3-2-1 TUESDAYS WITH MS NIV

Issue #116, 27th September 2022

Schools and homes are places where we open our minds, our children’s and student’s minds. Not places or cultures where we fill empty minds. The road to learning and growing is by making mistakes, experimenting, learning from so much that goes on in the day, and connecting the dots. Imagining from the dots, inventing new ideas, processes, and possibilities. Ah! the role that classroom, school, and home culture play in our lives. Here are some thoughts for you to ponder upon.

Three Images of the Week

Two Thoughts of the Week

“In traditional schools, you’re penalized for making a mistake. But that won’t work in the new information culture, in the digital world we live in today.” — Daniel Greenberg

“The vision is, first, that the school will be a community, a place full of adults and youngsters who care about, look after, and root for one another and who work together for the good of the whole in times of need and times of celebration. Every member of a community holds some responsibility for the welfare of every other and for the welfare of the community as a whole.” — Barth, R., The Culture Builder 

One Video of the Week

Our children are more than the sum of their school grades. Behind every exam result lies a whole person with incalculable, untapped potential and myriad facets and capacities just waiting to be discovered. What a child shows she knows in school is not an accurate measure of her lifelong learning ability or her human potential. Schools are for growing minds but nothing stifles growth like ranking or grading.

It’s not how smart you are that counts, it is how you are smart. Proficiency in the 3Rs of reading, remembering, and regurgitating factual knowledge may get you an A*, but to thrive in adulthood you need deep-down things that aren’t so easily measured – tacit knowledge gained through our senses, observations, and social interactions. The good news is, we have all we need from an early age; and we need to redesign our schools so that our children can pursue their natural inclinations and in so doing find their self-worth. There is nothing in adulthood that an adventurous, untrammeled childhood cannot prepare you for. Andrew has spent twenty years teaching, leading, and authoring in education.

Still a headteacher, he continues to counter the calls for short-term, measurable outcomes with a cry for long-term gains in creativity, aspirational thinking, and positive well-being. He is a champion of adventurous childhood and believes that the most secure adulthood is built on a childhood free from the pressures to prepare for being a grown-up. Shedding light on the ‘invisible curriculum’ in schools has been Andrew’s obsession throughout his teaching and writing career. He holds a BA (Hons) QTS and an MA in Creativity in Education. Currently studying for an Ed.D, he is focused on demonstrating how the ethos and culture of a school have the greatest impact on positive attitudes and behaviors for life.

Dear reader,
I have been a research scientist, a journalist, and an educator for over 3 decades. I read and, I write.  With this weekly newsletter, I share what I read, learn, and, experience. At the same time, I engage with students, parents, and teams of teachers across K-12 schools, higher education institutions, and ed-tech organizations.

3-2-1 Tuesdays with Ms. Niv is a newsletter for you to subscribe to and enjoy your learning journey with me.

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