Posts Tagged ‘Education’

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This is the Program You Want To Cut?

January 4, 2011

Governments are good at introducing programs that go nowhere and cost the taxpayer a fortune, but rarely institute a program that actually contributes positively to schools.  The schools chaplaincy program which offers pastoral care for students in need is a great initiative.  It gives schools the funding to employ a counselor or pastor to assist with students who require help with anxiety, personal, academic or social issues.

Surely a program like this would be a candidate for increased funding, right?  Well, apparently not:

THE schools chaplaincy program is being investigated by the Commonwealth Ombudsman after a highly critical report of its operation in the Northern Territory. At the same time, a High Court challenge has been launched by critics of the scheme to which successive federal governments have committed $437 million.

Critics don’t like the fact that such a large proportion of the pastors are Christian.  They argue that such a service undermines the separation of church and state.  Although most of the chaplains are Christian, some like the one working in my school are not.  The fact that such a large proportion is Christian has no bearing on the opportunity for a given school to use the grant to get a non-religious counsellor.

Critics also point to the fact that these pastors are not qualified.  To fund qualified counselors in 3700 schools would cost considerably more than the $437 million already invested in the scheme.  At least it’s something.  It may not be a Rolls Royce scheme but I can testify to its effectiveness.  Yes there are concerns of unqualified counselors having access to personal information, which is why my school makes the teacher and parents fill out forms before our Wellbeing Officer can start taking sessions.  It is up to the school to ensure that the parents are informed and co-operative not the Government.

The likelihood is that this program will be scrapped.  If so, I think it should be replaced with an even better version of the same thing.  Chances are, it will be replaced with something more costly and completely ineffective.

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Posted in Pastoral Care | 7 Comments »

There’s a Reason Why Teachers Cheat

January 3, 2011

Let me say this right off the bat – I don’t approve of cheating.  It is unethical and lacks integrity for teachers to cheat.  But let’s not let that discount the likely reasons behind their dishonesty.

It’s called the NAPLAN – Australia’s version of the infamous national test.  And as the recent case in South Australia highlights, it can bring out the worst in some teachers:

A PRIMARY school teacher has been sacked and another reprimanded for cheating in national tests.

A former St Leonards Year 7 teacher was stood down following an investigation by the Education Department into her administration of the NAPLAN tests in May last year.

Correne Woolmer, who joined the Glenelg school at the beginning of 2010, admitted changing answers on a student’s test.

Ms Woolmer isn’t the only teacher to get caught, and she certainly isn’t the only teacher to cheat on the test.  I’m sure many more teachers have gotten away with doing the same thing.

The NAPLAN test like other National tests around the globe have an important function.  Their job is to give information to parents about their childs’ progress, which includes a comparison against all others taking the test in that age group.

But what it also does is set up the teacher.  The teacher carries the blame for the results.  It is the teacher that is the first port of call when parents seek an explanation – it is the teacher that is labelled as insufficient when the school analyses the data.

Such pressures lead teachers to teach for the test rather than the typical authentic adherence to the curriculum.  This is not the way teachers are supposed to teach.  It also puts more pressure on teachers.  Teachers are already under significant strain.  We must be mindful that this system puts them in a situation where their performance is scrutinised like never before.  And finally, a test is just a guide.  It is not a perfect form of assessment.  Many factors can cloud and effect the conclusions made by the data such as student anxiety, outliers etc.

Cheating is wrong, and teachers that cheat deserve to be punished.  But somehow I feel that by administering national tests, teachers are getting punished regardless.

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Posted in Naplan, Teacher Welfare, Teachers Stress | 2 Comments »

Education New Years Resolutions

January 2, 2011

These are some New Years resolutions I suggest the Education sector should take on for 2011:

1. Stop Putting Unnecessary Pressure on Teachers – Sure it is important to scrutinise teachers and ensure that poor teachers don’t preside over a classroom.  But if you base whether a teacher is good or otherwise on a test you run the risk of the following consequences:

  • Teachers teach to a test rather than typical authentic teaching
  • Inexperienced teachers will be frightened off from continuing in the profession due to the pressure to perform
  • Teachers will be labelled in a manner we have never seen before
  • Some good teachers will be mistakenly called poor based on circumstances partly beyond their control.

2. Continue Fighting Bullying – 2011 has to be dedicated to making students feel better about school, by striving to create an environment that is tolerant and bully-free.  School cultures must change where necessary.  Exterior programs are fine, but they are often at the mercy of endemic school culture deficiencies.

3. Stop Playing Public and Private Schools Against Each Other – The media has been chipping away at this one.  Comparing public and private schools for funding and achievement can be counter-productive.  Instead of pitting them against each other, Governments should be trying to improve the quality of all sectors for all people.  Let both Public and Private schools flourish.

4. Pressure the Education Union – The Education Union needs to step up and show us they are relevant.  Of late they have come across as pussy cats, giving in to big issues without even a fight.  The rule that all teachers in a school must be Union members before they even consult with the staff about conditions and wages, puts teachers under pressure from colleagues to sign up whether they want to or can afford to.  This is not acceptable.

5. Lessons Must Come Alive – The trend towards direct instruction teaching means lessons are becoming more turgid and less engaging.  Similarly, there needs to be a greater emphasis on problem solving and critical thinking.

6. Forget about the National Curriculum – The draft was a huge disappointment.  New curriculums don’t change outcomes.  Improved conditions and support does.

7. Look After New Teachers – This includes improving the quality of teacher training, which at the moment is not up to scratch.  New teachers require more support.  The idea of filling holes by putting new teachers in remote schools is just the tonic for scaring away potentially phenomenal teachers.  Don’t let them sink or swim, but rather, put structures in place that allows them to be nurtured and supported in the crucial early years.

Please feel free to add some of your own suggestions.

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Posted in Bullying, Education Union, Teacher Training, Teacher Welfare, Teachers Salary, Teachers Stress | 8 Comments »

Anti-Bullying Programs Not Working

December 31, 2010

The sad reality is that whilst schools all over the world are becoming increasingly aware and proactive on the issue of bullying, the programs and structures put into place to address the problem are simply not working.

An example of this is Seattle’s bold and noteworthy decision to adopt a Norwegian program that seemed to reduce incidents by up to 50%.  The program included the formation of committees, parent and teacher tutorials, and regular student meetings.

Yet a rigorous scientific analysis, after three years, showed the program had no overall effect.

“When we have big problems like bullying we are desperate. We want to do something,’’ said Paula Lozano, a University of Washington professor of pediatrics and a coauthor of the Seattle study. “Doing something feels better than not doing anything.’’

Research suggests that despite good intentions and feverish competition to pinpoint a solution, antibullying programs have shown, at best, mixed results, and what has worked in one school has not always worked in another.

Among the most authoritative and wide-ranging evaluations of antibullying programs is a 2009 study by Cambridge University researchers. The pair unearthed hundreds of scientific evaluations of individual programs, a number of which they ignored because the studies had not used acceptable methods. Of the 44 they deemed reliable, just 19 showed significant reductions in bullying.

I personally feel that schools should be congratulated for finally taking the issue seriously.  I however feel that fighting bullying requires more than peripheral programs, but also an inner focus on the culture of the school and its community.  I have developed my own set of principles for tackling bullying in my classroom.  Feel free to read my earlier post which explains what my model is and how it has worked for me.

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Posted in Bullying | 3 Comments »

Think Before You Medicate Our Children!

December 30, 2010

Dear Medical Profession,

Whilst I am no expert and don’t pretend to be, I am bewildered at the rate in which kids are being prescribed medication in the US especially.  I read the Wall Street Journal article about prescription drug use among children and teenagers in the US, and I just shook my head in disbelief.

Below are some of the passages from the article that disturbed me:

These days, the medicine cabinet is truly a family affair. More than a quarter of U.S. kids and teens are taking a medication on a chronic basis, according to Medco Health Solutions Inc., the biggest U.S. pharmacy-benefit manager with around 65 million members. Nearly 7% are on two or more such drugs, based on the company’s database figures for 2009.

Doctors and parents warn that prescribing medications to children can be problematic. There is limited research available about many drugs’ effects in kids. And health-care providers and families need to be vigilant to assess the medicines’ impact, both intended and not. Although the effects of some medications, like cholesterol-lowering statins, have been extensively researched in adults, the consequences of using such drugs for the bulk of a patient’s lifespan are little understood.

But children and teens are also taking a wide variety of other medications once considered only to be for adults, from statins to diabetes pills and sleep drugs, according to figures provided to The Wall Street Journal by IMS Health, a research firm. Prescriptions for antihypertensives in people age 19 and younger could hit 5.5 million this year if the trend though September continues, according to IMS. That would be up 17% from 2007, the earliest year available.

So, one-quarter of kids in the US are on medication.  Is this acceptable?  Is this not far too high?  Is it going to get higher in the future?  Are we going to have half of our kids on medication?  Why don’t we put all kids on meds?  That’s where we are going, aren’t we?

As I stated, I am no expert.  I just find it hard to believe that so many kids rely on medication.  It doesn’t sit well with me.  Am I just behind the times, or is this generation of medical professionals comfortable with prescribing medication to kids in such high numbers without adequate research?

Yours sincerely,

 

MICHAEL

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Posted in Children and Medication | 1 Comment »

Are We Obsessed With Obesity?

December 29, 2010

 

Sarah McMahon, a specialist on the subject of eating disorders, claims that our obsession with obesity has resulted in increased cases of eating disorders.

“Children are being given maths assignments where they have to count calories,” she said.

“Education is helpful for some people but for some with certain personality characteristics, it can tip them over into a disorder.”

Eating disorder support group Butterfly Foundation chief executive officer Christine Morgan said most anti-obesity messages had a high focus on dieting.

This could lead to disordered eating including binge eating and possibly bulimia or anorexia.

I agree that we may be a little obsessed with the term obesity, but I just don’t see the link between obesity and eating disorders.  I imagine that kids are worried about being larger than their ideal size, sometimes much larger, but I don’t think kids are worried about obesity.  I’m no expert, but I don’t think obesity takes up much of our kids head space.  I think they are worried about not being thin enough to be considered attractive or feel pressured to lose weight to fit in.  But obesity?  I can’t see the link.

Regardless, kids should not be hounded by horror stories on the dangers of obesity or made to count calories.  Instead they should be given the reassurance they need to be comfortable in their own skin, the education they need to make healthy choices and the support they need to be self-assured, confident and happy.

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Posted in Childhood Obesity, Nutrition | Leave a Comment »

Meet The Free-Range School

December 28, 2010

I’m not sure a “school with no rules” would work for everyone.  But for any criticism one could come up with for schools like Currambena, one thing is true.  Schools like this one are the result of an education system that puts results ahead of student welfare and arcane rules and regulations in the place of building an environment in which children can thrive.

Currambena works very differently to the typical school:

There’s no morning bell to signal the start of the school day, either. Children simply gravitate towards classrooms when ‘inside time’ begins. Some stay digging in the vegie patch and if, for some reason, a child wants to spend the day doing maths in the tree fort, so be it. There are no room numbers or official grades, no tests, no lining up, no homework.

For a start, if children aren’t forced to sit in class and finish their maths, how do parents know whether they’ll bother at all?  Rachel Turner, who sends her kids to the school, recalls how it worked for her: “I took school very seriously and was incredibly involved in it. I was never tempted to shirk, because learning was fun.

“As long as teachers know the children are participating – that nobody is being left behind – the kids have the freedom to do what they need,” she adds. “Teachers make sure everyone is reading and writing, of course, but if a child is consumed in one activity, why shouldn’t they be allowed to continue it?”

I’m not sure that schools like this one will become the norm.  I can’t see this style of school appealing to more than a certain niche.  However, it does remind us that schools are too cold and out of touch.

There are far more people out there who have had terrible experiences through school compared to those that reflect on their school days in glowing terms.  This is simply not good enough.  We spend the best part of our youth at school and the argument that “it is what it is” doesn’t wash with me.

Perhaps we don’t need something as revolutionary and extreme as a free-range school, but certainly not what we have at the moment.

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Posted in School Rules | Leave a Comment »

The Christmas Film That Inspired Me To Become a Teacher

December 26, 2010

christmas-kranks

Ok. Confession time. The above picture is highly misleading.

I was in the first year of an Arts degree, and like many teenagers, wasn’t exactly sure what I wanted to do.  I hadn’t even given teaching a moments thought.  Too many bad memories from my own school days to give teaching a single speck of consideration.  But then one night I happened to watch the Jimmy Stewart classic, “It’s a Wonderful Life” and within hours that all changed.

The movie portrayed a character on the edge of his tether who attempts suicide when he realises he is worth more dead than alive.  Enter an angel named Clarence who shows him how he, without even realising it, touched the lives of the people around him.  Everyone wants to leave the world having achieved something – having made the lives of others more enjoyable and secure.  I started thinking about what I could do to make a contribution to society and in what area is there a need for someone with my limited talents.  Within two hours I went from never coming close to considering teaching to having the burning desire to teach.  This desire kept intensifying throughout the rest of my Arts degree and the Teaching degree that followed.  My passion has never cooled.  Actually, I love teaching more every day.

I’m interested to find out what inspired you to become a teacher.  Was it due to a brilliant teacher you had growing up?  Was it out of a love for a subject like Maths or Music?  Did you just want to offer the next generations something better than you had growing up?

Michael Grossman is the author of the hilarious new children’s book, My Favourite Comedian. You can buy a copy by clicking on this link. Thankfully, he has nothing to do with the utter disaster that is Christmas with the Kranks.

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Posted in Uncategorized | 6 Comments »

The Primary Students that Plotted to Kill Their Teacher

December 24, 2010

I don’t know what is more disappointing, the students actions or the feeble response from this poor teacher’s school.

A primary school where over 200 youngsters plotted the assassination of their math’s teacher over Facebook is considering disciplinary measures against the students.

Tatjana Landsman, principal of the school in the northern town of Bjelovar, said she would be meeting with parents and the class council to discuss the matter.

“I am not certain what sorts of measures should be imposed, but the most important thing is that this case is seen as a warning, and that parents finally realise that children must be controlled in their use of internet and social networks,” Landsman said.

Oh really?  Let’s blame the internet! It’s not the kids fault – it’s the internet!

Acknowledging the gravity of the situation, state secretary Zelimir Janjic visited the school and offered assistance

“We always react in such situations because we do not wish to leave the school alone to deal with these problems,” said Janjic.

That’s nice.  So how are you reacting to the problem?

He added that several concrete steps has already been arranged, including workshops for parents organised in cooperation with Zagreb’s Institute for Protection of Children.

Janjic said that he would also advocate that schools get a psychologist in addition to having a pedagogue and a special education teacher, in order to have a team that could deal with such problems.

So let’s get this straight.  Two hundred students ganged up on their teacher and plotted the teacher’s assassination, and what was the consequence?  A workshop on better internet usage and a chance to consider getting a psychologist.

Hmmm…..

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Posted in Bullying, Teacher Welfare | 1 Comment »

Our Duty to Stop Bullying Websites

December 23, 2010

It was disappointing, yet not at all surprising, to hear of the new smash-hit website entitled LittleGossip.com, which promotes bullying behaviour online.

A new website that encourages schoolchildren to write anonymous gossip about their peers, which is then rated as ‘true’ or ‘false’ by other users of the site, has exploded in popularity among Britain’s pupils in the past month.
Many of the comments on Little­Gossip.com are obscene, while others are homophobic or threatening.

In one post, a student at Eton made the following barely literate contribution about a peer: ‘mate your a ******* wannabe, u spend all of dads cash on your drug addiction.’

Another pupil at Emanuel School in Battersea, South London, wrote of a girl at the school: ‘****** is working her way through the boys, but unfortunately hasn’t made any girl friends along the way, what will she do when she runs out of boys? And who is her next target?’

In my opinion, even if this site gets closed down, it’s only a matter of time before copycat sites appear all over the place.  While it is integral that parents and teachers are proactive in curbing bullying the problem is far too great to have confidence that such measures is going to be near sufficient.  Instead, it’s up to the online community to ensure that all such sites get closed down.  There is absolutely nothing of benefit for sites like this to exist.  We must ensure that we do all we can to stop the proliferation of online bullying.  It is one of the worst types of bullying.  Shame on the creators and users of this horrendous website!

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Posted in Bullying, Cyber Bullying | 5 Comments »

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