I found myself reflecting on the contents of the two chapters in Zemelman in terms of my own experience and my own leadership. I cannot but agree on his statement (on page 273) that significant change needs clear, focussed and supportive leadership. I can think back to some changes that were controversial in a school (a new discipline policy and the role of sport in the school) that were doomed to failure without the support of the administration. The initiative for change came from some individual faculty members who were able to convince administrators that the proposed changes were worthwhile. It actually took much longer to convince all their colleagues of the wisdom of the changes. My experience has been that administrators are open to changes proposed by individual faculty members or a subject area in a school, but whole school changes come about more from external agencies, such as state or accrediting agency requirements.
One area that Zemelman did not comment on in discussing significant change was in the area of resources, except in terms of time. It has been my experience that significant change usually comes with a significant price-tag! The price-tag could come from all or some of the above new resources, teacher development programs, new rooms, new furnishings, new equipment, new technology, a new report system, adjustments to the school's timetable or class sizes and arrangements. Not only is the support of leadership required, it is necessary to see if the school can actually afford to implement and resource a significant change. I'm conscious of two Catholic schools in Australia who introduced significant curricular and teaching changes who lost students from their roll because parents weren't willing to gamble on their children's education. This in turn meant a decrease in the funding available for teachers and resources and eventually led to one of the schools being closed and the other being amalgamated.
The last high school I was in changed their teaching schedule from 40 minute periods to a combination of 40 and 80 minute periods. This scheduling change had quite a remarkable influence on classroom activities, as teachers realised that it was nearly impossible to sustain students' interests for 80 minutes if they organised their classes the same way as they did for a 40 minute period. This led to a rule-of-thumb that four different activities were desirable, and probably necessary, during an 80 minute period. A far greater range of teaching and learning experiences evolved from the change of schedule.
28 March 2009
24 March 2009
Senge Pages 3-27
I admit it - to date I'm not a big fan of Senge and his colleagues. It is not that I disagree with them, it is just that in reading the book I find that it is a bit like gold mining - there is an occasional nugget (or insight) that is worthwhile in amongst all the words that are written. There is no consistent style in the book - at one stage, there is a folksy tale of some teacher or parent, and then at other stages, philosophical reflections on the nature of teaching and learning. The outlook of Senge and his colleagues on the world and on education seems to be idealistic rather than realistic. I think I would far prefer them to write how they were part of a learning community at a school and how they did this, and what were the challenges and experiences of teachers or administrators who were reluctant to become engaged with the process. I would be especially interested to know if their ideas are implemented in their own universities.
The reading selection begins with the story of the student and the medellion. To me, that highlights the need for relationships between teachers and students. This is sometimes easier with some students than others, but to me it is the heart of what teaching and learning is about. I was pleasantly surprised when the story concentrated on what the student learnt that day. In my conversations with past and present students, they are more likely to remember the way the teacher related to them and their passion for teaching and learning than particular points that were made in lessons.
I must admit I find U.S. curriculum patterns confusing at the best of times. I may be misreading the situation, but it seems to me that accrediting organisations such as WASC have a huge impact on the curriculum and its implementation, but that the accrediting organisations are not curriculum organisations in themselves. I'm not sure how detailed the guidelines set by WASC are for curriculum (and other areas of school life), but in listening to teachers in California schools, it seems that the WASC criteria are the standards on which curricula design and implementation are used. If that is indeed the case, what sort of interaction is there between the teachers of any particular school and the accrediting organisation? If curricula are to be substantially changed, is WASC the reason for implementation, or does WASC change because of the insights of the school learning community? Perhaps a discussion around this matter could let teachers and administrators know the extent to which their school can become a learning community.
The reading selection begins with the story of the student and the medellion. To me, that highlights the need for relationships between teachers and students. This is sometimes easier with some students than others, but to me it is the heart of what teaching and learning is about. I was pleasantly surprised when the story concentrated on what the student learnt that day. In my conversations with past and present students, they are more likely to remember the way the teacher related to them and their passion for teaching and learning than particular points that were made in lessons.
I must admit I find U.S. curriculum patterns confusing at the best of times. I may be misreading the situation, but it seems to me that accrediting organisations such as WASC have a huge impact on the curriculum and its implementation, but that the accrediting organisations are not curriculum organisations in themselves. I'm not sure how detailed the guidelines set by WASC are for curriculum (and other areas of school life), but in listening to teachers in California schools, it seems that the WASC criteria are the standards on which curricula design and implementation are used. If that is indeed the case, what sort of interaction is there between the teachers of any particular school and the accrediting organisation? If curricula are to be substantially changed, is WASC the reason for implementation, or does WASC change because of the insights of the school learning community? Perhaps a discussion around this matter could let teachers and administrators know the extent to which their school can become a learning community.
02 March 2009
Ozar Chapter 5
Creating a Curriculum That Works was written in 1994. The only time I taught in a U.S. school was way back in 1984-5, so I’m unclear how much progress there has been in providing curriculum standards in the various subject areas. As a foreigner, the use of different groups working independently seems to be a very fragmented way of going about setting a framework and standards. I’m not sure what grades (K-12?) the standards are being set for, and I hope that the list is not exhaustive. The absence of Religious Education from the list is one subject area that I noted. Readers may or may not be aware that a curriculum framework is provided at a national or state level, and Catholic schools or education authorities adapt this so that Religious Education and gospel values are an integral part of the curriculum. Interestingly, some of these curriculum frameworks are for K-10 rather than K-12. The reason for this is that the last two or three years of high school are more closely linked with post-secondary school education. Schools are recognised as the normal (but not the only) pathway to obtain the qualifications necessary for further study or apprenticeships. You may wish to look at some of the following websites to see how different countries and states approach curriculum development:
I was surprised that Ozar included the statement that “Motorola must interview ten people to find one who meets their entry-level standards” (page 65). The reason I found the statement surprising was that I assume that Motorola is not hiring any or many people straight from high school, and that those applicants whom the company interviews have generally completed a college degree. There is an assumption that Motorola’s interview and assessment techniques are beyond question, and that their entry-level standards are realistic. I understand what Ozar was trying to demonstrate by the statement, but I question the choice of this example. The needs of Motorola might be far different from the many other businesses and enterprises in society. There is no comparison made with the other international branches of Motorola to suggest that this is just a U.S. ‘problem’ or whether it is the experience in other ‘first-world’ countries where the company operates. I have not seen any evidence in the media to suggest that Motorola's concerns are widespread.
I was surprised that Ozar included the statement that “Motorola must interview ten people to find one who meets their entry-level standards” (page 65). The reason I found the statement surprising was that I assume that Motorola is not hiring any or many people straight from high school, and that those applicants whom the company interviews have generally completed a college degree. There is an assumption that Motorola’s interview and assessment techniques are beyond question, and that their entry-level standards are realistic. I understand what Ozar was trying to demonstrate by the statement, but I question the choice of this example. The needs of Motorola might be far different from the many other businesses and enterprises in society. There is no comparison made with the other international branches of Motorola to suggest that this is just a U.S. ‘problem’ or whether it is the experience in other ‘first-world’ countries where the company operates. I have not seen any evidence in the media to suggest that Motorola's concerns are widespread.
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