Modern Teaching Methods

[John Simkin]

The government has sent out a 328-page document to all schools in advance of this year’s KS3 English tests. Some 258 pages cover 16 lesson plans for pupils on the level 4/5 borderline, including detailed model answers.

Simon Gibbons of the National Association for the Teaching of English says: “If the teaching is as prescriptive as these packs suggests it should be, it turns kids off English.

Robert Coe of Durham University’s Curriculum Evaluation and Management Centre said: “Schools are told they need to boost their schools, and here is how to do it. It is absurb.”

Even the QCA have attacked this approach to teaching. It reported that “over-intensive coaching could be damaging pupils’ ability to think for themselves, potentially hindering their performance in KS3 English tests.”

Any views on this subject?

[Guest]

Any views on this subject?

My view on this is that encouraging children to perform mental regurgitation is about as edifying and as useful as encouraging them to perform physical regurgitation.

The government equates improving standards with rising test scores therefore for them cramming and coaching for tests = education.

I am not suprised that politicians without sense, understanding or commitment believe this but am surprised and distressed that so many teachers apparently accept this new orthodoxy on what constitutes education without question and play this game.