KIA ORA - welcome to...
LEADING & LEARNING for the 21stC
E-zine number 14. June 2003
Editors: Wayne Morris & Bruce Hammonds
Taranaki New Zealand.
Membership - nearing 3000!!
Pass this e-zine on to anyone interested.

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The theme of this newsletter is the need for educationalists to add their 'voice' to the educational debate and to value the creativity of teachers, students and schools. This newsletter has been written by Bruce. He would appreciate any feedback: bhammonds@leading-learning.co.nz He loves e-mail!!

Stop Press. It is not to late to attend the 2003 NZ Primary Principals Conference to be held 1-5th July 2003 in our home town of New Plymouth. Enroll at www.nppa.ac.nz We will both be there - it will be great to meet up with you.

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Introduction: Wanted 'New Minds for a New Millennium'.

It is ironic that just at the time we are being forced to introduce standardized curriculums (and in some countries mandated tests) the new economy is eliminating standardized jobs. The future will require self regulated learners driven by their passions dreams and talents. As Charles Silberman writes: 'school should prepare people not just to earn a living but to live a life - a creative, humane and sensitive life'. Instead we are being pushed by politicians into creating, what Jerome Bruner calls, the 'unimaginative overachiever' - students who seek cues to conform to what is expected of them. 'Rigor mortis' rather than intellectual rigor!

The compliance conformist culture of the past years has not been a fertile ground to develop passionate teachers! We can do better if we had the collective will. The key lies in the minds of creative teachers and inspirational principals. It is to there wisdom we need to turn. We have had enough of imposed curriculum formulas devised by distant 'educational' elites. These technocratic curriculums sacrifice enthusiasm and passion for achievement and accountability.

How we see ourselves as educators is important. Our 'voice' makes us who we are. Believing in oneself is an act of faith but without a positive self belief it is all too easy to be trapped in the 'status quo' rather than the 'status go.'

'In a certain way, until a composer finds his own voice, it doesn't much matter was he does.'
Philip Glass/ Composer

Our e-zine adds our 'voice' to the voices of creative teachers worldwide. The feedback we receive gives us the inspiration to continue everything. The key to the reinvention of education we believe lies in sharing ideas in the minds of creative teachers. It is to their collective wisdom we need to turn.

Our e-zine is our passion. We believe strongly in the potential power of creative teachers and schools. As avid long time publishers the internet has been made for us! We love sharing what we pick up from creative teachers and from the web. And we love getting feedback/stories/ideas from you. So let's hear your 'voices'. E-mail Bruce and let's start a conversation.
bhammonds@leading-learning.co.nz

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What is in this e-zine:

1. Teaching and learning. The agenda for the 21stC
2. It is all about developing student's talents and dreams.
3. Effective teachers - what research tell us.
4. Lessons from creative teachers I have known
5 The teacher as a creative coach/mentor
6. Ministry of Education catching up (again)
7. We need a More Informed Vision of learning.
8. Schools need to define their teaching beliefs.
9. New curriculum Delivery Plan now on site
10. Websites and a few books.
11. Feedback from members

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1. Teaching and Learning for the 21stC.The 'new' agenda'!

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For over a decade schools have been struggling to do the impossible - implement and assess technocratic 'top down' standardized curricula. Developed to provide coherence and accountability this vision has become a nightmare and all over the world the powers that be are busy redefining them. In NZ they are currently being 'stocktaked'! The fact is that the Ministry's own research has shown that there have been no noticeable student achievement gains to show for all the teacher time, effort and frustration in implementing them. They have become 'barriers' to learning. The best thing would be to lose the curriculums and let teachers get on with their teaching.

'The goal must be to create schools that have their eye on the child rather on the bureaucracy above.'
Linda Darling Hammond

Ironically Ministry has now realized that it is the quality and efficacy of the teacher; the high expectations teachers have of students; the importance of working with parent communities; and the need for sensitive formative assessment (feedback) that makes the real difference. Now who wouldn't have known that! Teaching and learning is now the 'new' agenda - but better late then never. This 'new' agenda of education which is emerging had it's genesis in an earlier progressive era

Michel Fullan has written that it is 'the power of three' - the central importance of teachers, students, and parents working together that ensures student success (see newsletter www.leading-learning.co.nz/newsletters/vol01-no03-2002.html) This success, he writes, is magnified by students having 'three good teachers in a row'. At Leading and Learning we have long held that it is the artistry of teachers that is the real key to student achievement and as such it is to passionate creative teachers that we now need to turn to. The challenge for school leaders is to create the conditions to inspire such teachers and encourage them to share their ideas

'Ask the teachers - for a change. They are on the front lines .Forget the politicians and bureaucrats and statisticians. Ask the teachers. They know the daily drama of the classroom, a drama beyond measurement.'
Frank McCourt Author Angela's Ashes

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2. Future education is all about developing student's creativity talents, dreams and passions

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Howard Gardner writes: 'If we can mobilize the spectrum of human abilities not only will people feel better about themselves and more competent; it is even possible that they will feel more engaged and better able to join in with the rest of the community in working for the common good' He continues that the truly creative individual, 'locates a lode that they can tap into for the remainder of their active life.' Teachers, we believe, should see themselves as 'talent scouts' valuing and building on the passions, strength, gifts or talents a students exhibits. This would be an ideal 'target' for school to aim for.

An understanding of Multiple Intelligences makes it clear that in the past many potentially innovative students were not recognized during their formal schooling. There is a long list of 'successful' people that failed miserably at school! Even today too many schools feel that literary and numeracy is all that is required. Important as they are they are only a means to an end - to enable individual to connect with, explore and express their talents and interests.

Unfortunately the importance of passion, or talent, to inspire future learning doesn't seem to feature in traditional educational thinking. As a result school no longer holds significance for many students; the real world of learning appears elsewhere. As institutions schools are becoming increasingly anachronistic, particularly for many adolescent students.

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3. Effective Teachers - what research tells us.

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James Strong ('Effective Teachers' ASCD 2002) describes the attributes of effective teachers as individuals who have been shown to have had a long lasting influence on their student's lives. Effective teachers are now being recognized as the most influential school related force determining student success. Such teachers are able to improvise and employ a wide range of teaching strategies; they care about their students and never give up on a learner. They appreciate that all students learn differently and recognize the importance of student 'voice' and creativity. Such teachers are 'curious', continually learning, always on the lookout for new ideas to extend their teaching repertoire. And they value feedback and continually reflect on how they can improve their skills and share their ideas. Effective teachers are also demanding and hold high but achievable expectations for all learners.

We must be the change we wish to see'.
Mohatma Gandi

It is a shame that the energy of many creative teachers has been dissipated by having to comply to the imposed Ministry and ERO requirements. We need inspired leadership (rather than management) to provide the conditions to ensure creative teachers are protected and encouraged and their knowledge and wisdom shared. Educational leaders will need to be courageous and learn to say no to impossible imposed demands - no matter haw sensible they may seem to those who impose them.

Things that matter most must never be at the mercy of things which matter least.'
Goethe

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4. We have all been influenced by creative teachers.

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It is interesting to note that most teachers learn more about teaching from other teachers than any other source. It is an excellent task for any teacher to reflect on the education influences that have contributed to their own philosophy.

NZ is particularly lucky to have had some excellent pioneer educators to inspire them. The late Sylvia Ashton- Warner comes to mind. Literacy problems would be largely solved if teachers took her advice and had students talk and write about their real life experiences. Teachers, by tapping into the creative imagery of their students, would not only develop in their students a sense of 'voice' but also in the process develop a rich reading resource. Literature based programmes seem to have all but pushed out the vibrant language/experienced based programmes of past decades. Creative classrooms should first reflect the 'voices' and concerns of the students who live within them.

An equally inspiring influence is the work of Elwyn Richardson. His book ('In The Early World') written in the early 60s, is a story about learning told by a teacher who believed passionately in the power of creative learning. Reprinted 2001 by the NZCER $19.80 (www.nzcer.org.nz) 'it is a timely reminder of the need to capture teaching as an art. This book inspires teacher to take risks, to contemplate values and philosophies as central to the learning process and to adapt prescribed curriculum to the children's own desire to explore, inquire and create'.

Elwyn's writing reminds us again that it is the creative voice of students that provides the power to motivate learning. He points out the importance of tapping the creative insight of students through drawing and language and to use the local environment of bush and beach to motivate class and individual studies. Integrated education!

Artistic teachers take risks and potentially break rules. They question the boundaries of our own existence' Bolton

Creative teachers value the creative process, particularly through the creative arts. Their rooms are full of their student's 'voices', interests and creativity - researched studies, poems, personal language and magnificent art catch visitors eyes Product and process are equally important. Room displays are both celebratory and informative. Such creative teachers gain their rewards by helping students surprise themselves with their own creativity. Teaching as a creative act is its own reward. Such teachers are not always 'easy'; they can be both passionate and stubborn! Imagine schools filled with such idiosyncratic dynamic people. This would be our vision.

Teachers give 'an aesthetic form to their own existence through their own productive work'
Foucault 79

That there are still NZ teachers that continue this creative 'tradition' is a hopeful sign. Such teachers must be encouraged and protected from those who define education in more simplistic managerial measurable terms and targets.

'The best and brightest teachers…have to be 'canny outlaws' to do their job well. Good teachers do not fit into tidy bureaucracies'.
David Kearns CEO Xerox

Recent moves in NZ to 'reintroduce' integrated studies into schools, as a remedy to the overcrowded curriculums, are welcome. They of course have their genesis in the creative of educational pioneers of the past.

For a idea to develop a Curriculum Delivery plan to make use of the ideas outlined above visit our site www.leading-learning.co.nz/quality-learning.html This 'plan' outlines a means to cover the 'big ideas' of the current curriculums through the provision of 'rich topics' based around a set of major themes.

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5. The teachers as creative coach/mentor

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If creative teaching lost its way in the 70/80s, leading to the imposition of the technocratic curriculums of the 90s with their accountability and competition agendas, it was because too many teachers interpreted creativity as 'free' choice and 'free' expression. This reflected the affluent culture of the era. Lesson learnt need to be kept in mind. Creativity is a magic mix of discipline and creativity - not one or the other.

Teaching is both an art and a craft. To work with students to help them realize what even they can only half imagine requires artistry and sensitivity. The best model for a teacher is that of a 'creative coach'. Creative teachers appreciate that all students have their own mix of learning styles and talents requiring intelligence and sensitivity. To organize a class of diverse students to be self managing is very definitely a skilled craft.

'What a child can do with assistance today she will be able to do by herself tomorrow'.
Vygotsky.

The teacher's role is to take students on a journey of self discovery from being an 'novice' to an 'expert' - to act as a master to willing apprentices, appreciating that students may in turn become masters themselves. In an Information Age students may well be the teachers!

Creative teachers negotiate with students what is to be expected and how they will know when they have achieved their goals. In today's jargon: criteria, rubrics, portfolios, formative assessment, feedback, self assessments, and the use of exemplars.

Most of all creative teachers need to understand the importance for each learner to 'feel' the 'power' and pride of personal excellence. Students need to appreciate the need to do things really well and to value the effort and perseverance creativity entails

'Where there are exciting programmes the teacher is on the job - guiding, challenging, directing, stimulating, questioning, appraising, prompting, planning, coaching, advising and organizing. In other words teaching!'
Wachiowick 'Emphasis Art' 77

The teacher is the prime catalyst in building a learning community where enquiry and creativity thrive. Such teachers ask their pupils to set higher standards for themselves, or demand a little more effort than they may be accustomed to making. They respond to students work sympathetically and give it importance and significance by paying serious attention tom it.

'Plan to be better tomorrow than today but don't ever plan to be finished.'
Carol Ann Tomlinson

Teaching can never be a mechanical prescribed exercise! Teachers need have a sense of ownership to be creative and be able to develop their personal style. Creativity however can only grow out of a strong mastery of convention and technique. It is a matter of balance between intuitive experimentation and conscious deliberation. It is a creative act in itself.

'It is this caring about ideas and values, this fascination with the potential for growth within people, this depth and fervor about doing things well and striving for excellence that comes close to what I mean in describing a passionate teacher'
Robert Fried.

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6. Ministry of Education playing catch up - again!

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The Ministry of Education has also rediscovered that it is the quality of the teacher and the teaching that is the most important factor in student achievement. They too, have noted that it is the differences between teachers within the school that is the real concern.

The 'new' emphasis on 'formative feedback' and clear criteria for learning is now to replace the previous Ministry's audit culture requirement of ticking endless learning objectives. Revised Ministry guidelines also ask schools to place an emphasis on Literacy and Numeracy and then to gain 'success' in the remaining Learning Areas. A danger, pointed out by one UK commentator, is that the 'evil twins of Literacy and Numeracy may be gobbling up the entire curriculum.

'The curriculum... is an aesthetic act. In many ways it is more like painting a picture than building a bridge'.
Michael Apple

We can't leave comments about the Ministry without commending them on the curriculum resources they are now producing. It might now be an idea to produce resources based on integrated themes? The early numeracy programmes are encouraging teachers to listen to student strategies and ensure in depth learning... Exemplars and an emphasis on formative assessment are also positive moves. All the above require time, energy and resources to do well.

The everything agenda for schools is an energy vampire…Nothing drains teachers more than having too many things to do and too little time to do any of them near well.' David Perkins

So far NZ has resisted national testing and 'league tables' but a recent imposed requirement is for all schools to report to the Ministry on their 'targets'. The balance between school autonomy and accountability is a fine one. The trouble with targets is that you only hit what you are aiming for. Creativity, the joy of learning and the developments of student talents might well be missed in a school rush to look successful.

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7. We need a More Informed Vision of Education for the 21stC

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'Civilizations in decline are characterized by a tendency toward standardization and uniformity. Conversely, during growth stages the tendency is towards differentiation and diversity'. (Arnold Toynbee)

The industrial era is at an end. It mechanical mindset provided great material advantages but now new thinking is now require for what some call 'the age of ideas and imagination'. We need 'new minds for a new millennium'. Schools will have to be transformed or they will find themselves bi-passed. What is required is for the Government to develop an inclusive vision of education that faces up to the new realities. Central governments will need to define boundaries and develop requirements to protect he common good but not at the expense of local innovation and creativity as is now the case. Only then will schools, with the support of their communities, be able to transform themselves so as to ensure all students have an opportunity to have their 'voices' listened to and their talents developed.

'When all you have is a hammer every problem looks like a nail'

At Leading and Learning we believe in a vision of learning that combines the discipline and rigor of 'traditional' learning with the freedom and creativity of 'child centered' learning. 'Learning centered' education - the 'best of both worlds'. Neither 'soft' nor 'hard'; 'love' nor 'tough'; but 'tough love'. 'Either/ or' thinking belongs to an earlier rational age. The future is about living with paradox and ambiguity. The challenge of leadership at all levels is to achieve a balance between direction and creativity

Our site www.leading-learning.co.nz is dedicated to such a More Informed Vision. Copy and use/adapt/mutate anything from it you like. Be great if you gave us feedback about the value of the ideas.

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8. Schools need to define their teaching beliefs.

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Successful schools have democratically developed shared norms, values and expectations to establish a creative learning culture. To achieve such a vision the teaching teams need to be able to articulate their shared teaching beliefs and then be able to self reference their actions against them. A true vision can only be seen in the actions and behaviors of all involved. Such schools manage to combine both consistency and creativity.

There is no point in starting from scratch. All ideas emerge out of earlier efforts of others. If you want a vision, values and teaching beliefs to customize, visit our site and view a model for Vision Values and Teaching Beliefs www.leading-learning.co.nz/creating-vision.html Lots of school have modified this model to suit themselves - often beyond our recognition! And this is how it should be. One again we love to see what you develop. Contact Bruce bhammonds@leading-learning.co.nz

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9. New curriculum Delivery Plan now on site

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www.leading-learning.co.nz/quality-learning/curriculum-delivery.html

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10. A few websites and books about teaching and learning.

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www.leading-learning.co.nz Our own site is packed with practical teaching strategies and ideas.
www.thirteen.org/edonline/concept2class/ Our all time favourite for teaching strategies!!
www.habits-of-mind.net All about Art Costa's Intelligent Behaviors
www.ascd.org Information on a range of issues. Well worth joining!!
www.in2edu.com An excellent NZ site for thematic studies.
www.education.qld.gov.au/corporate/newbasics/ Read all about Queensland New Basics 2010
www.education.tas.gov.au Innovative ideas on future orientated curriculum from Tasmania. For some excellent creative language ideas - you will find it great.
www.bgcs.k12.oh.us/kramp/poetry.htm Based on Love My Dog!
Project Zero (ideas of Gardner Perkins etc) www.pzweb.harvard.edu
www.teachersmind.com How teacher thinking shapes education.

'Powerful Learning' ASCD Ron Brandt. See www.ascd.org
'Methods That Matter' Stenhouse Daniels and Bizar. This is an excellent and practical book. Read about it on publisher's site www.stenhouse.org
'Smart Schools' by David Perkins is another of our favorites.
'The Passionate Teacher' by Robert Fried (a coordinator for Coalition of Essential Schools) has great advice for creative teachers to develop their 'voice'.

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11. Feedback from members

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It is not possible to include all the feedback we get but we always like sharing those that inspire us to continue.

From Malcolm (Waikato NZ):' I enjoy your newsletters. Clearly we are failing to educate or inspire the majority, most are plying the educational game of producing what is expected of them'. From Fraser (Otura): 'I can see a revolution happening in our school which is getting us excited. Your e-zine is timely'. From Justin (Longburn): 'Your latest offering. Inspirational stuff. Keep up the great work.' From Lillian: 'just discovered your site …awesome…a great read.' From Cheryl (ChCh): 'I always think of Handy's elephant (the school) and the flea (the non conformists innovators like yourself) and want to have the school flea friendly.' You need to read Handy's book to appreciate the comment! From the Supreme High Commander: 'Great stuff, very inspirational... always gets me refocused on what's really important... keep up the great work'. From Lea: 'Well done on challenging thinking and creativity with your e-zines'. From Sarah: 'I have decided it is time to reflect on your newsletters and the part they play in my development as a teaching professional. Your newsletter has been a source of inspiration, quotes, and material that speaks to the hard working teacher in need of reinvigoration. Thank you for making it so much easier'.

We thank all those who take the time to give us feedback and ideas. They inspire us to continue. We want our e-zine to be one big conversation and to reflect the 'voices' of real teachers and leaders.

Kia kaha - have courage.

Bruce and Wayne

Feedback to:
bhammonds@leading-learning.co.nz