May 30, 2018
NBA: 2018 Warriors vs Cavaliers
It's going to be another big showdown; the Warriors against LeBron James - again. LeBron James, the best basketball player to have played the game.
May 29, 2018
NCEA Review
I see from the latest announcement that NCEA is going in the opposite direction to the one I suggest. The proposal is to do away with exams at the Year 11 (5th Form) level. Oh dear, that would be bad. I agree with the Auckland Grammar head when he says "We are going to be going into a deep, dark place..."
This is not going to end well folks.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12059594
This is not going to end well folks.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12059594
May 27, 2018
New Zealand Education Crisis
The new Labour government of New Zealand is owned by teachers, nurses and social workers. That said, teachers in NZ have been having a lot to say; they want more money.
Fine, give them more money. But along with that extra pay do the following to avert the crisis and have NZ rising in the rankings again. Failure to do these things will mean collapse of the education system. That's right, collapse, and by that I mean widespread illiteracy and innumeracy or worse, a failure to know how to think.
The first step would be to merge the Education Council, Ministry of Education and the Education Review Office into one agency under the one roof. And give it teeth.
Then when that's done, make all teachers subject to objective and peer assessment. This would be done by ensuring that new teachers pass exams. Then while teaching they must conduct research and publish those papers. These results would determine rates of pay. Think this is too tough? What about accountants and lawyers? They're subject to professional examinations and when on the job they must function in certain ways to get the money. If teaching is a profession, why are they not subject to similar rigour?
Then pay more to teachers who stay in the classroom, and less to those who leave the classroom to administer. The flaw in the NZ system is it provides strong incentives for teachers to not do any teaching. To advance within teaching, teachers must get out of the classroom. Stop that happening.
Then scrap all school boards of trustees. Instead have schools run in groups managed by asset managers on a regional level, the board for which may be elected, but having each and every school with its own elected board of trustees is a nonsense. In effect it hands the day to day operation of schools to teachers. Teachers teach, they're not facilities managers.
Then lastly, bring back the three hour exam for most subjects. Replace the current NCEA system. I'd describe NCEA as delivering curriculum in a modular fashion. The problem with modular snippets is the student does not learn a subject end-to-end. Why have a student assessed on, say, 25% of the subject at hand before half way through the course? Until the student knows how all the parts fit together, they cannot be reliably assessed. The current assessment model disadvantages slow learners, those that may take all year to know a subject. What NCEA does is deliver failure early, and hence a large number switch off. It's the current NCEA system that promotes failure. This is hard to understand and denied by NCEA promoting apologists but this is the reality and the government has got to realise that NCEA does not work.
Oh and just in case you missed it, what I'm saying needs to be done is a re-creation of the Department of Education, Boards of Education and School Certificate. That was before Labour wrecked education with its Tomorrows Schools of the late 1980's, early 1990's, followed by more reform which effectively threw the baby out with the bathwater. From then on it was all downhill.
Fine, give them more money. But along with that extra pay do the following to avert the crisis and have NZ rising in the rankings again. Failure to do these things will mean collapse of the education system. That's right, collapse, and by that I mean widespread illiteracy and innumeracy or worse, a failure to know how to think.
The first step would be to merge the Education Council, Ministry of Education and the Education Review Office into one agency under the one roof. And give it teeth.
Then when that's done, make all teachers subject to objective and peer assessment. This would be done by ensuring that new teachers pass exams. Then while teaching they must conduct research and publish those papers. These results would determine rates of pay. Think this is too tough? What about accountants and lawyers? They're subject to professional examinations and when on the job they must function in certain ways to get the money. If teaching is a profession, why are they not subject to similar rigour?
Then pay more to teachers who stay in the classroom, and less to those who leave the classroom to administer. The flaw in the NZ system is it provides strong incentives for teachers to not do any teaching. To advance within teaching, teachers must get out of the classroom. Stop that happening.
Then scrap all school boards of trustees. Instead have schools run in groups managed by asset managers on a regional level, the board for which may be elected, but having each and every school with its own elected board of trustees is a nonsense. In effect it hands the day to day operation of schools to teachers. Teachers teach, they're not facilities managers.
Then lastly, bring back the three hour exam for most subjects. Replace the current NCEA system. I'd describe NCEA as delivering curriculum in a modular fashion. The problem with modular snippets is the student does not learn a subject end-to-end. Why have a student assessed on, say, 25% of the subject at hand before half way through the course? Until the student knows how all the parts fit together, they cannot be reliably assessed. The current assessment model disadvantages slow learners, those that may take all year to know a subject. What NCEA does is deliver failure early, and hence a large number switch off. It's the current NCEA system that promotes failure. This is hard to understand and denied by NCEA promoting apologists but this is the reality and the government has got to realise that NCEA does not work.
Oh and just in case you missed it, what I'm saying needs to be done is a re-creation of the Department of Education, Boards of Education and School Certificate. That was before Labour wrecked education with its Tomorrows Schools of the late 1980's, early 1990's, followed by more reform which effectively threw the baby out with the bathwater. From then on it was all downhill.
May 25, 2018
NFL Owners National Anthem Policy
Looks like the NFL has seen sense and is taking a pragmatic approach to the protests held by players during the playing of the US national anthem.
About the policy here: http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000933971/article/nfl-owners-approve-national-anthem-policy-for-2018
Readers may remember my thoughts on the matter last year: http://kenhorlor.blogspot.com/2017/09/colin-kaepernick-to-take-knee-or-not.html
The new NFL policy makes sense.
About the policy here: http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000933971/article/nfl-owners-approve-national-anthem-policy-for-2018
Readers may remember my thoughts on the matter last year: http://kenhorlor.blogspot.com/2017/09/colin-kaepernick-to-take-knee-or-not.html
The new NFL policy makes sense.
May 20, 2018
That Royal Wedding E-Type Jaguar
Here are a couple of links to that E-Type Prince Harry and his new wife (the Duke and Duchess of Sussex) drove to their reception.
The couple with the car...https://www.townandcountrymag.com/leisure/a20759902/royal-wedding-car-vintage-jaguar-e-type/
About the car in more detail...https://www.autoclassics.com/posts/news/electric-jaguar-harry-meghan-royal-wedding
The couple with the car...https://www.townandcountrymag.com/leisure/a20759902/royal-wedding-car-vintage-jaguar-e-type/
About the car in more detail...https://www.autoclassics.com/posts/news/electric-jaguar-harry-meghan-royal-wedding
May 16, 2018
Deal of the Century
Is it really all about Iran? I found Marwan Bishara's examination of the issues in the Middle East to be interesting (see link below). Basically what he's saying is the US needs a new enemy to focus on and the old foe Iran, arguably easy to hate, is in the cross-hairs again. The Palestinians are expendable in this new Israel and Saudi Arabian manipulation of the US.
https://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/trump-iran-israel-doctrine-180509070744972.html
...Saudi leaders expressed openness to Trump's "deal of the century" that paves the way for new relations with Israel at the expense of Palestine.
https://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/trump-iran-israel-doctrine-180509070744972.html
...Saudi leaders expressed openness to Trump's "deal of the century" that paves the way for new relations with Israel at the expense of Palestine.
May 09, 2018
US Pulls Out of Iran Nuclear Agreement
US President Donald Trump has announced the USA will put out of the Iran nuclear deal. This sends all the wrong messages. The message sent is that the US cannot be relied upon. Is that the message the US wants to send? Really?
May 05, 2018
Rajon Rondo Assists Pelicans
Lesson for Draymond Green; be careful how you go face to face with an opponent as it can backfire badly. All Green has succeeded in doing is motivating Rajon Rondo, who in game 3 for the Pelicans playoff series with the Warriors, accumulated 21 assists and 10 rebounds. What a valuable double double.
May 04, 2018
NBA 2018 Playoff Race
The NBA Playoffs are certainly closer in 2018 than they have been for a while. I particularly liked the Jazz bouncing back to tie the series 1-1 with the Rockets. The Rockets would still be favorites but the Jazz have got some fight in them that's for sure.
Over in the East, the Raptors and the Cavaliers are also in a tight race.
Over in the East, the Raptors and the Cavaliers are also in a tight race.