AUTHOR
Alwyn Poole
24 ARTICLES
Alwyn Poole, BBS (Econ), M. Ed, Dip. Teaching, Post-Grad. Dip. Sport is a researcher and writer on education who began his teaching career in 1991. He has taught at Tauranga Boys' College, Hamilton Boys' High School and St. Cuthbert's College. He founded and led Mt. Hobson Middle School in Auckland for 18 years, and co-founded SAMS and MSWA. Poole has a keen interest in sport, especially athletics and cycling and coached the University of Auckland premier rugby team for three years.
The HUGELY problematic size of Government in NZ
Until a Government has the courage/determination to shrink the size of ITSELF - New Zealand has NO CHANCE of sustained economic growth – or...
Boring boys to academic death
The great Neil Postman wrote a remarkable book called Amusing Ourselves to Death. It is at least as predictive as Orwell’s 1984 or Huxley’s Brave New World. Across every school...
Education processes and outcomes continue to get worse under the current Coalition
A lot has been made of “significant” changes to the NZ education system under Erica Stanford. Some things have been put in place (e.g. changes...
Bill Bryson and the Short History of Nearly everything 2.0
I had the privilege of attending a Bill Bryson event in Auckland on Thursday evening. While I had laughed at many of his travel books,...
Moller and Dixon: Giants of NZ running
I was around 10 years old when I went to an athletics meeting at Cooks Gardens in Wanganui. The purpose was to see two of...
The myth of significant change/improvement in education under the coalition
After 34 years of working in Education in New Zealand I am desperate for Erica Stanford to make truly meaningful and substantial change. I want...
The habitual damage that the Ministry of Education does to NZ students
There are a couple of pieces of reported progress with education recently. They are anecdotal but are at least in the right direction. The...
Different ways of motivating students to achieve
Young people need a mix of extrinsic motivators and support for their intrinsic motivation. I have been working with a range of high schools to...
The Fish-Hooks with the recent Charter School announcements – in point form
The Charter School model is about improving opportunities / outcomes for “underserved” communities. The schools currently being approved in the NZ system would...
A major aspect of our education provision for marginalised children in NZ
There is absolutely no doubt that a child from a home with – low education outcomes of the parents, only one parent in the...
