Posts Tagged ‘Education’

Teach Last

December 9th, 2009

Since 2002 Teach First, an independent charity, has brought many people who had never considered teaching before into schools across the England (the scheme, to the best of my knowledge, has not extended North of the border). Generally, these people were placed directly into challenging secondary schools.

The overarching mission behind TeachFirst is to address the various disadvantages that some schools and pupils have by bringing exceptional graduates into their schools. These graduates, usually from the Russell Group universities, are trained to become teachers very quickly. These young graduates are intended to lead and inspire their pupils and, furthermore, help break down social barriers. Now, we can all pick holes in this but, by and large, this is a pretty good idea.

Teach First teachers have some initial teacher training combined with volunteer coaching. This gives graduates the chance to teach for two years before going into a profession or into business (or, indeed, stay in teaching). The whole point of Teach First is to raise educational standards and to instil, in a generation of graduates, a motivation to understand, and desire to end, educational disadvantage. A second benefit is that many of these graduates would not normally consider a career in teaching and Teach First networking power can help them into business after a two-year stint.

Everyone benefits in TeachFirst – the teachers, the schools and the pupils.

I think this system can be twisted and improved. In the same way that talented young people can inspire school pupils, I am convinced there is some way that experience can do the same thing: Teach Last.

At present, it is very difficult for someone with a lifetime of experience in a given subject to teach that subject. Indeed, as the General Teaching Council makes it harder and harder for people who do not have a teaching qualification to teach in Scottish schools. I can understand their reasoning for doing this but believe that a slightly more flexible policy would be beneficial.

Each year, thousands of people across the UK and across Scotland retire in their 50s and early 60s. Many of these people have been massively successful within their own careers. I think that society should seek to utilise their experience where it is most needed – in our schools.

I also believe that many (although not all, obviously) of these people would like to put something back into society after a career. TeachLast gives them the opportunity to do so. Like Teach First, everyone benefits.

The idea behind TeachLast is very simple. Upon retirement, those retiring in certain fields should be given the option to teach in challenging secondary schools for one to two years.

Why is this good?

It connects subjects to the real world and all too often maths and science are taught in the abstract. Quite simply, not enough young people are studying maths and science. We aren’t producing enough engineers, scientists or mathematicians. Indeed, there are shortages in science and mathematics teachers largely because the graduate salaries graduates of these subjects can command will mean teaching is well off their radar. This has a huge detrimental effect on our society over the long-run. Gordon Brown, in a speech at Oxford University:

We all understand that science is fundamental to the future of our society and that disciplines where an understanding of science is important (engineering, energy) are equally important. At present, there are many science teachers teaching a subject with no degree in that subject or even if they do no real world knowledge of application.

I do not agree with Brown on many issues but the idea that people are teaching science with no real world knowledge of it is bad, the idea that people are teaching science with no degree in a science-subject is totally bonkers.

I think retiring engineers, pharmacists, chemists or physicists could show pupils in challenging areas that the sciences can lead to real-world careers and real-world success in fields like energy, engineering, pharmaceuticals and myriad others. In business studies, people who have run businesses would be of huge use. In maths, those who have used maths in their daily business – as economists, for example, again would be massively useful.

These people would (a) bring a level of expertise that is lacking (b) link academic subjects to the real world (c) give retirees the opportunity to put something back into society.

Now, of course, there are problems with this scheme:

a)  Long time away from classroom/classroom has changed – yes, but I think this can be gotten around with Fast Track training or by watering down the scheme and having them in the class with other teachers.

b) Classroom teaching isn’t easy and people need training – see above.

c) Money is an issue. Will this calibre of people want to earn £23,000 per annum? Sure, some wouldn’t want to do this. Some would. If it was linked to a pension boost maybe more would.

d) Just because…. Just because some people are great at their jobs doesn’t mean they’ll be great teachers. I’m not saying just because someone has excellent subject knowledge they will be an excellent teacher… however, many will be and this can be assessed.

There are many strong teachers in the private sector with no formal Teacher Training – this doesn’t undermine teachers and neither should it. Obviously, the vast majority of teachers would still be those who have undertaken an undergraduate degree and then a PGCE or PGDE. That’s good.

I can’t see Teach Last doing any harm and can see it doing some good. So why not do it?

6 comments »

Posted in Education

Tags:

Scotland’s Class Size Debate

December 7th, 2009

There aren’t too many commentators asking the question that the BBC Scotland’s political editor Brian Taylor posed in his recent Blether with Brian blog, is the SNP policy of reducing class sizes in primary schools to 18 or fewer a sensible one? 

This is a pertinent question to ask as it does not immediately follow that reduced class sizes, at any level be it primary, secondary or tertiary will result in the level of raised attainment often discussed by the media and our national politicians. 

As it happens  evidence from the USA would suggest that as pupils progress from early to middle to senior education levels that the impact of reduced class sizes diminishes.  There is a need for more study into this effect but it would certainly call into question the merits in spending large amounts of money for small gains in academic achievement.

There has to be a full debate in Scotland on this issue, including a detailed look at the many factors which would impact upon any decision to reduce class sizes.  Would there be extra funding to invest in the training necessary to educate teachers on how best to utilise the changes and work effectively with the smaller groups of pupils?  Do we have the classrooms to support smaller class sizes within the current school estate provision? (I would think not, given the number of schools in need of replacement across Scotland).  Also should such a policy really only be targeted to areas of acute social deprivation where benefits could and should be delivered?

Instead of these questions being discussed we have a populist argument that class sizes should be lowered or standards won’t improve.  In fact even with a lowering of class sizes in Primary schools standards may still not improve, unless we start to look deeper into the issue.

At secondary level the Scottish Executive has already ensured a reduction in class sizes in S1 and S2 for Maths and English (bringing them in line with practical subjects such a Science and Technical) but crucially there has been an agreement, despite Union objections, that there would be an average class size of 20 and not a maximum.  Pupils of higher ability can work in groups larger than 20 but for some, of lower ability, it is important to bring the class size down considerably, even as low as 10 or 12.  It is this kind of flexibility which must be built in to any system for lowering class sizes in Scottish schools.

Evidence supports the idea that individual teachers, school managers and Head Teachers should be given the freedom to make these decisions within a framework of clear guidelines and adequate investment in the key resource required, namely teachers.

In a recent talk given at Cambridge University, Dylan William (University of London) outlined the arguments for investing in teacher education against reducing class sizes on the grounds not only of cost but also effectiveness.

He points out that reducing class sizes is expensive and limited in its impact. Investing in teacher training however, through initiatives such as Assessment is for Learning and Formative assessment techniques, can cost much less and deliver better results in raised attainment and pupil engagement.  Better teachers create the conditions for learning to occur much more effectively than smaller classes ever can.

Why then in Glasgow and across other local authorities has there been a reduction in  investment in education at classroom level?  There has been a tendency to lower recruitment of teachers in some authorities resulting in a national scandal over teacher numbers and the resignation of the Education Minister.  Local authorities clearly have a great deal of responsibility here as they have allowed the situation to develop at least as much as the Scottish Government have.

Should we take schools out of their control?  The answer has to be no.  If we wish to preserve the all important element of accountability then we must retain the democratic link which local government affords.  A greater deal of devolution to individual schools, though not under a trust school model as in England, would be a positive move, allowing local decisions to be made for the benefit of local schools.

Returning to the original question - yes we should consider lowering class sizes but only on the basis of strong research and evidence supporting it and with the necessarily concomitant extra investment in teachers to make it work.

2 comments »

Posted in Education

Tags: