Ok, I admit it.. I'm a board game tragic. During the week I bought Space Hulk, a game I remember from my youth.. It was a game I could never afford, so when it was re-released I picked up a copy. Reliving your youth.. that's kinda cool....
Then I started playing and became addicted.
Then I bought paint, brushes, turps, primer and then started painting all of the miniatures... and the worst thing is that I've been enjoying it. What the hell is wrong with me???? Is it curable?
Anyhow, here are some links that lead towards the hobby:
Games Workshop
Board Game Geek
Painting Guide
It leads me to think, if I'm enjoying it (and I'm just a big kid).. could students enjoy it too. I've been looking at creating after school programmes that could teach students (particularly boys) collaboration, return for effort, work ethic, respect.. Get kids to enjoy school and gain some leverage to encourage them to perform.. These are what I've come up with so far..
Yr 11 mathematics summer school (very successful 5 days during 2008/9 school holidays)
Yr 9 games design workshop (2008 board game/computer programming club for boys)
Yr 8-10 computer game programming in Java (still to run)
Yr 8-10 Warhammer 40k club (miniatures gaming, still to run)
Saturday, October 10, 2009
Sunday, October 4, 2009
Importance of community support in teaching
It's easy to become jaded in teaching. You see it everyday. Yet there are those that stay fresh year in year out. I believe I'm discovering their secret.
About two weeks ago, I said a short piece at the local parish about my teaching experiences during mass. Since then I have had about a dozen people come up and say how much they enjoyed the discussion. The talk focused on the successes in my teaching career. There was an aspect of respect in their voices when I discussed how we sought to improve the lives of the kids. It's been energising.
Today, some friends came back from Jakarta and we discussed again some of my teaching experiences this time with a more cynical tone. This time the discussion was more about the practical and self preservation aspect of teaching. The compromises that get made to ensure that teachers make it to the end of term. The times where you made practical decisions rather than the idealistic ones that I'm more known for. In this instance I felt deflated and the teaching profession looked more like a defeated organisation.
I realised afterwards that practicality be damned, I prefer seeking the idealistic path, as taking the practical path means that I accept the compromises that it requires. So, it takes an extra couple of hours out of each day to teach the way I like to teach. To compromise is to denigrate the profession we seek to promote and ultimately to lose face in the public's eye when we fail students (even if they don't appreciate/want/are resistant to the attention and effort that promotes their successes).
..and that's the need for public recognition of contributions by teachers - if nobody values or cares for the effort of our teachers, teachers don't know that the effort we put into students is recognised (or even required), whether the outcomes are worth seeking and the perseverance of improvement worth pursuing.
About two weeks ago, I said a short piece at the local parish about my teaching experiences during mass. Since then I have had about a dozen people come up and say how much they enjoyed the discussion. The talk focused on the successes in my teaching career. There was an aspect of respect in their voices when I discussed how we sought to improve the lives of the kids. It's been energising.
Today, some friends came back from Jakarta and we discussed again some of my teaching experiences this time with a more cynical tone. This time the discussion was more about the practical and self preservation aspect of teaching. The compromises that get made to ensure that teachers make it to the end of term. The times where you made practical decisions rather than the idealistic ones that I'm more known for. In this instance I felt deflated and the teaching profession looked more like a defeated organisation.
I realised afterwards that practicality be damned, I prefer seeking the idealistic path, as taking the practical path means that I accept the compromises that it requires. So, it takes an extra couple of hours out of each day to teach the way I like to teach. To compromise is to denigrate the profession we seek to promote and ultimately to lose face in the public's eye when we fail students (even if they don't appreciate/want/are resistant to the attention and effort that promotes their successes).
..and that's the need for public recognition of contributions by teachers - if nobody values or cares for the effort of our teachers, teachers don't know that the effort we put into students is recognised (or even required), whether the outcomes are worth seeking and the perseverance of improvement worth pursuing.
Labels:
teaching
Saturday, October 3, 2009
Interference in Teaching
University 4 year degree, WACOT, WWC, Federal police clearance, Curriculum Council and NCOS, National curriculum, ACARA & league tables, Scope and Sequence documents, moderation, compulsory PD, A-E exemplars, Independent schools, union politics, DET's squillion policies on everything and now a national teacher standards body (Gees thanks Julia!).
Can we possibly put more bureaucracy and BS between teachers and students?
Yes we can!
Can we possibly put more bureaucracy and BS between teachers and students?
Yes we can!
Labels:
IOTY,
Julia Gillard,
teaching
Thursday, October 1, 2009
Happiness and the mall.
Today I was walking down the mall, baby and wife in tow. It was a lovely day, baby was gurgling and we had just had a nice lunch in DJ's. The counterpoint to all this sappy contentedness was the hordes of unhappy people bustling around. Frowns, heads down, generally needing to be somewhere else.
Sometimes I think we all need to take a look around and enjoy life a bit. I suppose I have always been lucky, I have fallen into jobs that were fulfilling and challenging or alternatively sought ones that were - but they tended to be all consuming. Things can change quickly - I had a discussion with the man who was installing something at our house and in discussion he said his daughter died of cancer at age 17.
That would be life stopping. I can't imagine thinking how I would be if that happened to Mackenzie. It reminds you that we should try and enjoy every moment with our loved ones and seek to find ways of making best of what we have.
The good times need to be cherished.
Sometimes I think we all need to take a look around and enjoy life a bit. I suppose I have always been lucky, I have fallen into jobs that were fulfilling and challenging or alternatively sought ones that were - but they tended to be all consuming. Things can change quickly - I had a discussion with the man who was installing something at our house and in discussion he said his daughter died of cancer at age 17.
That would be life stopping. I can't imagine thinking how I would be if that happened to Mackenzie. It reminds you that we should try and enjoy every moment with our loved ones and seek to find ways of making best of what we have.
The good times need to be cherished.
Labels:
motivation
Monday, September 28, 2009
Race for the galaxy
If you're a fan of this game and haven't seen the free AI written by Keldon Jones - go and grab it, it's fantastic.
If you're not a fan - don't bother, free or not you won't understand the appeal until you've played the card game (which will do your head in until you get the game mechanic, then you'll obsess over it and wonder why you found it so hard at first).
The most impressive thing (besides the AI) is the UI, it's neat, functional and fast. Yay!
If you're not a fan - don't bother, free or not you won't understand the appeal until you've played the card game (which will do your head in until you get the game mechanic, then you'll obsess over it and wonder why you found it so hard at first).
The most impressive thing (besides the AI) is the UI, it's neat, functional and fast. Yay!
Labels:
AI,
card games
Sunday, September 27, 2009
Year 10 motivation, Citadels & Singstar
It's been noticed that year 10's can sometimes lack motivation. Yelling at them can work for awhile (but unfortunately an authoritative style is not my style of teaching). I aim to get them to that point where they want to do well. Success is a great motivator - but it's hard to achieve meaningful success without some motivation in the first place - a real "Catch 22" situation. Turning around truanting and disinterested students can be a real challenge.
We have some extrinsic motivators as part of school behaviour management policy - such as the gold note we send home and the reward events at the end of term, but these are generally for the achievers in the school and don't help the unmotivated reach their potential.
So, I thought about it and set about building other motivators into the programme based around their interests. I discussed with my group that I would run a Singstar competition on the last day of term, if students put in a big effort to work up until then. I also suggested that if they reached a 50% average on the next test I would buy pizza. I set about being more positive in class and discussing 'what if's' when students put in more effort. I started encouraging students to do online tutorials to help themselves achieve higher grades.
Low and behold, in the last week of term, I needed to add desks to my room to hold all the students (I didn't even realise I was short until then as I rarely had a full class - albeit it has been growing with new students all term). Students actively wanted to know when the next test was, turned up on the day, bugged me until they were marked and wanted to know what their marks were! I nearly fell out of my chair.
I've also been trialling a card game "Citadels" with differing groups of students - it has been a hit with kids in the senior school of varying age groups and ability levels - from Ed support to Calc students. It takes about 5 minutes to learn, requires social interaction, forward thinking, decision making and is a bit of fun. Even the Mrs likes it.
Maybe the ideas have some potential.
We have some extrinsic motivators as part of school behaviour management policy - such as the gold note we send home and the reward events at the end of term, but these are generally for the achievers in the school and don't help the unmotivated reach their potential.
So, I thought about it and set about building other motivators into the programme based around their interests. I discussed with my group that I would run a Singstar competition on the last day of term, if students put in a big effort to work up until then. I also suggested that if they reached a 50% average on the next test I would buy pizza. I set about being more positive in class and discussing 'what if's' when students put in more effort. I started encouraging students to do online tutorials to help themselves achieve higher grades.
Low and behold, in the last week of term, I needed to add desks to my room to hold all the students (I didn't even realise I was short until then as I rarely had a full class - albeit it has been growing with new students all term). Students actively wanted to know when the next test was, turned up on the day, bugged me until they were marked and wanted to know what their marks were! I nearly fell out of my chair.
I've also been trialling a card game "Citadels" with differing groups of students - it has been a hit with kids in the senior school of varying age groups and ability levels - from Ed support to Calc students. It takes about 5 minutes to learn, requires social interaction, forward thinking, decision making and is a bit of fun. Even the Mrs likes it.
Maybe the ideas have some potential.
Labels:
card games,
motivation
Space Hulk and my lack of assembling ability
One of the best things about getting older is that you can afford some of the things you really, really wanted as a kid. One thing that springs to mind is the out of print game Space Hulk by Games Workshop.
Well, maybe not afford, but perhaps "borrow" some money out of the housekeeping funds while the Mrs isn't watching..
Anyhoo.. picked it up yesterday when I stumbled on the 20th anniversary limited reprint (translated: expensive - but with extra cool bits!). So I sat down and assembled all the miniatures. I'm now missing bits of two fingers after a mishap with a stanley knife and know some interesting uses for a rabbit nailclipper.
Four of the figures are a little wonky and missing arms but nothing a bit of superglue can't fix once I unstick my remaining fingers.
Only problem now is that the lamb pie from the other night hasn't agreed with me and she who must be obeyed has declared that she won't come within 10 ft - which would make playing the game a little difficult. So I can't play! ..and she says I have to clean the red mess off the floor**
I just need to think of someone with no sense of smell that likes board games...
So here I sit with a Winnie the Pooh band aid and a sponge.
:-(
**from the accident with the Stanley knife.
Well, maybe not afford, but perhaps "borrow" some money out of the housekeeping funds while the Mrs isn't watching..
Anyhoo.. picked it up yesterday when I stumbled on the 20th anniversary limited reprint (translated: expensive - but with extra cool bits!). So I sat down and assembled all the miniatures. I'm now missing bits of two fingers after a mishap with a stanley knife and know some interesting uses for a rabbit nailclipper.
Four of the figures are a little wonky and missing arms but nothing a bit of superglue can't fix once I unstick my remaining fingers.
Only problem now is that the lamb pie from the other night hasn't agreed with me and she who must be obeyed has declared that she won't come within 10 ft - which would make playing the game a little difficult. So I can't play! ..and she says I have to clean the red mess off the floor**
I just need to think of someone with no sense of smell that likes board games...
So here I sit with a Winnie the Pooh band aid and a sponge.
:-(
**from the accident with the Stanley knife.
Labels:
board games
Saturday, September 26, 2009
Synthesis of ideas
Typically in an organisation, inspirational achievement is driven by recognition. By inspirational achievement, I mean achievement that goes beyond organic or inertial achievement - achievement that happens as a factor of time.
Allowing inspirational achievement to be driven by recognition is counterproductive as it breaks down the ability for future success as entities within the organisation confuse the success of organisational goals with the need for personal recognition (or more importantly the belief that others are taking credit where it is not due).
To prevent this occurring the process of organisational synthesis must occur, where credit is distributed to effective teams and the goals of the team are acknowledged first (and valued), with credit being accrued as leader and as individual participants in the team as a secondary and lessor factor. This is not a natural process, and although we commonly achieve this in sporting teams, it is rarely seen in organisations, especially those as filled with individuals as school staff rooms.
The idea of synthesis occurs where ideas are naturally shared with the team and the team develops the idea to fulfill a team goal. The idea of public personal credit is eliminated and only the goal is celebrated publically when it is achieved - by the whole team. Elements that caused the success are identified inside the team and only extraordinary and measurable contributions (motivational, leadership, content, skill, effort, time) acknowledged by the whole team are documented and/or rewarded further. This gives the appearance of a coherent and solid team and removes the perception of fractured teams (that may in fact only be debating different methods to the same goal). Loafers get credit but may not be invited to be part of the next team (thus eliminating a fractured element).
External input breaks the model, which dictates that the most capable people need to be in the team (or added to the team) and that any external inputs are donated without requirement for credit.
Allowing inspirational achievement to be driven by recognition is counterproductive as it breaks down the ability for future success as entities within the organisation confuse the success of organisational goals with the need for personal recognition (or more importantly the belief that others are taking credit where it is not due).
To prevent this occurring the process of organisational synthesis must occur, where credit is distributed to effective teams and the goals of the team are acknowledged first (and valued), with credit being accrued as leader and as individual participants in the team as a secondary and lessor factor. This is not a natural process, and although we commonly achieve this in sporting teams, it is rarely seen in organisations, especially those as filled with individuals as school staff rooms.
The idea of synthesis occurs where ideas are naturally shared with the team and the team develops the idea to fulfill a team goal. The idea of public personal credit is eliminated and only the goal is celebrated publically when it is achieved - by the whole team. Elements that caused the success are identified inside the team and only extraordinary and measurable contributions (motivational, leadership, content, skill, effort, time) acknowledged by the whole team are documented and/or rewarded further. This gives the appearance of a coherent and solid team and removes the perception of fractured teams (that may in fact only be debating different methods to the same goal). Loafers get credit but may not be invited to be part of the next team (thus eliminating a fractured element).
External input breaks the model, which dictates that the most capable people need to be in the team (or added to the team) and that any external inputs are donated without requirement for credit.
Labels:
teamwork
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