This according to a recent article in the Guardian http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2008/feb/08/schools.education which says that an increase in testing and pressure to start kids in school as early as four years old are driving families away from mainstream education. A little while ago I was in the audience for a Teachers TV programme The Big Question that discussed the Cambridge review of schooling, cited in this article. The panel and audience represented all aspects of education: teachers, Government spokespersons, parents, authors, ‘alternatives’, mainstream… yet there was a broad swathe of agreement of the need to ease the pressure, particularly on the youngest children in schools. A teachers’ union representative also made the interesting point that aggressive testing strategies have had a negative effect of teaching staff as well as pupils, with an increase in stress related absence and job dissatisfaction. And yet, regardless of what the Cambridge review might feed back, the Government now looks set to impose rigid Learning and Development goals on kids from birth to five that could have a devastating effect on all forms of alternative education. More information on this and the petition to stop it in next post…
Government should learn from Steiner and home schoolers
February 20, 2008 by Sarah
Please feel free to leave your comments
Both testing and lack of testing have their upsides and downsides. A better approach is to learn how to evaluate students without using paper and pencil tests as a crutch. It’s harder on teachers but easier on students.
For example, here’s a great reading test. I give you a book and have you read a chapter to me. I then ask you to tell me about what you read. I now know a lot about your reading and comprehension level and what we need to work on going forward.
Dealing with pressure and stress is a skill that can be learned. It is a key to long term success. It’s something that schools should add to the curriculum other than just putting you under stress and hoping you figure it out.
I would agree with you Steve up to a point, and thanks for your comment. I guess where it’s tricky is with, say, a 6 year old, who according to the mainstream should be reading at a particular level, whereas in the Steiner system would not yet have started to learn to read. How can one assessment system allow for both systems of education?
I only used reading as an example and I don’t think reading levels are all that meaningful.
Both reading speed and comprehension are valuable. The faster you read and the more you comprehend, the more books you can read and the more you will enjoy them.
So I would say, you start on day one and work toward a reading goal in terms of words per minute. (Very easy to measure). I think a reasonable goal is around 1000 wpm. It’s likely to take years to get to that level but it’s really about technique and a lot of practice. Almost everything worth learning takes practice.
I think a reasonable comprehension goal is around 90%. Again it takes years and practice but I think there’s a lot of value in getting something out of what you read.
The best approach is that it’s not a single class in grade 1. It’s something that is built into other studies and stretches over multiple years.
Competence builds confidences which leads to motivation. I state one the first day that everyone can be a great reader and the benefits are huge. It’s going to take time and practice but we have 12 years to work on it.