Teachers: Are Gove and Cameron listening?

[subcontrabass]

The latest curriculum changes, made by incompetent people, do not apply to "academies". Presumably this is ploy to persuade the schools that did not succumb to the empty bribe, to become academies

Where are the instruments and teachers to come from to implement the music bit in the proposed national curriculum? All pupils are to learn to sing, to perform using voices and instruments, and to read and use staff notation (amongst other things). Hmmm. See https://www.gov.uk/government/upload...nt_-_FINAL.pdf (starting on page 216) for details.

[amateur51]

Where are the instruments and teachers to come from to implement the music bit in the proposed national curriculum? All pupils are to learn to sing, to perform using voices and instruments, and to read and use staff notation (amongst other things). Hmmm. See https://www.gov.uk/government/upload...nt_-_FINAL.pdf (starting on page 216) for details.

Great to see you back here, sbc :ok:

Are you planning to stick around for the Proms plus the odd dalliance over on AA? :erm::biggrin:

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

Where are the instruments and teachers to come from to implement the music bit in the proposed national curriculum? All pupils are to learn to sing, to perform using voices and instruments, and to read and use staff notation (amongst other things). Hmmm. See https://www.gov.uk/government/upload...nt_-_FINAL.pdf (starting on page 216) for details.

Oh that's simple. It will be left for the schools to decide upon how they spend the reduced amount of money allocated to them, and then when they cannot afford to do what the G-buffoon dictates, his bullying pals at Ofsted will slate the schools for not doing it the way he thinks it should be done.
In schools the man is almost universally regarded as a joke, albeit an extremely sick one.

[teamsaint]

As I understand it, the music budget has been both reduced and ring fenced. !!

I cannot think of nice words to describe what gove is doing.

[subcontrabass]

Notice also the inconsistency between the History and Geography requirements.

Key Stage 2 Geography deals only with Europe and North and South America.

The tiny non-British part of Key Stage 2 History requires study of "the achievements of the earliest civilizations - an overview of where and when the first civilizations appeared and a depth study of one of the following: Ancient Sumer; The Indus Valley; Ancient Egypt; The Shang Dynasty of Ancient China". How can you study any of those without some awareness of the relevant geography?

[teamsaint]

Oh, and the TES is joining in. This week :
" Royal baby writing tasks".
AAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHH HHHHHHHHHH.

[Dave2002]

Maybe some improvements in education are needed though. Just seen on BBC TV News "Oxfordhsire Seige"!

[Serial_Apologist]

Maybe some improvements in education are needed though. Just seen on BBC TV News "Oxfordhsire Seige"!

You'd think an automatic spell check would've put that right - even if it was an automatic American spell check.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

I think teletext is written by anyone they can grab off the street.

[eighthobstruction]

WILL there be a week (or even a day) when the Dept of Education does not announce a CHANGE....

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-23334334

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

We could just have a change of Education Secretary, but now Nick Clegg is jumping on to the Stupidity Bandwagon, suggesting being told you are in Band 8 will give you confidence at secondary school.

[MrGongGong]

His stupidity isn't a new thing IMV

[An_Inspector_Calls]

It seems there's complete agreement here that Gove is incompetent. The teaching unions seem to think the same. And part of the message seems to be that they'd all rather go back to creative learning rather than learning by rote.

That would all be fine, if the product delivered by the teaching profession compared well with that produced by other countries and in comparison with the past. But we know we're slipping down the Pisa testing scale conducted by the OECD. And from personal experience of maths and science recruiting and a university industrial liaison panel, things are getting worse. A simple, particular example. You see first year engineering students who cannot handle percentage calculations. First year students are so weak with calculus, differential equations, and the like, there's now a need for a degree preparation year, making many courses four year rather than three. (The course is dressed up as a Masters Degree, but it covers no more than that covered in earlier three year courses). Cambridge is now offering additional teaching to A-level physics students because the present curricula lacks the rigour of the pre 1980 syllabus (see article by Mark Warner, Sunday Times 12/5/13).

Perhaps some here with experience of science teaching to A-level can explain what's going wrong and what Gove is missing - rather than repeating the mantra that Gove is an idiot? Perhaps on the way they can explain what creative learning means in terms of science teaching, because it escapes me. It may be that demonstrating proof by induction is termed creative these days - I don't know.

[MrGongGong]

A simple, particular example. You see first year engineering students who cannot handle percentage calculations.

Is this a personal experience ?
or some other evidence ?
I'm only asking because I don't know NOT because it's not true !

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

No-one involved in education would claim that the status quo is what it should be, but all of Gove's suggestions and so-called "reforms" show that he really IS incompetent, and should be replaced. Graham Stuart might be a better choice from that particular political party.