Comments on: Tolley: national standards could be disaster

By: Ianmac

Ianmac — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 23:13:58 +0000

Do you think that the kids at Private schools will be obliged to undergo in National Standards. eg Bill’s or Tolley’s kids/grandchildren’s schools?

By: Johnny

Johnny — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 22:50:36 +0000

The original post says:

” The man National credits with coming up with the idea of national standards has warned the incompetence of Education Minister Anne Tolley could make it a disaster and Tolley agrees ”

I recall Bill English was always a champion of National Standards and National Testing when he was spokesman on Educaiton.

It makes sense to me that Bill English came up with the policy. Along with Rodney Hide and Hone Harawira, he forms part of a triumvirate of privilege exploiters .

By: Macro

Macro — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 09:01:54 +0000

Wow sounds great! – not the dial up tho! but I guess you can’t have everything.
Just long enough to get over the “culture shock!” But I think you will enjoy it all – none the less.

By: Ianmac

Ianmac — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 08:26:17 +0000

Macro: No to Singapore but next week I’m off to Abu Dhabi for 3 months. (Working off Dial up in a rural cottage until I go so limited access to Blog.) Cheers

By: Ianmac

Ianmac — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 08:23:07 +0000

Macro If you men do they ID and then help those in need? Yes of course they do but it is far too little. Only a few lucky ones get helped. But imagine what could be done for Special Needs with the 80 odd Million being spent on Standards. Spose it would not be as politically rewarding for Tolley’s Momentous Moment!

By: Macro

Macro — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 08:20:57 +0000

Lots! I thought our paths may have crossed.

By: Macro

Macro — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 08:19:30 +0000

Yes Ari – that is the hidden Agenda!
And the extra $46 million will be there to support them! – but we have to can the science and PT advisors to fund this momentous moment.

By: Ianmac

Ianmac — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 08:18:10 +0000

No Macro. Wot happened?

By: Ari

Ari — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 08:11:33 +0000

But it’s not about identifying who’s failing, it’s about redirecting wealthy students from public schools to private schools by creating a league table.

By: Macro

Macro — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 08:04:51 +0000

Exactly!
But doesn’t that happen already?

By: Macro

Macro — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 07:59:32 +0000

Does Singapore 84/85 mean anything to you Ianmac?

By: Ianmac

Ianmac — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 07:47:02 +0000

Oh and the day that the funds were diverted into the needy, won’t that be a “Momentous Moment!” Well spotted Julie. Must use it more often.
“It was a “Momentous Moment!” for the Minister of Education when….

By: Ianmac

Ianmac — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 07:44:00 +0000

Well put Macro. And if you are an unscrupulous lead teacher you can always be a bit choosy as to who is chosen for your class. “Just the bright, white, middleclass children please. I have standards to uphold you know. The rest of you can fit in some other poor beggars class.”

If only the millions being put into testing were given to the programmes which have already identified those who are failing. We know who are in the bottom 20% now dammit!

By: Macro

Macro — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 07:21:33 +0000

I have little doubt that this so called “experiment” will be an unmitigated disaster. We have a person in charge who has no idea of what constitutes education. What Tolley has in mind is actually ‘Training”. You train an adult to screw thingiemebobs onto whatsits or what ever. You train a child to say “please” and “thank you” to be polite. But it is not education. Education is to bring to the child new ideas and understandings of the world in which they live. A teacher who is marking endless assessment sheets of “National Standards” will have neither the time nor the inclination to do anything other than train the children in their class for the next assessment hurdle. A class that achieves well in the assessment will be hailed as having done well, and the teacher will be lauded as a successful teacher – but the teacher – if she has any comprehension of what her profession is about, will well know that the children have been sold a dummy!
The end result will be parrot learning of what Ann Tolley thinks is important. But children will not be ready for a changing world that even Ann Tolley has little conception.

By: Ari

Ari — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 03:27:33 +0000

For the Ministry of Redundancy Ministry.