LC "reform" to match the new JC "reform"?

rainbowtrout wrote: »

Ya I do wonder what exactly is going on at primary level that we are still teaching this stuff at second level. I'm not blaming primary teachers, they are delivering the course given to them, but what the fcuk is going on?

I think (without current experience so probably worthless but by listening to bits and pieces) teachers are less able to insist that students actually do what they are told. Its more about not hurting feelings and not fighting battles because the teacher is always wrong and theres f all real back up.

At least with a certain cohort that resist doing things like following instructions/procedure ....almost as if they have gotten away with it before and have an expectation of doing it again

Eg: take something like plotting a graph or bar chart, just the act of drawing a set of axes, scaling it appropriately, plotting coordinates etc......now you can do many and varied activities to help understand a graph etc but sooner or later students will need to be able to sit down and plot one accurately for themselves so you provide clear instruction and require each student to practice for themselves answer questions and give feedback

In the not so distant past that was mostly what happened with the odd issue you had to deal with but listening to whats coming back now theres are a much larger cohort of students that are more than capable of carrying out simple procedural tasks but choose not to or resist doing anything like what they are being asked to do for as long as possible......its boring, i dont have my copy, but you said, are we supposed to do that, I dont understand it (despite the fact I spent the entire time you explained it twice disrupting as many people as I could) etc.......the numbers that have some sort of an issue with doing what they are told, dont do it and use every excuse under the sun and continue to do so after interventions from disciplinary structures within school (with patents being called in etc) is just becoming overwhelming in a class situation and in my mind at least thats probably happening at primary..... its just too much something that could happen relatively efficiently if the teacher had more authority is being thwarted by a small (but I think the ranks are swelling) of students that do everything except what they should be doing because theres really f all you can do abput it without it having negative consequences for you rather than the students that have been let do what they want more or less unchallenged from when the behavioir first started.....multiply that by all the similar skills that require instruction and require the majority of students doing what they are told and exercising some self control....something thats becoming less common and you can see another reason for a new jc ....except I think if you lower the bar youll still find a group that will limbo under it rather than jump over it.

Going after the numbers involved is fast becoming unreasonable expectation to put on one person or even a school management but it was always going to be that way with the way autonomy, authority and standards have been slowly eroded/undermined.

Stuff like the new JC is just a symptom of a broader problem thats not going away no matter how hard its brushed under the carpet......

Either that or there are two streams in primary....the ones that actually do the work and the other one that spends it's time making paintings with potato halves while picking its nose and are told they are wonderful, never wrong and its character building to resist doing anything you are told to do.