Charter schools

[mansell]

Bit dramatic given that we are were we are, not because of a school system but because of our curiosity.

200 years ago maybe - but the modern advances are certainly due to well educated people taking what is already known and progressing it.
However this is beginning to move away from the topic at hand, if you are happy that your kids learn that the earth is flat and the centre of everything then let's let special interest groups set their own school curriculum, after all they must know more about teaching our future citizens than someone who has been trained to do so.

[mashman]

200 years ago maybe - but the modern advances are certainly due to well educated people taking what is already known and progressing it.
However this is beginning to move away from the topic at hand, if you are happy that your kids learn that the earth is flat and the centre of everything then let's let special interest groups set their own school curriculum, after all they must know more about teaching our future citizens than someone who has been trained to do so.

Absolutely, not denying that at all as it has always been that way, well, other than someone had to discover something first without any prior knowledge.
Bloody drama queen . In ways I'm all for specialist teaching if the student is keen. Be it a charter school, private school, public school etc... it matters not, primarily because there will be teaching taking place. For me it's all about what the kid is wanting to do and learn... and no, I'm not a teacher (a damned good thing), just someone that has been through the system and is reflecting on what I saw that was "wrong" with how things turned out (primarily my shite attitude, but hey, I eventually became ready and willing to learn).

[awa355]

Interesting to see more veiled threats coming from Parata this morning.

" Schools where children are failing exams could be taken over by the Government as the Education Minister warns staff need to be held accountable for students' performance."

Apparently there are about 70 schools currently under the control of statutory managers.

I thought the public schools were under the guidience of the govt anyway. Has national standards changed anything as far as achievement rates go?



http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/ar...ectid=11128998

[Banditbandit]

Damned right there's a cultural thing.

You need to expand on this - I fail to see how science is a cultural thing - except at a deeply philosophical level.

Science is no more difficult than any other discipline, (oops, there's that D word) it's just that you can't lower the bar with the hard sciences like they've done with the soft ones.

I'm not sure that is true. Science is not that hard, becasue at least at the early stages, there are right and wrong aswers that can be learnt - once you get to the philosophical level, the people like Paul Feyerabend through spannes in the works - but as far as the practical side goes, there are still right and wrong, or workable, answers.

The "soft" sciences do not have right and wrong answers - the ability to interpret data and the juist plain think is important - as well as the ability to justify the answers research arrives at. These are not disciplines where the right answer can be memorised

It's not only culturally correct as far as the significantly socialist leaning teaching profession's concerned but also a fucking site less work to just gloss over the lack of performance by simply expecting less of the students.

Again - this is not true. Pupils pass the "soft" sciences by their ability to argue and discuss, not by their ability to rote learn correct answers.

[SVboy]

Ah, just like old times.

It's been 20 years since a teacher tried to blame me for her inability to do her job. Disappointing to see the attitude seems to have become ingrained as a first line of defence.

Woops! Sorry! With a perfect parent like you it MUST be the teachers fault. Wow. I can see denial being a big aspect of your life. Open your eyes and take a reality check on issues within many NZ homes and families and how those issues flow through to education.

[mashman]

Interesting take and I agree to a huge extent.