Sometimes it’s the really obvious things that are the hardest to spot… and the first we should change… Following a fascinating chat with a very bright teacher I’ve realised that there’s a strong case for making some changes to the way we approach ‘punishments’.
Every now and again, I have to supervise ‘detention’. I sit in a room with the Usual Suspects and growl at them if they dare to raise their heads from the laminated edition of the school rules they are copying. I have often suspected that the theory behind detention is to create an environment of such stultifying and oppressive dullness that the pupils would rather behave than be assigned after-school detention… except it patently does not work. As I’ve already mentioned, the fact that detention is the resting place for pretty much the same people week after week after week after… means that rampant boredom is not too effective as a deterrent. This is not good…
I’m an English teacher first and foremost, and so part of my passion is directed towards encouraging pupils to read and write. I love books and literature and do try to get this across to my classes with varying degrees of success. In any given class, I can expect to find the full spectrum of ability — everyone from the fluent to the strugglers. Sadly, one thing is reasonably predictable in all this and that is that the strugglers make up most of the ‘detention’ clientele. So… here’s the really obvious problem that was pointed out to me by a pretty smart colleague:
Why are we using writing as a punishment? What message is this sending out? How can we ‘sell’ writing as something worthwhile and fun… while we are using it as a punishment?
Given these questions, it’s not really a surprise to think that there might be a relationship between using writing as a punishment and kids becoming even more reluctant to write… I’m certainly keen to move writing away from being a punishment as soon as possible, but what should I try as an alternative? My sense-of-humour thinks I should get them to draw pictures in an effort to make them hate art, but I’d rather be positive instead.
So, having already been given occasion to think by one teacher, I’d like to know what suggestions you might have. Is it possible to have ‘punishment exercises’ that are not going to further dissuade reluctant learners, and if so, what are they?
When it comes to explaining GLOW to other teachers, we are in danger of missing something really important… We’d better get on board with it really soon or the parents are going to want to know why.
I’ve been involved in a couple of really interesting conversations recently that have made me realise that the ‘tipping point’ for GLOW may be closer than we think. A friend recently turned round and asked me just what GLOW was. After a brief explanation, I began to realise that, not only did he already have an idea what it was, he could also see its relevance and potential. How do I know that? Simply because what he really wanted to know was why his kids were being denied access to the resource. In short, he knew what it was and he wanted his kids using it…
I think this is something we lose sight of all too easily. We see GLOW with the same eyes that see every other ‘big new thing’ in education… and sometimes people forget that education is not just for the educators… it’s actually for the pupils… and they have parents who have a vested interest in making sure their children have the best opportunities possible.
As more and more people do have access to the resources and facilities offered by Scotland’s National Schools Intranet, those who aren’t on board yet will find themselves at a potential disadvantage… maybe not of the ‘moving to a GLOWing Authority’ level yet, but I wonder how long parents will be happy at knowing their authority has yet to sign up…
Anyway… a little birdy has hinted that I should be better placed to find out what all the fuss is about later this year. Maybe that’s why Perth house prices are still going up!
Thanks to Ewan for the nod about Animoto trialling free All-Access passes for educators. Not sure if this counts, but it’s my first attempt at a ‘long’ Animoto… and is a way of whetting your appetites for this year’s Scottish Learning Festival.
I’ve started telling some of my pupils how to sign up for Animoto with a view to seeing how they use it (most of them have talks/presentations to do, and I’d rather see them use something like this than use yet another deadly ppt!)… I’ll post links to any interesting uses they find.
Incidentally, I see from the SLF08 programme that the target audience for my seminar is listed as: Development and Policy Staff, Headteachers & Managers… THIS IS NOT THE WHOLE STORY! It’s supposed to be targeted at classroom teachers, probationers as the main audience… I’ll post more about the intentions nearer the time.
PS: If you want a copy of the QuickTime version of the video, click HERE (The link is good for the next 90 days).
If I could borrow current thinking here in Scotland on why we educate, why we school, I might say that schools should produce young people who can, throughout their lives, be: • successful learners • confident individuals • responsible citizens •
There may even come a moment that our connection with an industrially manufactured coke bottle may be richer and more mythical than our relation with a genetically analyzed and manipulated rabbit in the woods…
At write4kicks we believe that encouraging young people to write, particularly in collaboration with others and giving them the tools with which to do so to the best of their ability is intellectually and socially enriching.
The Top 100 Tools for Learning Spring 2008 list has now been finalised from the contributions of 155 learning professionals from education, workplace learning and continuing professional development.
Sometimes it’s the really obvious things that are the hardest to spot… and the first we should change… Following a fascinating chat with a very bright teacher I’ve realised that there’s a strong case for making some changes to the way we approach ‘punishments’.
Flickr/nwinton
Myspace/scottishteacher
Facebook/Mr W's Where?
Twitter/nwinton
YouTube/cx1uk
Del.icio.us/cx1uk
Wikipedia/NWinton
GMail/Mr W's Where?
coComment/nwinton
Technorati/nwinton
MyBlogLog/nwinton
Blog/Mr W's Where?