Yes, a teacher has a big impact. I maintain that the impact of parents on the net educational result is by far higher. Impact of social networks is fairly high too. Let me build a scenario.
Student A goes home, sits at the kitchen table whilst mum is making dinner. She gets stuck, asks mum and both sit and discover the answer together. Student completes their homework and mum checks the next day that their answer was correct.
Student B goes home, sees mum making dinner and goes into the bedroom. Student gets stuck, pops online and asks a friend.. after a bit of a chat she gets on with her homework.
Student C goes home tries to do their homework alone, gets stuck and then competes with thirty other students for 3 minutes of attention the following day at school for the teacher's help. Student falls behind students able to complete their homework.
Ok, it's simplistic and is not how it really works. It does show how a student that has help at home is advantaged over students where parents are not assisting. Parents keeping up with students in their learning is very important. Let's be serious, if a student can do it, a parent with their wealth of experience in most cases can too.
Sunday, July 20, 2008
Truanting and sickness
Kids wagging school is not acceptable. I have this conversation with many kids during term especially in the upper class. If a kid truants/is sick/has unscheduled holidays then it will take at least four days of hard work for every day skipped for them to catch up.
On the day they return, much of the information taught will make no sense. The student has to find a student willing to lend them notes and copy them out. They have to complete two days worth of homework.
The consequences of missing a test day is much worse. The test still has to be sat. This is usually in the next class.. but whilst completing the test the new topic is introduced. The new topic now takes even longer for the students to get the gist of.. the cycle of failure continues.
But this isn't the end of it.. it's not just in my class that they have this problem.. it's in all their classes.
It cannot be underestimated the problems caused for students when kids are taken out of class for trivial matters. School balls, socials, trips overseas after year ten, sniffles, looking after sick siblings, sleeping in, laziness, lack of parental reprimand, fear of bullying... the list goes on and on.
To the students wishing to succeed I say to them, unless you are dead come to school.. and if you're dead you better work hard to catch up when you get back.
On the day they return, much of the information taught will make no sense. The student has to find a student willing to lend them notes and copy them out. They have to complete two days worth of homework.
The consequences of missing a test day is much worse. The test still has to be sat. This is usually in the next class.. but whilst completing the test the new topic is introduced. The new topic now takes even longer for the students to get the gist of.. the cycle of failure continues.
But this isn't the end of it.. it's not just in my class that they have this problem.. it's in all their classes.
It cannot be underestimated the problems caused for students when kids are taken out of class for trivial matters. School balls, socials, trips overseas after year ten, sniffles, looking after sick siblings, sleeping in, laziness, lack of parental reprimand, fear of bullying... the list goes on and on.
To the students wishing to succeed I say to them, unless you are dead come to school.. and if you're dead you better work hard to catch up when you get back.
Labels:
consequences,
learning,
truanting
Failure as a path to success
I'm sorry, I don't understand how you can expect to succeed without experiencing failure. Students must fail from time to time to maintain motivation. Striving for excellence is a lifelong ambition and true excellence is something that's highly unlikely we will reach often.
I'm guilty sometimes of molly coddling my students and I have a great member of staff that says no.. make the test harder.. push them further. The test results come back and they've averaged 25%.. but they know what they needed to learn, we can review the content and give them a second go at it. They can analyse what they could have done better.. We can empower them to self evaluate and re-examine their work and study habits. They can make new connections and realise that resilience is a desirable commodity.
.. and they can feel the exultation of getting something that they thought impossible.
To me that is what learning and mathematics is all about.
I'm guilty sometimes of molly coddling my students and I have a great member of staff that says no.. make the test harder.. push them further. The test results come back and they've averaged 25%.. but they know what they needed to learn, we can review the content and give them a second go at it. They can analyse what they could have done better.. We can empower them to self evaluate and re-examine their work and study habits. They can make new connections and realise that resilience is a desirable commodity.
.. and they can feel the exultation of getting something that they thought impossible.
To me that is what learning and mathematics is all about.
Professional Development
Now, I'm all for getting better at my craft. Let's get serious though, first day back professional development ("PD") is crap. I've yet to go to a good one.
It starts with a lecture from the principal outlining the latest decrease in conditions. Thereafter comes the mutual backslapping over a programme that was successful (affecting two kids in the school - and the kids on investigation thought the programme was crap). Then we talk about a document outlining what we are thinking about doing two years after the programme instigator intends to leave (crap.. crap.. crap..).
Then we might get some rehash of a teaching strategy that has worked in some far flung school in southern Africa with very little to do with our cohort and is therefore crap. Followed by a lunch (the highlight of the day) which you have to be careful not to eat enough to stem your hunger or face the wrath of the eating police tut-tutting your greediness (I shan't make the obvious joke here).
If you manage to get through all that and not die of terminal boredom you might glean a good minute and a half of usable content. Whilst doing this we sit there thinking (and some of us are smart enough to actually be doing) about planning for next year's courses of study.
oh crap!
It starts with a lecture from the principal outlining the latest decrease in conditions. Thereafter comes the mutual backslapping over a programme that was successful (affecting two kids in the school - and the kids on investigation thought the programme was crap). Then we talk about a document outlining what we are thinking about doing two years after the programme instigator intends to leave (crap.. crap.. crap..).
Then we might get some rehash of a teaching strategy that has worked in some far flung school in southern Africa with very little to do with our cohort and is therefore crap. Followed by a lunch (the highlight of the day) which you have to be careful not to eat enough to stem your hunger or face the wrath of the eating police tut-tutting your greediness (I shan't make the obvious joke here).
If you manage to get through all that and not die of terminal boredom you might glean a good minute and a half of usable content. Whilst doing this we sit there thinking (and some of us are smart enough to actually be doing) about planning for next year's courses of study.
oh crap!
Labels:
course of study,
nCOS,
professional development
Saturday, July 19, 2008
The effects of discipline
I was thinking and remembered my first week out of university. I had attended my new school, an independent all girls school in the outer suburbs (a far cry from my current school). The principal had made an edict that all students were to wear their boaters (straw hats). For the first four days we were to warn students that boaters were to be worn at all times. On the fifth day we were to give detentions to any student not in a boater.
Now on the fifth day I had two yard duties, one at recess and one at lunch. During those two lunches I gave out 57 detentions including one to the head girl. Needless to say I wasn't the most popular new teacher at the school. It was/is the most detentions ever given out in one day.
I thought I was really in for it with the students and I had a really bad time with one of my year 12 classes soon after.
The funny thing was, I wasn't the only teacher on duty yet the only one that gave out more than a few detentions. The majority of students receiving detentions were popular students and mostly in the upper years. They were indignant that they were getting detention. Later I was to learn that a number of different students had welcomed the "black and white" approach to the school rules and were sick of the popular clique getting away with rule breaking.
Luckily for me, for the most part, it blew over. The question remains though, if I was placed in a similar situation would I still give the 50 odd detentions?
Am I still the idealistic student teacher that blindly follows administration edicts to the letter? Probably.. but now I know to do it with a smile :-)
Now on the fifth day I had two yard duties, one at recess and one at lunch. During those two lunches I gave out 57 detentions including one to the head girl. Needless to say I wasn't the most popular new teacher at the school. It was/is the most detentions ever given out in one day.
I thought I was really in for it with the students and I had a really bad time with one of my year 12 classes soon after.
The funny thing was, I wasn't the only teacher on duty yet the only one that gave out more than a few detentions. The majority of students receiving detentions were popular students and mostly in the upper years. They were indignant that they were getting detention. Later I was to learn that a number of different students had welcomed the "black and white" approach to the school rules and were sick of the popular clique getting away with rule breaking.
Luckily for me, for the most part, it blew over. The question remains though, if I was placed in a similar situation would I still give the 50 odd detentions?
Am I still the idealistic student teacher that blindly follows administration edicts to the letter? Probably.. but now I know to do it with a smile :-)
Labels:
consistency,
discipline,
instruction
Role of syllabus and curriculum
The disjunct between high school and primary school in mathematics has never been greater. Middle schools are finding it increasingly difficult to bridge students to upper school requirements and I place this problem in Western Australia at the feet of Progress maps level 3.
In primary schools I did practicum at, level three was seen as the aim for year 7. In mathematics this causes all sorts of problems. Let me give you some examples and see if you can guess what level they are.
Number Outcome
negative numbers [level 6]
reading and using decimals [level 4]
using numbers into the millions [level 4]
using percentages [level 4/5]
simple operations (+-x÷) on fractions [level 5]
money calculations [level 4]
To find the answers highlight the sections between the brackets.
If your child is in level 3 then know that your child will struggle in high school until they catch up.
If you see me coming to your school in term 4, 2008 with a 50-60 page document outlining what we need for year 6/7 and a lesson by lesson schedule - please don't stick it in the bin and say we don't have a clue, especially those using first steps. Make changes, prove us wrong. Help us improve an ever worsening position. We're just trying to create a clearer picture of what is required and the pace that needs to be travelled to cater to your high calibre students.
In primary schools I did practicum at, level three was seen as the aim for year 7. In mathematics this causes all sorts of problems. Let me give you some examples and see if you can guess what level they are.
Number Outcome
negative numbers [level 6]
reading and using decimals [level 4]
using numbers into the millions [level 4]
using percentages [level 4/5]
simple operations (+-x÷) on fractions [level 5]
money calculations [level 4]
To find the answers highlight the sections between the brackets.
If your child is in level 3 then know that your child will struggle in high school until they catch up.
If you see me coming to your school in term 4, 2008 with a 50-60 page document outlining what we need for year 6/7 and a lesson by lesson schedule - please don't stick it in the bin and say we don't have a clue, especially those using first steps. Make changes, prove us wrong. Help us improve an ever worsening position. We're just trying to create a clearer picture of what is required and the pace that needs to be travelled to cater to your high calibre students.
Labels:
curriculum,
learning,
progress maps
Friday, July 18, 2008
Role of assessment
Assessment is a key part of teaching - it gives students/teachers/parents feedback on how the teacher and student is doing.
Yet, the curriculum framework changed the primary source of reporting from teacher judgement to completed assessment. This is wrong and has significantly degraded the accuracy of reporting.
To predominantly use written or oral assessment as the key indicator of performance does not adequately show progress of a student. Students can perform well in a test and not be at the level indicated (especially a week after the test). Students can perform poorly in a test and be well above the indicated mark. A test only is an indication of student understanding - a better indication is normally where a teacher believes the student is at.
After all a teacher sees a student in a range of contexts and under different levels of stress and assistance. We know that experienced teachers can gauge a student with few minutes of seeing their work, and are just as quick to change that opinion given the correct feedback from a student.
Yet, the curriculum framework changed the primary source of reporting from teacher judgement to completed assessment. This is wrong and has significantly degraded the accuracy of reporting.
To predominantly use written or oral assessment as the key indicator of performance does not adequately show progress of a student. Students can perform well in a test and not be at the level indicated (especially a week after the test). Students can perform poorly in a test and be well above the indicated mark. A test only is an indication of student understanding - a better indication is normally where a teacher believes the student is at.
After all a teacher sees a student in a range of contexts and under different levels of stress and assistance. We know that experienced teachers can gauge a student with few minutes of seeing their work, and are just as quick to change that opinion given the correct feedback from a student.
Labels:
assessment,
learning,
rigour
Students and the male teacher
I must be doing something wrong.. Maths teachers don't get students saying hello in shopping centres. Need to be more grumpy next term..
I had to laugh when one of my yr 11 girls in a local shopping centre walked up and struck up a conversation. After 2 mins of banter she announced very proudly that she had been going out with her boyfriend for 5 months and pointed him out. I told her she was too young for boyfriends and she should go home and play with her dolly. She gave me a look as if I was insane. What was she doing out on her own at 8.30? It was way past fat cat's bed time. I teased her about not getting the maths award and she thumped me in the arm and then was instantly worried that she had gone over the line. I assured her that it was ok but not to do it in school. I think they see me as a bit of a fuddy duddy.
It was nice that a student wanted to say hello.. maths isn't like other subject areas - we're not the cool subject. I then shooed her away and said to have a nice time at the movies.
Yet I have to thank my mother in law for her training - never be with a student alone.. if an unavoidable situation arises move to an open doorway and instruct the student to leave.. encourage students to come to extra help lessons in pairs and threes... and the things I learnt in my previous profession.. always maintain professional distance.. physically and emotionally.
This can be hard, especially with kids lacking father figures.. when a kid is in tears you want to console them and once upon a time that was a role of a teacher. Sadly, this is no more and we redirect them to counselling. And maybe this is a good thing too in this day in an age of litigous parenting and the lack of trust between parents, teachers and various parts of the community.
I had to laugh when one of my yr 11 girls in a local shopping centre walked up and struck up a conversation. After 2 mins of banter she announced very proudly that she had been going out with her boyfriend for 5 months and pointed him out. I told her she was too young for boyfriends and she should go home and play with her dolly. She gave me a look as if I was insane. What was she doing out on her own at 8.30? It was way past fat cat's bed time. I teased her about not getting the maths award and she thumped me in the arm and then was instantly worried that she had gone over the line. I assured her that it was ok but not to do it in school. I think they see me as a bit of a fuddy duddy.
It was nice that a student wanted to say hello.. maths isn't like other subject areas - we're not the cool subject. I then shooed her away and said to have a nice time at the movies.
Yet I have to thank my mother in law for her training - never be with a student alone.. if an unavoidable situation arises move to an open doorway and instruct the student to leave.. encourage students to come to extra help lessons in pairs and threes... and the things I learnt in my previous profession.. always maintain professional distance.. physically and emotionally.
This can be hard, especially with kids lacking father figures.. when a kid is in tears you want to console them and once upon a time that was a role of a teacher. Sadly, this is no more and we redirect them to counselling. And maybe this is a good thing too in this day in an age of litigous parenting and the lack of trust between parents, teachers and various parts of the community.
Labels:
male teachers,
students
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