to think Gove's ideas on education are hilarious?

[NonnoMum]

So, putting all the kids in blazers and ties is a brilliant idea (why stop there, Mike, how about boaters too?) And training up ex-squaddies to be teachers - that'll instill discipline, won't it now? Who wants James Blunt as their RS teacher (just remember kids, "you're bootiful")
What a load of tosh...
Who voted for these muppets?

Oh, yeah, and they're scrapping school sports too - woopie!

6yrs old though??

Come on - some kids don't "click" until YR2 and go on to be great readers. I think it's too young.

As I said in my post - this is my experience: 9 schools and 30+ years of teaching.

And how about the kids who don't 'click'?
Is it in any way kinder or more ethical to leave them floundering.

When do you propose we pick them out and start giving them the proper teaching they deserve.

Reading is easy when it is taught properly, the vast vast majority of kids will read and read well.

Most 'dyslexia' is in fact 'dysteachia'.

Get rid of incompetent teachers/bad teachers/ uninspiring teachers and start new - what Mr. Gove is proposing to do, in a much more PC manner of course.

Echt, that is in no way a representative sample.
Additionally when people start going on about their 'years' of experience it means little in the grand scheme of things.
We need to be judged on the sum total of our actions not on the opiions and feelings of individuals.

Moondog there's nothing wrong with what I said. It is absolutely the case about tests. They have some uses, but identifying poor teaching isn't one of them.

'And training up ex-squaddies to be teachers - that'll instill discipline, won't it now?' Yes, especially if the ex serviceman are highly educated with degrees to MA level and above like my husband. Not all ex service personnel are squaddies, so please don't display your ignorance by referring to them as such OP.

I agree with Gove on much of what he is saying, especially the reintroduction of an MFL to 16; getting rid of modules, especially at AS level and returning the A levels to a 2 year course, which allows the student time to grow and develop, not just be taught to the test; making the curriculum more rigorous can only be a good thing as well.

I'm a teacher, and I voted for the Tories.

isn't he suggesting a reading test at 6 and then some sort of 'readiness test' in year6 just before secondary school?
so, what is the difference between those and SATs? That 'readiness' thing...does he plan to hold children back in primary schools if they are not up to a certain standard? What will he propose for the children at age 6 who do not do well in the test? will he propose anything that isn't already done in schools as it is?

I just saw him on the news saying 'children in England are all the same'

Shame those kids won't be able to access the 'excellent teaching' in the academies because the head has decided the admissions criteria and it won't admit children with any kind of reading difficulties. Ah well.

So Echt, according to your theory, poor test results in no way reflect the quality of teaching.Is that what you are saying?
I need to be clear.

Although I'm unsure about a lot of these proposals they can hardly do any worse than the previous Government on education so I'm willing to give them a try.

How is he suggesting Heads get rid of bad teachers is what I'm asking. What changes is he making to the current capability procedures?

No, moondog that is not what I said.

I said that poor teaching could not be inferred from test results. Far more has to be considered

Troops for Teachers (Military self-discipline???)
Teachnext replaces Teachfirst, but is exactly the same.
Only academies can do what they want... but oh! failing schools will be turned into academies.
More grammar and spelling, but you're free to design your own curriculum.
I could go on.

Yeah.... saviour.
The guy's demented.

and don't forget that on the one hand teachers should have more then a 2:2 or 2:1 [not sure which?] or have zero training [if you teach in a free school]

oh yes - the turning failing schools into academies is an odd one

I think there are some good ideas amongst some daft ones.

Scaryteacher makes a fair point but why do we want to attract applicants from the armed forces in particular? We want people with excellent qualificiations and life experiences from a range of backgrounds.

I think uniform is important and sets the tone for learning and discipline. My experience aupports this but I accept people feel differently.

I want to see an end to modular exams and endless retakes.

I want to make it easier to get rid of poor teachers, I spoke to a pupil today who loves a subject but who has been put off by poor teaching from an incompetant teacher. This may impact on his A Levels, degree and future life choices. Teachers have that power and it needs to be taken seriously. As school managers we can remove such staff but it takes a long time and children suffer in the mean time. Often it is not a case of sacking a teacher altogether but encouraging them to go to the correct kind of school.

Having just returned from work I have not had chance to look at the proposals in detail. I may return.

My brother is ex army and now a secondary school maths teacher. He does not have any discipline poblems in his very rough school and puts that (partly) down to his experience as a junior officer managing teenage soldiers. But he also has a very good degree and is a teacher because he wants to be one.

Gove hilarious? He would be if his ideas weren't so damaging. I find it totally depressing.

Many teachers don't have a cert ed instead of a degree if they started teaching before that requirement came in. To say a degree is becessary to be an effective teacher is clearly nonsense

WRT school uniform.Most countries don't have school uniforms and you don't see them lagging behind the UK

"Those without a degree will have tuition fees paid by the taxpayer to do a two-year training course under the 'Troops to Teachers' programme. Officers with degrees could be in classrooms within weeks. "

Vs

"The Education Secretary said: 'The best education systems draw their teachers from among the top graduates and train them rigorously, focusing on classroom practice. They recognise that it is teachers' knowledge, intellectual depth and love of their subject which stimulates the imagination of children and allows them to flourish and succeed."

Demented....

An excellent point, batteryhuman, it's about wanting to be a teacher while acknowledging the skills gained from the military.

What is disturbing about Gove is his unstated assumption that it's because they've been in the military they'd be good teachers.

Why not bring in ex road-sweepers or doctors?

echt, isn't it to do with how he sees appropriate discipline in schools? That is his point isn't it?

isn't it him maybe seeing our youth as needing some sort of 'boot camp' style drilling?? Just guessing.

I'm going against the grain here and finding myself nodding in agreement with some of Gove's policies...and I'm a teacher.

Uniform - we relaunched our uniform last year with blazers, logo-ed jumpers and ties - I do think there was an improvement in behaviour, and the feedback survey suggested the chidren preferred it too.

Squaddies into teaching - some of our pupils (in v deprived area) do not have many, if any male role models. We used to have an ex-army sargeant teaching maths, he addressed pupils by their surname and was quite military in his discipline - the pupils LOVED him. Prob the most respected teacher we ever had. He did all Duke of Edinburgh and orienteering stuff too, which the bad lads took up in spades - can't see many teachers volunteering their weekends for that kind of thing.

Scrapping GCSE modules in favour of final exam - much, much better

Clearer rules on physical restraint of a child - better. The number of times I hear "go ahead, you can't touch me, I know my rights"

The only thing I don't agree with is teacher training recruit doing short placements in outstanding schools to observe 'best practice'. All very well, but then they get a job in our place, get a chair chucked at them and run from the building screaming before they've had the chance to open their fancy powerpoint.

A lot of it seems to be based on a Daily Mail image of comprehensive education in state schools. There are schools where discipline is poor and children are out of control and perhaps there a get tough on discipline is needed.

I have worked in a number of schools and that is not the norm. I do not have children who refuse to do as I ask, the school is in control and students are making progress.