Number Agents

Dear Education System I am writing to you after many previous attempts at communication.  My first communication with you was 29 years ago and followed on from my mother's communications of 65 years ago.  You failed to reply to either of us then and little has changed since.  My daughter tried to communicate with you a few years ago, her voice went unheard, so she has since ceased further attempts at meaningful correspondence. My letter seeks to bring your attention to those within your walls that you seem to have missed.  I would hate to assume here that you just don't care enough about these souls, but after many years dealing with you in different roles I have to say, although harsh, this could very well be true. My letter is a plea on behalf of all those you leave behind, push out, or simply choose not to see.  It could be that you just need to look through different lenses because I am sorry to say, you are missing out on so much. I would like t...

So this post follows on from my last one on ditching the timetable.  If you have read that blog, you will know that I am not a timetable fan and I am not a fan of pre-teacher planning, other than what could be called the 'bones' of what we want to achieve. If you have read through this blog, you will know we are a 'competency' or 'dispositions' based school.  This means we believe that we a doing our best by children for their future if we are working on developing dispositions, rather than creating consumers of knowledge. I also believe this type of planning and the following of interests and urges is possible across all year levels. This way of working places the children as the curriculum and makes their voice the most important planning tool in the classroom. I did want to do a bit of an update, because I often get asked about how I make this all work. Firstly, I don't want people to think there is nothing sitting there planning wise...indeed t...

We are in a time of much needed change.  For some years now, schools have been charged with and given permission to design their own local curriculum.  Sadly many have not taken up this opportunity and as a result there is a continued set of prescribed topics and themes  pervading our classrooms. Of anything, coverage and the need to meet the 'requirements' of the curriculum, seems to be the biggest hurdle put up in the way of true transformative practice in our schools. It seems to be ingrained into us, that the achievement objectives and learning areas outlined in the curriculum need to be delivered to the 'consumers' in our classrooms.  I'd like to put it out there here and now, this is not the case and in fact is the enemy of real learning.  It is possible to 'power share' learning without being constrained to narrow criteria. Firstly I'd like to say that the back end of the curriculum is a carry over from the past.  A past that required us to ...