Category Archives: NZ Media

Schools to look into undercover bully-watch

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Schools to look into undercover bully-watch

Children’s aggressive behaviour will be monitored and measured in all of the nation’s 2370 schools, if a new government proposal to curb the growing incidence of bullying goes ahead.

The plan is still in the early stages, but it is understood that the Ministry of Education, police and the Children’s Commissioner will seek tenders for a system to monitor aggression and bullying in every school.

The suggestion comes after Children’s Commissioner Dr John Angus last week issued a new guide – called “Responsive Schools” – on how to combat increasing levels of physical, verbal, emotional and technological bullying. Among the recommended techniques is a system that recruits students to secretly work “undercover” in their school, alongside a teacher, to fight bullying.

The government has already started a $45 million campaign to bring schoolyard misbehaviour under control. The “Positive Behaviour for Learning Action Plan” includes parenting programmes for 12,000 parents, specific training for 5000 teachers of children aged three to eight, and long-term help programmes for 400 secondary and intermediate schools with the worst behaviour problems.

But the Sunday Star-Times has learned that another tool, to monitor violence and students’ fears in school, is being planned. Angus said the new scheme would allow teachers and parents to “understand the social climate in their school”.

Education Minister Anne Tolley confirmed work was under way on the scheme. It was being put together by the Ministry of Education, police and the Children’s Commissioner.

It is understood the new tool will work like a student survey, where pupils report regularly on how comfortable and safe they are at school. The data will be collected so that school leaders can quickly identify a deterioration in a school’s climate and spot problem areas.

Similar surveys have been carried out in the past by groups such as the New Zealand Council for Educational Research but only in a one-off, snapshot format. The new tool would eventually work in every school, all of the time.

When victims felt safe reporting incidents, and where there was systematic gathering of information on the frequency of bullying, programmes were more likely to succeed, Tolley said.

Angus’ “Responsive Schools” report lists scores of different anti-bullying programmes in use around New Zealand but warns that whichever one a school chooses, a community-wide change of culture must go along with it.

Among the anti-bullying techniques commended in the report is one where students work “undercover” to cut bullying. Three or four pupils who are neither victims nor bullies are asked to join an “undercover team” along with one or two bullies.

Teachers, the victim of the bullies, and the other team members know of its existence, but no one else does. The team comes up with a plan together to help the victim and progress is communicated to the teacher regularly – often via email.

The approach, pioneered at Auckland’s Rosehill College, is commended in the report. “The sense of intrigue makes the setting up of the undercover team into a playful approach,” it says.

Principal of Auckland’s Papatoetoe High School, Peter Gall, said the majority of schools would have some sort of anti-bullying programme in place by now. “It’s a matter of treating every situation seriously. You have to, because if you don’t it can come back to bite you.”

Some people thought bullies would grow out of it and that some children were just “life’s victims” but that was nonsense, he said. “It’s all very well until it’s your child that’s bullied – then things change quite rapidly.”

By JOHN HARTEVELT – Sunday Star Times

Read this article here:

http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/3570417/Schools-to-look-into-undercover-bully-watch

More schools rethink homework

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More schools rethink homework

Hundreds of primary schools could soon follow the lead of their Wellington counterparts and make radical changes to traditional homework methods.

Karori Normal School has told parents that pupils should read comics and the backs of cereal packets to improve reading skills. They also suggest pupils improve their spelling by doing crosswords and playing board games. The school argues that homework has no positive impact.

The move has been backed by education expert John Hattie, who says he has found “zero evidence” that homework helps to improve time management or study skills.

Principals Federation president Ernie Buutveld said he knew of schools that were considering similar moves.

“In fact a lot of schools already have. It’s about making learning more fun. A lot of kids hear the word `homework’ and turn off straight away. Homework often has negative connotations.

“But by making learning fun you will be surprised at the number of kids who all of a sudden have a lot more interest.”

Seatoun School has changed homework rules, hoping it would prompt families to spend more time together. Principal Pete Pointon said it was also important for pupils to have down time after school.

Instead of traditional homework, pupils were given challenges, including tidying their bedrooms for a school term and planning and making a meal for their parents.

“If they are doing this stuff at home … because they are excited about it and want to do it rather than filling in some silly sheet or doing something they can’t see any relationship to what’s going on in their lives, I think it’s fantastic. They are switched on to learning and can see learning in a whole different context.”

The school still had some homework that needed to be done each night – reading and spelling for about 10 minutes.

The Education Ministry said homework could be effective, but “should not be excessive and should not unnecessarily fatigue and frustrate students”. The ministry encouraged parents to talk to their child’s teacher about homework methods.No homework but parents still have job.

By NATHAN BEAUMONT – The Dominion Post

Last updated 05:00 16/02/2010

New attitude to homework will help children – study

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New attitude to homework will help kids – study

Homework can create stress and undermine learning, says a leading school principal, who recommends youngsters learn to cook family meals rather than wade through worksheets.

Now a growing number of parents are being urged to follow a new approach to homework to boost children’s success at school.

A copy of the Best Evidence Synthesis (BES), which gathered work from 134 studies, is being sent to every school in the country.

“Homework can support or undermine student achievement, depending on how it is designed,” the study said.

“It is possible for schools to invest considerable time, energy and resources in engaging with families and communities in ways that have little or even negative impacts on student outcomes.”

Education Minister Anne Tolley said the research by Auckland University experts had significant implications for schools.

Amongst those driving new approaches to homework is the principal of Windsor School in Christchurch, Neill O’Reilly, whose homework policy has spread to about 100 other schools.

O’Reilly did not need to wait for Auckland researchers to tell him all was not well in home learning.

“A lot of what we have been sending home simply creates stress and isn’t improving outcomes for children,” he said. “Stop making them do it and try to just help them to love doing it.”

He said the only things that should be compulsory for homework were learning basic facts and reading. Work sheets, mini-projects and other programmes that imposed heavily on home life were out.

“The important thing is, we don’t just say to parents, `You have to do this’, because what we need to try to engender in children at primary school age is a love of learning,” O’Reilly said.

Windsor School had five sets of challenges for children to tackle for optional homework, beyond compulsory reading and fact-recall work, he said.

“These challenges recognise that learning doesn’t just happen in a vacuum within the school. We acknowledge that there are already great things going on in our homes, so it starts to acknowledge the sports, the music and the Scouts.”

Year 3 pupils would make a meal for their family as homework. By year 6, they would make three three-course meals, with mood music and lighting, he said.

Tolley launched the BES at a function at Auckland University this week, saying it was considered a “must-read” for everyone involved in education.

Michael Fullan, a professor emeritus at the University of Toronto, said the BES was “an important contribution to education not only in New Zealand, but also internationally”.

By JOHN HARTEVELT – The Press

Last updated 05:00 09/11/2009

Throw out homework, let kids read comics – principal

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Throw out homework, let kids read comics – principal

By NATHAN BEAUMONT – The Dominion Post

Wellington schools are scrapping traditional homework methods, instead telling pupils to read comics and the backs of cereal packets to improve reading skills.

They also suggest pupils improve their spelling by doing crosswords and playing board games but warn that parents should not rely solely on school lessons to improve the children’s achievement in maths.

The move has been backed by education expert Professor John Hattie, who says he has found “zero evidence” that homework helps to improve time management or study skills.

In a letter to parents, Karori Normal School principal Diane Leggett pointed to research that suggested homework had no positive impact. “In fact, there is a growing body of evidence to suggest the opposite.”

From this year the school had stopped providing homework sheets for pupils. Instead the school encouraged parents to be more involved with their child’s learning.

“Encourage your child’s imagination and creativity – you will do more than any homework or extra-tuition programme ever could. Turn off the TV/games console during the week. Let them play. Talk with them. Share with them.

“It doesn’t matter what your child reads as long as they get a balance of reading to you, reading with you and reading for themselves. Books, magazines, comics, newspapers, model aeroplane instructions, the back of the Weet-Bix packet … whatever, it doesn’t matter. As long as your child is doing something that they are interested in, they will read it, enjoy it and be all the happier and better off for it.”

They could also improve spelling by doing crosswords and word puzzles or playing board games like Scrabble.

Mrs Leggett warned that if pupils were struggling with maths, parents could not rely solely on school lessons to improve a child’s achievement.

She told The Dominion Post yesterday that feedback from parents had been “very positive”. “In fact, we have had no negative feedback at all. We feel that there is no point in giving children homework just for the sake of it. Learning should be fun and that’s what we will be focusing on.”

She was aware of similar moves at Ngaio and Seatoun schools.

Professor Hattie, from Auckland University, said homework worked for some pupils but for most it was a waste of time. If schools did give homework, he recommended no longer than five minutes a night.

“I applaud schools for taking this approach and I hope others follow what they have done. It’s far more important to have interaction with parents, rather than spending hours on some project.”

Link:  http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/education/3327534/Throw-out-homework-let-kids-read-comics-principal

Failing university students to get the boot

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Failing university students to get the boot

The Dominion Post

Thousands of students could be booted out of university this year for
underperforming in a crackdown on those with poor marks.

Financially stressed universities have revealed they will significantly
increase the number of students who are shown the door, saying they only
want “motivated students”.

The automatic right of people aged over 20 to university courses could also
be under threat, as universities warn their budgets are at breaking point.
Massey University Vice-Chancellor Steve Maharey said universities had been
left with no choice.

“We will be excluding students who underperform. There will be a significant
number, there’s no doubt about that. We want to create space for motivated
students.”

Prospective students will also face a grilling, with universities making no
apologies for the tough stance.

“We have thousands who want to come here, but we will be carefully sifting
through the applications and some tough calls will be made. We will be very
careful about who we let come here. I expect all universities will be in the
same position.”

Canterbury University is also cracking down. It excluded 827 underperforming
students last year, compared with 203 in 2008.

The university’s academic quality assurance unit manager, Heather Dickie,
said a strict exclusion policy was necessary to keep standards high and
scrutiny of students was set to intensify this year.

The university has introduced a policy in which any student whose grade
point average is less than 1.5, or who has not passed half or more of their
courses will have their progress automatically reviewed. Grade point
averages are ranked up to nine.

Union of Students Associations’ co-president David Do said student groups
were already seeing an increase in exclusions for poor academic performance.

“They’re using the policy as a punitive tool to clear students off their
books due to constrained funding.”

Student associations were concerned that toughening up admission
requirements went against New Zealanders’ sense of fairness and their
sentiment that people should be given a “fair go”.

“Open entry is a very important feature of the education system. It’s a
cornerstone of our public tertiary education system.”

Mr Do said the Government needed to increase university funding.

Each university has a specific number of students funded by the Government.
They are allowed to take in more, but they are not funded.

Vice-chancellors’ concerns about underperforming students while funding is
capped has triggered a review of university entrance standards that will be
completed this year.
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However, Tertiary Education Minister Anne Tolley has told the sector it
cannot expect funding to cover the increase in students.

In the Tertiary Education Strategy 2010-15, released last month, she
revealed that tertiary funding would be linked to performance, initially
focusing on students’ results.

Victoria University vice-chancellor Pat Walsh has also warned that
underfunding means the university will have more unfunded students this
year.

Last year the university had 650 unfunded students, which equated to a loss
of about $5 million.

New Zealand Vice-Chancellors’ Committee deputy chairman Roger Field, of
Lincoln University, said rather than kicking students out of university, his
preference was to let in only those who were likely to succeed. A “major
overhaul” of entrance standards was needed.

“University entrance standards don’t exactly assist us at this point, so if
we want to limit entry we have to apply particular standards for particular
programmes.”

– By NATHAN BEAUMONT, KIRAN CHUG and REBECCA TODD

http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/education/3216856/Failing-university-students-to-get-the-boot