Individual Presentation at the BERA 2003 Annual Conference

1. Individual Presentation at the BERA 2003 Annual Conference “The Case for a Genuine Partnership between Teachers and the State” 11 – 13 September 2003 Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh Dr John Langley Principal Auckland College of Education

2. Outline • A bit of philosophy • A bit of the past • A bit of the present • A bit of the future • A bit of discussion

3. A bit of philosophy … The goals of governments in democratic states • economic prosperity • social justice = a decent society

4. Every person, whatever his level of academic ability, whether he be rich or poor, whether he lives in town or country, has a right, as a citizen, to a free education of a kind to which he is best fitted and to the fullest extent of his powers.(House of Representatives AJHR,EI, 1932, p.2)

5. Decent SocietyValues …not simply economic success but also … ideas, art, music, literature and the way we regard each other Kurt Vonnegut: “We are decent only in as much as our ideas are humane.”

6. New right agenda … De-regulation Wages Banking Imports / exports Transport Agriculture Public sector “Privatisation of the public sector” Picot Report / Tomorrow’s Schools Over-centralisation of decision-making Unco-ordinated decisions and duplication of services Lack of information / choice / information about learner achievement Lack of effective management practices Feelings of powerlessness and consumer dissatisfaction Fourth Labour Government

7. Tomorrow’s Schools Benefits • Laxative • Autonomy • Responsiveness • Leadership of principals • Innovation • Community focus …

8. The 1990s … more of the “right” stuff! • Self-governing and self-managing schools • Bulk funding • A national curriculum framework • Apoplexy in the tertiary sector • Performance standards and performance standards and performance standards and … • Performance management systems • External / managerial accountability • Incessant public criticism • scandals

9. Formula …sm + nc + ps + pms + ea = success What is success? Better learning?

10. How are we doing? • Top 80% performing at world class standards • Bottom 20% are falling backwards (Hattie, 2003)

11. The Report Card • A third of our young people leave school with no formal qualifications • A third of those unemployed have no formal school qualifications • In a 1996 survey 42 percent of New Zealanders scored below the minimum literacy rate and were not functionally literate enough for their workplaces • Some 4 to 6 percent of our children can be defined as behaviour disordered (Church, 1996)

12. In 2001 there were 1200 young people suspended from our schools • 74% were boys • 33% were Maori • 28% were Pacific Islanders Decile 5 schools were the biggest suspenders??

13. New Zealand has one of the highest rates of youth suicide in the Western World • In a recent study, Westra from the University of Auckland, found that 40% of students coming into Year 9 were scoring below the 20th percentile in literacy • IEA study found differentially poorer results in literacy for Maori and Pacific Island children (Wagemaker, 1993) • PIRLS Report (2000) demonstrated that the bottom 20% of our children and young people are falling further behind in achievement. The top 80% compare with the best in the world. • Concern over the achievement and progress of boys and young men.

14. What is a “good” teacher? • to be able to cause learning • to foster a desire for learning • to set horizons for children and set expectations which do that • to care for children with compassion, sensitivity, and skill • to behave in ways that show an understanding of obligations to children and young people, colleagues, the community, and wider society • and demonstrate a commitment to continued improvement (Brock, 1999; Langley, 2000)

15. Effects of the reforms … • Fragmentation • Industrial dominance • Top down managerialist accountability • Lack of focus on teaching / learning

16. You learn – you move on … Barriers to progress • Lack of clarity about the role of centres / schools / teachers • The place of the curriculum and what it means • Tension between a professional and industrial culture • Internecine warfare between education groups • The tough stuff • Fitness • Competence • Credibility • Positionalism • Phonics vs whole language • NCEA vs Cambridge • Behaviourism vs humanism

17. Tension Central control vs local autonomy • What should be central? • What should be local? Not a question of legislation

18. The message is clear ... • You need to have more education to survive in this world • You need to have more computer skills • You need to do maths and science • You need longer school days and school years to optimise achievement • You need a decent high school education to get into university • You need to go to Year 13 to enhance your options at tertiary level • You need an education to get a job • You need to get prepared for a vocation • Education is related to the Knowledge Economy

19. Future directions Two trends: • Recent focus on effective teaching and learning (Quality teaching for diverse students in schooling: Best evidence synthesis) • The 50% - 30% impact • Move towards a professional rather than a managerialist model

20. Examples … • ·Quality and facilitates high standards of students from heterogeneous groups. • ·Pedagogical practices enable classes and other learning groupings to work as caring, inclusive and learning communities. • ·Effective links are created between school and other cultural contexts in which students are socialized. • ·Quality teaching is responsive to student learning processes. • ·Opportunity to learn is effective and sufficient. • ·Multiple task contexts support learning styles. • ·Curriculum goals, resources including ICT usage, task design, teaching and school practices are effectively aligned. • ·Pedagogy scaffolds and provides appropriate feedback on students’ task engagement. • ·Pedagogy promotes learning orientations, student self-regulation, metacognitive strategies and thoughtful student discourse. • ·Teachers and students engage constructively in goal-oriented assessment.

21. New Zealand Teachers Council  Characteristics of a profession • A commitment to perform a service for the public good and for the good of individuals. • The ability to make decisions about matters which form part of the field of the service being performed. • The work performed is based on a systematic body of knowledge and research. • There is a commitment to improve the service being performed through professional development. • Some form of comprehensive and agreed initial training is undertaken prior to the commencement of the practice. • Members of the profession are governed by a code of ethics which is binding on members.  (Brock, 1999; Sayer, 1992)

22. What must be done? • Debate about whether teaching is a profession? • Debate about whether teachers see themselves as one profession? • Identification of the bodies of knowledge that constitute teaching • Define the role of centres / schools • Clearly define the role of teachers • Develop and implement an alternative approach to industrial relations • Develop and implement a universal code of ethics for teachers

23. Some alternative directions ... • Creation of a professional environment for teachers (move away from the industrial) • development and implementation of one set of professional standards within a professional culture • development and implementation of a code of ethics for teachers • development of a new industrial model • development of a set of conditions and resources for teaching to enable optimum learning to occur • development of multiple pathways for teachers to pursue • A clear and more focussed view of what effective teacher education programmes look like, who should deliver them, and how

24. Challenge … To create a true profession of and for teachers, those they teach, and what that means?

25. Conclusion … Teaching is about • enhancing lives • social good • and winning hearts and minds “There are those who look at what is, and ask why? There are others who look at what might be and ask, why not?” (George Bernard Shaw)