To be fairyou don't need to be a teacher to know something's amiss in our schools. It's just it should be the education minister talking about it; it shouldn't *have* to be a businessman who's concern should be lining his mammoth pockets.
(
boris the spider,
Wed 14 Oct 2009, 15:02,
archived)
All the problems in schoolscome FROM the school's minister
and shit parents
(and shit parents
Joe Scaramanga with a G-double-O-D vibration,
Wed 14 Oct 2009, 15:06,
archived)
Many of the problems doI'd certainly not argue with that. Thing is, I can't speak for any field but my own, but when I did my A levels in 1998 I could say that
* Further Maths was roughly consistent across the last 8 or 9 years, because I sat each exam
* Maths was getting easier, but probably not statistically so
* Physics was getting easier, but my school insisting on making it final exam only helped keep the quality up
but at university, I learned that
* Maths before the GCSE came along was significantly more difficult
* Physics had been growing easier even since the GCSE came along
simply by talking with the lecturers on what they had to do in 1998 to prepare people that they didn't have to do in 1988. Extra maths courses, lots of shifting subjects into second or even third year that in the past would have been first or early second year. That kind of thing.
Talking with the teachers I had since I've left school, and with friends who've since gone into teaching, their chief complaint seems to be the sheer amount of testing that goes on. It makes it impossible to teach anyone anything; syllabi have been cut even since I was at school just to make room for all the "revision". My university finally gave in and added a year onto the degree to make sure that people could actually come out with a degree that meant the blindest thing. And the sad part of it is that none of it's the teachers' fault -- my teachers were ace, from primary onwards. It's not the lecturer's fault, they're having to deal with the results of it all.
It actually does seem to be a fundamental flaw in how people are being made to teach.
At the end of which huge block of text I guess I can conclude that it's the fault of a succession of target-obsessed education ministers, and that we're in agreement, at least about who's to blame...
(* Further Maths was roughly consistent across the last 8 or 9 years, because I sat each exam
* Maths was getting easier, but probably not statistically so
* Physics was getting easier, but my school insisting on making it final exam only helped keep the quality up
but at university, I learned that
* Maths before the GCSE came along was significantly more difficult
* Physics had been growing easier even since the GCSE came along
simply by talking with the lecturers on what they had to do in 1998 to prepare people that they didn't have to do in 1988. Extra maths courses, lots of shifting subjects into second or even third year that in the past would have been first or early second year. That kind of thing.
Talking with the teachers I had since I've left school, and with friends who've since gone into teaching, their chief complaint seems to be the sheer amount of testing that goes on. It makes it impossible to teach anyone anything; syllabi have been cut even since I was at school just to make room for all the "revision". My university finally gave in and added a year onto the degree to make sure that people could actually come out with a degree that meant the blindest thing. And the sad part of it is that none of it's the teachers' fault -- my teachers were ace, from primary onwards. It's not the lecturer's fault, they're having to deal with the results of it all.
It actually does seem to be a fundamental flaw in how people are being made to teach.
At the end of which huge block of text I guess I can conclude that it's the fault of a succession of target-obsessed education ministers, and that we're in agreement, at least about who's to blame...
boris the spider,
Wed 14 Oct 2009, 15:13,
archived)
Fuck me, an intelligent informed comment.One thing I'd say: I reckon "target-obsession" isn't all the fault of ministers. I think it's a feature of society generally, which has spread to pretty much every field of endeavour.
(
mofaha ┐( ˘_˘)┌ ʅ(́◡◝)ʃ,
Wed 14 Oct 2009, 15:51,
archived)
This may very well be true as wellAnd if so it doesn't bode well for the future of education :(
Failing another academic job I may actually go into private tutoring -- that way you're free from the constraints of national syllabi, to teach what you want how you want to. That might be quite nice, especially if I could catch university-level kids who want to move on faster than their courses are letting them. A friend of mine did that here, a quantum mechanics course in the evenings for *first-year* university students that's at least as good as my fourth-year course was. It was seriously well attended and she got awards for lecturing. Now that kind of thing does appeal. I'd teach relativity and statistical mechanics, properly.
Of course, my friend is also ludicrously gorgeous, which probably helped her, and I'm not, but I've had students tell me I can teach...
(Failing another academic job I may actually go into private tutoring -- that way you're free from the constraints of national syllabi, to teach what you want how you want to. That might be quite nice, especially if I could catch university-level kids who want to move on faster than their courses are letting them. A friend of mine did that here, a quantum mechanics course in the evenings for *first-year* university students that's at least as good as my fourth-year course was. It was seriously well attended and she got awards for lecturing. Now that kind of thing does appeal. I'd teach relativity and statistical mechanics, properly.
Of course, my friend is also ludicrously gorgeous, which probably helped her, and I'm not, but I've had students tell me I can teach...
boris the spider,
Wed 14 Oct 2009, 16:02,
archived)
This thread's good.I wonder what we as individuals can do to try to reverse this target-obsession?
Right now I'm so depressed about it my preferred solution is "emigrate" :-(
There must be a more positive and useful response?
(Right now I'm so depressed about it my preferred solution is "emigrate" :-(
There must be a more positive and useful response?
Bee Nice |-|,
Wed 14 Oct 2009, 16:24,
archived)
Perhaps the best I've thought ofis private tuition. The only problem there is most of hte people who come to you have come to you to revise for exams, so you end up sucked into the whole thing. :(
( boris the spider,
Wed 14 Oct 2009, 16:36,
archived)
I was trying to think of ways to get state schools out from under the malign influence of the DfES(Or whatever it's called this week).
Would enough parents vote for a 'reduced assessment' school? Given such a vote, could the school act on it, and refuse to do all the assessments thatDfESDfCSF demands? I guess not, without losing state funding :-( :-(
I always shook my head at US School Boards mandating textbooks etc. But the situation here seems much worse :-(
(Would enough parents vote for a 'reduced assessment' school? Given such a vote, could the school act on it, and refuse to do all the assessments that
I always shook my head at US School Boards mandating textbooks etc. But the situation here seems much worse :-(
Bee Nice |-|,
Wed 14 Oct 2009, 16:57,
archived)
Hmm, I wonder if I can find out the education policies of the major Parliamentary parties, in finite time?Make some noise; influence some more voters.
In order of who my parents voted for :-)...
Lib Dem: "Equity & Excellence" (education policy)
Conservative: Schools Policy Paper
Quote: "1.1 Tackling discipline, preventing failure
Poor pupil behaviour is the most serious problem preventing teachers doing the job they love. Classrooms in which students are disruptive are environments in which no-one can learn. Pupils who feel they can defy teachers with impunity subvert the calm order which is needed for schools to function effectively. But in many of Britain’s classrooms students are not learning, nor allowing others to learn. Instead they are openly transgressing the boundaries which define good behaviour. It demonstrates not just a lack of respect for learning itself, but for others within the school community, and teachers have to be given the tools to tackle this issue at root. The balance has to shift back in the classroom, in favour of the teacher."
Labour: all I can find is this: Schools.
...
Wow. Well, on the basis of the words at least, Conservatives seem to have their heads actually screwed on properly on this one.
(In order of who my parents voted for :-)...
Lib Dem: "Equity & Excellence" (education policy)
Conservative: Schools Policy Paper
Quote: "1.1 Tackling discipline, preventing failure
Poor pupil behaviour is the most serious problem preventing teachers doing the job they love. Classrooms in which students are disruptive are environments in which no-one can learn. Pupils who feel they can defy teachers with impunity subvert the calm order which is needed for schools to function effectively. But in many of Britain’s classrooms students are not learning, nor allowing others to learn. Instead they are openly transgressing the boundaries which define good behaviour. It demonstrates not just a lack of respect for learning itself, but for others within the school community, and teachers have to be given the tools to tackle this issue at root. The balance has to shift back in the classroom, in favour of the teacher."
Labour: all I can find is this: Schools.
...
Wow. Well, on the basis of the words at least, Conservatives seem to have their heads actually screwed on properly on this one.
Bee Nice |-|,
Wed 14 Oct 2009, 17:01,
archived)