I think this weeks post is a bit of an education special... down an internet rabbit hole went I.
This week I read the sad comments of American teachers forced to call rest time “Sensory Differentiation Time” just so they can keep a break in the day for their exhausted preschoolers. I am so frustrated by this issue but have no idea what to do about it. I did post a comment on the article if you want to read my rambling thoughts.
I read the entire blog of Rowandale Primary school's Principal- Rowandale is a super choice school in Manurewa, Auckland. I was reminded that I used to enjoy teaching and that I miss New Zealand. And I was stunned by the stark contrast that I had become blind to since spending way to much time in Western Australian Schools. It's hard to see what isn't there of course but when you see what's missing your realise what a huge loss it is. What is it? Culture- our kids Australian schools are so deeply lacking in real cultural inclusion - there's no Kapa Haka, there's no Samoan Dance group... we give lip service to other cultures on Harmony Day and Italian Day. Even Naidoc Week is in the school holidays this year. Heck even our ANZAC Celebrations failed to mention the NZ in ANZAC.
How Early training retards intellectual development is a sobering read when you consider how our current education systems ignore the findings here. This paragraph basically sums it up.
"In sum, Benezet showed that children who received just one year of arithmetic, in sixth grade, performed at least as well on standard school calculations and much better on math story problems than kids who had received six years of arithmetic training. This was all the more remarkable because of the fact that those who received just one year of training were from the poorest neighborhoods--the neighborhoods that had previously produced the poorest test results. "
The Defending The Early Years (DEY) website is American- but the articles and information are relevant anywhere that academic push down is happening.
I loved the interaction between the two children in this post from Teacher Tom- you just don't get that in direct instruction learning- if you have to do what a teacher tells you to do- it's impossible to make your own decisions and choices- early childhood is the most forgiving time to learn and practice these skills and many others.
♥
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