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Aussie Friends of Treehorn
Guiding Our Nation’s School Kids Intelligently
Trying to prevent PNSD – Pre-Naplan-Stress-Disorder
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Californian Teachers comment on GERM in NZ
Leading Kiwi educator, Allan Alach, has provided a very recent article [9/03/14] by David B. Cohen on the impact of GERM’s standardised testing regime [called ‘National Standards’] on New Zealand schooling, usually amongst the very highest quality in the world. Just click the above.
You will notice the comments by Mr. Chris Hipkins, NZ’s outstanding alternative Minister for Education. One can be quite sure that, if he becomes the next Minister, the NZ tourism industry will increase manifold….more attractive than Cadbury chocolate! Its schools will be more earth-shaking than any other natural phenomenon. NZ has always had such a better, sounder, more progressive attitude to schooling than most other countries and its natural features are more attractive than Finland’s! [Sorry Pasi]
However, if you wish to learn what happens in Finland, spend 28 minutes listening to Pasi Sahlberg [click above]. Every Australian, children included, should watch this clip. If a viewer is not impressed by the background to Finnish education……!!!!….don’t let him or her near a school….for the sake of our children.
The first article’s focus is on cheating. GERM countries’ modes of managing standardised blanket tests encourage cheating at all levels. China, as you know , manipulates PISA tests as some other countries do, illustrating the stupidity of relying on PISA results to describe a country’s education system. The confrontational GERM ideology of blaming teachers, mystifying parents, encouraging excessive test-practice, adapting tests on-line issues a challenge to motivated teachers and districts and states to ‘beat the system’. One has to ask, however, “Who are the biggest cheats?”
No wonder Dean Ashenden calls NAPLAN a ‘self-fulfilling, rolling disaster.
NAPLAN and “these GERM approaches will fail in the long run.” [David B. Cohen- above] Let’s hurry it along for the sake of present-day kids.
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Phil Cullen [Lobbyist for Kids at School] 42 Cominan Avenue Banora Point 2486 07 5524 6443 cphilcullen@bigpond.com
The Treehorn Express 