BS: Differentiation, safeguarding etc

Subject: BS: Differenciation, safeguarding etc
From: Bonzo3legs
Date: 05 Jun 11 - 05:04 PM

Having been forced to retire by Croydon Council, my wife has the greatest of pleasure in shredding all instructions re Individual Learning Plans, Class Observations, Safeguarding, Differentiation, Class Record of Achievement etc - All crap invented by the labour governments.

Subject: RE: BS: Differenciation, safeguarding etc
From: GUEST,Eliza
Date: 05 Jun 11 - 05:44 PM

Oh Bonzo, BRAVO to her! When I finally retired from teaching, I did much the same with all the tiresome bits of paper, tick-boxes, National Curriculum rubbish, mountains and mountains of useless A4 sheets we'd had to fill in. I made a big bonfire in the garden, I felt wonderful! All good wishes to your wife for a happy retirement!

Subject: RE: BS: Differenciation, safeguarding etc
From: GUEST,jon
Date: 05 Jun 11 - 05:55 PM

As far as I can make out, the National Curriculum came from the Education Reform Act 1988. If so, I'd think that OK to Boko...

Subject: RE: BS: Differenciation, safeguarding etc
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 05 Jun 11 - 06:04 PM

Been doing this sort of thing in the U.S. for the last 100 years. So what else is new?

Subject: RE: BS: Differenciation, safeguarding etc
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 06 Jun 11 - 02:21 PM

It's a fashion for using abstract words and systems as a way of avoiding real involvement with people, and clambering up the promotion ladder, and it's spread like an infection across education, social work, medicine, police work, politics, business - you name it.

No point in trying to identify it with any particular political party, they all fell victim to it long ago.

Maybe some day the infection will run its course, and we'll all wake up and start behaving like humans. Don't hold your breath.

But a time will surely come when people will look back and won't be able to believe we were such a collection of blind fools.

Subject: RE: BS: Differenciation, safeguarding etc
From: Donuel
Date: 07 Jun 11 - 12:21 PM

There is probably a hard drive out there with all of it.

Our neighbor was the one who lost the entire verterans data base on a lap top two years ago. It turned up 100 miles away.

Subject: RE: BS: Differenciation, safeguarding etc
From: Amos
Date: 07 Jun 11 - 12:24 PM

What is on the National Curriculum that is so very objectionable?


A

Subject: RE: BS: Differenciation, safeguarding etc
From: Bonzo3legs
Date: 07 Jun 11 - 01:22 PM

"What is on the National Curriculum that is so very objectionable?"

I should think the general lack of actually teaching anything!

Subject: RE: BS: Differenciation, safeguarding etc
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 07 Jun 11 - 01:23 PM

That would depend on which nation was being discussed.

Subject: RE: BS: Differenciation, safeguarding etc
From: GUEST,Jon
Date: 07 Jun 11 - 01:23 PM

I'm not sure if there is Amos.

As far as I can see education has become more of a political tool with successive governments conjuring up more and more "bright ideas" from those in power. Perhaps some have their good points but as far as I understand it, teachers have found themselves getting increasingly bogged down in paperwork and having to cater for the latest "fads" rather than teaching.

Subject: RE: BS: Differenciation, safeguarding etc
From: GUEST
Date: 07 Jun 11 - 01:36 PM

And can somebody tell me what's wrong with putting a name to stuff that all good teachers are doing anyway in order that those who are not-so-good, or not so experienced, may be able to get a handle on how they might do things better.

I've been on the receiving end of OFSTED as well and, to be honest, whether its called differentiation or not, anybody who's worth their salt should be taking account of the different ways children learn and if parents have a handle to put on it so that I can ask questions then so much the better. And whether or not it's called safeguarding, I want to know what the standards are, as objectively as possible.

I get sick to the back teeth with teachers moaning about having to be accountable and it's too late when children come out of school, having been at the mercy of incompetents who are protected by the union cabal.

OFSTED doesn't do what it says on the label, but somebody come up with an alternative other than just trusting to luck that your children are in the hands of somebody who knows what they're doing.

Its all very well moaning about 'the paperwork' and repeating the collective groan based around 'just let me teach......' - how about the dozens of teachers who aren't as good as you?

And for goodness sake spare us the political bleating. teachers have arrived where they are now because of their own performance not because of someone else's political dogma.

Subject: RE: BS: Differenciation, safeguarding etc
From: Trevor
Date: 07 Jun 11 - 01:45 PM

Sorry, that was me, so grumpy that I forgot to reset my cookie. And made a pig's ear of my second para which should have read -

"I've been on the receiving end of OFSTED as well and, to be honest, whether its called differentiation or not, anybody who's worth their salt should be taking account of the different ways children learn and if parents have a handle to put on it so that they can ask questions then so much the better. And whether or not it's called safeguarding, why shouldn't standards be described as objectively as possible?"

Subject: RE: BS: Differenciation, safeguarding etc
From: Richard Bridge
Date: 07 Jun 11 - 01:49 PM

Managementspeak comes in general from a different source, Bozo.

Subject: RE: BS: Differenciation, safeguarding etc
From: Donuel
Date: 07 Jun 11 - 04:46 PM

I give teachers a pass for not understanding autistic kids who are only one in 100. But not understanding dyslexic kids who are one in ten?!

I have asked our teachers to tell me everything they know about the subject and all I get is a silent blank glare.

Subject: RE: BS: Differenciation, safeguarding etc
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 07 Jun 11 - 04:49 PM

The trouble is micromanagement by ticking boxes doesn't spread "good practice" - in fact it tends to eliminate it.

Inadequate teachers don't become good teachers by ticking the right boxes - they may become good box-tickers and rise in the profession, of course. As for good teachers who don't tick the right boxes...

I am pretty certain the best teachers I had, the ones I still remember from all those years ago, would have done disastrously with the current system of monitoring teaching. Either they'd have carried on teaching the way they did, and been clobbered for it, or they'd have changed to match the system, and I'd have lost out very badly indee3d.