1. E-zine to replace posted newsletters on site
2. Feedback from Leading-learning about the 'Knowledge Breakfast TV Programme' Sat 15 June
3. No 1: The 'morphing' of Assessment demands!
4. No 2: What makes a great teacher?
5. Also a site about teachers beliefs worth visiting
6. Final thoughts.

e-zines (as against 'official' newsletters) are idiosyncratic focussed communications pushing a 'point of view'; hopefully shared with those who belong. It is about sharing messages that might not otherwise be expressed.

From now on we will not post a separate Newsletter on our website, but instead, will simply post up the e-zine. A lot easier for us! Each new e-zine will have unifying theme.

Can we thank all those who gave us feedback on e-zine 5? We try to respond to all those who e-mail us.

2. The 'morphing' of Ministry of Education's views on assessment.

It has not been an easy time for creative teachers since the introduction of the NZCF and all its confusing Curriculum Statements. Introduced as an element of the 90's Market Forces ideology, to provide coherence, they have in turn become incoherent and now themselves can be seen as barriers to learning. Planning to cover all Learning Areas has been demanding enough but assessing all the countless Learning Objectives has proved to be a bureaucratic nightmare. Changes were inevitable!

In the meantime in the process many creative schools and teachers have suffered. ERO, in its earlier life (before the latest 'reformation' t o 'assess /assist') created a climate of 'anticipatory dread'. Many schools, rather that stand by their honest beliefs, succumbed to what one writer calls 'a 'corrosion of character' trying to guess what was expected.

3. Back to the Knowledge Breakfast programme: Assessment.

As one listened to the 'new wave' of Ministry 'officials' you can sense there seems to have been an epiphany! The NZCF has been sent away to be 'stocktaked'. It was just too 'stuffed' in both senses of the word. We hope they lose it completely - it would not be missed. This is what is happening in Queensland (see posted Newsletter no 5 on site for Queensland's New Basics 2010). Very exiting.

Now that we have 'enlightened' assessment it is no longer necessary to 'prove learning' but to 'improve learning' - to 'help students to know what to do next'. Wonderful, but isn't this what we used to do 'BLO' (Before Learning Objectives)?
The Ministry, it seems, is now saving us from their own faulty curriculum model! We should be thankful?

The NCEA remains a monument to the rationalist thinking of the efficiency movement of the 90s. Assessing against standards or criteria, so all can gain success, is a philosophical improvement on the 'win/lose' ethic of the past School Certificate but it will fail eventually, even if only under the weight of its assessment/moderation demands.

We like exemplars but they will not be enough, and may
be counter productive. who will have the time to use them all? Criteria and exemplars will always exclude the Picassos, van Goghs and the Einsteins of the world. They may 'empower' but they are not necessarily creative. So be careful - keep an eye out for creative or unexpected responses!

Learning is about moving from being a 'novice' to a 'master' and 'masters', by definition, move well beyond agreed criteria. Criteria are only as good as the people who devise them. Beginning wine connoisseurs might need criteria but they soon learn, with experience, to value their aesthetic judgement. As do 'artists' and creative thinkers in any field.

Whatever, we appreciate any move that values teacher judgement and particularly the concepts of : focussed feedback, goal setting, self-assessment and continuing support. We also agree with 'new' idea that 'students should be able to tell you what they are doing and why'. These ideas value the insight and creativity of teachers - an insight that has been almost lost under the weight of imposed curricula and assessment to prove coverage.
All in all some positive moves - except the NCEA!

4. The 'Great Debate' - What makes a great teacher?'

A great teacher, a cynic might say (going on experiences of the earlier 'name and shame' ERO reviews), is a teacher who can show every student's progress checked off against every learning objective! There have been schools who have tried to do this- and why not - it was the then Ministry expectation.

The following is a summary (with our comments) of some of the points expressed during the debate. If we have missed out a couple of presenters it is because we were more interested in the 'official' views of the 'educational elite'.

The debate could be summed as a 'passion fest'. It seemed we were to be witness to an amazing 'conversion' as the almost exhausted creative teacher was paraded as the ultimate source of student achievement (now 'love of learning').

New romantic humanistic metaphors ran riot! No more mechanistic: 'delivery', 'cover', 'assess', 'measure' and ' record', but 'passion', ' love', 'inspiration' and lines of desire!'

First Mary Chamberlain: Ministry of Education

Great teachers Mary believes: ' make a difference - believe in you - they have passion that seeps through the skin' - 'a love of learning'. Mary believed great progress ('a revolution') was made in the 70s but a 'working hum' and 'engagement' is now not enough. What is now needed are 'quality learning conversations between teachers and learners' - 'It is about extending rather than supervising' - 'about linking to the child's world' - about creating 'lines of desire' - 'about not seeing the curriculum as a straightjacket'. The curriculum it seems 'is more a direction'.

Comments (and apologies to Mary if we got her wrong)

We agree entirely with all Mary said but ask why is the passion, creativity and creative spirit of teachers at risk? What is it that is killing the joy of teaching? It would be interesting to ask teachers themselves about this vital issue. Who presented the 'straightjacket curricula'? All teachers, we believe, want to do their best for their students but too much of their time and energy has been diverted into complying with Ministry requirements and to 'proving learning'. The challenge for the Ministry now is how to create the conditions to 'ignite' the enthusiasm of all teachers so as to ensure 'joyful learning' for all students.

Mary did say we need to change the nature of education to accommodate the needs of all students but this, we believe, will require a real 'reformation' by the Ministry. What would an ideal educational vision for education be? - Isn't a new century time to ask this to question?

Next up John Langley - Teacher's Registration Board.

Once again a cynic might think the answer might be teachers who 'achieve' the Professional Standards, or school PMS polices. Both mechanistic 'business' concepts yet to prove their worth. Hardly about love, passion and inspiration!

John's great teachers: 'Cause learning'- 'have the ability to know when to extend and stand back'- and he believes 'in recent years we have accepted too much and expected to little'.

Comments: 'In recent years' we presume, are since the introduction of the unwieldy NZCF? Creative teachers in our experience have always believed in doing fewer things really well. Acquire Elwyn Richardson's wonderful book (an 'exemplar'?) 'In The Early World' from the NZCER. to be inspired. Also look for inspiration from local creative teachers. The answers lie in the school not the Ministry!

John continued with the need to: ' Appreciate that learning isn't always fun' - 'a good teacher knows when to push' - 'some learning may be uncomfortable' - 'really good teachers do this in skilled way'.

Comment: We would agree! Effort and perseverance have always been part of creativity or entrepreneurialship.

More from John: 'The 'x' factor is enthusiasm - an enthusiasm and zest for teaching is critical.'

Comment: We wonder if these insights are expressed in the Professional Standards? Bernice Mene (one of the host presenters) asked: 'Has the pressure on teachers increased in recent years?' but this wasn't picked up directly. Seemed an important issue.

John did later refer to this issue by saying: 'We need a debate on the role of the teacher, and what a teacher can reasonably do - there is a danger of the teacher being responsible for everything.' This was largely in respect to social issues teachers have to face up to, but we feel it was an important point to note. Teaching has intensified - we need to refocus!

John continued: ' A danger is that teachers are bogged down with curricula'. 'The best teachers can assess the needs of their kids' - 'it is worrying in recent years that curricula have become the dominant thing' - 'a conduit for shovelling information' - 'this is not what teaching is all about.'
'The curriculum can be a good friend or a really bad enemy' -teachers see the curriculum as the enemy rather than a tool they can use to meet the needs of the kids'.

Comment: And we believe that the above is why the joy and passion is being lost in teaching. The solution is obvious - the ball is firmly in the court of the Ministry. Thanks John.

The last speaker we want to pick up on was Professor John Hattie - Auckland University/Assessment 'guru'.

A great teacher John believes: ' Is about the art of the excellent teacher' - 'excellent teachers know the content and the contexts of their classrooms and this helps them make decisions' - 'to challenge students teacher requires a tremendous understanding of each child' - 'an excellent teacher knows when to challenge, when to push a child's button, and when not to.' 'We need inspirational teachers who can inspire children.'

'A distinguished teacher', Hattie continued, ' has that added extra -a deeper understanding of students' - 'more skills, more passion' - 'teachers who focus on children's understanding'. 'Teachers who inspire you have the confidence to learn themselves - 'it is about a love of learning - this is so critical'.

Echoing John Langley, John Hattie went on to say: ' In NZ we are looking at the curriculum and saying less is more'. 'We need to focus on how we can turn kids on to the love of learning' -' there is too much to get through, the exams, the curriculum' - 'teachers are asked to do too much' - ' they need to collaborate more' - 'they need to go deeper'. 'Good teachers give students something they cant get at home - opportunities and a sense of learning confidence'

Comments. What can we say? We believe students need to do fewer things well. It is just common sense. What has been stopping us? Why have we gone down the wrong path? We all know the answers. What we need now is the courage to change direction. The ministry, it seems, is changing?

We leave you to draw your own conclusions. We love all the passion, enthusiasm, inspiration and love of learning but we wonder (well actually, we know!) what is killing it, and what can be done to 'create lines of desire to ignite the passion'?'

We wonder what all the debate members would say if they the magic power to reinvent education for the future - and what they would cast overboard as taking up waste space?

Is it time for a national debate on the role of education in an age of ideas (not information)? Do we need to focus on new issues for a new millennium - such as the development of a new ethic of civic responsibility? Do we need to think more about the 'joy of learning' and the untapped 'passionate' power of talents of too many students who leave schools with little to show for their time.

We would be interested in your feedback on these issues.
Visit our site for more on the subject www.leading-learning.co.nz
Contact: bhammonds@leading-learning.co.nz

PS watch Knowledge Breakfast Saturday 22/6 for the Spotswood Primary segment. Those who work with Bruce will know its significance! Best idea is to video it - sleep in, you deserve it!

5. Visit www.teachersmind.com Great minds think alike!

Are you tired of being ignored in the process of educational development?
Are you weary of being told what you should do by educational 'experts'?
Have you forgotten you are at the heart of meaningful change in education?
If so this is the site for you! The author of the site believes that the beliefs of teachers are the key for innovative change and not imposed curricula no matter how well they are packaged and delivered. The future lies between teacher's ears! A visionary school know this - a school as 'a home for the mind' - a powerful future oriented metaphor in itself!

6. We hope you have enjoyed our e-zine. We haven't room to put in all the complimentary feedback we have had so in the meantime thanks to all those who have made the effort.

We love feedback and your views on any aspect about our site. We will be adding a feedback/forum page to our site soon!

'We spend too much time worrying about the mosquitoes and not enough time concerning ourselves about the health of the pond'
Anon