for the love of learning

Joe: while I agree with some of your points and so...

2012-02-16T08:02:05.662-07:00

Joe: while I agree with some of your points and some of Jim Dueck's, it is you who I find bitter and fanatical. I have gotten to the point of not going to education twitter sites when I see your name because you have the effect of a person who continually talks. Eventually one tunes them out. Unfortunatel because you make some very good points.
You think you have been admonished for your ideas when it is the question of priorities: this or time for your students?

This is great articles for those starting out or ...

2012-02-16T04:38:15.784-07:00

This is great articles for those starting out or finding their new thinks.
I like this articles.
What is Assistive Technology? Assistive Technology is any item, piece of equipment, product or system, whether acquired commercially, off the shelf, modified or customized that helps make life easier for a person who has a disability.

I'm hoping to someday see homework as classwor...

2012-02-15T18:31:29.689-07:00

I'm hoping to someday see homework as classwork. Where better to get a question answered if not by your teacher. Kids could work together and help each other, less students would be "outsiders", and not only have individual grades, but, team grades. Our kids are lost in the social media of today, we can help them get back to helping their neighbors, hands on. just sayin

Thanks for the great lesson idea! My grade 2/3 cla...

2012-02-15T14:09:04.405-07:00

Thanks for the great lesson idea! My grade 2/3 class just finished exploring powerpoint, will be using your idea to present sequence, comprehension etc. as next project! Also, so glad to have found you. I am passionate about intrinsic motivation to learn, NOT extrinsic pressures.

No Gael, at least the classes I visited in two cit...

2012-02-15T09:15:49.066-07:00

No Gael, at least the classes I visited in two cities are not smaller in Finland - the teachers spend more time working with the students than assigniing them work to do on their own. As Irmeli claims, the focus of classroom work is not the accumulation of marks but the accumulation of knowledge; both the students' knowledge of curriculum, and the teachers' knowledge of what the student knows.
Brilliant!

I happen to agree with your Pros and Cons list. Cr...

2012-02-14T10:06:48.679-07:00

I happen to agree with your Pros and Cons list. Crisper, leaner, meaner, but lacking in overall functionality. Bearing in mind that considering the Dynamic Templates are barely out of diapers, so to speak, it's not bad at all and I'm slowly converting. From an editor's/blogger's viewpoint, tweaking and designing is static and actual editing is limited (no actual pre-publish preview at the time of writing this), so I'm sticking with the non-dynamic for now. No doubt, the Blogger team will fix or resolve these over time. ;)

Thanks for keeping this in the conversation, Joe. ...

2012-02-13T18:43:56.835-07:00

Thanks for keeping this in the conversation, Joe. I am constantly amazed that we expect teachers to take on more and receive no training...no wonder morale is so bad at so many schools.

I teach third grade and struggle with how to teach...

2012-02-12T10:39:29.507-07:00

I teach third grade and struggle with how to teach my students spelling. My ultimate goal for them is to be able to hand in a piece of writing that I can read by myself, without them having to come up and interpret what they wrote. I have found that having spelling lists and teaching words, even just basic sight words, in isolation is not applied to their creative writing, so therefore ineffective. I think it is important to have good spelling and grammar for them to be able to communicate effectively. I think it is important to teaching them to both use the tools to achieve this, as well as help them build a strong base that they can draw upon while they are writing.

This is no longer a school/parents issue. The push...

2012-02-12T05:07:22.190-07:00

This is no longer a school/parents issue. The push to turn people into an objective, quantifiable measure is being pushed by councils,think tanks,self-proclaimed education reformers. A lot of money is at stake, and in order to send it in the "right" direction intricate designs based on data (like the derivitives formulas that made some very clever people very rich) have to be implemented. A philosophy of education (what is included,it's purpose/desired outcomes,what should be valued)is also at stake. In order to control the philosophy so the power and money go in the "right" direction,political power will be used to take power away from people who could provide alternatives (like more comprehensive measures of achievement).

Education is really key to self-worth and fulfillm...

2012-02-10T14:12:48.187-07:00

Education is really key to self-worth and fulfillment. It also plays a crucial role in character development. The efficacy of the educational system reflects what kind of future citizens we are rearing. They need to be educated with social concerns also like recession, Paxil Lawsuit and cancer as well.

There are some attributes to the Finns that are pe...

2012-02-09T11:30:38.567-07:00

There are some attributes to the Finns that are peculiar, arguably unique, even amongst the Nordic nations. Many of my friends are Finns; they seem to react and respond to debates, events, situations differently (more thoughtfully and calmly) than many of my non-Finn friends.

This diagram I pictured from a book about the nature of Finnish people may be of interest:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/silversprite/2080418579/

[continued:] The other point I would like to make...

2012-02-09T02:16:17.204-07:00

[continued:]

The other point I would like to make is this: You may or may not be right that Norway to some extent suffers from a resource curse. However, we have taken some considerable precautions not to fall into that trap: All revenues from the oil extraction are put in a fund (I guess you could call it a Sovereign Wealth Fund), now worth the equivalent of more than 500 billion USD (yes, it is that much). The entirety of this fund is invested overseas, to prevent the money from affecting/destroying the Norwegian economy.

Only a small part of the return of the fund is used “onshore”, i.e. in the annual state budget (approximately 21 billion USD in the 2012 budget, which amounts to ca. 10 per cent of the budget/around 5.6 per cent of annual Norwegian GDP). I am not quite sure about your percentages, but by now I guess you could use the oil fund to buy Sweden and Denmark (i.e., to run it for a year), so it far exceeds our annual GDP.

But more to the point, I do not at this point in history find it fair to conclude that we are cursed by these riches, being as it is still a relatively small part of our onshore economy.

And finally, a third point: Yes, you are right that we have some similarities with Finland, our neighbor in the east, and that despite this the Finns outcompete us by a far cry in e.g. the PISA tests (but absolutely not on other variables: we generally score significantly better than the Finns on e.g. the ICCS (International Civic and Citizenship Education Study) on support for democratic values and citizenship, and on more psycho-social variables like well-being among pupils, the frequency of bullying in schools, etc.).

However, I would say that Norway is if possible even more similar to the other two Scandinavian countries, Denmark and Sweden – the real operative difference being [+/- oil]. And, on the PISA tests, the Norwegian results, and the historical trajectory of these results, are almost on par with those of Denmark and Sweden, the difference being so small that it is close to negligible, and almost always within the margin of error.

So, my conclusion must be this: That there is an operative distinctive factor in this equation, making the Finns succeed and the other Scandinavians not that successful, that has nothing to do with oil – but probably everything with what you suggest in your post, that the Finns have funneled their resources into high-quality education for teachers, decent salaries – and yes, under a system based on “diversity, trust, respect, professionalism, equity, responsibility and collaboration”, which you so beautifully put it – and moreover been generally unconcerned with high-stakes standardized testing, something we waste a lot of energy and resources on both in Norway, and in Denmark and Sweden.

And, by the bye, something else entirely: Did you know that Hattie might have gotten his statistics wrong? Might not change his overall results, but it is a conundrum that this have gone unnoticed for more than two years, considering that it is in the most-read publication from the world’s undisputedly best-known educational celebrity. I have written more about this here: http://sporetterspor.blogspot.com/

[I'll try again:] Hi Joe, I can see that thi...

2012-02-09T02:14:43.549-07:00

[I'll try again:]

Hi Joe,

I can see that this was posted a while ago, and that my comments here might be long overdue. Still, being as I am both a Norwegian, and a student at the teacher-training program at the University of Oslo, I feel the urge to qualify some of the statements in your post, so here goes:

As you say, we do have our own version of Teach For America/Teach First UK, namely Teach First Norway. However, from the inception in 2010, only less than twenty students annually have been admitted to this program. So to say that we have "thrown millions of dollars" at them is an exaggeration, to say the least.

Moreover, it is also incorrect that they receive "mere weeks of training": The Norwegian TF students actually follow the exact same curriculum as any other student at the teacher-training program at the University of Oslo, including myself – which may have its faults, but which even so is what is generally recognized (and mandated) in Norway today as constituting professional teacher competency.

That said, what is, at least to me, more than questionable (and an ironic twist to this story, considering how you develop your argument) about the Norwegian TF program is that it is actually "paid for" by Statoil, the biggest – and only really significant – oil-company in Norway.

What Statoil has been allowed to do is the same as the universities in Norway do, and must do, anyway, namely to "top up" the government allocation to their educational programs (all student training is covered approximately 70 per cent by the state, the universities/colleges must cover the rest).

On top of this, they have created their own follow-up program, a one-year leadership training. Thus, the state gives Statoil a (relatively) high-quality education almost for free, which the company can then supplement with their own specialization, thus getting the new employees and prospective leaders they want and need. The program is obviously popular, and the applicants are high-achieving students with Master’s degrees in the natural sciences – exactly what Statoil wants.

This is the Teach First Norway home page, unfortunately in Norwegian only, but the Statoil name and logo are very much visible: http://www.teachfirstnorway.no/

2012-02-09T02:12:49.733-07:00

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Great post, but you know schooling that is based o...

2012-02-08T16:30:47.504-07:00

Great post, but you know schooling that is based on 'a love of learning' is not utopian. It is entirely within the realm of possibility, and it is more than achievable. Teachers like you are proof of that.

I forwarded this on to the principal at my daughte...

2012-02-08T09:31:03.168-07:00

I forwarded this on to the principal at my daughters' elementary school. It was the perfect response to the report card I just got. It is two pages of expected skills acquisition for the 1st grade. The scores are based on where they expect them to be in June, so basically score them low so that the teacher can document progress. There are two lines of "personal narrative" included...aka the teacher chose two codes and the information system plugged the lines onto the report card. Absurd and useless.

Kudos! My son is only two years old, but I've...

2012-02-07T18:20:48.103-07:00

Kudos! My son is only two years old, but I've already sent a version of your letter to every kindergarten teacher in school districts within a 35 mile radius.

Any teacher touting this letter as 'unreasonable' must have an inherent superiority complex. Aren't we as educators meant to be lifelong learners? And if we aren't, should we not consider a new profession?

With the exponentially decreasing amount of value that families in my community place in education, I would welcome any parent who placed as much time into their child's education as you do. Even if there is disagreement, that's OK. Part of being an adult is the ability to openly communicate your beliefs and ultimately come to compromises or new beliefs. Isn't that what we teach our children?

I personally think the e-mail is a great way to begin this conversation. If the teacher wants to discuss this further, they can contact you. As a teacher, I value electronic communication for the sole purpose that it saves time. Once I assess the intended purpose of the e-mail, I decide whether further communication is necessary.

I would hope that any educator would put their ego behind them and welcome any chance to learn and to further serve their community with open arms.

So my principal comments that they will not be rea...

2012-02-07T10:06:59.107-07:00

So my principal comments that they will not be ready for PAT's. They will fail. Oh, and recently, students cannot think logically. A majority of my students are not at their grade level, so undoubtedly, they will not all achieve acceptable standards. That's a given. I'm just happy if they increase from a grade 3 writing level to a grade 4. It's ridiculous to put undue pressure on teachers who are teaching in an inclusive class, without an aide, might I add, to make students achieve excellent results on PAT's. PAT's need to consider other factors, such as IPP's in assessing achievement. Alberta Education needs to stop suggesting we sugarcoat grades to avoid hurt feelings, and we need to stop pushing kids through to the next grade based on attendance-not merit.

I'm sorry that people are having bad experienc...

2012-02-07T08:14:32.787-07:00

I'm sorry that people are having bad experiences with their PLC work. That is a bad on the part of whomever presented PLC's like that. I guess I've been lucky because in my school we've been trained to do our PLC work much as anonymous describes in the second paragraph. We don't use quantifiable data when we look at student work, we use formative assessments to see how individual students are understanding Science. We work together to come up with better ways to help our students learn. I gotta say, the way we do it PLc work is engaging and motivating for us. I hope you all are able to make it work for your schools.

Isn't this what its all about? Having learners...

2012-02-07T05:25:46.708-07:00

Isn't this what its all about? Having learners live the lives of experts? So much if that has gooten lost in PLCs. As does identity. The identity if the teacher. The identity of the student. The identity of the life long concept.

Sorry I cannot make the session, will be on the wa...

2012-02-06T09:42:30.423-07:00

Sorry I cannot make the session, will be on the way to TCEA in Texas.

People in Finland should learn more about their na...

2012-02-05T21:49:24.933-07:00

People in Finland should learn more about their natural resources so that it would not be put to waste. Thanks.

Joe, I was wondering whether ( I could be wrong) t...

2012-02-05T11:39:11.996-07:00

Joe,
I was wondering whether ( I could be wrong) the high proportion of Finnish kids move on to vocational training impacts on the educational system - my guess is that it would be less orientated to testing and getting kids to matriculate and more about teaching real skills that people need in their lives

Loved the Angry Bird presentation. I was wondering...

2012-02-03T09:51:19.428-07:00

Loved the Angry Bird presentation. I was wondering...what did you use to embed the presentation into your site? I just loved it.

The school of thought is if your lecture or how yo...

2012-02-03T01:40:33.867-07:00

The school of thought is if your lecture or how you teach is not entertaining or at least worth listening the students tend to forget the learning and thus decrease learning.