Uncluttering

An important activity of the human "self" or "ego" as experiencing itself through rejection of the inessential.ie one can answer the question "who am I?" by initially defining what one does not need in one's life. This underpins the idea of "clutterbusting".
Children whose lives are too cluttered are hard to reach.They are hard to reach because their inner core needs to be experienced in calm and quiet and the clutter they are subjected to is preventing this.
One can help the students to free themselves of emotional clutter by helping them to develop their emotional intelligence.

instructional objectives

“What makes a good lesson”

Using instructional objectives (as developed by Gronlund)


This approach emphasises the observable and pragmatic:
The teacher identifies the general objectives of a learning process and then makes statements of “specific observable actions” that the students should be able to perform to indicate the levels of learning that are taking place. Verbs are carefully selected to communicate these instructional objectives, e.g.if following Bloom’s taxonomy of educational objectives, students could be asked to:
1 List, identify or summarise to demonstrate Knowledge
2 Explain, describe or interpret to demonstrate Comprehension
3 Apply, calculate or solve to indicate Application
4 Explain, classify or derive to demonstrate Analysis
5 Formulate, design or create to demonstrate Synthesis
6 Determine, optimise or select to demonstrate Evaluation
These instructional objectives are used by the teacher to:

1 Prepare and structure lessons
2 Communicate to students precisely what their learning process will be
3 Facilitate formative assessment.

To sum up ,this approach is useful once the teacher has done the hard yards of working out what lesson content would meet the needs of the students (in the deepest sense) . Only then could one apply this technique (for it is a technique rather than a theory )
to ensure that the content be solidly worked with.

National Curriculum:Evil or Enlightenment

In Judith Wheeldon's article"Labour the lesser evil" in the AustralianMarch 3,she very objectively tackles the issue of a national curriculum.
It is clear to me that a loss of diversity can be very dangerous, witness the moral horror of totalitarian regimes and movements that use their grip on education to promote their own ends ,brainwash the population, stifle creative thinking and critical reflection to produce a conformist mass.This is the Evil that a national curriculum could result in.
Of course this is an extreme, but even a small degree of using a national curriculum to further the ends of a political party is anathema to anyone who upholde the ideals of human beings becoming ever more conscious,free and individually responsible
.Judith Wheeldon recognises that the reasons for promoting the national curriculum are specious;particularly the reason of consistency for students who move interstate.Only 80,000 students per annum form this statistic. This number is too small to warrant the enormous change being suggested.
However, there is a possibility that an educational curriculum that is progressive, enlightened, innovative and inspired was able to be instituted as a national curriculum, this could reach all the population and help create a community of creative inspired and enlightened people able to have the means of solving future problems and meeting future moral and social challenges in an intelligent and responsible way.
The important element that must be a foundation for any new curriculum development is the primacy given to the development of creativity and critical reflection.A wholistic curriculum that encourages higher order learning in each subject
from K12 is to be highly recommended.

The adelaide declaration

Mceetya. 1999
. the ideals of the Adelaide declaration are very noble
.changes arose as a result of chaos in schools
.the big rethink was in relation to shifting to an Outcomes based
constuctivist model in place of an outmoded teacher directed behaviourist
model.
.The ideals of the Adelaide declaration are seldom referenced or recognised
and they need to be. To quote just one section
.” Schooling provides a foundation for young Australians’ intellectual, physical, social, moral, spiritual and aesthetic development. By providing a supportive and nurturing environment, schooling contributes to the development of students’ sense of self-worth, enthusiasm for learning and optimism for the future.¬”
.the individual states became more autonomous in relation to educational implementation .Queensland ‘s model was very enlightened till a year ago.It was called “productive pedagogy” implementing the principles of I. problem based learning
II.higher order thinking
III.deep understanding(cf bloom’s taxonomy)
.NSW has the BOS which determines educational goals & practices.These principles are articulated in the document “NSW Model of Pedagogy”.
.remember , deep learning necessitates the process of critical reflection where by the student can understand the learning process they have taken connected what they have learned with their previous
understandings and creatively reinterpreted the knowledge from their enriched perspective.
.
The question arises for me ,as a teacher who has taught in high scool, primary school and early childhood,ie 5-6 yr olds, how can we apply this
ideal of "critical reflection" to the Kindergarten student.
The pinnacle of bloom's taxonomy, Creativity, is a completely natural state for the young child. In fact, adults wishing to access their own creativity, are inspired by the ability of little ones to "create worlds' continually through play.This activity arises naturally in young children
even in environments where there may be very little nurturing or encouragement eg in a refugee camp the children will be making games & playing out scenes of life in the camp, using pebbles & sticks to create the walls & buildings.
Perhaps this "creative play" is a primal form of "critical reflection'?

Reflections on the Ideal Teacher

I can never be a "perfect Teacher", however I am striving to become a better teacher by working towards the following ideals.
1. True vocation must be a given.
An ideal teacher loves their work and feels in complete accord with their task. A teacher may some times experience despair and frustration, as do all human beings, but in their heart's core shoul be the conviction that the work they are doing is absolutely right for them at this time of their life, and they are thankful for the opportunity to influence the coming generation in the most positive and life-affirming manner.
2. Valuing the individual.
An ideal teacher loves and value every student. This requires effort, the effort to maintain positivity , equanimity and openness to each student,which comes from individual qualities of compassion and selflessness and ability to put aside feelings of like and dislike.It also requires the effort to understand each individual student.Impartial and thorough practise of observation and continual reflection and reassessment of one's perceptions of the students must occur..As John Hattie says, expert teachers have high respect for students.Glasser mentions being loved and valued as one of the 5 elements that drive all human beings. In Steiner schools Students are so valued that a class teacher makes a 7 year commitment for the duration of their primary school years.
As Vygotsky emphasised, children learn through social interaction.A teacher who genuinely values every individual, and communicates this through the way they act and relate, is also modelling this behaviour to the class.The teacher supports a culture of tolerance ,acceptance and valuing which becomes a pattern of behaviour within the whole class. Each student feels valued by both teacher, and very importantly, by their peers.In this environment sense of identity and self esteem can flourish and the students can learn and grow.
Furthermore, an ideal teacher also values and recognises their colleagues and the families of their students.There can be no double standards of respect and admiration for students, but disapproval and distance from the adults in the school community.If a culture of respect and acceptance is to be cultivated, it must be holistic.
3. Being creative.
An ideal teacher is flexible and creative, and looks for ways to facilitate creativity in the students. According to Bloom's Taxonomy, creativity is the pinnacle of the learning process,arrived at after critical reflection,evaluation and analysis. The creative teacher can practise a real Art of Education.whereby the developing human being is the work of art .Creativity enables the teacher to find solutions and work in an inclusive way with the students. The best lessons in my own career were those in which the perfect balance was struck between appropriateness of the material for the students, and my own confidence and deep understanding of the material. This gave rise to a feeling of ease in which my creativity could occur.It was always accompanied by a sense of freedom,and richness of experience.There was humour, beauty, affection and excitement for everyone and the students would be stimulated and inspired.The creative teacher can practise a real Art of Education.whereby the developing human being is the work of art .Creativity enables the teacher to find solutions and work in an inclusive way with the students.

4.Always learning.
An ideal teacher never stops learning.In fact they should feel at the end of each year that they have learned more than they have taught. A teacher with an open mind, who does not fool themselves into thinking they have all the answers, is a teacher who keeps step with their students.This process necessitates continual critical reflection. There are always new discoveries to be made about the complex human beings we teach. There are always new and creative ways to facilitate learning, there are always new and deeper ways to penetrate our understanding of the subject matter we teach.There are always new developments occurring in the world around us and impacting upon us and we have to meet them.
The creative teacher can practise a real Art of Education.whereby the developing human being is the work of art .Creativity enables the teacher to find solutions and work in an inclusive way with the students. The best lessons in my own career were those in which the perfect balance was struck between appropriateness of the material for the students, and my own confidence and deep understanding of the material. This gave rise to a feeling of ease in which my creativity could occur.It was always accompanied by a sense of freedom,and richness of experience.There was humour, beauty, affection and excitement for everyone and the students would be stimulated and inspired.

5.Fosters social harmony.
An ideal teacher is awake to the social dynamics among their students. As Glasser proposes, young people need to have a secure environment, a sense of power and a sense of freedom. Wherever any degree of bullying or intimidation is present, the victim is deprived of these 3 elements, which leads to deep unhappiness and loss of self-esteem. The perpetrator, if unchecked, is in moral jeopardy.To prevent a culture of powerplaying an ideal teacher not only encourages co-operation and collaboration within the classroom, but is vigilant in observing the details of social interaction among his students.
An expert teacher is always respected by their students and in many cases inspires their love and devotion. The effect of such a teacher having a quiet and tactful word to address a socially inharmonious situation can be very effectiv

6.Understands how students learn.
An ideal teacher understands the complexities of learning. They are aware of the stages of cognitive development that human beings undergo, and know the right time to introduce and develop the concepts to be learnt. They are always conscious of their students’ readiness for tackling a new area of learning, making sure that their zone of proximal development is accessed. They understand the varieties of ways students learn and the multiple intelligences that need to be stimulated in order for learning to occur, and are aware of how these intelligences operate in individual students.They understand how to structure a lesson so that the necessary encoding can take place for the students to
become deep learners and ultimately critical thinkers and creative human beings.

7.Is an expert in their subject.
This does not come at the top of the list, because an expert in a subject will not necessarily be able to teach that subject. Having said that, however, it is undeniable that the best learning can take place when a teacher knows their subject thoroughly and is so conversant with their material that they can be free to improvise, create and innovate. With the confidence of deep understanding they will be able to guide their students to make their own discoveries and help them explore with greater freedom.

8.Is grounded and well-organised.
Students need to feel secure and confident that their teacher is down to earth and practical.An ideal teacher thinks ahead and establishes clear boundaries.They follow through and deliver and hold good to their promises unless exceptional circumstances prevent them. They maintain a clean functional environment. They are enthusiastic but not unrealistic regarding what time will allow.

9.Is a good colleague and member of the school community.
An ideal teacher cultivates excellent working relationships with their colleagues.As MargaretWheatlley
points out ,there is an art to being a well –functioning member of an organization. It requires the ability to listen with open interest, to share and confide, offer help and ask for help, and to speak one’s mind in a non-combative manner. An ideal teacher upholds and understands the policies and ethos of their school and feels well –-suited to the school they have chosen. Furthermore, an ideal teacher takes an active part in the greater community of teachers and educators and of the wider community of people working toward the progress of human evolution.

Reflections on Glasser "Being Valued"

Recognition and affirmation should not be given in the form of hollow phrases and glib formulas of praise.It takes effort to understand our students.It takes effort to read the many signs that enable a teacher to work out an individual's character, but without the effort of dilligent and objective observation we will not recognise the nature of our students.If we do not understand them we cannot truly love them or value them.
The careful thorough and ongoing task of student observation is a prime teaching task. It is one of the tasks that we carry out each evening as we review the day and plan the next.We can focus on the students; what did we learn about them today.This is much more than a review of lessons.All those small things we've noticed can be brought to consciousness and reflected on .This practice prepares a teacher to meet each student the following day.Knowledge can then be transformed into action. Because we have made the effort to consider and understand each student we will have a greater chance of responding to them in a helpful and intelligent way. The student senses that they are important and our understanding generates greater compassion within us.The next step is action on our part to communicate to the student that we understand and value them for all that they are.
Many instances come to mind of the benefits of this practice. eg last week on the monday after daylight saving was activated, I noticed a student was very agitated and restless in class. Having observed that this student gets very insecure when there are changes to their routine, I recognised that the sudden time shift was a big contributing factor in his behaviour. I began a discussion about daylight saving and how the time change affects us. All the students welcomed the chance to articulate their feelings of discomfort and the student in question listened with great interest and nodded in agreement. He was relieved and much calmer after the discussion.Without anything directly being said to him, he had been recognised and affirmed, and his restless feelings were alleviated.

Reflections on Glasser "Sense of Place The wider environment

The sense of place...One only has to consider the tragic suffering of detainees and refugees in order to appreciate the importance of "belonging to a place".If human beings are forcibly detained in limbo,with no feeling of being able to put down roots, then the most dreadful loss of identity can occur.Throughout life's journey this understanding of "self' is precisely what a human being cherishes and cultivates, it is the human essence.If we look to great spiritual or moral leaders of humanity,such as the Gautama Buddha or Jesus of Nazareth or the great poets and artists of each generation, we are inspired to cultivate the higher aspects of self by breaking through the crust of egotism.The first step is to find a place of peace and harmony in one's inner life,and allowing this sense of peace to flood the soul.From this place a powerful feeling of love and identity with all humanity can be accessed.
Human beings are not unlike the plants.We need the right conditions for growth so that our "flower', the higher self, can bloom.By creating environments in our schools which foster a sense of beauty, belonging and security, the first step toward establishing a deep sense of identity can be taken.

Reflections on Glasser "Sense of Place The wider environment

Reflections on Glasser’s “choice theory”

1. Secure sense of place/feeling of rightness in environment.

Organising the classroom in a harmonious, artistic & practical way is crucial to the student’s sense of well-being.If the classroom is disorganised, dirty, smelly (old lunch left in a desk?),cluttered,,messy and unaesthetic, the students’ sense of order will be disturbed. They will feel unsure as to the purpose or intention of the spatial arrangements and their sense of beauty logic and movement will be offended.In short, no matter what their character, they will feel insecure in this environment.Where will they find the Paper needed for their assignment? What cup will they use to drink from if the cups aren’t named or are lying in a dirty sink?The simple task of locating their workbook may take afull10 minutes for a child who has not been encouraged or assisted to maintain a neat & orderly desk.While they are anxiously & guiltily rummaging through their desk,they will be unable to participate in the lesson & may well prompt negative comments from their classmates. Nobody wins in this situation!

On the other hand an austere & sterile classroom environment will not endow them with a sense of belonging.It will be too clinical & impersonal for them to connect to. If the classroom is decorated with artwork the children have created, with cushions they have sewn, with flowers from the garden they have tended on the school grounds, then they will be surrounded by things that give them a sense of belonging and achievement.”This is my home,”