The Fresh Air Fund

Sometimes, believe it or not, learning takes place without technology. Outside even, in the open air. The Fresh Air Fund is a volunteer hosting organisation that aims to give NY city kids a holiday in the country, and they’re looking for volunteers to help. I love the things these kids up to. I want to [...]

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NAPLAN’d Out

It’s been a big week, chock-full of NAPLAN testing, among other things. Three mornings of more paper-shuffling than you can poke a 2B pencil at. And is it worth the effort? Mine, my team or the students? I doubt it. I’ve blogged about NAPLAN before: about teaching to the test, the new lows of league [...]

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Sunset on term 3

Okay, that blog post heading might have been a bit of an excuse for me to show off this gorgeous winter sunset photo, which I took from Mt Martha, looking over Port Phillip Bay.  And the sun has set on Term 3 too, which is a good thing. A very busy last few weeks with [...]

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A New Era of Localism

I had made a solemn promise to my blogging self not to talk any more about the propects of national curriculum since we all apparently agree on what a great boon it will be for our nation, and those students who move interstate every year, for all Australian curriculum, including content and pedagogy, to come [...]

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Some US High Schools Return to Electives (gasp)

We hold these truths to be self evident: that giving students some choice in their own learning directions is likely to lead to them becoming more actively engaged in their own learning, and likely to help them find that ‘thing’ they love. So, I was pleased to read in the NY TImes today that some [...]

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