[Advisory] primary curriculum re development
Ian Lynch
ianrlynch@googlemail.com
Mon, 2 Nov 2009 19:24:49 +0000
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On Mon, Nov 2, 2009 at 6:08 PM, Peter Yeomans <peteyeomans@hotmail.com>wrote:
> In support of Ray, have a look at the hole in the wall project on ted.com.
> Kids are resourceful, they can teach themselves how to use computers and
> cameras and all sorts. What they don't need are teachers holding them
> back!
>
>
Yes kids are resourceful and no doubt many would become literate without
specialist English lessons. That would depend on home support, having the
right teachers, the right motivation and the right curriculum though if most
kids were not to remain semi-literate at best. Take e-portfolios. How much
are they being used across all subjects in all schools? If you look at the
skill set required to put together an e-portfolio its Level 2ish in the QCF,
that is A*-C level at GCSE based on the criteria in the Using Collaborative
Technologies unit in the ITQ which is based on the national occupational
standards (its more than just operating technologies in isolation just as
English is more than spelling and punctuation but we still think it is
important to teach these things). Now who is systematically providing the
learning for both children and their teachers in order that the government
(and EU) aspiration for all to have an e-portfolio by 2010 actually happens?
Putting some frameworks and funding out is easy. Getting mass take up and
productive use is much more difficult. It's rather like having a largely
illiterate population and decreeing everyone will record all their learning
in exercise books without any English lessons. Let's get all those English
teachers out of the way ;-). Anyone want to bet on the likelihood of picking
a learner of say age 14 at random in a school in say science and finding all
their experiments written up on line by 2010 with appropriate sized and
resolution graphics files? At the current rate I'd be willing to bet a fiver
on that not being the case in most schools in 2015. I'd look at it the
other way round. Good teaching in En, Ma and IT could deliver 90% of the
subject content in all the other areas because all the knowledge based
subject content is out there on the internet. I'll take calls to abolish IT
lessons seriously when we stop getting reports like the Importance of ICT
(OFSTED 2009), we stop wasting 500 million a go on COL and things like
e-porfolios actually get implemented effectively. All the evidence seems to
me that there is too little emphasis on supporting appropriate learning in
ICT so saying teachers get in the way is fanciful. I do agree that we don't
have anywhere near enough teachers who really are capable so the key thing
is to do more to support them and change the styles of learning so that
there is less dependency on specific technical knowledge. This in itself is
a tall order but probably the only real chance of proviing a proper learning
entitlement to the people that matter.
Ian
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<br><br><div class=3D"gmail_quote">On Mon, Nov 2, 2009 at 6:08 PM, Peter Ye=
omans <span dir=3D"ltr"><<a href=3D"mailto:peteyeomans@hotmail.com">pete=
yeomans@hotmail.com</a>></span> wrote:<br><blockquote class=3D"gmail_quo=
te" style=3D"border-left: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); margin: 0pt 0pt 0pt=
0.8ex; padding-left: 1ex;">
<div bgcolor=3D"#FFFFFF"><div>In support of Ray, =A0have a look at the hole=
in the wall project on <a href=3D"http://ted.com" target=3D"_blank">ted.co=
m</a>. =A0Kids are resourceful, =A0they can teach themselves how to use com=
puters and cameras and all sorts. =A0What they don't =A0need are teache=
rs holding them back!=A0</div>
<div class=3D"im"><div><br></div></div></div></blockquote><div><br>Yes kids=
are resourceful and no doubt many would become literate without specialist=
English lessons. That would depend on home support, having the right teach=
ers, the right motivation and the right curriculum though if most kids were=
not to remain semi-literate at best. Take e-portfolios. How much are they =
being used across all subjects in all schools? If you look at the skill set=
required to put together an e-portfolio its Level 2ish in the QCF, that is=
A*-C level at GCSE based on the criteria in the Using Collaborative Techno=
logies unit in the ITQ which is based on the national occupational standard=
s (its more than just operating technologies in isolation just as English i=
s more than spelling and punctuation but we still think it is important to =
teach these things). Now who is systematically providing the learning for b=
oth children and their teachers in order that the government (and EU) aspir=
ation for all to have an e-portfolio by 2010 actually happens? Putting some=
frameworks and funding out is easy. Getting mass take up and productive us=
e is much more difficult. It's rather like having a largely illiterate =
population and decreeing everyone will record all their learning in exercis=
e books without any English lessons. Let's get all those English teache=
rs out of the way ;-). Anyone want to bet on the likelihood of picking a le=
arner of say age 14 at random in a school in say science and finding all th=
eir experiments written up on line by 2010 with appropriate sized and resol=
ution graphics files? At the current rate I'd be willing to bet a fiver=
on that not being the case in most schools in 2015.=A0=A0 I'd look at =
it the other way round. Good teaching in En, Ma and IT could deliver 90% of=
the subject content in all the other areas because all the knowledge based=
subject content is out there on the internet. I'll take calls to aboli=
sh IT lessons seriously when we stop getting reports like the Importance of=
ICT (OFSTED 2009), we stop wasting 500 million a go on COL and things like=
e-porfolios actually get implemented effectively. All the evidence seems t=
o me that there is too little emphasis on supporting appropriate learning i=
n ICT so saying teachers get in the way is fanciful. I do agree that we don=
't have anywhere near enough teachers who really are capable so the key=
thing is to do more to support them and change the styles of learning so t=
hat there is less dependency on specific technical knowledge. This in itsel=
f is a tall order but probably the only real chance of proviing a proper le=
arning entitlement to the people that matter.<br>
<br>Ian<br></div></div>
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