the whole picture...

Derek has made a good point in his blog when discussing education 'reform' We, the royal we should always be thinking about the systems, interventions and processes in place, ensuring they achieve and continue to achieve there intended goals.

Derek bemoans the lack of big picture thinking in this process,

At times I can’t help but wonder where the ‘big picture’ thinking is – where is the ‘joined-up’ system thinking and analysis, that is reflected in the  local and national level policies.

He then makes reference to a leadeship systems report from the state of Iowa.

Changing only one part of the system while not addressing all of the others that impact the work would be wasted energy.

This got me thinking about a insightful comment from Dr Therese Arseneau on TVNZ's Q & A programme.  This I downloaded and placed on youtube last year.  She makes the point with regards to the national standards debate but it could equally apply to any 'reform' ideas.  There are no silver bullets

what teachers make... great viewing

tki gets its new look... finally

The 'one stop shop' for NZ educators, TKI, has finally got its new look at many of its new features that have been long promised.  I say finally as I can remember listening to presentations from important people involved in the TKI makeover back in 2004 and 2005.  Attending numourous ICT conferences and ICTPD cluster days we were told about how with the new TKI we would be able to perosnalise our home page, have a single login to all things education and secure access to great professional web 2.0 tools.  

Credit where credit is due and 10 out of 10 for persistence and determination.  We still need to ask the question why do these things take so long in the education sector?  One can't but wonder if it would have taken so looooong in the commercial world.

I have not had a long play but the mere look and feel is a vast improvement.  Once I have played I will post more thoughts. 

It's a beautiful thing...

It all started a month or two ago when I got the all clear to purchase an iPad on our upcoming trip stateside. Unfortunately (long story) we came home without the new toy. So how pleased was I when after just three days back in the land of the long white cloud, apple announced the iPad would be coming to NZ. Now just seven days later here I am composing my first blog post on my new toy. It's far to early to say if it's everything I dreamed of and more. I'll post more on that in a few weeks, however... So far so good.

lookah.tv

Lookah looks like a really useful site for students and teachers.  The site aggregates tutorial videos for a large range of software.  It does not have everything for every possible feature on a given software title.  It is very simple and easy to use.  Some of the software covered, google, web browsers, word processors, video editing etc.

did you know 4.0... the latest version...

the great Otautau shave off... Its happened!!

3 days ago, The Great Otautau Shave Off took place. We had a great crowd of 150 to 200 adults joined by a further 40 - 50 children to watch the proceedings.

The good news... no the great news is this Otautau Community once again punched above its weight, tapped every contact and managed to raise a touch over $19 000.00. Not a bad effort for about 4 weeks effort. The best individual effort was Maureen our beloved caretaker raising just over $3400. 
Thanks to your generosity my total came in $968.00. 

Pics can be seen on the school website. There is a great write up here from Kirsty Macnicol from the Fiordland Advocate with more photos for your viewing pleasure.

Thanks so much, the kids and families that use Ronald McDonald House will be better off because of your support.

top 10 for leaders...

This from Podgorani which I unashamedly republish here in full, It's very good.

1 The focus of 'your' school must be on the success of kids 100% of the time. All too often, it seems, we try to fit kids into our expectations and in the process ignore the ideas, questions, points of view, and talents the students bring with them. And we see any conflict with students as a problem rather then as a means to work out a mutual better solutions.

2 Leaders need to create a vision,write it down,and start implementing it. It is important not to put your vision in drawer and forget about it and hope for the best. Every decision must be aligned against the vision and beliefs that underpin it. The whole school community is watching when you make a decision so consistency, by referencing decisions against the vision, is important.

3 It's the people stupid. The secret of managing is to keep the people who hate you away from those who are undecided. Hire people who support your vision, who are prepared to learn and who like kids.

4 Keep the paddles in the water. When navigating dangerous rapids in raft the only way to succeed is for everyone in the boat to sit on the edge and paddle really hard even though everyone would rather sit in the centre where it is safer. In times of school crisis everybody must be involved.

5 Find time to think and worry during the day. You are never always going to have a good days so it is OK to stare at the wall, reflect on the vision, and think about how to make necessary changes. Value input from other but ask those who provide it to provide possible solutions as well.

6 Take responsibility for the good and bad. The solutions to problems are almost always right in front of you; the genius of the school lies within the school. Imposed solutions have their consequences. Don't give away your responsibility.

7 You have ultimate responsibility. Have very clear expectations derived from the school vision and beliefs and then make sure people have the knowledge, resources, and time to accomplish expectations. Autonomy is the goal but actions need to be within the bounds of the vision.

8 Have bias for yes. The only progress you ever make in life involves risk.Ideas that teachers and others may suggest may seem a little crazy but try to makes such requests into a yes. Use the vision as a self reference and encourage others to do so.

9 Consensus is over rated. Twenty percent of the people will be against anything. When you realize this you avoid compromising what really should be done because you stop watering things down.If you always reach consensus you are being led by the 20%

10 Large changes need to be done quickly. If you wait too long to make changes to a school culture you have already sanctioned mediocre behaviour because you are allowing it.That is when change is hard. Define with the staff the behaviours required by the vision and belief and hold people accountable to them.

1 The focus of 'your' school must be on the success of kids 100% of the time. All too often, it seems, we try to fit kids into our expectations and in the process ignore the ideas, questions, points of view, and talents the students bring with them. And we see any conflict with students as a problem rather then as a means to work out a mutual better solutions.2 Leaders need to create a vision,write it down,and start implementing it. It is important not to put your vision in drawer and forget about it and hope for the best. Every decision must be aligned against the vision and beliefs that underpin it. The whole school community is watching when you make a decision so consistency, by referencing decisions against the vision, is important.3 It's the people stupid. The secret of managing is to keep the people who hate you away from those who are undecided. Hire people who support your vision, who are prepared to learn and who like kids.4 Keep the paddles in the water. When navigating dangerous rapids in raft the only way to succeed is for everyone in the boat to sit on the edge and paddle really hard even though everyone would rather sit in the centre where it is safer. In times of school crisis everybody must be involved.5 Find time to think and worry during the day. You are never always going to have a good days so it is OK to stare at the wall, reflect on the vision, and think about how to make necessary changes. Value input from other but ask those who provide it to provide possible solutions as well.6 Take responsibility for the good and bad. The solutions to problems are almost always right in front of you; the genius of the school lies within the school. Imposed solutions have their consequences. Don't give away your responsibility.7 You have ultimate responsibility. Have very clear expectations derived from the school vision and beliefs and then make sure people have the knowledge, resources, and time to accomplish expectations. Autonomy is the goal but actions need to be within the bounds of the vision.8 Have bias for yes. The only progress you ever make in life involves risk.Ideas that teachers and others may suggest may seem a little crazy but try to makes such requests into a yes. Use the vision as a self reference and encourage others to do so.9 Consensus is over rated. Twenty percent of the people will be against anything. When you realize this you avoid compromising what really should be done because you stop watering things down.If you always reach consensus you are being led by the 20%10 Large changes need to be done quickly. If you wait too long to make changes to a school culture you have already sanctioned mediocre behaviour because you are allowing it.That is when change is hard. Define with the staff the behaviours required by the vision and belief and hold people accountable to them.

everybody is #1...

Every country is #1 in something.  I found this interesting graphic on the Information is Beauitful website.  

click to see full size image

why not learn from others?

I was recently made aware of a lecture written by an english academic hailing from Cambridge University, but delivered in Australia.  It is incredibly readable, one is left thinking, why, why can't we learn from the mistakes and failings of others?

I have linked to the full article below, the following are some points and quote that caught my eye.

In response to the implied critism that is you are against standards then you are soft on accountability and standards,

...the issue is not whether children should be assessed (they should), or whether schools should be accountable (they should) but how and in relation what.

Around discussion of the media's inability to work hard to understand the issues at play and perhaps dig under the catch phrases, such 1 in 5 are failing, the author relates a maxim journalists work to, 

First simplify, then exaggerate

Although could easily argue journalists have hardly had to do that here in NZ, the government has carried out that task for them.

At the risk of needing to perhaps think a little deeper about some assumed concepts, what is a standard for example.  The " concept of 'standards' is highly problematic yet is routinely presumed to be straight forward"  Robin Alexander the author of this lecture quotes another academic on this topic and concept of standards.

The word ‘standards’ ... has been routinely abused in the last few years, by politicians and others. ‘Raising standards’ ... is implied to stand for improving the overall quality of education in our schools. That, in the public mind ... is what the phrase means. The reality in schools, however, is that ‘raising standards’ means raising test scores, as measured by a set of relatively narrow indicators laid down more or less unilaterally by ministers, and often subject to disproportionate influence by the performance of a small group of schools. These scores represent only a sub-set of schools’ work. Therefore it is not clear that they stand, reliably, for schools’ overall quality. The two meanings are not interchangeable, and should not be treated as such.

Alexander discusses the successful international example, if by successful we mean top in international tests, Finland.  Among the bullet points often made about Finland and why it does top the international achievement measures the following I think is most telling,

no national tests, no league tables, no draconian national system of inspection, no national teaching strategies, and indeed none of the so-called ‘levers’ of systemic reform in which the British government has invested so much. Clear assessment criteria are written into the national curriculum and are regularly applied by teachers, but there is no national testing as such until the national matriculation examination at the end of secondary education.30 As I said earlier, it’s not testing that drives up standards but good teaching.

The best quote however was an excerpt from a letter published in The Independent from 4 highly respected academics talking about the ongoing, read over many many years meddling in the education system from successive governments.  While it was written about the UK experience, do you really think NZ is and has been any different?  It took Finland 30 years to get to where they are today.

We have the same objectives as the government in wanting to offer a first-class education and training to all and, in particular, to narrow the attainment gap between the most and least advantaged. We have, however, become increasingly dismayed by ministers who are intent on permanent revolution in every aspect of the education system: in so acting, they demonstrate a deep lack of trust in the professional education community. It is not only the torrent of new policy that rains down on each sector, the constant changes in direction and the automatic rubbishing of any discomforting evidence by ministers: it’s also the failure of successive ministers to appreciate that reform has to be accompanied by continuity if the stability of our educational institutions and the high quality of their courses are to be preserved. We need a more consultative, democratic and inclusive way of developing and enacting policy for all the public services ... We have come independently to the same conclusion, namely that government policy is no longer the solution to the difficulties we face but our greatest problem.

Original article can be downloaded from here