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National Association Of Head Teachers Says No

Monday, May 20th, 2013

Once again Michael Gove, the educational secretary goes into bat, this time with the National Association of Headteachers. It must be with some trepidation that as head of the U.K.’s educational structure our intrepid minister faces the onslaught of the conference which has already indicated posing a vote of no confidence in his strategy.

The educational games being played between Michael Gove, the Department for Education, and the teaching resources is not pleasant reading. Clearly something a bold strategy is required to redress a failing system that is acceptable by the people that are required to implement it. It therefore seems ludicrous the teaching profession is openly condemning all initiatives being fed down through the educational hierarchy. Instead of taking the time to complete the fundamental review that clearly is required, we are witnessing a series of shots from hip that are missing the target completely and serving only trying to antagonise the system. This beggar’s belief; in this day and age of global markets, instant communications and the availability of a staggering array of technological advances we can get schooling so wrong.

We hear repeatedly of comparisons with overseas educational systems, noticeably in Scandinavia and the Far East, which are heralded as the aspirational benchmark. Rather than completing an overhaul of our entire system, which clearly needs fixing we seem to be adopting elements of overseas policy in isolation that has induced confusion rather than forthright policy. Clearly the bigger picture is not being seen and although Michael Gove, an intelligent man, has given considerable thought to this future policy it is appearing at the grassroots level as the thoughts of a desperate man.

Many academics see the change in schools structure through the introduction of academies and free schools as a means disrupting the strength of the teaching unions rather than the forthright policy to improve our educational standards.

Playing games with GCSE versus “O” level and instigating a more rigid curriculum for state schools which are not an operational necessity in academies appear as an educational game where the rules change by the day. It is no wonder teachers are reacting badly to this level of change and conflict. It smacks of the policy from the Thatcher days when the prime intention was to break the trade unions. The history books will show this created catastrophic changes that changed the face of manufacturing in the UK entirely, and not all to the good.

If the educational policy is now to break the teaching unions they have almost succeeded through subterfuge. The countless failed initiatives have driven the life out of the teaching profession. Changes to the GCSE and a tightening of the curriculum have met with scorn and a series of negative votes in the confidence of the system. Schools can opt to become academies or free schools and avoid the full ramifications of the curriculum. Targets are changed and an element of teaching freedom is induced. But is this just an element of capitulation by the department for education. The choice to opt out is not being taken lightly by schools. The initial take-up, fell well short of the predictions but could be an indication many schools are waiting to see what happens to the vanguard. If the situation of the ailing confidence in the Department for Education continues, and it sees no signs of abating, it may be a means to an end. If schools shift to academy status to reclaim a sense educational reason and control then the work of the department will have been achieved. The criticism will decay and it will become a third party’s fault.

It is not beyond the wit of man to develop and maintain an educational programme that is fit for purpose. We live in ever changing world as did our forefathers. Whatever they did in to educate their children over the previous millennium still waits to be ameliorated. In comparison to medical science and technology education appears to have stalled, completely, and this is travesty that will haunt us all in the future.

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Parents Teachers and Students Sweat On Exam Results

Tuesday, May 7th, 2013

One of the primary tasks of parents is to bring up their children to enter adulthood with the best possible options. A good educational foundation is fundamental to this objective. But achieving this without manipulation can be the hardest task any of us can take on, as failure is a collective disaster.

At this time of year with exams looming the focus on academic achievement becomes more intense. Our teaching resources, responsible for the educational process are being equally examined. Targets have to be achieved to prevent retribution by OFSTED. And common with a relegated football team the recovery for a school classed as “improvement required” becomes an all-consuming vortex. Key players (teachers) seek to pursue careers elsewhere and supporters (parents) become less compassionate.

A school that is in trouble can recover but it is not an easy task. The quest to employ the best teachers to induce the requisite educational standards can become insurmountable. Why join a struggling school and suffer undue stress that any recovery will entail. The temptation for any school in this situation is to bend the rules. Children do not then become educated but merely taught how to pass tests and exams. Targets are met, schools become reclassified and students are cast into the wide world with a very narrow band in their knowledge.

The growth in the number of tutors is a further indication of what is going wrong. Children only require tutors if their educational progress is sub standard. Is this the fault of the school, the teacher or the system? And then the question of social equality. Affluent parents can afford to potentially correct any failure in their child’s ability, poorer parents cannot. But the bottom line is why the fault occurred in the first place. Schools have a job to do and need the best teaching resources and a relevant curriculum to achieve it. Targets are a cover up that masks the true achievement. Manipulation of the facts through skilled drilling in exam techniques masks the lack of depth in a child’s education. The school may appear progressive the reality is they have disguised the truth. The performance pressure may be reduced but the school is producing children ill equipped for the future.

Lord Winston announced he is reluctant to recruit individuals with a first-class honours degree. He feels they have spent so much time concentrating on the narrow band of a subject to achieve a first such graduates lack the broad brush education and failed to develop other interests at university. This epitomises the “teach to test” and tutored exam techniques emerging at primary and secondary schools. Education is all about preparing children for adulthood. Careers and parenthood skills need to develop with the changing world in which we now live. It is pointless giving children a false impression of education merely to pass exams. If they lack the broad brush of learning their ability to adapt and progress will be severally limited.

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Forget New Schools We Need A New Educational Programme

Thursday, March 7th, 2013

Alistair Owens Keen2learn.

At the same time the children are going through the traumas of our educational system, parents are also involved in nerve-racking games and decisions to give their child the best possible schooling. News of the trials and tribulations involving our national curriculum and the performance of teaching resources at our state schools do little to help pacify an anxious parent concerned for the future of their child.

The whole process is epitomised by the school place allocation. Manoeuvres to place a child in the right school catchment area with the ideal pre-emptive qualifications do not ensure a place in a good school. Traveling distance does not necessarily follow logic with many allocations of places being linked to travel distances as the crow flies. Often this entails several different bus journeys as the as a child makes their way to school via conventional routes rather than bird flight.
The worst-case scenario, despite giving a child ideal moral support at home, arises when their child fails to get into the ideal school. The parent and child can only reminisce as to what might have been. Has their educational prowess been severely limited through attendance at the second tier school? Significant moral fortitude is required by both child and the parent to attempt to succeed when they are severely handicapped by choice of school. The results maybe immediate based on the performance of the school, in which case a parent has the choice of applying additional tutorial support. This can be achieved also by playing educational games to mean to reinforce the learning retention of their child. Unfortunately the performance deficit may be a ticking time bomb. The final exam results achieved in the school leaving the child short of the qualifications needed to further their ideal career. This can be a moment of substantial recrimination. Yet there is nothing new about the situation. For decades there has been a general criticism of the performance of the UK educational system. Certainly there have been exceptional progress from a range of schools but the majority still fall into the average performance category with many still under the watchful scrutiny of OFSTED.

The stress and strains of modern school management and the motivation of the teaching resources creates substantial anxiety with Headteachers. The constant flow of educational initiatives that have been introduced, drawing heavily on the teaching load within a school’s resource, and then abandoned are legion. The result; our educational programme in the UK is on the whole creaking at the seams. Not the ideal news to give to young schoolchildren who are starting their educational journey. Unless somebody with the strength of character to fight the system, and the visionary strategic planning ability to design a new system I cannot see how our groaning educational system can meet the demands ahead.

It is easy to criticise and pontificate over where it all went wrong. We have a core of excellent time served and experienced teaching resources in our schools. Maybe they should be co-opted to design the school of tomorrow that will meet the demands of the next 50 years rather than leaving it to politicians. It’s far more important than that.

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Children Should Be Taught Street Cred At Secondary School

Saturday, March 2nd, 2013

In this competitive age the right school and the best education is rightfully at the top of the list for many parents. Displaying some of nature’s least desirable attributes we kick, scream and shout to nudge our children into the right school. We invest in legal support when they don’t. Not necessarily the ideal role model that children should emulate, or is it? This is probably the behaviour pattern our children will need to adopt to succeed in their later adult life and by watching such parental manoeuvres provide sound grounding for the future.

Schooling can provide the academic basis for reasoning. Understanding the fundamentals of the education given in primary, secondary school and university helps students with their on-going performance immeasurably. But the real world needs a number of kickers, screamers and shouters to get things done. The real world comprises of all manner of bullies, from banks, commercial sharks, dodgy contracts to employers. Having their wits about them as well as an educated view of the facts, our young adults can prevent all manner of mishaps in later life. Instead of scorning all adult behaviour we should include the fundamentals of good, bad and advantageous behaviour in the curriculum. Social skills already form part of the PSHE syllabus, maybe we need an additional level that of street cred whose content will become opperational as children become young adults. This will aid the realisation that unfortunately we do not live in a sanitised world where only good thrives.

Already teachers are apprising children of the changes to expect as they grow older but the rate of change can overwhelm logical predictions. The advent of social networks didn’t exist six years ago. The growth in the use of the internet, for both good and bad reasons, has been phenomenal. Many careers, especially in technology, didn’t exist when children started secondary school. This rate of change can at best be confusing. How do children, aged 14 years, select the ideal subjects to pursue at A level and degree level to support a career from say 22 years, of which they have little notion, and may not yet exist.As only 15 per cent of graduates use their degree vocationally there is a staggering element of waste, lost opportunity and frustration. Hence the real need for a street cred degree; how to excel in a world that is far from ideal and developing at a furious rate.

One of the supreme ironies is the greatest entrepreneurial success often emerges with people who have not succeeded academically. Their DNA is spun entirely differently from the rest of us. And a huge amount, I believe, is down to their innate street cred ability; to spot an opportunity, take a risk and do it rather than just dreaming. The problem is how we teach students to acquire and utilise this ability. You would think that to run an organisation developed by an entrepreneur would require a vast range of skills. The business complexity grows exponentially and would need a person with extraordinary talents, but this is part of their skill. The successful entrepreneur knows when to back down and surround themselves with people having the skills they do not possess. This not only helps the entrepreneur to free up time to move onto the next project, it fuels the operation with expertise to allow it to thrive.

If this is the case where do we need the street cred. In a word competition. Many solid business has fallen foul of competitors who have stolen the product or a march on the original company. Competition will often use the kick, scream and punch approach. The business that is run entirely ethically may often fall to their onslaught. Even those operations who start with an entirely moral methodology are forced to change their approach with time to meet their growth objectives and competition. Pret A Manger, the purveyor of all things good sold its soul to MacDonald’s, The Body Shop sold out to L’Oreal. Even the great Google have adopted tactics that don’t sit well with its original corporate maxim of  “You can make money without doing evil.” Competition, the need for growth to meet shareholders and employee expectations  can lead to a form of greed which can sway many a marketing policy. We need street cred to spot when this is happening. It can then be no real surprise that supermarkets are tempted to cut corners in the cost of foodstuffs, airlines charge for all manner of ingenious extras that can con the ingenuous. Many a marketing proposal emphasises an often ludicrous lowest common denominator; cost per mile, cost per night for cruises etc. that have no real logic. The words “from” and “up to” beckon customers with enticing offers that frequently can never be realised and perhaps border legality. Roll back prices promoted by supermarkets that are the result of a previous short term inflated price to establish a “fictitious” bench mark. These are the street cred elements that students need to be aware of in adult life – if not before. Remember the infamous ring tone scandal where children were duped into paying for on-going extras hidden in the original agreement. Unfortunately this experience has bred a new generation who continuing to dupe children. Examples can be seen in computer games where the original apps charged at 69 pence mask further purchases charged at 6.9 pounds and 69 pounds, exploiting the unknowing.

Street cred is the basic from of survival. The more proficient students become the more likely they will survive and thrive in the adult world. We are tested every day with new ingenious assaults on our integrity. Nothing new in that, there were scurrilous deeds in Roman times. We have to keep up as in this technological era. New ways of misleading, kicking and screaming will abound; only now they are on a global basis.

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Brightest Maths Students Slip Two Years Behind Far East By 16

Friday, February 22nd, 2013

Over the past decade we have seen the U.K. slip down the OECD world league table in educational quality. The shocking statistic just issued by the Institute of Education in London reveals that the brightest maths students in the UK, on a par with their peers in Hong Kong at the age of 10 years, fall behind their counterparts by two years by the age of 16 years. The UK now lies in the mid 20’s position in the OECD league. Has this assiduous slippage has been masked by the concentration on targets set by the department for education.

This massive slippage must be of great concern to educationists and parents in the UK. Sir Michael Wilshaw, the head of OFSTED  has demanded an investigation into how state schools are teaching mathematics. But this survey revealed  the ability of the brightest students, whereas the vast majority of our school children will be classed as good or average. Their performance has not been revealed but it would be a normal expectation that their ability in mathematics has suffered an even greater slide.

There will be much wailing and gnashing of teeth as our teaching resources, department for education and maths specialists battle to point the finger of blame at each other. We will see a continuation of the argument that school teachers are pressured to gain the greatest points against targets which has historically left the brightest and the struggling student isolated from the focus of the teacher. The alarm bells must surely ring witnessed by the massive drop in mathematical ability by the brightest students. The survey reveals that in the space of six years the smartest students have slipped two years behind their counterparts in the Far East. It doesn’t take a mathematician to realise this colossal degradation in performance is both a slap in the face for the UK educational standards and the thousands of school children whose dreams and aspirations lie severely curtailed by their maths education programme.

The outcome of the investigation must have a clear objective. We cannot afford to merely fix the hole in the dyke. The situation of falling educational standards has been cited for some years during which a multitude of educational initiatives have come and gone, and mostly failed. This is surely the time for a radical rethink of how we are teaching our children; perhaps the best benchmark should now be the Far East. We may have to eat humble pie and actually study how schoolchildren are taught in overseas schools and emulate this in the UK as a proven facility and avoid short term initiatives.

This should result in a completely new teaching format and skill base for the UK rather than a repair. Time is of the essence and the longer it takes to resolve this issue the greater our potential slip down the league table. We must also face the thousands of school children that we have let me down as a consequence. And face the reality that the U.K.’s educational program is creaking in a world that is demanding English and mathematics as core subjects in order to compete in the now global market.

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Mobile Phone Apps Add New Dimension To Educational Games

Thursday, February 21st, 2013

Ever seen a child read a school text book or complete a homework exercise on a bus, train or car journey? Apart from the negative street cred it would produce it is also a little impractical. But playing some educational games for maths on a mobile device would turn the process of recapping on the day’s lesson content into a fun exercise.

Technology could be the salvation of the schooling process. Expensive to set up but very cost effective to operate, the introduction of tablet computers and the growing sophistication of mobile phones have opened a whole new approach to communication and learning. The ability to search facts immediately on the internet rather than trawl through encyclopaedias or text books can overcome the lethargy or reluctance to discovery, innate in most children, especially in their free time outside of school. The immediacy of the answer can inspire. The solution found to a problem builds the acquisition of knowledge and academic ability.

In normal circumstances a teacher or parent acts as the homework enforcer. Driving a reluctant child to complete homework positions them as the aggressor. Ideally, turning the process on its head would break down this historic impasse. If school children could say play games for maths they would crave the opportunity, and by doing so, turn the process into learning by disguise rather than the drudgery associated with conventional format homework.  Children’s ability to retain learning increases with practice. Playing educational games as part of the homework exercise builds ability. More importantly they can enlist one of the strongest support elements in learning known to mankind – peer support. In case you are wondering how successful this can be ask yourself – who taught your child to use a mobile phone or tablet. And who do you turn to when you want to work the DVD player, or want a new ring tone on your phone.

Mobile phone applications are being developed at a bewildering rate. The range of apps is phenomenal. Costs range from being completely free to a few pounds. Unfortunately the range in quality is varied. Some apps are brilliant; others command attention for a few minutes before being dumped as useless. Educational apps will need a degree of scrutiny to ensure they comply with the national curriculum. Perhaps they could carry a  license plate to prove compliance to stipulations laid down by the teaching resources that will support them.

The big boys; notably Apple and Microsoft are reviewing educational mobile phone apps as a huge market opportunity. The downside is such behemoths can dominant and squash the brilliant ideas from teachers and pupils alike could produce. That said the low cost of development of most apps could open a whole new horizon as word of mouth promotion, the strongest form of advertising would be substantial.

Parental support has been proven to pay dividends in the improvement of a child’s development and retention of learning. If children gain this academic ability from playing educational games in their own time that boost performance in class the development of apps for mobile devices should be made a top priority. It could turn a parent’s nightmare in enforcing the completion of homework into a proactive dream.

Image courtesy of FreeDigitalPhotos.net

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Educational Secretary Michael Gove Should Be Locked Away.

Tuesday, February 19th, 2013

No I don’t mean locked away in prison under some criminal charge we are not aware of, it’s just that for him to perform his duties effectively as the champion of eductaional matters he needs to be isolated from the day-to-day distractions that are occurring in the cabinet as they wrestle with the economy.

Common with all prior educational secretaries Michael Gove’s tenure is quite short. Desperate to make a mark during their period in office entices educational secretaries into making some very short-term radical decisions. And all too often these are doomed to be expensive, time-consuming and failed initiatives. Michael Gove’s long-term decision to move away from GCSE’s into the English Baccalaureate certificate (EBC) has shown he too is as fallible as all his predecessors

Our educational system and teaching resources are under some considerable stress. Countless educational secretaries attempting to improve the situation have inevitably failed leaving a negative and sometimes indelible  mark on our educational system. The recent foray into the EBC exams, although intended to improve our educational standards has resulted in an alarming about face with the scheme being summarily abandoned. Greater care with the proposals would have revealed the entirely negative feedback that would be made by the Headteachers and our teaching resources at large. Although they are suffering the consequences of the ailing GCSE curriculum they also believe that the EBC would be entirely unfair and create the possibility of a social division in our schooling system.

This may have been Michael Grove’s last opportunity to stamp is mark on the educational system. Rumour has it the potential cabinet reshuffle will see him move into a new role. With all educational secretaries their tenure is around 18 months long. For an effective job I believe the educational secretary should be given a sabbatical from cabinet responsibilities and locked away to research and develop a schooling system that will bring the UK to the forefront in the educational world. We owe this and all future generations the opportunity to gain the academic grounding needed to succeed in adult life. Clearly our recent past has demonstrated muddled thought and expensive educational initiatives that have succeeded only to create a gradual decline in our standards.

Comparisons with overseas schooling systems, notably in Scandinavia and Singapore appear to lay down the ground rules for success. Yet these have been totally ignored replaced instead by patches and repairs to our own system in a desperate measure to keep things from sinking totally. These tactical moves have been both disruptive and subject to manipulation in order to hit meaningless targets. We have won the battle but lost the war.

The future of the UK economy in both size and format is perhaps more reliant on the next generation than ever before. We are clearly going through  fundamental shifts in our current economic structure. This is clearly absorbing the strength of the full cabinet to resolve the immediate tactical issues. If we are to succeed, future governments, including the respective educational secretary position must be supported by individuals with greater strategic ability. And for this reason we must plan an efficient and effective educational curriculum and schooling process that will groom the future leaders of tomorrow. And to start the process Michael Gove should be locked away until he has efficiently designed such a system that will underpin our destiny. Part of the process must also ensure he has  the full agreement and total commitment of the teaching resources that are required to implement it.

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Technology Teaching Resources Are Needed At Home And Schools

Monday, February 18th, 2013

Years ago the pundits were heralding  we would soon all work from home. The advent of technology had introduced systems and equipment that removed the fundamental need to sit in an office, or even the school classroom. We could all work from home saving vast sums of money for employer, employee and the teaching resources of our educational system. It was a win-win situation. But it has not taken off in anything like the numbers expected. The benefits in flexibility, eliminated commuting time and costs seemed unassailable, yet as a rule we don’t like working from home. We crave the social interaction. Robinson Crusoe remains an enigma

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The educational concept where school children would predominately gain their schooling through the internet sounds entirely feasible. After all for decades many children in the Australian outback had been educated over the radio and long before the internet appeared. Perhaps the commute is the key to understanding the Australian phenomenon. Children in UK cities and rural locations are never that far from a school. A commuting time of 45 minutes being the high end of the average means that the social interaction of school is never that far away. School also provides a social gathering place that offsets any drudgery of lessons. It also provides peer support. Yet herein lays the conundrum. To teach the 20m children of school age (5-20 years old) in the UK we need circa 450,000 great teachers.

The sheer numbers of teachers needed results in a natural spread of excellent, very good, good, average, poor, and bad teachers. Similarly the circa 33,000 primary and secondary state schools in which they teach will have a similar spread of achievement. Those rated excellent and very good will attract the best teaching resources and a queue of parents clambering to gain access for their school aged children. But understandably the schools employing the poor and bad teachers will do little to attract the ideal school child who is interested,  committed to learn and lives in the catchment area. Rather like  the football league, clubs the premier clubs are so far ahead in investment and skills clubs in the subordinate leagues cannot compete to attract key players and a downward spiral begins. OFSTED step in to classify the performance. A failing school so easily becomes the failed school. Ideally the role OFSTED should adopt is to step in, in  a similar manner to company administrators and take over the running of the school to resolve the performance issue. Easy to condemn; not so easy to instigate the management of change necessary to achieve the recovery a failing school needs. After all if it had such a management team in place chances are it would not have failed in the first place.

The advance of technology could be used to greater effect. As mentioned earlier most people prefer the social environment of a work place to working from home. The home environment requires a disciplined approach to work otherwise distractions, domestic or otherwise take over. Similarly if school children worked from home, in isolation a none too practical solution, their social skills and interaction with their peers would be limited. Home scholars have the significant benefit of having a parent or tutor present, whereas many parents of school children have a job and could not commit to full home schooling remit. Yet the home environment is where a staggering amount of we learn is learnt.

We have a challenge . If say 10 per cent (say) of all teachers are classified as poor, there are 43,300 of them currently teaching children. Union pressure has prevented their easy dismissal and many circulate the schooling system having received over inflated references from the previous headteacher as a means of moving them on. Can parents with children at failing schools stand back and watch a situation which may take years to resolve. A third division football team attempting to move up the league tables needs huge investment and generally a new manger and attract a complete new team of players. Can a school emulate a similar  achievement in isolation? Most schools and football teams find the task unassailable. Is there an alternative?

Technology has the ability to shrink distance. Granted the full home schooling is not an option for most children for the reasons stated Educational games played on PC’s at school can also be played on PC’s at home. Doubling the “playing time” leads to a significant boost in learning retention; how else are children so proficient in using mobile phones and their vast array of apps. Parents can boost their child’s learning through home support that will pay dividends back in class despite the teaching resource at the school. A further use of technology would be a focus on teaching skills. Not all schools can attack excellent teachers but  say an excellent maths teacher  could be used to broadcast a maths lesson to a much large audience. Even a national audience. A figurehead who can hold an audience and present the subject area in an entertaining and inspiring way would be worth their weight in gold. And technology which at one end of the scale allows man to drill for a rock sample on Mars could surely be used to support the exercise. And the real beauty is that parents could also watch, learn and support the initiative at home. It has been tried in teachers TV but needs the paradigm shift to make it take off and get children to understand and get to  love maths – or any other subject.

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How UK Secondary School Education Compares to the USA

Wednesday, February 6th, 2013

Secondary schools in the United Kingdom usually incorporate children from ages 11 through 18. Exceptional students can actually advance at an earlier age and enroll in college or sixth form education. For the most part, secondary schools in the U.K. don’t differ much from those found in the United States. Although the United States educational system usually separates grades six through eight in a “middle-school” atmosphere, sometimes the classes are combined as a secondary school. The secondary schools in the United States begin to shape what real-life knowledge our children will need after graduation. What subjects are taught in a U.K. secondary school?

1. English – Although our children can speak the language, the secondary schooling of English delves more into the structure of advanced sentences and proper usage. This is a core class in the U.K. as it is in the United States.

2. Foreign Languages – In the United States, many schools are making Spanish the mandatory foreign language taught in schools. The U.K. has a more diverse curriculum given the location in  Europe. Not too many schools in the U.S. teach Greek or Mandarin.

3. Mathematics – All forms of mathematics are available in secondary schools. This can range anywhere from rudimentary math to trigonometry and above.

4. Citizenship – In the United Kingdom, Citizenship is taught to students as a way to develop their minds and prepare them to be a better citizen in a community. Having the ability to work well with others and promote a more responsible roll in the community can have excellent benefits for the future of the student.

5. Religious Education – As opposed to the United States, the secondary schools in the U.K. are mandated to teach about forms of religion with Christianity being the main focus. This could be viewed as extremely controversial in the United States, but has its merit of understanding where religious people stand in their beliefs.

6. PSHE – Personal Social Health Education in the UK delves into the roll of a person in life. Whether it is in the family or a member of society, this helps develop the student for current and future relationships he or she may develop.

7. Science – Various degrees of the sciences are taught in the secondary schools of the United Kingdom. While some classes in the U.K. will clump many subjects of science into one class, aspects of science are commonly broken into sections such as chemistry and physics.

8. History – Nearly every school in the world has a history class that teaches it from the perspective of that particular location. Although many global events will be similar, aspects of national history will take precedence. Not everyone outside of the United States knows who of John Adams.

Regardless of teaching method, education in any culture should be a high priority. In a face-paced world, our children need to be taught to adapt and go with the flow. Without an education, our children are doomed to repeat our mistakes and grind civilization into nothingness. Teach them to be productive in society and watch the world bloom.

Author Bio

Sara is an active nanny as well as an active freelance writer. She is a frequent contributor of http://www.nannypro.com/.

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Parents Are A Vital Teaching Resource In Primary and Secondary School

Monday, February 4th, 2013

The law of averages is endemic at most state schools. Being target driven, as most teachers are, it is only natural they will support children with the greatest potential to achieve exam grades that translate into the ideal points score for the school. If a child is outside the mean they can expect to be partially abandoned by the system. But help is at hand. Eighty per cent of children respond favourably to parents helping the schooling process at home. Children who are keen to learn can use educational games matched to the curriculum that turn the exercise with parents “learning in disguise”.

Survival of the fittest is the calling of nature perhaps, but it has an equal relevance in the classroom. Children who are very bright can all too often be left to their own devices; lacking stimulation from the teacher can lead to stagnation in their learning ability. Ironically they then slip down the ability league table to fall into the average zone where they would be picked up by the teaching resources. But this is a staggering waste of talent that could otherwise have flourished.

At the opposite end of the scale children struggling with lessons discover their teacher will frequently not be able to support the extra teaching needed to boost their understanding. Such children could have their entire schooling undermined because nobody could give them a hand to realise their potential.  Accepting an arbitrary measure of ten per cent of children in education is affected by these no-go areas would mean an astounding two million children in primary and secondary school are under supported.  A real problem lies hidden in the statistics of an educational world driven by targets.

The situation which starts in the primary school is compounded in secondary school where ill prepared children find it hard to cope with the step change. Worse perhaps are those gifted children who fail to thrive in secondary school due to lack of encouragement. The frustration with this impasse is widespread. Teachers who feel powerless to change the system can only watch as hopes and dreams fade. Parents, desperate to help, often feel isolated by the educational system or mistakenly believe they should not be seen to interfere. Children struggle, become bored or worse still fail to achieve their true potential.

The schooling journey through primary and secondary school lasts 15 years. It passes in a flash to many students yet the central educational policy, fundamental in providing school leavers with the foundations for adult life, remain in time warp. We live in a world that has been accelerating with regards to technology and reducing global boundaries. One of the greatest changes to modern life began after the Second World War. Families, once geographically tight knit suddenly had their boundaries extended. Many armed forces posted overseas remained in that country after demobilisation, emigration blossomed to Australia, South Africa and Canada by families seeking a better life away from the post war constraints of the UK.

During the 1970’s technology diminished communication barriers. Distances shrank as air travel improved and the ability to interconnect easily with other time zones became a reality. Medical science has developed immeasurably and the pace of life and trade accelerated beyond our wildest dream. Yet in the background our educational programme stalled. The manner in which the curriculum was delivered remained static. The system became hell bent on measuring all manner of data and setting targets. Countless educational initiatives and their subsequent corrections were devised. Nothing seemed to work. Teachers became frustrated, moral dipped, the UK slipped inexorably down the world educational league table and students entered work or higher education with substandard schooling.

Our world of education is decidedly broken yet we seem unable to fix it. Despite governmental declarations that school budgets will remain intact there is a nervousness that this may yet prove to be unsustainable. The Minister of State for Education appears to be remote from the battle front. Policies, such as the trend towards academies and their independent reporting structure hide the facts that will dilute the impact of our schooling performance. The education budget is massive; the responsibilities colossal and we cannot realistically expect a solution to be easy. But judging by the reaction to any change such as the conversion to the English Baccalaureate the government needs to coordinate a multi-disciplinary approach to the schooling process of the future. Rather than relying on a single minister the skill and judgement of the whole cabinet should be assembled as a war cabinet. Maybe the schooling credentials of the existing cabinet; predominately that of the private schooling could be used as the business model as it seems to work splendidly. It just needs to be scaled up and rolled out to all children rather than those of wealthy parents. It can work as the mighty Eton and Harrow schools were originally established for children from poor backgrounds!

The number of good schools is a testament to the state of our education. Even those who live in the catchment areas of a good school do not have automatic entry. Despite paying a premium in local house prices admittance can still be highly selective. Entrance exams narrow the selection but even these now need additional support from parents striving to open the door for their children. The use of private tutors to drill prospective children in entrance exam techniques is now commonplace. The process is placing a further dilemma on the school selection panel that are now faced with the social quandary of bypassing children whose parents could not afford the tutors. A secondary consideration are the number of good teachers who have left their school enticed by an income of £80 per hour as a tutor compared to a teacher’s salary equating to £30 per hour.

These changes will take decades to effect. In the meantime our existing teaching resources and students need help. Parents in the role of teaching support will become ever more essential to provide mutual benefit to teachers, children and themselves. Providing fun based educational support through games played at home can be hugely rewarding and open to many more parents than the use of tutors.

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Technology The Ultimate End For the Educational Journey

Tuesday, January 22nd, 2013

The educational journey never ends. Whole life learning is a reality now greatly supported by the internet. Access to knowledge, once the significant domain of libraries is now online at the touch of button. With smartphones and the latest tablets the technology in classroom  teaching resources,which provides  information in just a few seconds could leave some teachers behind.

Following this augment begs the question why do we need conventional schooling? Should our teaching resources be completely reconfigured to utilise the internet in a more substantive manner. Despite information being on tap, thanks to modern technology, students aren’t achieving the same paradigm shift in their learning achievement. It seems teachers, having been subjected to countless educational initiatives, and honed to produce targeted exam results rather than depth of education. This myopic approach leaves both teachers and students frustrated. The fun of learning, experimentation and breadth of knowledge lost in the clamour of meeting deadlines and targets.

The debate over whether a child’s learning capacity is nature or nurture becomes clouded. Ask any teacher if they would prefer greater freedom in the curriculum and the answer is a resounding positive. The rote approach breeds restricted learning in turn leading to frustration, apathy and shallow foundation in the application of leaning. To light the fire in a child’s development needs an enjoyable and fun format for both teacher and student; the question “what if” becomes a common preface to discussions in the classroom.

The substantial leaps made in the technological world can dramatically change the way we learn. Tablet computers and smartphones introduced into the classroom suffer the same fate as their commercial application. The rate of change known as Moore’s law which predicts that computer power doubles every two years can overwhelm both the consumer and educational markets. Nokia, once the world’s leader in mobile phones were caught out by Apple with their iPhone, and who in turn have been caught by Samsung. Technology is evolving by the month provides a great sales opportunity combined with huge risks.

As key players juggle for market position there is a hidden impact on schools. As competitive forces drive the retail price down and the performance up; at what point should a school purchase new computers, and in what format. Normally amortising the purchase costs over five years holds some degree of false accounting as the worth of the equipment can now be devalued overnight. Perhaps the greater educationalist’s concern is the relevance of the equipment in terms of what can be taught versus the reception of students whose wishing to be in vogue find last year’s model iPad anathema to effective learning.

Pity the poor teacher attempting a lesson plan using techniques the students have already superseded with their later model. The pedagogy may hold firm but the delivery will lose impact. The very nature of schooling could be caught out. How do we provide an effective education to future generations of children whose technical ability may well surpass the capability of their teacher? And how do we make this development socially fair and not only open to those who can afford the technology?

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Parents Annual School Selection Educational Games Start

Tuesday, January 15th, 2013

The back to school trauma suffered by many students will largely depend on the teaching resources and ambience of their school. Many children, and parents, welcome the return to the school regime as a release as the Christmas holidays started to wear thin. Some will be beset by the thought of exams that loom in the summer. But this pales into insignificance for those parents engaged in the biggest test of the educational system; which primary school to select, as they suffer the annual stress and distress of the entire selection procedure.

Ignoring the scrambling, manipulation, false claims, legal implications and general gnashing of teeth, all parents have a common aim; to give their children the best option for their education. An indictment of the educational performance in England is the selection process highlights the dearth of good schools. Today’s deadline for parents to submit their application for their choice of primary school belies the trauma behind the scenes. The process to select the best school and maximise the relevance of their application compounds the process. The Times newspaper revealed more parents are resorting to legal advice earlier in the process indicating a potential social divide open to those who can afford the best legal support to gain entry to the best schools for their children.

The Times also reported parents who submitted their application utilising the full permissible selection of six schools stood a better chance of entry to a school of their choice. This technique becomes ever more critical with the increase of 50,000 children entering primary school this year compared to 2011. This eight per cent boost in primary school population has to be absorbed into existing and a growing number of unknown new schools.

The transferrable vote element of the application process has to be fully used to maximise the chances. It appears application forms, which allow for six preferences of school to be included, are deemed by local educational authorities to be incomplete if only two or three schools are named. Something many parents could learn to their cost. Bureaucracy casts these applications into the spoilt paper pile to be dealt with later. Understandably parents may have been tempted to fill only the first or second choice in case further choices weakened their preference. This educational game to gain entrance to the ideal school also fuels house prices premiums in catchment areas of good schools inducing further social inequality.

The ideal world would provide an abundance of good schools where the selection process would be geographically linked to the nearest school. Sadly this utopian option doesn’t exist in the UK and, based on past performance of the last 30 years, is not a realistic option. The annual debacle of school selection will continue to create angst among parents wishing the best for their children. It takes a strong will to accede to the fortunes of fate contained in the selection criteria of the educational authorities. If any child fails to thrive at a non-preferred school the thought of what might have been will weigh heavily on the shoulders of many parents. And alas no one at the Department of Education will be held responsible for the abject failure of our system to provide the schooling our children need and deserve.

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OECD Educational League Tables For UK Literacy In Doubt.

Friday, December 14th, 2012

The OECD reports which indicate the UK is slipping down the educational league tables for literacy may actually be wrong.    Based on the probability that 30,000 students mistakenly flunked their GCSE English exams this year can only serve to place some doubt and skew the results. Not only have examiners potentially wrecked the academic pathway of these children, we may have induced a needless wobble in the global standing of our academic prowess. Following the current approach in society that now seems to reward failure we may end up recognising those in charge at the examiners with knighthoods; al la sacked members of the cabinet, or massive payoffs should they resign; al la Director Generals of the BBC or exaggerated bonuses; al la bankers.

The 30,000 total of children who were apparently incorrectly marked may seem a drop in the ocean and unlikely to affect the OECD measurement, but the effect of the exam error – assuming it is an isolated occurrence can impact massively on the confidence of students and the teaching resources who may doubt the efficacy of all exam marking.

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Every Child Counts Adds To Maths Prowess

Sunday, November 25th, 2012

The government scheme which focuses on children who struggle at maths in primary school has shown that extra tuition has a dramatic effect. The “Every Child Matters” programme centred on 47,000 children in 2,715 primary schools who were poor in maths. Providing these children with an additional half an hour per day  tuition allowed nearly 75 per cent of the children in the scheme to catch up with the class and achieve national levels of expectation for their age.

The tuition was provided by teachers trained for the programme by Edge Hill University (Lancashire). The survey revealed the significance of the number of children struggling in maths that had been born in the summer months, were receiving free school meals and did not have English as their first language.

An unanswered question is why teachers were not trained in the skill to teach maths in the first place. The reactionary repair instigated by the Every Child Counts scheme, having been proved to be so successful should surely role out across the board. The new found skill of the maths teacher would be welcome with most children in the primary school class. Interestingly the extra 30 minutes of maths tuition a day involved in the scheme should also ring some bells. Parents at home can easily get involved even with children who are attaining the national expectations. Playing maths educational games at home can induce fun into the learning process which can materially benefit the child whether or not  they are involved in the every child counts scheme or not.

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Is Educational History About To Repeat Itself

Tuesday, October 2nd, 2012

As the world progresses in technology, science, engineering and medicine, why do we consistency learn of the failure to advance education. Over the last ten years the UK has progressively slipped down the OECD world educational league table. Industry, commerce and higher educational institutions complain of the inadequacy of school leavers and undergraduates to meet the ongoing demands to be placed on them. The chairman of Poundland recently lamented the numeracy skills of school leavers seeking employment in a retail environment where every product costs one pound.

Secondary head teachers cite the poor academic standards in literacy and numeracy skills in children leaving primary school. Not only does this place a huge burden on the secondary school teaching resources but also leaves such children with an almost impossible deficit throughout their secondary education. And this ignores the sea anchor affect that such children have on the rest of the class.

But this is not a new phenomenon. In 1991 the CBI complained of inadequate preparation of school children leaving secondary school. This comment made fours years after 1987 when schools endured the massive change over to the national curriculum and the introduction of the GCSE. Replacing the GCE “O” and A-level syllabus this promised life changing quantum leap to improve educational standards has proven to have failed, badly. The recent announcement by the department for education DfE of the introduction of the English Baccalaureate (EBacc) marks the effective return to GCE. But is this a good solution? A highly disruptive return to a doctrine abandoned 23 years ago or the start of the road recovery to improved educational standards. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, who have not adopted to change, wait and watch on the sidelines. Let us hope that history does not repeat itself and the comments of the CBI back in 1991 are not repeated.

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Secondary School Children Maths Ability Fails to Improve

Wednesday, September 26th, 2012

The ability of secondary school children in maths has been static for the last 30 years. Recent research shows the standard has bumped up and down with the ability of children improving in some areas whilst declining in others. Expertise in algebra remains unchanged, core maths showed an improvement and basic maths showed a decline.

Over 7,000 secondary school children were selected by King’s College London, Durham University and the Department for Education. Whilst GCSE results in maths appeared to suggest an improvement the results of the survey, which matched the ability of children  with tests set in 1970. Professor Jeremy Hodgen of King’s College said  the results indicate  a serious problem in maths education which has failed to attain fewer changes than might have been expected.

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Children Who Play Outdoors Have Better Eyesight

Thursday, September 20th, 2012

Children who learn to play outside become healthier than their indoor peers. They also learn a lot more about social skills, develop a risk analysis ability and a great awareness of their surroundings.

Studies reveal that they are also less likely to need glasses. Bristol University completed a recent study on 7,000 youngsters aged between 8 to 9 years old. Interestingly the test sample proved there were no hereditary eye sight defect links to parents. Children spending more time in the open had less chance of wearing glasses regardless of any eyesight impairment of their parents.

Although the precise reason for the link between the outdoors life and improved eyesight is not yet known, the research group highly recommended the outdoor life whilst their investigations continue.

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Teach First Aims To Capture More Top Drawer Graduates

Thursday, September 20th, 2012

The legacy of the Teach First operation has had a uneven past. Aiming to recruit top graduates into teaching literacy and numeracy in schools, Teach First may achieve the primary objective seen by the number of recruits but the subsequent churn rate of these new teachers ultimately abandoning the educational path is phenomenal.

The focus of Teach First is laudable. We certainly need top-flight teaching resources to turn our schooling process around. But the role of teaching is not easy. A brilliant mind in English or maths does not necessarily make a good teacher; something the recruits find out the hard way. Of all the trainees involved in the Teach First programme the vast majority have left the profession within just three years. Many used the experience as a career holding platform before launching their careers elsewhere. Some found the teaching role too arduous. Either way the real losers in this scenario are the children in school.

The recent announcement by the Minister of State for Education that the GCSE syllabus and exams are being replaced by the English baccalaureate will place an even greater strain on the teaching resources needed to support the programme. Many teachers welcome the move away from the manipulative and restrictive GCSE. But the new syllabus, giving greater scope and learning enjoyment to both teachers and students, will need a huge amount of preplanning to adopt the new regime.

Whereas one might assume teacher training courses provide the recruit with the skills to teach a particular subject syllabus, the main thrust is to prepare them in how to handle a class of 30 + children. The subject area is secondary. This is resulted in an amazing mismatch of skills. Consider a potentially good teacher who has little skill in the subject area, and a brilliant mathematician who is a hopeless teacher. Both situations can be a disaster to the both the teacher and the students.

The prevailing market conditions have had a reactionary influence. Teaching is initially seen as a safe job attracting many more recruits in the last couple of years. Indeed Brett Wigdortz, founder and chief executive of Teach First said recently many graduates are turning away from careers in the city since the financial crisis of 2007. Last year around 7,000 applicants sought the 1,000 places for Teach First opportunities.

Whether this reflects a truly altruistic move amongst graduates looking to teach in poor schools is yet to be proven. If it proves to be a success we could see the standard of teaching improve to reassert UK in the world educational league tables along the lines of Singapore and Scandinavia. These countries require teachers to hold a Masters degree in the subject area being taught. But perhaps the real challenge is to recruit the teachers of tomorrow who can replace the battle scarred battalions of existing teachers who have suffered endless changes in government policy and educational initiatives that have come and gone and mostly failed.

Maybe Teach First should be given the central remit to establish the credentials of the ideal recruit and train all teachers. There will be generations of children who would then be guaranteed an education they can be proud of, which is far from the current situation.

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Teens Turn To Technology for Top Maths Results

Wednesday, September 12th, 2012

The year 2012 has seen a higher increase in students turning to online methods of revision and learning in order to achieve top grades at GCSE than ever before. The remarkable rise in the sales of e-books in comparison to paper copies, impressive advancements in mobile and tablet devices, and overall adoption of technology in education are all impacting on the way children learn.

This trend is occurring in subjects across the curriculum, with maths leading the way. Teachers, students and parents are all opting for digital copies of books and other revision material to complement print, and it’s paying off. A* to C grades increased significantly for pupils who invested in online tutoring and had access to alternative technologies such as e-books to supplement their learning. This is thought to be down to the increasing use of digital technologies providing in-depth, engaging learning materials that assist pupils in keeping them both motivated and interested, meaning that they can achieve the grades they deserve.

The British Educational Suppliers Association suggests that up to a third of secondary schools offer an extensive amount of curriculum content online and around 61% offer an online learning facility that can be used by pupils at home. Teachers are also fans of this online learning technique, with notable benefits including flexibility as well as the ability to cater for specific needs and requirements to accompany the continuous hard work in the classroom, around two thirds of parents are willing to invest in tutoring for their child, and with low costs and markedly improved grades, more are opting for online tutoring solutions as oppose to face to face tutoring.

The shift of children learning and engaging with education in the comfort of their own home via online tutoring and other learning resources is proving popular, and most importantly, is driving up grades. It also offers parents who are trying to provide additional support to ensure their children achieve top grades at GCSE with an option that is safe and can be easily monitored. A report by Youthscape suggests that 62% of teenagers own a smartphone, meaning that competency in new technology is higher than ever in the next generation. By using online technology, children can learn in an environment that they feel familiar and comfortable with without facing external distractions or pressure.

With the recent dip in grades throughout the country, combined with the current economic instability and unemployment levels, there has never been a greater need for students to go the extra mile at school and seek supplementary tuition to boost grades where needed.  2012 has seen an increase in university applications for maths and science subjects, with a particular increase in engineering. Employers are seeking graduates with strong maths skills, and with government claims that standards in maths are dropping, the requirement for good mathematical qualifications is higher than ever. Whether this is through online tuition companies or investing in other digital resources, teachers, pupils and parents are looking to invest to achieve the grades.

Guest Blog By Sarah MacLeod who works on behalf of iTutorMaths,

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College Students: Struggling to Master that Foreign Language Class? Consider Using One of These Apps

Saturday, September 8th, 2012

Are you a college student who’s graduation keeps being delayed all because of that silly foreign language requirement? Do you struggle to pass your Italian tests and wonder what all this talk about “conjugation” and “verb tense” means? If any of this sounds familiar and relatable, then you might consider using one or all of the smartphone apps listed below to facilitate your studies.

Odyssey Translator

Available exclusively on iTunes, Odyssey Translator is a great addition to any language learner’s arsenal of tools. Requiring no data or internet connection, users are able to create vital phrases, learn important words and more anytime, anywhere. Whether you need English to Spanish, Portuguese to English or even English to Mandarin, the app has a translator for you. Not only great for students, this is also a handy app for frequent travelers to have to make interactions abroad easier.

Babbel

Available for Android and iOS, Babbel is an interactive and informative app that makes learning a new language easy and fun. Containing over 2,000 vocabulary words per language, users get a thorough feel for the lingo. Plus, each is presented with an image and audible pronunciation, to ensure you are saying it correctly.

It even has impressive voice recognition technology, making it easier to improve your speech and recognize when you are making mistakes. People who have already given it a try tout this feature as one of its primary strengths, as pronunciation is often one of the biggest barriers to mastering a language.

So, if you’ve got an oral exam or presentation coming up in class, you might just download this app and use it to practice. What could it hurt?

Busuu

Similar to Babbel, Busuu is also offered for both Android and iOS. Users can choose between Spanish, French, Japanese, Chinese, and even Turkish, among other languages. To help users get the most out of it, the app incorporates several different EVERYDAY topics they have the greatest likelihood of encountering. Over 3,000 key words and phrases are stressed throughout, to ensure users grasp more than just the basics.

To facilitate the learning process, the app includes several pictures and images to give users added context and memory triggers. It would be the perfect complement to any language-learners tools and resources.

So, if you just can’t wrap your head around Spanish, or are struggling to find the French words you need, consider using one of these. Not only will your grade improve, but so will your overall speaking skills—and that’s important.

Melissa Miller is blogger and freelance writer for associatedegreeonline.com. She is interested in all things education and writes to help recent college graduates navigate the challenging world of first-time employment, adult responsibility, and finances. Throw your questions to melissamiller831@gmail.com.

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Time Out Clox Teaching Resource Swaps Naughty Step

Friday, September 7th, 2012

Disobedient or disruptive children can create havoc in the classroom and frayed tempers at home. The new Time Out Clox educational teaching resource overcomes one of the biggest drawbacks in the educational value to young or disruptive children of a time-out period – they have little perception of time.  When a child is excluded from the class or activity  to correct bad behaviour it is vital any teaching resources or parents reinforce the relevance of the action by withdrawing leaving the child isolated. This solution  influences the child’s actions through behaviour and consequence learning. Difficult when the red mist clouds our lucid judgment.  Time-out Clox, an electronic educational teaching resource is designed to improve the benefit of the time out exercise to the child.

The “naughty step” has long been the time out remedy. The child is sent to a recognised location; at the back of the classroom or the foot of the stairs at home. Generally this is a reactive move to gain distance and control of both the child and our own emotions. The golden rule is to avoid any dialogue during a time-out to encourage positive cognitive learning of the connection between behaviour and consequence. But whilst calm is restored by the teacher in the busy classroom or parent at home an uncontrolled a time-out can lead to anxiety in the child left wondering  how long  they have got left, which defeats the valuable reflection time of the learning process.

The Time-Out Clox is a countdown timer set at eye height in a designated cool off area set apart from the class or play area at home. The teacher or parent has a simple remote control to program the time out period. This is best related to the age of the child; roughly one minute for the age in years of the child. The child is excluded from the classroom activity, or play area at home and can clearly see the cool off period counting down to zero.

During the time out the clock sends audio messages talking to the child to get them to think about their behaviour. These encourage behaviour and consequence learning, reinforcing the existing “4W Forms” used with Time-Outs in Schools. The messages are age-related determined by the time being programmed into the clock. Importantly if the disruptive behaviour continues the clock can be reset using the remote control leaving the teacher or parent free to carry on with the lesson or other routines without involving the child. And most importantly the errant child doesn’t get forgotten! The Time-Out Clox remote gives a beep to signal the release point and the child learns from a clear and defined period of isolation. The clock also reminds them to apologise to the teacher for their behaviour!

Developed by an educational psychologist this straightforward device is highly effective and clearly understood by children; something that is not always apparent when they are still allowed to be part of the classroom activity or forgotten whilst standing in the corner.

The clock is supplied complete with headphones for minimal in-class disruption and maintaining the distinct Time-Out environment. Complete with power lead for mains operation (optional battery use) the clox is highly portable, child tamper-proof and durable encourages positive cognitive learning of behaviour & consequence connections during Time-Outs.

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Children Failing To Swap From Text Speak To English Literacy

Thursday, August 23rd, 2012

Recent research has shown that children using text messaging frequently actually degrades their  speaking and writing ability. This downgrade in literacy confirms the opinion held by many educational observers. The survey conducted by the Pennsylvania State University reviews the exam results of 228 children aged 10 to 14 who sent  or received a text message just before an exam and compared their exam results to a control group who had not received a text message. The marked degradation in literacy skill is apparently due to the abbreviations and shorthand used in the average 3,000 text messages sent by USA teens each month. Children find it hard to switch between text speak and English grammar easily..

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Back to the Future For Educational Exams

Saturday, August 18th, 2012

The vicarious cycle of government funding applied to educational teaching resources continues. We are far from educational consistency shown by the annual games played in the selection of schools by parents and in turn; of students by schools.
Epitomised by the postcode lottery applied by many good schools, children are still subjected to a national scandal where the average school in the UK when compared to the international performance standards can be seen to be well down the league table.  It seems the system,  already creaking due to population growth,   must expect more frequent reports of failure.

Sir Michael Wilshaw, head of OFSTED, must have the worst job in UK schooling. As a previous exceptional head teacher who turned a failing academy into a significant success now sees failure at school inspections at virtually every turn. The educational system in the UK has largely failed to thrive. Manipulative teaching techniques allowing teachers and schools to hit targets, a decline in the quality of exam standards have collectively induced criticism by employers that many schools leavers do not have the requisite numeracy, literacy, social skills and work ethic to enter the work place. The recent announcement by the Secretary of State for Education that we should return to exams standards abandoned in 1987 have conspired to confuse, denude and demoralise. Sir Michael Wishaw can really only achieve a damage limitation exercise whilst the system regroups.

Ideals of educational equality for all schoolchildren have long been unachievable. State schooling stalwart Sir Jonathan Miller, who once believed in the state comprehensive system, has recently opted for private education for his grandchildren. Parents of school children face an awful dilemma. They risk seeing a state education that can leave a child home dry at the end of secondary school. A 15-year investment programme ending in dismay. Qualifications that have suffered such manipulation in the eyes of the educational minister and should be completely replaced represents a testament to collective failure of his all too many predecessors. And devastating news to millions of children will pass through the system to gain a series of now, suspect, qualifications there are openly stated as being irrelevant in the commercial world.

This is just not a whim of Michael Gove. The OECD has compared the quality of UK education with other countries systematically over the last 10 years. Our ranking in English literature and numeracy, originally placed in the top five positions of the international league, now occupy slots in the also-ran mid 20’s. Whilst Britain can excel in the Olympics we perform appallingly in something as basic and vital as education.

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Primary School Education Set To Include Foreign Languages

Friday, August 17th, 2012

Children in primary school will soon have to learn a modern foreign language. The second language option in education has been eroded over the years due to lack of a commitment, relevant teachers, easier exam options and decline in the perception of its relevance in modern communications.

There is therefore an uphill battle for children to learn languages. Currently only 10 per cent of state primary schools teach a foreign language but Michael Gove, the education secretary, wants children to have a second language. From 2014 all primary schools must teach children a foreign language from the age of seven. At present the demand is low and only 34 per cent of children sit foreign language exams at GCSE. The 2014 delayed start will put many children at a disadvantage but parents can help fill the gap. There are many educational games, flashcards, DVDs and CDs which support teaching your child simple songs and rhymes. Singing along on car journeys and at home can be fun to help children learn French, German and Spanish. Ideally the learning games should be fun and programmed each day and not in one short bursts as you go on holiday. The early start is based on research, which proves a child’s linguistic learning ability is at its best when they’re young. This early foundation provides a useful structure to developing language skills when they go to secondary school.

Educational games, social networks, online games, TV, films, DVDs and computer software have all given the impression everybody speaks English and therefore foreign languages skills are redundant. Certainly in the communications world English has long been the defacto standard. Additional the growth of the World Wide Web has done little to quell the belief that second languages are still a necessity.

But is the second language is a real benefit ? Certainly English is widespread and in growing usage with many countries adopting English as a third or second language. English will never replace an indigenous tongue and Spanish, Portuguese and Mandarin for example are in a huge growth phase based on their economic resurgence. Being able to speak the local language boasts job prospects and faces the  reality of the old French saying “We may sell in English but we only buy in French.” The UK has to survive on exports and if our economy is to survive we must learn the local language.  English will always have its place but in most export markets local language will always open doors or give the edge missed to the English only speaker.

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Schools Sports Education Olympic Push Now Lacks Sports Field

Wednesday, August 8th, 2012

Over the past 20 years it has been commonplace for local education authorities to sell off school playing fields for redevelopment. Indeed Michael Gove has been responsible for selling off around 20 school playing fields in the last two years. Their subsequent use by children to develop  an interest and ability  in sport has therefore been lost and it seems incongruous that the education secretary and the government have been calling for renewed emphasis on playing sport in school. Based on the Olympic euphoria the focus has fallen foul of the short-term vision held by previous educational secretaries who sold off the land.

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Free School Strategy Receives Blast From RSA

Thursday, July 5th, 2012

Michael Gove’s plan for free schools has just received a rocket from the Royal Society of Art who state  “There does not appear to be any rhyme or reason as to where free schools are being encouraged or permitted.”

“The impact of free schools would be enhanced if they were developed strategically in localities where new places are needed or where there is school failure – rather than investing in extra capacity in areas where the school system is performing well.” more..

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Malaysia Reverses Flow of Higher Education Students

Tuesday, July 3rd, 2012

Higher educational students in Malaysia have historically sought a degree course at an overseas university. In the 1990’s  20 per cent of students traveled overseas costing the Malaysian government around $800 million USD per year. Now the government is planning to reverse the flow by establishing joint developments with overseas educational establishments to create a base in Malaysia and form a centre of learning to match the aspirations of young graduates.

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Students In USA Gain Reprieve From Tuition Loan Interest Hike

Monday, July 2nd, 2012

The USA senate has just voted to restrict the interest on student educational loans. Beating the 1st July deadline by hours its late deliberation gave millions of US students a fright. The late intervention gives students a further one year period of grace where student loans would be subjected to an interest rate of 3.4 per cent down from the default level of 6.8 per cent. But only for another year.

The cost to the US government is estimated at 6.7 billion dollars, so not an easy decision in the current economic climate. If the economy doe not improve next year’s decision may be different!

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Educational Proverb Proven In Latest School Science Survey

Wednesday, June 27th, 2012

A survey in science education for school children in the USA has proven that although the students understand the facts they lack any real understanding in how to apply the science. Maybe this outcome once again proves the ancient Chinese proverb; “Tell me and I’ll forget; show me and I may remember; involve me and I’ll understand.” The real problem is how this can be achieved in an already hectic teaching programme.

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Labour To Oppose Move to O Levels In Secondary Schools

Wednesday, June 27th, 2012

The UK Labour party is mounting an attack on the proposals by Michael Gove to reintroduce O level exams in secondary schools. Replacing the ailing GCSE exams, Labour see the move by the government as “consigning young people to the scrapheap.” The courageous move by the secretary of state for education to pull UK schooling ahead of to reverse the disastrous downward trend decade in the standard of academic achievement in secondary schools as measured by the OECD.

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