the many other roles schools provide beyond academics for fragile families, from caring adults, friendships and predictable routines to breakfast, lunch, music lessons and sports.

childcare so they don’t lose their jobs. Advocates and educators everywhere worry the poorest children will be hurt the most. “This is an enormous educational equity challenge that can have life-altering consequences for vulnerable students,’’ said Ian Rosenblum, director of The Education Trust-New York, a nonprofit

In addition, most schools and teachers are unprepared to take their lessons online, and the education they can offer over the internet, on the fly, could be rough and wildly uneven. In New York, officials admitted as much as they announced that schools would close Monday, and that they needed a few days to plan for new ways of instruction. In the meantime, remote workers who are parents are fretting over how they’ll have time to oversee lessons and keep their children on top of Common Core math. Working parents wonder how they’ll arrange

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A list of homeschooling activities organized by teacher Jamie Matus Credit: (Photo by Jamie Matus) Good Teacher Magazine Term 2 2020 17

group that released a host of recommendations for the coming weeks. Any response “should address the specific instructional continuity needs of students who are low-income, English learners, students with disabilities and students in temporary housing,” he said. It is clear that families with the least resources are likely to feel the hardest impact — one reason why New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio delayed and struggled before deciding to close schools. Some 70 percent of the city’s 1.1 million students come from low-income families, and thousands are homeless. In Los Angeles and Chicago, where schools closures were previously announced, the rates of poverty are even higher. In addition, museums, recreation centers, libraries and other places that offer alternatives to schooling will also be closed, as they have been in Seattle and other parts of the country hit hard by the virus.

“It belies any logic to say it will be the same thing as a student in a classroom with a teacher.” “I have no words for how horrible this is,” de Blasio said during a press conference Sunday, where he announced schools would close for at least four weeks, and possibly through the end of the year. “It’s going to be difficult for a lot of families.” Along with Schools Chancellor Richard Carranza, the mayor pledged to offer pick-up meals at schools, and said that starting March 23, the city would designate enrichment centers that will remain open for children whose parents are on the frontline of battling coronavirus, including healthcare workers and first responders. In the coming days, city schools will begin training teachers in remote learning while “practicing social distancing,” Carranza said. Then, they’ll be given three days of training to learn how to teach

Parents whose children attend the American School of Dubai took turns teaching their kids and classmates while the school is shut during the Coronavirus Credit: Photo by Jamie Matus 18 Good Teacher Magazine Term 2 2020

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virtually, which he acknowledged is not ideal. “We feel confident students will be able to engage academically,” he said, although he added that “it belies any logic to say it will be the same thing as a student in a classroom with a teacher.” Other school districts are tapping older technologies. LA Unified, for example, plans on teaching students remotely by partnering with local television stations. Carranza said New York City is making arrangements for students in poverty to get the devices and internet support they need – a critical issue with the gaping digital divide between wired, wellequipped districts and others that lack resources. He also wants teachers to understand that their relationships with students will continue, even if they are virtual. “They are still your students, and you will be helping them remotely,” he said. Until school is up and running, many parents figuring out how to homeschool while also getting get their own work done are worried they’ll need to rely on television screens and computer games to keep their children occupied, hardly ideal for the littlest learners. Social distancing guidelines will mean fewer playdates and group activities, along with concerns about isolation and boredom. In some parts of the world, parents have tried to organize play groups to keep kids engaged and social — and to take the burden off parents. Jamie Matus, a former New York City public school teacher who now lives in Dubai, immediately organized a homeschooling group for more than 30 of her children’s classmates after the American School of Dubai shut down

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Jamie Matus, a former NewYork City public school teacher, organized a homeschooling playgroup for her kids and their classmates in Dubai after their school was shut. Credit: Photo by Jamie Matus earlier this month due to virus concerns. “I said that if everyone here takes one morning a week with four or five kids, they could keep their routine and see their friends,” said Matus, who taught third-grade in Brooklyn for many years and knows how to keep young learners occupied. She drew up a detailed schedule with circle time, show and tell, and even skip- counting with Hot Wheels cars. School districts elsewhere are sending out resources for desperate parents, including education sites that are making their usually paid sites free. But trained educators don’t always know which tech is good for kids, and which isn’t, leaving parents befuddled about navigating options. Good Teacher Magazine Term 2 2020 19

An education consultant in Brooklyn, Laura Caito, sent a list of recommendations to parents at her child’s school, including a new broadcast, prompted by the coronavirus outbreak, of recorded daily lessons in popular Common Core curricula that will launched in March. The New York City schools offer a “Learn at Home” page with printable activities for each grade. And there’s always Sesame Street, also en español. But much of the communication about these resources is happening over email. New York officials urged parents to sign up for school accounts if they hadn’t already and to watch for messages and updates in their inboxes. How will parents who may not communicate by email regularly, who lack regular internet access, or who were already crunched for time — trying to make ends meet before an economic crisis hit — find what they need to keep their kids engaged and learning in English, which may not be the first language for many parents? Other questions loom, from standardized testing to grading. How will students ever catch up after losing what could be months of instruction? Will schools reopen in time for summer school, which allows struggling students a second chance at being promoted to the next grade?

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The many worries and unanswered questions are reasons why de Blasio waited till the last possible minute to close schools. Julie Kashen, director of women’s economic justice at The Century Foundation, a left-leaning think tank, called the decision, made under duress and much pressure from parents and the United Federation of Teachers Union, the right one. “There’s no question that there is deep and real concern for families who need schools open because parents have to be at work or because those children rely on school for their meals,” she said. The fast-moving and unknown nature of the virus means many questions will remain unanswered, for now. But the little playgroup in Dubai shows just how quickly coronavirus is changing life. By Monday, the group homeschooling experiment that Matus organized was down to just two children – hers – after a father in the group developed a fever. Liz Willen Liz Willen, a longtime education reporter, has been proud to lead an award-winning staff of The Hechinger Report since 2011. She was recently honored for commentary writing by the New York Press Club.

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Good Teacher Magazine Term 2 2020 21

Clear the Clutter! They have shows on it.

Project De-clutter

Thousands of professionals are hired every year for the sole purpose to get rid of it.

Have you ever had very good intentions of spring-cleaning, but the results that you imagined never quite materialized? That is because intentions are not a plan! 75% of all project end up failing due to poor project management. Use the PM skills that you have honed in your office to tackle your springcleaning tasks. Define what deliverable you’d like to achieve, and what success will look like when you achieve it. When you treat your de-clutter goals like a serious project, your changes of success significantly increase.

Most people hate it, but find a hard time getting rid of it. What am I talking about? Clutter!! Even though the show “Hoarders” exemplifies the clutter problem to the extreme, most of us, if we were being honest with ourselves, would say that we hold on to more stuff than we need. In today’s world of consumerism, it can sometimes seem counterintuitive to get rid of things. Or to not acquire things that we don’t really need. Every day we are being told too by expert marketers that “more is good” and that we need more “stuff” regardless of if it is the truth or not. This spring, take a stand to clutter, in both your home and in your mind.

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Engaged Commitment What people in your life also have a stake in your spring-cleaning project? These are your project stakeholders for Project De-Clutter. This is an aspect of spring-cleaning that is often overlooked by the person heading up the task. When you face springcleaning alone, it can appear to be very daunting. Don’t go at it alone.

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Michelle LaBrosse CCPM, PMP, PMI-ACP, RYT

Kristen Medina, CAPM®, Co-Author Enlist help, and when you play to your stakeholder’s strengths, you will surprised at how willing they will be to help. Is your spouse a fantastic sales person? Have them organize a garage sale and see how much they can get rid of and how much money they can make using their awesome sales skills. Is your son super excellent at playing video games? Ok that might not help, but perhaps if you restrict his games until he has given you all the clothes that he no longer wears anymore so you can pass them on to Salvation Army. You get the point. Rally the troops! A part of being a good leader is in the ability to effectively delegate tasks and speak to the self-interest of those that are helping you.

Timebox to Tidy Ok we get it - you’re busy! You’re much too busy to clean out your entire garage. But, are you too buys to clean off and organize that one shelf in the garage? The key to successfully achieving your goals is to set micro-goals, and then achieve them again and again. Give yourself an hour to tackle one small project, and don’t let any distracters deter you from your progress. Do this

once a day for a month, and you will be amazed at the progress you make.

More Organization = More Time Imagine your garage is in disarray. You are running around trying to find your tennis rackets and soccer ball from the kids lessons, and while running around sweating in the summer heat, you trip over the debris that is accumulating in yourm garage and sprain you ankle. And you were supposed to go to the beach tomorrow! The whole idea behind spring–cleaning is to get ready for a stress free summer. When you are organized, you create more time for yourself. Time is the mostmvaluable thing that we have, so make sure that you preserve it when it matters most. Get organized to gain hours of free time this summer to do what is important to you.

Success Breeds Success When you achieve success in this year’s springcleaning project, you will have set up a standard process and expectations for future years to come, and each year it will become easier to implement Project De-Clutter.

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

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accelerated learning techniques. 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 also developed the Cheetah Certified Project Manager (CCPM) program based on Myers-Briggs Type Indicator personality profiling to help students master how to use their unique strengths for learn is recognized by PMI as one of the 25 Most Influential Women in Project Management in the world. Good Teacher Magazine Term 2 2020 23

MUSEUM to support teache

As the 2020 school year commenced, few would have predicted the swift impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the effect it has had on our way of life. The roll out of remote learning across the entire nation is a historic first and, as part of Auckland’s education landscape for more than 55-years, Auckland’s Museum of Transport and Technology (MOTAT) has applied its resources to helping teachers and their students through this testing time. The MOTAT.Fun website was launched to support families and teachers delivering remote learning experiences for young New Zealanders during the pandemic response. The platform offers content with differing levels of support ranging from student-centric STEM activities that fit easily into existing lesson structures, to full lesson plans including information sheets, guided activity plans, downloadable worksheets and access to MOTAT’s online collection database featuring more than 85,000 heritage objects.

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ers and students across NZ

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Here’s a snapshot of some great learning experiences at www.MOTAT.Fun Inventions and Innovations - Explore a range of inventions and innovations and learn about some fascinating items used in years gone by. Take a virtual tour through MOTAT’s Get Smart exhibition and try out the online research tool to uncover more information about a favourite invention. A Toy’s Life - Delve into your toybox with this fun exploratory workshop. Understand the different types of toys, research historical playthings and discover why toys are so important. Then take your ideas and inspiration and design and create your own toy! Aotearoa’s Awesome Aviators - Did you know that some of the most famous pilots in history have been New Zealanders? Learn about aviation innovators Richard Pearse, Jean Batten, and Sir Keith Park, then test your aerodynamic skills by making your own paper plan.

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As our country’s pandemic response evolves and lockdown restrictions change MOTAT are preparing to offer MOTAT Educator-led online workshops. These workshops will be FREE to access and will be conducted via Zoom. The workshops will closely follow MOTAT’s popular face-to-face onsite programmes and come with a range of post- workshop activities. MOTAT’s first workshop offerings are: Communications: Explore historic communication artefacts and technologies including Morse Code, Braille, Semaphore flags, typewriters, cameras and audio equipment. Discover how developments in communication technology have occurred over time. Hangarau Technology in Aotearoa: Learn about how crops were grown, food was prepared, stored and cooked. See how to use a traditional Maori drill, discover how birds and rats were trapped and explore some traditional activities and pastimes that showcase the technology of Aotearoa. Inventions & Innovations: Explore a range of inventions and experience how they have helped and improve our way of life. Discover innovative New Zealanders and the products they have created, and study other world changing inventions. For the first time in its history the museum’s doors have been forces to shut but their intention remains clear. MOTAT has a role to play and the team are determined to support educators during this challenging time. If you are keen to learn more about MOTAT’s education offering, including online workshops please contact Julie.baker@motat.org.nz.

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Good Teacher Magazine Term 2 2020 29

Book Compiling Work from 84 Contempora A new book by Charlotte Vannier considers how embroidery has evolved from a domestic task mostly done by women into an art. Comprised of the work of 84 contemporary artists from around the world—including Elisabeth Bucht, Rossana Taormina, Diane Meyer, and Aline Brant—From Thread to Needle: Contemporary Embroidery Art features full-page illustrations of embroidered pieces utilizing cotton canvas, photographs, plastic, and wire mesh. The 368-page book highlights work that is particularly distant from the decorative needlework of previous generations and ranges from fully embroidered cloth to sparingly stitched images to threaded toast. Often, the artists reinvent the craft by altering the methods and materials they use and rejecting the outdated notion that embroidery is only a feminine past time. In an interview with VC Projects, Vannier described her obsession with thread and embroidery. “I am fascinated by the idea that a simple thread becomes a piece of art completely, and how many artists use it. Thread is like a pencil,” the writer says. From Thread to Needle is available now from Gingko Press, which publishes an assortment of visual culture projects.

“The Height of Folly” (2017) by Michelle Kingdom, linen an Images: Gingko Press 30 Good Teacher Magazine Term 2 2020

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ary Artists Who are Reinventing Embroidery

nd embroidery thread.

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Good Teacher Magazine Term 2 2020 35

Libraries: A journey and destina Students tap away quietly on the keyboards of their devices, some chewing on gum, if they think I’m not looking. Others so sure of themselves and their abilities they consider their need to study is wasted social time and they sit for an hour watching videos, playing cards or catching up on how much the repairs to their car will cost, or what they will wear to the upcoming school ball.

I’m Carole Brungar, and I’m a school librarian. I’m also an indie author, and I released my fourth novel to the world in March, right before the world got hit with the Corona virus and came to a halt. I remember back to the days when I was furiously writing my first novel. I wasn’t working in a library at the time, but I was writing in a library. I would work through my morning tea break so I could squeeze out a precious fifteen minutes more of writing time during my lunch break. I’d dash across the road to the public library, find a solitary corner and a comfy chair, and transport myself to another time and place for 75 minutes. There was no time to eat lunch. Being an indie author is hard work, don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. I don’t have a social life, my writing takes up all my spare time, and when I’m not writing there’s marketing and design work to complete. I survive because I have a supportive partner and he carries the work load at home. Libraries have played a huge role in the research I do for my stories. Although much is done online as well, I always turn to books to provide me with first hand accounts from those who were there or involved in the events of the time. You may already know that my last three novels have told the story of young men and women in Vietnam during the war. Over the last 30 years I have collected a large number of books about the war. It’s always intrigued me. I’m not sure what the attraction was and still is. Maybe the music of the 60s, or the fashions. Maybe it was because men were men and the world was experiencing so many changes. Hippies influenced teenagers who just wanted to kick up their heels and have fun, while drug use and sexual freedom blossomed. Or maybe it was purely an attraction to a man in uniform. I decided if I was going to write another story, I may as well write it on a subject I had sound

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ation rolled into one knowledge of. I realised that no matter what country veterans came from, they were all telling the same stories and I knew then I had to write with them in mind. I set out to give the readers an insight into their world. So, The Nam Legacy was born. It told the story of a young Kiwi boy, Jack, who served for 18 months in Vietnam, and his girlfriend who became one of our most iconic entertainers, and how the war took a toll on them. It also highlights Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, PTSD. I soon realised I couldn’t do justice to the veterans with just one story, so I wrote The Nam Shadow. This time focusing on Jack’s mate, Terry, and his exposure to the chemical, Agent Orange. Both these books went on to win awards; The Nam Shadow even won two gold medals for excellence, while The Nam Legacy spent seven weeks in the Bestseller lists. I received phone calls from veterans in tears, who felt compelled to ring me and thank me for writing the stories. Not only did I receive emails and messages from veterans, but also from readers who had a family member or knew someone who was a veteran of Vietnam. The response was overwhelming and extremely humbling. Writing those two novels had proved exhausting and I was mentally drained. I had just spent the last three years totally immersed in the Vietnam War—day and night. But the journey wasn’t over. I had fulfilled my goal to write for the veterans, now it was time to write for me. I wanted to write more Vietnam stories that didn’t have underlying

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Are We Prepped for Superintelligence messages, that were pure escapism. Last month I published Going Home, and this time it featured a Kiwi nurse with the New Zealand Surgical Team and her experiences in Vietnam during the war. And, although I’ve seen it in bookstore windows, being in a national state of ‘lockdown’ means no one can purchase it. I’m not able to have a book launch, nor am I able to visit bookstores to meet readers and sign copies. For the time being, readers will have to rely on eBooks, and so far the reviews have been positive.

I love working in a library. It fills me with a combination of motivation and envy. I love seeing the new fiction titles arrive, admiring the pretty covers, the striking artwork. Reading the blurbs on the back covers, taking note of where I could improve or do things a little differently. I find ideas from the non-fiction section, so many I could be plotting stories for years to come.

One of my favourite tasks is to speak to senior history classes about methods of research. It’s fair to say research is one of my favourite parts of writing and I can only hope a little of my excitement rubs off on the students. Challenges in a library are many and varied, and I guess I would have to say they equal the rewards I get when I help a student who’s writing on a set topic. Being able to share my knowledge on how to get the most out of what’s available out there in both the print and digital environment and how to use them to compliment the other. My library has a huge role to play in the life of a student. It needs to be a safe space for the introvert who likes to keep to themselves. It’s a space where the Year 9 boys game with each other or play card games; a space to finish homework or study and it provides a social space to catch up with friends. Making sure all of the above can happen during a lunch break is indeed a challenge, but not insurmountable. At the start of this year when the ‘readers’ among the new Year 9 students were discovering the library, I noticed a young girl wandering around looking at

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the spines in the fiction section. I asked her if she’d like some help to find a book to read. She told me no. She doesn’t read. What?! When I asked her why, she told me she wrote her own stories and so far she has never found any books like the type she liked to write. I tried to contain my excitement! You can guess who left the library that day clutching two books. And who came back and told me they were enjoying the stories. Since that initial visit she has returned to the library most days. We have talked about writing and I’ve issued her books to help with her writing and books she can read to help grow

her imagination. That sums up job satisfaction and I still grin when I think of the adventures that student will have ahead of her. In the days leading up to our national ‘lockdown’, I issued bags of books to students and staff. They’re the perfect isolation buster, enabling readers to get lost in the world within the pages. For me, well I’m about to start on my next novel, being isolated at home is the perfect time. And although I still need to research to some extent, I’m now allowing more time to read for pleasure as I work my way through my library stash!

Going Home Carole Brungar Publishing ISBN 9780473503932 Printed in New Zealand by Your Books

Ronnie McIllroy’s decision to volunteer for twelve months nursing in Vietnam was the end of a disappointing romance in New Zealand and the start of an adventure beyond whatever she might have been prepared for. From comfortable ‘60s New Zealand to the horror of life in a war-torn Vietnam, Carole Brungar has ensured you feel you are right with Ronnie as she steps into this very foreign world. While she has the company of the other New Zealand nurses and allied personnel she also has to face a workplace which is totally unlike anything she has experienced before. Carole’s writing is dripping with the reality of the situation Ronnie is in and she also seamlessly weaves into the storyline the budding romance which develops though the book. The reader finds themself transported to the beach where a picnic takes place. The incongruous placing of a picnic in a war zone doesn’t seem unusual as with many other things, parents staying with their children in the hospital, private moments snatched whenever possible, and the swift evolvement of a romance in a war zone all ties together keeping the reader turning the pages to find what happens next!

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Neither a romance nor a war story, Going Home is a romance woven throughout a war story which made the reviewer both laugh and cry, and experience every emotion in between... as such it is a gripping novel which deserves to be widely read. This wonderful, readable novel which completed the trilogy of Vietnam books. the first two were award winning and surely this one will head down the same path... this reviewer feels it would make a fantastic movie! Good Teacher Magazine Term 2 2020 39

A University Built From Scratch In 5 M

SRM University Andhra Pradesh in southeast India, looms over green fields roamed by herds of goats.

In southeast India, rising out of green fields roamed by herds of goats, is a brand-new set of white towers connected by courtyards, balconies and breezeways.

SRM Andhra Pradesh represents this wave. But the university is not just trying to meet demand for traditional higher education — it is trying to innovate and get ahead of the pack.

This is SRM University Andhra Pradesh.

The newest campus of the SRM Institute of Science and Technology, a private institution founded in the 1980s, SRM AP was built in just five months. It features a state-of-the-art water catchment system, solar panels, labs full of high-tech equipment, and — a huge draw in this climate — air-conditioned dorms.

About 650 million Indians are under the age of 25. In other words, one-fifth of the world’s young people live here. They want jobs, and they want an education. Enrolment in higher education here has been rising for the past decade, but in order to accommodate demand, and for the country’s economy to continue to grow, the number of classroom seats has to leap forward at a dizzying rate. One author estimated in 2018 that the country needs to build at least 1,000 new universities, plus 50,000 technical colleges — in 10 years.

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Aayusi Biswas, a 20-year-old engineering student from hundreds of miles away in central India, has filled her dorm room with plants, Harry Potter memorabilia and books. “I love reading,” she tells us. She also loves dreaming up new startups, and that’s what drew her here: “The way this university promoted entrepreneurship is something I’ve never seen before at Indian colleges.” With her T-shirts and jeans, glasses, fluent English and coding skills, Biswas is the kind of bright self-starter you’d expect to meet at, say,

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Months Wants To Be A Global Leader Anya Kamenetz UC Berkeley — where she did study abroad. Andhra Pradesh and bordering Telangana state is particularly famous for producing — and exporting — technical talent. In fact, the region has sent so many graduate students and engineers to study and work abroad in recent years that Telugu, the area language, became the fastest-growing foreign language in the United States. “We are the brainpower suppliers to the world,” says Vice Chancellor Narayana Rao, proudly naming regional heroes like Sundar Pichai, the CEO of Alphabet. But, Rao says, to get to the next level of development, India needs to home-grow its own talent and keep them here. And that’s the enormous ambition of SRM AP. Step One: Design a new curriculum

SRM AP is trying to take the lead in innovating both what and how Indian students learn. For one, they’re broadening into the humanities. There is an entire school of liberal arts, which doesn’t exist at many Indian universities. Most SRM AP students, like Biswas, are concentrating in engineering and computer science, and doing high-tech research into areas like batteries, 3D printing and materials science. But they also take subjects like rhetoric, theater and gender studies. An English professor here, Prateek (who uses one name), taught previously at Queensland University in Australia and at Oxford University in England. He returned to his home country of India because SRM AP gave him the opportunity to do his own research and create his own courses.

Students take a break between classes in the open-air atrium at SRM Andhra Pradesh.

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For example, he’s currently teaching an elective on modern Indian theater. As part of the course, students wrote and performed their own play. The topic: solar-powered cars. “These are computer science and electrical engineering students,” Prateek explains, “so they are seeing things from that perspective and how they can change the world through theater and through performing something that will help other people to become aware of what is happening to the environment.”

“In the beginning we all were exhausted,” says freshman Sai Krishna Vishnamuluka. “The class is like an exam to us.” In fact, grades in Minerva classes really are based on in-class performance, not exams.

The emphasis on interest-driven and participatory learning is something new. Jamshed Barucha, who previously held the post of vice chancellor, says the norm in India, since he was growing up in Mumbai, has been “bunking,” or skipping, classes and then “mugging up,” or cramming for exams, with students doing the minimum to get by with a “a very memorization oriented, very rigid curricula.”

“In a non-Minerva classroom, what you notice is, students don’t want to come up with an answer, so they will try to hide behind the book as if the teacher won’t be able to see,” he says. “In Minerva, what will happen? They do not have an option because the machine will throw them on the center stage. So they’re on the edge of their chair waiting for their turn to come. In the beginning it’s a problem, they’re nervous, they’re afraid, but as they get used to the platform they literally love it.”

Going in the opposite direction, SRM AP has become the first outside client of an American education startup called Minerva. Their software uses artificial intelligence to promote active learning — basically, keeping students speaking up and problem-solving throughout class. SRM is piloting the program in two subjects; introductory English and an upper-level engineering course. In Prateek’s introductory level class in spoken English, the students all wear headsets and sit in front of monitors where they can see their classmates over video. The software selects students at random to answer the professor’s questions.

To a first-time visitor, the setup seems clunky, with students in the same room communicating over video chat. And, it’s bandwidth-thirsty, which is an issue in Andhra Pradesh. Despite frequent connection glitches in the class we sit in on, Prateek has become a big fan.

Vishnamuluka, the freshman, agrees. He says he took a risk coming to SRM AP, before anyone else had even graduated from the school. “When I came to the college, there’s never an outgoing batch [class] yet. We are the third batch here so I thought, this is a fresh university out of the box.” His experience with Minerva has made him more confident in what he’s learning here. “I thought, this will change my life. It’s one of the best experiences I ever had. Because, say with

Students in class do most of their work over video chat.

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designed for genetics to automatically generate designs for suspension bridges. Right now she’s excited about “Python in Pajamas,” an all-girls, late-night event in the Python coding language. “It’s just going to be a night full of coding, in pajamas,” she explains. “It’s specifically for first-year students who are new to this field of tech and are seeing guys who are already ... proficient in coding.” To participate in this and other Next Tech Lab events, the female students had to get special permission to break their dorm curfew.

Aayusi Biswas belongs to a group called Next Tech Lab that has won a total of 50 national and international hackathons all over the world. the other classes, we’ll forget what we have learned. But in the Minerva every class will include the previous class – we will be carrying the things we’ve learned in previous classes. Every day we’ll be revising what we have learned and how to apply what we have learned in different ways. So now I think [SRM AP] is not a risk.”

Pictures: Lauren Migaki/NPR

Step Two: Get Hacking! The American-style learning also spills over into extracurriculars. Aayusi Biswas belongs to a group called Next Tech Lab, founded at a different SRM campus 4 years ago. “We work on things as big as AI, deep learning, IOT [Internet of Things], AR/VR [Augmented/Mixed Reality], anything right now that is being used in cutting edge of industry, but not taught in most universities,” explains Next Tech Lab co-founder Anshuman Pandey. “We have this hacker culture where we build prototypes and participate in a lot of hackathons.” They’ve won a total of 50 national and international hackathons all over the world. SRM AP’s Next Tech Lab students bring their laptops, covered with stickers, and huddle at long tables in a bright, open room in the main campus building. They’re working on a wide range of projects. Biswas alone has taken third place in a hackathon with an AI-fueled tutoring platform, and is working on a program using algorithms

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She says she and her fellow students are busting stereotypes and grabbing at new options. SRM AP has more women in engineering than most Indian schools — they make up about 35 percent of enrollment. Biswas says, in India, “girls are pushed into getting good grades, they aren’t that much into these things — building stuff.” Step 3: Sky’s the limit? The students’ optimism is infectious. But there are very literal roadblocks to the expansion of this university. SRM AP is an hour from the nearest city. And the road here ends in a muddy rut. The campus was built on subsidized land that was meant to be in the middle of a brand-new capital city called Amaravati, but right now that project seems to be held up. Rao, the vice-chancellor, says the fact that the campus is currently surrounded by banana fields is no big deal. “The students look for: ‘Will I get good education and training here? ... Will I have opportunities to work on my dream ideas? Do I have role models here?” Applicants won’t be so concerned, he says, with the type of road, or lack thereof. “Cement road, tar road, they won’t ask.” Rao likes to show visitors a model of a real working satellite built and launched by SRM undergraduates from the Chennai campus. The metaphor is clear: the sky’s the limit. “In 10 years we’ll be No. 1!” he proclaims. In the country? “Yes!” Will they get there? Maybe, but Biswas for one doesn’t want to finish here. She’s got her sights set on MIT for grad school.

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Bright Tape Promoting Social Dista Architecture in Singapore To help visualize social distancing guidelines, residents in Singapore are using tape to demarcate many outdoor common areas and shopping centers. Large dots designate where to stand when waiting to check out, and benches and steps feature rectangles identifying open seats. An unintended side effect of these safety measures, though, is that the tape itself becomes an architectural element.

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The account @tape_measures has been compiling photo submissions from the country, showing how geometric additions are altering public spaces with the use of simple X’s and more complex systems of arrows, boxes, and lines. For more of the architectural transformations inspired by social distancing, head to Instagram.

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ancing Transforms Public

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Boo k Reviews How Learning Happens

The Living World Rachel Rohloff New Shoots Publishing This is a great resource book for teachers, well written, comprehensive and jam-packed with activities. Add to this... there is the opportunity to download worksheets for the activities in the book from www.newshootspublishing.co.nz! If you’re not confident with science teaching then this book will be invaluable An asset in any staff library, teacher’s bookshelf or homeschoolers arsenal, I was surprised I could not find reference to it online (hence the less than optimal photos ...apologies). I would absolutely reccomend owning it and know that the person I will give my copy to will treasure and use it well!

Seminal Works in Educational Psychology and What They Mean in Practice Paul A Kirschner & Carl Hendrick Routledge Divided into Six Parts: 1. How does our brain work? 2. Prerequisites for learning 3. Which learning activities support learning 4. The Teacher 5. Learning in context 6. Cautionary tales The colllaborative authors have taken 28 key works works on learning and teaching. They have taken each of the 28 works and given the reader ... The title of the original paper and a quote from the same, folloowed by • the reason for reading the article, • an abstract, • the article itself, • a conclusion and • usefully a couple of paragraphs on how to use the work in your teaching. • following with bulleted takeaways and a comprehensive reference section The chapters are well presented with the addition of pertinent margin notes, most helpful if returning to find a particular piece, and shaded blocks containing examples or offering clarification. After finding tomes on child development like Mussen Conger and Kagan were used for many years after their 1956 publication, I feel this could well become the same sort of effective book ... available to refer to well after the initial read and offering extensive references for further reading or investigation.

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Good Teacher Magazine Term 2 2020 47

The Global Search for Education: Le

“We already have over 60 million games on the Kahoot! platform, most of which are user generated, and we want to encourage content makers to create more content in different formats — which is similar to Netflix’s model.” – Sean D’Arcy

Kahoot’s journey began in 2012, when founders Morten Versvik, Johan Brand, and Jamie Brooker, along with Norwegian gaming professor Alf Inge Wang and entrepreneur Åsmund Furuseth, put their heads together to innovate the notion of fun learning. The founders, according to Sean D’Arcy, the head of Marketing, felt that most learning in education systems lacked “the playfulness factor.” Hence, they wanted to create a game-based product that would make learning “a more social, playful and engaging experience.” 48 Good Teacher Magazine Term 2 2020

In March 2013, Kahoot! was launched and became available to the public. Since then, the company has been focusing on turning gamebased learning into a pop culture phenomenon. Today the platform has over 2 billion players participating in more than 200 countries. The Global Search for Education invited Kahoot’s Head of Marketing, Sean D’Arcy, to learn more about the company’s journey to engage learners around the world. Sean, Kahoot! has described itself as the “Netflix of Education.” Tell us where you see the parallel? With the launch of our Kahoot! Ignite accelerator program, we are assembling a diverse family of

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et’s Play!

C M Rubin

“Technology is becoming more and more important in 21st century classrooms, where students can learn from anywhere at any time and have access to the world’s information.” – Sean D’Arcy apps to join us on our journey to make learning awesome. Recently, we announced the acquisitions of DragonBox, which helps kids learn math, and Poio, which facilitates children’s ability to read. In the future, we will bring similar apps and products under Kahoot!, making it a trusted source for premium educational content for schools and teachers, parents and organizations. We already have over 60 million games on the Kahoot! platform, most of which are user generated, and we want to encourage content makers to create more content in different formats — which is similar to Netflix’s model. We believe this will lead to even greater innovations and garner more creativity to make learning fun and engaging. We are in the midst of an industrial revolution that is changing our world at dramatic speeds – technology is helping to create hundreds of new, innovative models of learning. Technology continues to expand its role in traditional learning environments particularly

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for brands that understand the needs of the end consumer – do you believe we will see a learning shift to online/interactive environments any time soon? Technology is becoming more and more important in 21st century classrooms, where students can learn from anywhere at any time and have access to the world’s information. In the future, traditional classrooms will continue to exist, but they will be supported with the use of interactive and social learning environments so that they can accommodate all kinds of learners and make learning a fun, gamified experience. Kahoot! is special and will continue to thrive because it makes learning awesome and dynamic. Users learn even without even realizing that they are learning in the process of having fun! Our easy to use format and accessibility have helped us become one of the fastest growing learning brands with over 2 billion players since 2013. Good Teacher Magazine Term 2 2020 49

“In the future, traditional classrooms will continue to exist, but they will be supported with the use of interactive and social learning environments so that they can accommodate all kinds of learners and make learning a fun, gamified experience.” -Sean D’Arcy What are the important lessons Kahoot! has learned from educators so far?

What have been the greatest challenges you faced? What lessons did you learn?

In the education world, we have learned that community is incredibly important! We love our educators and trainers and are always looking for ways to improve their experience on the platform. In fact, we are rolling out many of the top requested features to our users this fall!

We made a decision to grow the user base with a free product and began monetization only in 2017. We were growing fast but it took some patience before we reached critical mass of users and our transition from being a free product to monetization was challenging.

With our new creators, users can create kahoots more easily and 3x faster than before, and they will have newer formats to present and play Kahoot! We are really proud of this collaborative effort within our community.

Now, our focus is more on building up the business to handle user growth and stand independently so we can invest in future product development. Along the way, we learned that the highest priority is to always keep our customers and users top of mind and deliver on a product that brings value to them. The monetization and users will follow in due course.

We are also proud to have more than 5 million teachers, hundreds of millions of students, 5 million parents and 20 million corporate users of our platform without any advertising or marketing budgets but just through word of mouth and pure virality of the product.

50 Good Teacher Magazine Term 2 2020

What are you working now for the future? Kahoot! is building the leading learning platform in the world by assembling a dynamic family of

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learning apps and products. We’ve joined forces with two learning apps, Poio and DragonBox for reading and math respectively. Both apps have large followings and we are excited to grow their audience globally. In the future, Kahoot!’s offerings will be split in the following groups: Kahoot! at school, Kahoot! at home and Kahoot! at work. We will go beyond the classic Kahoot format and offer many other ways to play and more content that make learning awesome!

C.M. Rubin and Sean D’Arcy

Boo k Reviews

Two delightful books both by Weston Publishing:

Hello! Kia Ora! Welcome friend! By Rachel Weston Illustrated by Deborah Hinde ISBN: 978-0-473-49786-6 A delightful early childhood book on friendship, explained in a easily understandable way. Having ‘Hello’ in diffeent languages from around the world (along with pronounciation assistance) is a great touch. A great sharing book for pre school and early school years.

Bumblebees Have Smelly Feet By Rachel Weston ISBN: 978-0-473-48296-1 A hugely informative children’s book about bees. not only is it very appealing to look at and informative to read but there are interesting side boxes covering even more information... the ‘Buzz facts’ are well thought out and placed The book also offers suggestions for activities for children to do with supervision and suggests other activities for teachers to instigate. With links to useful websites for even more information this book simply covers ever\ything you might need to know. as both a resourse book for teachers and a sharing one for children .. Rachel has hit on another well written successful venture.

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Both of these books would be perfect in a teacher’s book case, teachers’ library and in a school library. It is lovely to see New Zealand specific books being brought to the public... though these two would be appropriate in any nations library! Good Teacher Magazine Term 2 2020 51

Bunker Reports: Day 1 is in the Books! Bunker Reports: Day 1 of COVID-19 Quarantine On Friday, March 13th (I see you, Universe), we learned schools would close across the state of Pennsylvania for the next two weeks as to control the spread of COVID-19. This means all three children and #HusbandWTF will be roaming around here as I continue to work from home. It’s fine. Over the weekend, I put together about a week’s worth of lesson plans and activities for my kindergartner, third grader, and fourth grader. In the middle of my planning, I felt a surge of energy, of inspiration!, which is strange because I know I’m not cut out for homeschooling. At any rate, I told myself, This is your time to shine!! Husband and I are teachers–we’ve got this! Please note each child completed their work in less than an hour. There are so many more hours in the day… It’s fine. I live with really lovely people and I enjoy them, though at times, when they are under the same roof, it is hard to focus. As a virtual educator, a lot of my day is spent communicating with others in writing or via phone and meetings, thus I need quiet. I need concentration. I need to be able to yell obscenities while on mute with an annoying parent. These things weren’t necessarily possible today, but it’s fine. I’m adjusting. I’ll tell you who’s not adjusting: the husband. For whatever adorably optimistic reason, I thought he of all people would make a concerted effort to leave me the hell 52 Good Teacher Magazine Term 2 2020

alone so I could do my job. Know what I learned today? The man is physically incapable of reading anything silently to himself. After almost fourteen years of marriage, I’ve never really noticed– or at least I didn’t care–that he literally narrates his entire life: “Now where did I put that paper? Where oh where is that piece of paper??” “You know what? I think I’ll eat a snack!” “What should I type on this line?” *peers squinty-eyed at computer screen* “Whose address do they want? Mine? MINE? MY PLACE OF BUSINESS?” *farts, blames it on the dog, runs away* When I asked him to kindly shut his face hole, he seemed sincerely surprised that his running commentary on hamburger buns hadn’t been appreciated. I knew I’d finally gotten through to him when he exited the room, shoulders slumped, with a dejected, “You’re not very nice when you’re working.” CORRECT. Fortunately, the weather was semi-nice (read: they didn’t freeze) so the kids were able to play outside. They only interrupted me when it was really important, like to tattle on each other or ask for another snack. I think it’s supposed to rain tomorrow so I don’t have high hopes for avoiding a noon cocktail. Nevertheless, bunker report for today? Overall, not too shabby. Adhering to the increasingly restrictive guidelines set forth by the CDC will not be easy. As of

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now, groups of 10 or more shouldn’t be together, non-essential businesses are closed, and even outdoor playdates are supposed to be monitored to ensure kids remain six-feet apart. Yeah, it’s tough. It’s inconvenient. I may lock my husband out of the house. BUT I figure if our country just needs us to stay in the house and not go to war or anything, this is totally doable.

earlier, but I THINK IT’S SUPPOSED TO RAIN TOMORROW…

Remind me I said that when we’re still going to school in July.

Watch live feed from the Pittsburgh Zoo’s penguin and cheetah cams!

At the end of every quarantined day, I have to appreciate how fortunate we are in the midst of all this chaos. My children aren’t immunocompromised like my pal’s fouryear-old who lives with these precautions every.single.day as she battles Leukemia. #HusbandWTF and I are able to be home right now, negating the need for childcare and with no interruption to our income. Sure, I’ll be twitching and curled into the fetal position soon, but still: we are lucky.

Cincinnati one-upped us and is hosting Home Safaris at 3pm on Facebook Live. Calm down, Karen. If you don’t have Facebook or are strangling your husband at 3pm, the zoo is posting everything on its website and YouTube so no one has to miss Fiona the Hippo.

Oh, if you’re still here: I came across these fun resources that I thought I’d share because I don’t know if you heard me

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OMG it’s like I’m one of those organized, Pinterest-y moms. LOL. Free subscriptions to educational companies who aren’t being douchebags and capitalizing on our fear to make a quick buck.

Hey there, I’m Steph! English teacher by trade, smack-talker by nature, and mother of three who lives by the mantra: Life is too short, laugh! I hope you’ll stick around and check out my stuff. And by stuff I mean my writing.

Good Teacher Magazine Term 2 2020 53

How play is making a comeback in A Washington State district made an entire school just for kindergarteners where joy and play are the focus On a sunny winter morning in Sara Stevens’ kindergarten classroom at Pathfinder Kindergarten Center, 5and 6-year olds spread out across the classroom learning about colors, shapes, engineering and design. Not a pencil or worksheet was in sight, however. These kids were playing.

Standing in front of a child-sized kitchen in the corner of the classroom, Jamila dropped a plastic tomato, a hot dog, a banana and a fish into a small metal pot. “The cake’s ready!” she proclaimed to her friends. A few feet away, her classmate, Ivan, was sprawled on the ground surrounded by blocks and small toy cars. “This is a house with an invisible force field,” he proclaimed, carefully adding a block to the structure. “I didn’t build the force field,” he clarified. “I imagined it.” Originally intended to ease overcrowding in local schools, the Pathfinder Kindergarten Center, located about 25 miles north of Seattle in the

Students enjoy play, an important facet of their day, in Sara Stevens’ kindergarten class. Students have at least 40 minutes a day to play during what’s called “Play to Learn” time. 54 Good Teacher Magazine Term 2 2020

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US kindergartens

Jackie Mader

All Credits: Jackie Mader/The Hechinger Report

Students dig for objects that start with various letters of the alphabet during a literacy lesson in Sara Stevens’ class. Teachers at Pathfinder Kindergarten Center try to add opportunities to play during formal lessons, as well as between lessons.

Mukilteo School District, is a haven for its 545 kindergarteners. The $26-million school opened in 2017 with a central goal: to make kindergarten here more playful and joyful. Classrooms mirror high-quality preschools, with artwork papering the walls, children playing gleefully on colorful carpets, and classroom shelves stocked with bins of toys. Heated floors invite the children to play and rest on the ground and multiple play areas both inside and outside the school offer kids opportunities to learn and burn off energy. It may seem frivolous to spend so much money on a school dedicated to a grade level that students aren’t even required to attend in most states, but research shows kindergarten can be one of the most important years in a child’s educational career. Positive experiences in kindergarten can improve non-cognitive skills and early test scores, and even increase the likelihood that children will attend college and ultimately make more money as adults. At last count, 14 states and the District of Columbia required districts to offer full-day kindergarten, up from 10 states in 2008. As kindergarten has become more widely available

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in the last several decades, it’s also become more academic. In some districts, full-day kindergarten schedules are packed with back-toback academic activities and lessons. Between 1998 and 2010, the percentage of kindergarten classrooms with a dramatic play area dropped from nearly 90 percent to 58 percent. While recent research shows kids can, for the most part, handle more rigorous content in early years, educators and experts are worried that schools have been getting it wrong. Experts say children shouldn’t be sitting at desks, completing worksheets or listening to teachers talk for the majority of the time. An older, more extensive body of research suggests children should be playing both within lessons and between lessons, because that’s the best way for a 5-year-old to grasp difficult concepts, whether it’s working with a classmate or counting to 100. Now, several states, including Washington, are rethinking the kindergarten curriculum and encouraging districts to revive time for blockbuilding, coloring and imagining invisible force fields. Good Teacher Magazine Term 2 2020 55

Sara Stevens teaches a lesson to her kindergarteners. While students have lots of time to play, they also learn traditional and rigorous academic material during the school year.

“Play is not divorced of learning,” said Kathy Hirsh-Pasek, an author, professor of psychology at Temple University, and senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, who has studied child development and the role of play in learning for years. “It is the natural way in which we learn.” Play is what Friedrich Froebel imagined kindergarten would include when he founded the first kindergarten in Germany in 1837. The kindergarten day started with songs and then transitioned to playtime and included nature study, stories and dramatic play. For more than 100 years, that’s what kindergarten was known for. The first kindergartens in America were playbased and grounded in Froebel’s vision; they were meant to build cognitive and socialemotional skills. By the 1960’s, subjects like reading, writing, math and science were informally included in the kindergarten day, which typically lasted about two-and-a-half hours. But by the 1980’s, after the publication of “A Nation at Risk,” a report by the National Commission on Excellence in Education which described America’s education system as largely failing and in need of dire reform, many parents 56 Good Teacher Magazine Term 2 2020

called for public kindergarten and a more standard, formal curriculum. States and districts responded. From 1998 to 2010, the time spent on nonacademic subjects in kindergarten, including free play, decreased in favor of more time on academic subjects, such as conventional spelling and writing simple equations, a 2016 study found. During the same time, the percentage of classrooms with a dramatic play area dropped from nearly 90 percent to 58 percent. Opportunities for free play also dropped: The study found the number of classrooms that provided at least one hour per day of childselected activities decreased by 14 percent and the number of classrooms spending more than three hours daily on whole-class activities more than doubled. More kindergarten teachers also reported regularly teaching topics that used to be covered in later grades, like conventional spelling, writing equations, and composing and writing stories, than they did in 1998. More recently, widespread changes in academic standards, like the adoption of the Common Core standards and concern over low reading scores,

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further increased the rigor of kindergarten to the point that it has been referred to as “the new first grade.” Kindergarteners now are expected to count to 100 by ones and tens, for example. Previously some states only required kindergarteners to count to 20 or 30. In California, concepts like the counting system are now taught in kindergarten instead of first grade. In Mississippi, concepts like plural nouns and three-dimensional shapes shifted down from first grade. Kindergarteners must be able to write several sentences about a specific topic and draw a related picture, while pre-Common Core, they were only expected to draw a picture and write a single sentence. And, in some states, Common Core added new concepts young children are supposed to master, like the ability to put two shapes together to form new shapes. Many teachers at Pathfinder remember a time early in their careers when school and district officials made it clear that kindergarten was to have a new focus. Pathfinder teacher Missy Turtzo, who started teaching in the late 2000’s in Florida, recalled walking into her classroom after

district officials had removed play kitchens and other furniture. “They had taken out all the fun to make it more academic,” Turtzo said. Pathfinder teacher Stevens, who started teaching elementary school in Washington in 2001, also remembers a more academic kindergarten, devoid of the toys and play areas you see in her classroom today. She said half-day kindergarten is partly to blame. “[We had] two and a half hours. Get it done. Reading, writing, math. Reading, writing, math. Reading, writing, math. And now, it’s just like, a lot more balanced … you have more time,” she said. Some states and districts are moving back to a play-based kindergarten classroom after the creation of state early learning standards that emphasize the importance of hands-on experiences. For others, the realization that students were struggling with social-emotional skills in kindergarten was a wake-up call. And for some, ongoing feedback from teachers and experts calling for “developmentally

The classrooms in Pathfinder have play areas that include window nooks and childsize kitchens to encourage dramatic play during the school day.

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Good Teacher Magazine Term 2 2020 57

appropriate” activities, rooted in play, inspired a change. The Mukilteo School District’s adoption of what officials here describe as a developmentally appropriate and joyful kindergarten experience was also inspired by recommendations by Washington’s early childhood experts. A state law mandated full-day kindergarten starting in the 2017-18 school year. To receive funding, districts had to provide experiences in science, arts and physical education, opportunities for hands-on learning and setting up classroom environments that “promote creativity.” State officials also released a guide that encouraged more time for play and cited extensive research on why play is important. A similar mindset was behind New Hampshire’s move to a play-based kindergarten in 2018, when the legislature amended the state’s education law to mandate that kindergartens adopt a play-based model. “Rigorous structure and heavy curriculum are not intended to be part of the kindergarten experience,” New

Hampshire education officials declared. “Rather, educating kindergarten age children can be done through social imitation, learning through expression, and unstructured play within the classroom setting.” Some districts don’t just stop at kindergarteners: The Watertown City School District in upstate New York has adopted a play-based curriculum for first graders, too. Kids have reaped benefits from such changes. In West Chester, Pennsylvania, district officials noted referrals to occupational therapy are down, which educators there attribute to the increase in time to work on fine motor skills while playing. A 2016 study of two schools in Texas found that when kindergarten and first grade students received additional time to play in the form of extra recess breaks each day, their academic performance on reading and math “significantly increased.” Providing more time for play is a popular decision with 5-year-olds. The youngsters in Sara Steven’s classroom at Pathfinders are

Pathfinder Kindergarten Center has four “pods” where several kindergarten classrooms gather to eat meals, have small group lessons and participate in art and music lessons, among other subjects. The school, which was built by an international architecture group, cost $26-million to construct. 58 Good Teacher Magazine Term 2 2020

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Students play with cars during “Play to Learn” time. Washington is one of several states encouraging districts to include more time for play during full-day kindergarten programs.

unanimous: Playtime is their favorite time of the day. A close second? Recess. During playtime on the recent winter morning, three students in Stevens’ classroom were carefully building a “place for cars” out of magnetic shapes. As one student moved closer to place a square on top of the structure, it suddenly collapsed. “[We had] two and a half hours. Get it done. Reading, writing, math. Reading, writing, math. Reading, writing, math. And now, it’s just like, a lot more balanced … you have more time.” The other two students whipped around and stared at the ruins, both quickly masking their initial look of disappointment. “We can make something else,” one of the students said matter-of-factly. “Or we can share ours!” the other student said, motioning to a second structure. Research shows play is a proven way for students to learn academic and nonacademic skills. And Stevens said this is evident to her. During playtime, students naturally learn to identify colors and shapes as they draw masks and build

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towers, and learn to write as they plan pretend birthday parties, complete with invitations and signs. But more important, she said, her students acquire social skills, like how to work together, use kind words and share. “Sharing is really hard,” Stevens said as she watched a group of students eagerly hovering around a game on the floor. “They have to talk it out and take turns.” Child development expert Hirsh-Pasek cautioned that adding play needs to be done thoughtfully. “Don’t just stick play in,” she said. “Make it part and parcel of the learning experience.” While free play has its benefits, Hirsh-Pasek said if the goal is for children to learn, adults need to set up an environment so kids can “muck around” and play with a purpose. “By doing so, they learn more because it’s their learning,” she said. At Pathfinder and other kindergarten classrooms in the district, playtime is officially called “Play to Learn,” a nod to the fact that the two concepts are intertwined. The block of time devoted to play is bookended by a planning time, when children choose the activity or area of the classroom to spend their time in, as well as a Good Teacher Magazine Term 2 2020 59

reflection time, when children share what they did or what they made. When Play to Learn time ends, students eagerly put away their toys and rush to the colorful carpet in the center of the room to tell their classmates about their playtime. Students at Pathfinder are still learning their letters and numbers and becoming more proficient at writing their names and short sentences. But, in addition to at least 50 minutes of playtime, they also enjoy 35 minutes of recess and 45 minutes of physical education, art, technology or music each day. And teachers say they have the freedom to adjust schedules as

needed. When they noticed the introduction of writing was leading to meltdowns at the beginning of the year, for example, teachers pushed their lessons back and devoted time just teaching kids how to hold a pencil. Educators here said there’s more to their model than just giving kids more time to play. They’ve designed a kindergarten experience based on the needs of 5-year-olds, rather than expecting 5-year-olds to fit into an existing elementary school model. Administrators and teachers said they feel they have more freedom to adjust schedules as needed. When they noticed the introduction of writing was leading to meltdowns

Students in Sara Steven’s kindergart masks during “Play to Learn” time from several activities and ga 60 Good Teacher Magazine Term 2 2020

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at the beginning of the year, for example, teachers pushed their lessons back and devoted time just teaching kids how to hold a pencil. “You hear a lot of people say ‘this kid is not ready for kindergarten’” said Boze, the principal. “I think with our philosophy and in our vision with an all-kindergarten school, it’s our job to be ready for the kids no matter where they’re coming from. It’s our job to meet every single child wherever they are.” Daily schedules district-wide for kindergarteners are structured with the understanding that a full-day of school is a lot for a 5-year-old. Annie Johnson, executive director of the department of elementary education for the Mukilteo School District, said for this reason, the district encourages schools to plan more academic-heavy lessons and activities for kindergarteners in the morning. “Some students really struggle with the full day, they are literally exhausted by the afternoon,” Johnson said. By frontloading academics in the morning, “kids can kind of relax and play” during the time when they are most tired from a day of stimulation.

ten class make colorful e. Students can choose ames during playtime.

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The school environment helps as well: The Pathfinder building was built specifically with kindergarteners in mind by the DLR Group, an international architecture firm. The two-story building is shaped like an S and

organized into four mini schools, or “pods,” within the larger school. Each pod has its own specialist who teaches a rotating schedule of art, music, physical education and technology to the students every day. Six classrooms share a large common area flanked by an entire wall of windows. Child-sized bathrooms are located between classrooms, making bathroom breaks quick and efficient. Kids walk through wide hallways painted with colorful wildlife murals. Little nooks under the stairs give children cozy spaces to read or color and provide private areas for one-on-one tutoring. Outside the school, nestled between the building and a protected woodland area, are two large playgrounds with turf, slides and climbing equipment. Educators here say the intense focus on one grade level is having a positive impact on students, 50 percent of whom are English language learners and 61 percent of whom are low-income. The school boasts an attendance rate of 83 percent, which is slightly higher than the state average. And 93 percent of Pathfinder’s English Learners are making progress, according to school officials. That’s not to say Pathfinder is without its challenges. Having a separate school for kindergarteners means an extra transition to yet another school when students start first grade. And while kindergarteners at traditional elementary schools can benefit from having older students as mentors, there are no such mentors at Pathfinder. Although Pathfinder officials don’t have data on how their graduates perform in first grade, principal Cheryl Boze said she frequently hears from first grade teachers who say they can pick out the kids who attended Pathfinder. “They’re better prepared, they’re further along academically, socially and emotionally. They see our kids as more kind and caring,” Boze said. “So I do believe that what we’re doing is working.”

This story about play-based kindergarten was produced by The Hechinger Report, a nonprofit, independent news organization focused on inequality and innovation in education. Good Teacher Magazine Term 2 2020 61

Found Photographs and Book Page Hollie Chastain Paper artist and illustrator Hollie Chastain clips, layers, and stitches found photographs and scraps of paper ephemera to create her mixed-media collages. The Chattanooga, Tennesseebased artist repurposes old narratives and images⁠—in one piece, tuba players pop out of a library card pocket, and in another, two men tug on a string woven through a handwritten note⁠— providing a new story for each regenerated work.

All credits Hollie Chastain

Chastain tells Colossal she began working with the medium in 2008. “Vintage book covers became a favorite substrate,” she says. “I fell in love with the scribbles, stamps, library and school identification, water and ink marks and all the other visual history and how that added to and sometimes altered the composition of the piece. ” Today, she often cuts images from National Geographic copies printed in the 1960s and 70s, gravitating toward “strong characters and people in action.” To share her appreciation of the versatile medium, Chastain published an instructional book detailing various techniques and methods. “What I adore about collage as a medium is the complete versatility and the allowances that it gives first time creators to play around with color and texture and composition without any ‘but I can’t draw’ and ‘I’m not an artist’ hang-ups,” she says. If you want to join Chastain and start your own textured project, order a copy of If You Can Cut, You Can Collage. Otherwise, check out her shop and follow her on Instagram. 62 Good Teacher Magazine Term 2 2020

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es Weave into Textured Collages by Grace Ebert

“Band Stand”

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“Harvest” 64 Good Teacher Magazine Term 2 2020

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“Homework”

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Good Teacher Magazine Term 2 2020 65

“Parade Day”

“The Delegate” 66 Good Teacher Magazine Term 2 2020

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“Paradise Lost”

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Good Teacher Magazine Term 2 2020 67

“Psychopomp” Colossal.com 68 Good Teacher Magazine Term 2 2020

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Good Teacher Magazine Term 2 2020 69

Moodle Eyes the Global Goals

“The UN’s Sustainable Development Goals show us the big problems, so big that they need to become the world’s agenda for education.” – Martin Dougiamas

Martin Dougiamas is the Founder and CEO of Moodle, an open source learning platform. The company was founded in 2002, and since then has grown to have over 100,000 registered sites with more than 130 million users worldwide. Moodle provides educators with free software for online learning and collaboration. Additionally, the platform is used by corporations such as Vodafone and CocaCola as well as organizations such as the 70 Good Teacher Magazine Term 2 2020

United Nations, World Vision International and the US Defense force. The Sustainable Development Goals are a collection of 17 global goals set by the United Nations General Assembly in 2015 for the year 2030. Dougiamas believes “Education is the solution for all of these.” He joins us to talk about the growth of Moodle and how the platform is empowering educators to support our world.

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C M Rubin

“The teacher’s role is to create the space, allow students to enter and then facilitate their experiences as students use the resources and collaborate in the activities.” – Martin Dougiamas Martin, what problem was Moodle LMS designed to solve? The main product we make, Moodle LMS (that everyone knows) is a learning management system. It is software that runs on a server to produce a dynamic web site with courses, which are like classrooms, which themselves contain activities and resources. The teacher’s role is to create the space, allow students to enter, and then facilitate their experiences as students use the resources and collaborate in the activities. Moodle was designed to do these things, and in particular to promote a collaborative “social constructionist” philosophy of education, where participants learn through constructing relevant artifacts for each other in a safe social space. Of

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course, we’re all used to this now on social media, but when I started Moodle, there was not much of that around yet. Despite this focus, we’ve found that a lot of teachers use it more simply as a document repository to share their teaching materials – this is something we are trying to improve through our education program. Moodle originally aimed at higher education, but was rapidly taken up by schools and companies, so it’s used across all phases of learning and all ages. We don’t have complete stats of users because it’s open source and registration is an opt-in process, but from those who have registered, we know it’s in 60% of higher education worldwide, in every country of the world, with over 160 million users. Good Teacher Magazine Term 2 2020 71

“Teachers choose it because they are empowered to create interesting and, if they want, complex online learning experiences using all the many tools at their disposal, no matter what the sector is.” – Martin Dougiamas That’s incredible. Why do you believe teachers choose Moodle versus other platforms? Decision-makers around Moodle can be varied, but we do know that teachers choose it because they are empowered to create interesting and, if they want, complex online learning experiences using the many tools at their disposal, no matter what the sector is. We of course have thousands of feature requests, but recently the majority are related to saving teacher time spent in management tasks which frees them up to spend more time looking after students, especially in scenarios when there are many students. What’s your criteria for screening products and entities who create learning programs on Moodle? We don’t screen anyone at all. Moodle is completely Open. 72 Good Teacher Magazine Term 2 2020

If, however, people want to share extensions to Moodle, i.e. a Moodle Plugin, then we have quite a rigorous process for that, which includes automated code checks, human security, usability and sanity checks, etcetera. Big brands, small brands and start-ups are all creating courses on Moodle. What are your best marketing tips to those trying to raise the profile for their products with global audiences? Really, you want products so good that your users will do the marketing for you, grass rootsstyle. Stay focused on talking/listening to your users and reacting to that. Respect local customs – Moodle has 140 language translations, for example. Being open and free really helps, plus we spend a lot of effort to make sure the product is always improving and evolving.

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“Moodle originally aimed at higher education, but was rapidly taken up by schools and companies, so it’s used across all phases of learning and all ages.” – Martin Dougiamas

Technologies like Moodle have enabled us to create new models for learning at a time when we face many global challenges. What are your predictions for *what” curriculums should focus on for the future? Before now, Moodle has stayed fairly neutral in the question of what should be taught. We’ve left that to educators to decide.

include this content into their courses with the minimum of effort. For example, you can include examples of inequality or refugees in courses about engineering. If “objectively good” content like this was available easily, then we could push these ideas better across the world, through Moodle.

However, the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals show us the big problems, so big that they need to become the world’s agenda for education. Education is the solution for all of these. We need to raise the amount of awareness and training around these goals in every curriculum in the world, from school to university to workplace. Our recent work is to help build content solutions such as MoodleNet that will help educators C. M. Rubin and Martin Dougiamas

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Important changes to the Mind After two years of operating The Mind Lab out of MOTAT, Frances Valintine has gifted The Mind Lab school groups programmes to MOTAT, and the museum is committed to keeping The Mind Lab spirit and pedagogy alive under their own MOTAT Education banner. “We are excited to bring Damon Kahi, The Mind Lab’s National Technologist, into the MOTAT team where he will continue to create exceptional learning opportunities and programmes for children using digital technologies and future focused themes” explains Julie Baker, Education Manager at MOTAT. “As always, we are eager to work closely with your schools, supporting you with the Digital Curriculum and offering your students rich new STEM experiences.” If you have questions or would like to provide some input and feedback on digital curriculum matters Damon and the MOTAT team can be contacted on email: education@motat. org.nz

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Lab offering at MOTAT

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Good Teacher Magazine Term 2 2020 75

Research shows gaps in children’s care A new report highlights work needed to broaden children’s career expectations, says Tertiary Education Commission Chief executive Tim Fowler.

‘This is the first time such research has been done in New Zealand,’ says Tim Fowler.

The ‘Drawing the Future’ report was launched at Parliament last week.

‘And some of the reasons for their choices are heart-warming: the girl who wants to be a lawyer to help the innocent, or the boy who’d like to be a soldier so he can protect the people he loves.

It is based on contributions by 7,700 primary and intermediate students from around the country, who were asked to draw pictures showing the jobs they were interested in.

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‘It’s good to see that 48 percent of the children chose future jobs because they’d enjoy them.

‘On the other hand, the report confirms international findings which show that unconscious bias caused by a child’s race, gender and socio-economic status can have an early effect on career choice.’

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eer aspirations NZ Tertiary Education Commission Around two in ten New Zealand children aspire to a science, technology, engineering or mathsrelated career, but girls are one and a half times more likely to than boys.

what New Zealand children want to be when they grow up - and just as importantly, the career choices they haven’t even considered.

Māori children are the most likely to aspire to be sportspeople, but are less likely to be interested in science and technology-related jobs; Pacific children are more than twice as likely as others to want to be police officers.

‘Tellingly, more than 50 percent of drawings for both boys and girls show just nine jobs: sportsperson - way ahead at almost 17 percent - vet, police officer, teacher, social media influencer, artist, doctor, military or firefighter, and farmer.

‘Such bias can affect the choices made later in life, such as subjects studied at secondary school and training or education pursued after graduation,’ says Tim Fowler.

‘While these are important occupations, the results tell us that many of the critical skills that New Zealand needs for a productive economy are not evident.

‘This

‘Over half of New Zealand children aspire to a professional career, but only a quarter of people in the workforce are expected to be employed in those roles in 2028.

research offers us unique insight into

‘We need to engage children in a wider range of occupations - for example those related to science and technology - if New Zealand is to thrive, and future generations are to enjoy satisfying, lifelong careers.’ TEC is working on a number of initiatives to help broaden the horizons of tamariki so they can pursue jobs that are in demand now and in the future, says Tim Fowler. ‘The results of the Drawing the Future research will help design a new programme to overcome some of the children’s bias that often limit young people’s career aspirations. ‘Under the programme industry volunteers will visit schools to talk to learners about different career options and how to achieve them - we’re starting pilots in several schools around the country in the coming months. ‘I am very excited by this research, and by how we’ll be able to use it to create lifelong learning opportunities for New Zealanders.’

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Opinion: We must leverage the ‘Co Advantage’ to counter the econom The world is bracing for a massive hit to the global economy in the wake of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Experts have warned of a US$1-2 trillion shortfall in global income this year, while world trade could contract by between 13 and 32 per cent.

crisis, the Commonwealth’s overall exports of both goods and services grew at a faster rate than the world average.

As countries take drastic measures to fight the spread of the disease, we are seeing borders and businesses closed, domestic and international travel scaled back, and a totally transformed way of life due to social distancing. Currently, 2.6 billion people across the world are affected by their workplace closing.

In fact, during the global trade slowdown of 2012 to 2016, the Commonwealth’s services exports were especially resilient, expanding by 7 per cent, on average - more than twice the growth rate for the rest of the world.

The result is a sweeping drop in economic activity, a much less active workforce, on top of growing global insecurity for the future. Without ample government bailouts, poor developing countries and small states remain the most vulnerable in the face of the pandemic. However, history has shown that with the right policies and support measures in place, the Commonwealth as a whole will eventually be able to overcome the economic fallout – though extremely bleak times lie ahead. In particular, gradually reviving trade flows amongst 54 member countries – worth more than an estimated US$700 billion in 2019 - can play a fundamental role in boosting economic recovery, while harnessing the benefits of Commonwealth ties.

Recovering from the crisis Given the unprecedented nature of current pandemic, I am cautious in comparing economicinduced and biological-induced crises. However, the 2008-2009 global financial crisis can offer some insights about the Commonwealth’s possible performance. Over the years following the global financial 78 Good Teacher Magazine Term 2 2020

From 2010 to 2018, the Commonwealth’s exports in goods, which make up 70 per cent of its trade, grew by around 8 per cent, compared to only 5.5 per cent for the world.

Rapid population and per capita income growth (especially in Asia) are part of the driving forces behind the Commonwealth’s buoyancy. With 2.4 billion people, 60 per cent of whom are under the age of 30, these drivers are unlikely to slow anytime soon – with or without coronavirus.

Commonwealth Advantage Moreover, Commonwealth countries share historical ties, familiar legal and administrative systems, a common language of operation (English) and large dynamic diasporas, which help make trade and investment more convenient and efficient. While not a formal trading bloc, this ‘Commonwealth Advantage’ enables member states to trade up to 20 per cent more with each other than with non-members, at a 21 per cent lower cost, on average. Our research also shows that these countries invest up to 27 per cent more within the Commonwealth than outside of it - almost tripling investment levels five years ago, which stood at 10 per cent. The potential benefits have not been lost on countries, even as we prepare to face a severe slowdown of the global economy brought on by COVID-19. The slowing of the Chinese economy (a major trading partner), the decline in tourism and travel, as well as plunging oil prices will certainly

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ommonwealth mic fallout of COVID-19 Patricia Scotland cause economic strain to members. However, investment flows to sectors such as e-commerce, digital technologies, cybersecurity, healthcare and biotechnologies could shore up, as business migrates online, and countries race to find a vaccine and other medical treatments. Strengthening the connectivity among our countries is therefore critical, so that trade flows remain resilient during times of crisis. Digital connectivity will be especially key, as the need to interact virtually now will transform the way people trade and do business. It is already a major area of focus for the Commonwealth, under its flagship Connectivity Agenda. While being extremely watchful of the pandemic’s economic impacts, I am cautiously hopeful about the potential for intraCommonwealth trade to act as a lifeline during the darkest of times. By leveraging the

Commonwealth Advantage and robust policy responses, countries can bolster vital trade and investment flows, to eventually emerge at the end of the tunnel. The Commonwealth is a voluntary association of 54 independent and equal sovereign states. The Commonwealth is home to 2.4 billion people and includes both advanced economies and developing countries. More than 60 per cent of the Commonwealth’s population is under the age of 30. Thirty-two of our members are small states, many of which are island nations. Our shared values and principles are inscribed in the Commonwealth Charter. Member countries are supported by a network of more than 80 intergovernmental, civil society, cultural and professional organisations

Patricia Scotland, Commonwealth Secretary-General

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COVID’s Social Experiment The COVID-19 pandemic is this generation’s JFK assassination or 9/11. Our children will look back on these days and always remember where they were when this global crisis hit. At home. Like the rest of us. The coronavirus quarantine is also a fantastic social experiment. I’ve enjoyed watching how the different personalities react in times of crisis. I’m continually moved by those on the front lines and the huge heartfelt displays of humanity, and endlessly entertained by the rest of us. Some of you are taking things to a whole new level and I appreciate that about you. So in an effort to memorialize your crazy, I’d like to slap a label on you (that likely represents some deep-seated issues of my own) because if we don’t laugh, we’ll cry. Amirite?! Alarmist: Crawls out of their underground bunker only to share worst case scenarios. Interprets the facts as morbidly as possible.

Will not be invited to post-pandemic parties. Crisis Militant: Goes to extremes to stick to schedules and routines that disappeared along with the rest of our previous normalcy. The phrase “roll with the punches” is not in the Militant’s vocabulary; they value structure over everything because structure = control and control = comfort. Jesus Freak: Believes a higher power is sending messengers to smite us for being fill-in-the-blank: gay, liberal, carnivores, not Christian enough, etc. Jesus Freaks, especially the closeted gays, also believe they’re exempt from any Armageddon-ish activity. Obvi. Celebrators: View the crisis as a nation-wide doctor’s note excusing all responsibility and accountability. BEST PANDEMIC EVER! Sally Sunshine: Looks on the sunny side of global disease, uses #blessed in every communication, cries self to sleep at night. Data Du Jour: Believes news tickers should be memorized. Obsessively devours all information, relevant or not, and subsequently shares what they’ve learned with everyone

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they know via text, email, phone, social media post, mime, sidewalk chalk…

often moves loved ones to scream JUST LET US FEEL OUR FEELINGS!

Everything is Fine: Outwardly controls emotions, inwardly screams, looks psychotic when smiling.

Welcome Wagon: These individuals have embraced the quarantine by happily binge watching Tiger King and eating their feelings.

Jokey McJokerson: Makes light of every situation. People are dying? “They’re the lucky ones–they’re not stuck in the house any more!” Entire states shut down? “No worries, we have enough wine to last a year!” Conspiracy Theorist: Shares fun stories like: North Korea sent the Coronavirus as payback for Trump calling Jong-un “tiny rocket man” or that China created the disease to send a message to the US about their feelings on our trade relations. Busy Denial Bee: Oh, there’s a quarantine?! *washes windows* I hadn’t noticed! *sweeps floors* Soooo busy over here! *dry heaves into toilet* Social Media Mom: In a misguided effort to “put more kindness into the world,” the SMM constantly posts bullshit like I am loving every minute of this with my kids! and Our life has never been better! The SMM never mentions washing down her Zoloft with a bottle of red. What About Me: Logically understands there’s an actual crisis, but lives inside their own head where “bigger” problems like their social calendar and the need to get back to the gym keep popping up. Fact Finder: When friends need emotional support, the Fact Finder sends them the Power of Social Distancing graphic. The affinity for facts is typically misconstrued as emotional apathy and

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Ivory Armchair: Even in times of crisis– especially in times of crisis–those atop their Ivory Armchair make a sport out of criticizing everything around them. Delighting in passive aggressive put-downs and “I would never’s,” they offer no help, only judgement. Non-applicable: These people believe everyone should comply with the quarantine unless “everyone” includes them. They’re on board with flattening the curve as long as it doesn’t inconvenience or limit them. Angry Elf: Views the safety measures as unnecessary, blaming man buns for making this whole country soft. Caring about each other and listening to medical experts is for the hipsters AND THIS COUNTRY WASN’T BUILT BY HIPSTERS. ‘Merica. One-Upper: The One-upper sees your incessant hand washing and sheltering-inplace and raises you potty training their dog to avoid ever leaving the house again.

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Miniature Creatures Made of Felted Wool by Nastasya Shuljak Andrew Lasane

Moscow-based artist Nastasya Shuljak transforms packs of wool into sculptures of small animals and other whimsical creatures. Plants sprout from the heads of smiling trees and other natural spirits. Polar bears, foxes, hares, and other critters stare through inquisitive eyes applied to their tiny woolen faces. Shuljak’s toys are an exercise in the flexibility of the material and also a way to bring joy to all who meet them. Shuljak, a former theater artist and art teacher, tells Colossal that the practice of making creatures began when friends gifted her some wool. With that first bag she made a bear and a hare, and the menagerie has been growing ever since. “I saw children’s sonorous happiness in an adult man holding in his hands what I did,” says Shuljak. “Until now, it touches me, causes surprise and peace.” Commenting on the purpose of the figures, she added that her animals “do not aspire to the exhibition hall, do not claim to be art. These are just small lumps of joy, carefree second smiles.” Shuljak teaches classes in Moscow on how to create the toys and also sells them via social media. For more information on upcoming workshops and to meet more of these adorable wool creatures, follow Shuljak on Instagram.

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Virtual Exchange Program Focuses

“Virtual exchange is unique because it enables students to have a global experience, where they are able to connect with peers in another geography to learn about one another and learn with one another.” – Mohamed Abdel-Kader

Educators around the globe are increasingly connecting youth through technology to collaborate and learn together. When students are able to connect and work on real world projects with their international peers, they are able to develop job market skills, global competencies, and cross-cultural connections. Mohamed Abdel-Kader is the Executive Director of the Stevens Initiative at the Aspen Institute. The initiative helps educators to connect young people in the US with their peers in other countries by making resources such as toolkits, webinars and data on program development available. Currently the Stevens Initiative has a strong focus on connecting students in the US with their peers in the Middle East and North Africa. 90 Good Teacher Magazine Term 2 2020

Mohamed Abdel-Kader explains the program also aims “to be an advocate to raise the profile of virtual exchange amongst policy makers, educators and administrators, and additional funding sources.” The Global Search for Education welcomes Mohamed Abdel-Kader. Mohammed, what makes the virtual exchange approach unique? Virtual exchange is unique because it enables students to have a global experience where they are able to connect with peers in another geography to learn about one another and learn with one another. The experience is collaborative, sustained, and usually facilitated by educators. What have been the biggest challenges in developing your program? What lessons have you learned from these challenges? There are several challenges faced in the virtual

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on the Middle East and Africa

“There are several challenges faced in the virtual exchange field. First, as many people would guess, navigating time zones and other alignment between courses and curricula.” – Mohamed Abdel-Kader exchange field. First, as many people would guess, navigating time zones and alignment between courses and curricula. Second, as much as technology has advanced, there are still hiccups from time to time that affect implementation. Third, for some educators whose schools and institutions do not have existing partnerships, finding a partner overseas can be a challenge. Luckily, many virtual exchange providers in the field can help to remedy that issue such as Soliya, Global Nomads Group, Empatico, and World Learning, among others. We have learned that for primary and secondary educators, virtual exchange has to be “easy to do” – with all of the pressures and responsibilities of a K-12 educator, the “ease of use” of a program is important. We have also learned that educator leadership is critical to the success of a program. In my view, the programs that are most successful are the ones where educators are buying into the idea of global

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learning and are committed to infusing that perspective into the classroom. Finally, those educators need support from school and district leadership as well. In the post-secondary context, we have seen several exciting models of virtual exchange. Again, we see that successful programs happen when there is a commitment from a faculty member and an institution to implement quality virtual exchange as part of a broader effort towards campus and curriculum internationalization. We also see that quality training for faculty members (on both sides of the virtual exchange) is beneficial to success, and the coordination and planning between the two implementing faculty members are critical. Technology has brought us so much closer together. Cross-cultural understanding is now even more critical. How can tech help educators solve our problems? Technology in the classroom has allowed Good Teacher Magazine Term 2 2020 91

“The students of today are “digital natives”, meaning they have only known a world with digital connection.” – Mohamed Abdel-Kader

educators to be creative in how they use a virtual connection to bring a global perspective into a number of courses – from entrepreneurship, to cross-cultural dialogue, to service learning, to discussions on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), to STEM classrooms. A virtual exchange experience can have students from Ramallah connect with peers in Arizona to collaborate on a project studying water scarcity; refugees in Turkey can connect with peers in Florida to collaboratively design interventions for people in their communities with mobility challenges; and students in Chicago and Casablanca can co-design a virtual exhibit of a recent dinosaur discovery for an online museum. It’s truly incredible to see the speed and ease of collaboration. When I was in middle school (not that long ago), we still had to mail letters and use the telephone to connect with anyone overseas. The students of today are “digital natives”, meaning they have only known a world with digital connection. I have been excited to see how students innovate and find work-arounds to common technology and connectivity issues because they’re familiar with the strengths and weaknesses of each platform. With a global and entrepreneurial mindset that sees the potential and power of technology, I’m excited to see what innovative solutions today’s students will think of. 92 Good Teacher Magazine Term 2 2020

Surely, many of them will be the leaders of tomorrow’s companies and social enterprises. How do you define globally competent and why do we need this more than ever? Any student navigating the complexities of the 21st century needs to be globally competent – meaning that they have the mindset, the disposition, and the tools to navigate a rapidly changing and interconnected environment, often filled with ambiguity and diversity. These “global competencies” or “executive skills” position young people with stronger analytical skills with the ability to understand connections between the global and the local as well as digital and media literacy skills. Additionally, the ability to empathize, understand, and communicate (sometimes in another language), and ultimately act locally or globally with that knowledge, will be critical for success. Global competencies can be integrated into any curriculum because we need the engineer to manage a multi-lingual team more effectively, the business person to have a better understanding of global dynamics, the health-care practitioner to be more conscious of the cultural backgrounds of their patients, and the everyday citizen to be able to act in their communities on issues of importance to their neighbors.

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Photos courtesy of the Stevens Initiative at the Aspen Institute

“Any student navigating the complexities of the 21st century needs to be globally competent – meaning that they have the mindset, the disposition, and the tools to navigate a rapidly changing and interconnected environment, often filled with ambiguity and diversity.” – Mohamed Abdel-Kader How has the changing world inspired your work? How would you describe the commonalities of your approach with the systems you most respect around the world? Our Initiative is named for Ambassador Christopher Stevens who tragically lost his life in the attack on the US Embassy in Libya. He was a diplomat that was known for representing the best of American values while also maintaining a curiosity, empathy, and affinity for the communities he served in while overseas. His memory continues to inspire our work with the aim that all young people may approach the world around them with curiosity, empathy, and a desire to build bridges of understanding between cultures. Young people are currently facing many challenges such as the rise of nationalism and threats to security, climate change and extreme weather, and struggles for economic opportunity and inclusion. Without the necessary mindsets, dispositions, and educational experiences – they will lack the tools to tackle these challenges. Our team approaches this work with a lens of reaching students who may not have the opportunity to have an international experience. We recognize the inequalities in education and aim to level that playing field by prioritizing our grant-making to programs that serve women and girls, underrepresented groups, students with need in both rural and urban settings, students with disabilities, and refugees.

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Where do you see the Stevens Initiative 10 or 15 years from now? In 10-15 years, the Stevens Initiative’s work will look different than today. We will be in an environment where virtual exchange is a common and ubiquitous methodology in teaching – that having a global collaboration and global perspective through virtual exchange are just how we teach. I see that our work will shift to support the refinement of virtual exchange practices, continue evaluation of new and exciting models, and integrate it into everyday civic discourse beyond academic settings. In the future, I also see the Stevens Initiative working with technology partners and educators to bring the latest virtual exchange tools into classrooms that allow for much more immersive and personal connections. Perhaps we’ll be well beyond video-conferencing and collaborating with holograms of peers in virtual and augmented environments. My personal wish is that in 10-15 years, the Stevens Initiative will have a role in bringing virtual exchange to all regions of the world, beyond the United States and the Middle East and North Africa.

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Opinion: The rabid left doesn’t ha During the worst years of the USSR’s disastrous enforcement of socialism, where farms were collectivised, causing millions of deaths through famine, anyone attempting to make their lives a little lighter with humour, risked the gulags or worse, if the humour was seen to be critical of the state. What will happen if we build socialism in the Sahara Desert?’ ‘For the first 50 years there will be nothing but planning and talking. After that, all of a sudden, Sahara will run out of sand…’ Once, Stalin had a problem with mice: they infested his office in the Kremlin and no one could chase them away. So, a friend gave Stalin some advice: ‘Just proclaim your cabinet to be a kolkhoz. Half of the mice will run away like hell, and the other half will starve to death!’ Old Rabinovich [a Jewish surname] goes to the demonstration with a sign that says: “Thank you, Comrade Stalin, for my happy childhood!” A police officer sees it: ‘Hey, comrade, that makes no sense. You’re too old; when you were a child Stalin wasn’t even alive!’ ‘Yes, and my childhood was really happy without him. I’m thankful for that!’ Things aren’t that bad yet in the West but the nature of comedy has changed, mainly due to the snowflake left influencing advertisers to balk at anything which could give offense. Actually, snowflake is probably a misnomer considering the tendency for extreme violence (Antifa, BLM) from these groups. Would Archie Bunker be permitted today? No way. He was racist, homophobic and 94 Good Teacher Magazine Term 2 2020

misogynistic but the cleverness of the show meant that the audience understood that these traits were being satirised. One of my favourites was when one of Archie’s workmates died and he was asked to deliver a ‘urology’. At the funeral, he discovered that his friend was Jewish and Archie donned a ‘beanie’ and delivered a series of faux pas, all the while showing a genuine liking for the deceased. I don’t recall any Jewish backlash, no riots, shops burned down or show boycotts. Similarly, Fawlty Towers was outrageous but it was this very outrageousness which indicated the satirical nature of the show. Possibly the best-known episode is The Germans, where Basil fires off a string of racist slurs, typically making a fool of himself. Apparently, the BBC, when it broadcasts reruns, censors a scene where the Major makes a series of racist statements about another ethnic group. Satire again but it seems that the programmers think that some groups can’t handle it. No problem mocking the Germans though. Isn’t that a bit racist? Billy T. James made fun of his own race at times, he also satirised European culture. Few people saw his talent as a front for antifa activism, still, it is doubtful that some of his content would have an easy ride today. If it were delivered by a European, cries of White Supremacy would not be far away. Sigh. So, what do we have for humour these days? Criticising President Trump is flavour of the decade for most humourists- such an easy target and sure to get audiences whooping and giving standing ovations. Even Hollywood celebrities with the sense of humour of a toothbrush just need to scream Trumpian obscenities to receive rapturous

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ave a sense of humour adulation. I have often wondered what gives a movie actor, an athlete, or a woman who delivers a TV weather forecast the right to treat us to their political opinions. But this subject matter is getting a bit tiresome and anyone who uses it these days is being a tad lazy. Trouble is, there are few great comedians out there, those with the intellect and the talent to capture a wide audience. Instead, we have many resorting to swearing or focusing on toilet humour. Seems it’s OK to shock an audience with expletives or vivid descriptions of bowel habits but not to make gentle fun of the foibles of human nature. Free speech in humour is a casualty of leftist activists, who often take offence vicariously, whether the target of the humour is upset or not. Remember My Word? Articulate and genuinely funny people like Frank Muir and Dennis Norden used their intellect and humour to impress a large, diverse audience. Surreal and slapstick performers like The Goons, held whole countries mesmerised. Sadly, today I am sure there would be ‘deeply offended’ people who would attempt to identify micro-aggressions or racial slurs. You can’t have your kayak and heat it would not make it pass the censor. We all have heard jokes about certain races. I know there are lots of ‘anti’ Kiwi jokes, often delivered by our friends across the ditch. Do I feel aggrieved? Do I go on Facebook or contact a media outlet to express my offense? If it’s funny, I’ll laugh. Could it be that a culture that cannot laugh at itself is yet to grow up? The woke left sometimes delivers unintentional humour in their crusades (oops, I used a taboo word-so sorry) against society. For example, according to that

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great repository of knowledge, Google, college professors in the U.S. have worked hard to identify racism, which is more pervasive than imagined. Amongst the usual suspects (Trump supporters) these luminaries of cutting- edge research have also identified mathematics, a solar eclipse and turning up to a meeting on time as racist. In fifteen hundred words, identify and exemplify the Eurocentric elements contained in a full solar eclipse. Mussolini was reputed to make the trains run on time. Analyse the concept of punctuality as a key tenet of fascism. Algebra is Islamophobic-discuss. Perhaps we in Godzone could include white butterflies, fish and chips, toenails and sneezing for left-wing approbrium? Politicians are not immune from a rabid mindset that can only be laughed at. Recently a leftist M.P equated tax with love. Perhaps it’s only a rumour that the Green Party are proposing a bill to ban starboard aerofoils on aircraft- a right wing element in aviation cannot be tolerated. Didn’t a journalist, a while back, decry the name Kepler for a NASA spacecraft-can’t have something named after a bullet proof vest? I guess Kevlar is pretty close for the copy and paste brigade today. If tax does equal love, then in the words of Whitney Houston (oops, I almost left the ‘n’ out of her Christian first name), I will Always Tax You makes sense. Seems like a good campaign song for the next election.

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.” 96 Good Teacher Magazine Term 2 2020