To think children should be educated, not just fed facts for regurgitation?

[DrSeuss]

A friend teaches maths in a "good" (according to OFSTED) school. He recently had to teach an observed lesson on shapes. He wanted to start with a short exercise on the roots of these words, eg octo means eight, encouraging pupils to name other words eg octopus. His head of department said that this was not acceptable. He was to teach that an eight sided shape is an octagon, nothing more.
I am a Languages teacher and so words and the links between them are my bread and butter. Therefore, I am biased but I think this would be a great idea. He only wanted to do a quick starter exercise on it, he wanted to encourage the kids to acquire transferable knowledge and I would have been happy for my children to be taught this. My son in particular would have loved learning the words and the links.
My friend's boss said that he agreed in principle that they should be educating children in an all round fashion, for the lesson to be passed as good or better, my friend must teach straight facts.
AIBU to think that education should broaden your outlook?

As someone who can occasionally meander from the specification, I don't have an issue with my students asking if something will be on the exam, because it might not, and exam prep is of huge importance for them.

I like a bit of background stuff when I'm observing, but I wonder if your friend misjudged the time given over to etymology rather than shape.

Your friend or you, has misunderstood.

This did not happen the way it has been described.

I agree with Hakluyt. I find it hard to believe it happened in this way. Unless the teacher (who I am presuming is very inexperienced?) Wanted to deviate in some way from a previously submitted and agreed on lesson plan, or his etymology explanations were considered to not be a good lesson fit at that moment, or hr wanted to use too much of observed lesson doing it, or he has previouly been told off for deviating too much from the syllabus, or......

A million reasons in short, why, at that precise moment it was deemed inappropriate to teach that octo means 8, none of which, I am sure, have anything to do with league tables or regurgitating facts.

I can't imagine a maths teacher talking about "facts" either really...

I was once thoroughly told off by dd's primary school teacher for showing dd vertical addition and subtraction at home (which she immediately understood and was capable of doing).

The teacher said she shouldn't be learning that yet, and she had to use a number line. Grrrr...

Well, bilingual dd has been told in her school she has to "slow down" when speaking English until the other kids catch up.

She may be "slowed down" for some time......

"Well, bilingual dd has been told in her school she has to "slow down" when speaking English until the other kids catch up"

That's just good manners, though.

Well as a Maths teacher his planned lesson sounds like my standard one when dealing with shapes! I always talk about the language and discuss the October link if someone spots it but its a couple of sentences explaining the calendar was changed and challenging them to research it later to stop them going off on a tangent!

I find the lower years 7,8 are the ones who seem to be more and more obsessed with the 'is it on the exam' questions - 'if I was to write this would I get the marks', etc which I find very sad as these years are great for them to be enjoying the subject not worrying about the exams. Guess its a hangover from pressure of some Primary SATS prep.

Oh and in my school (and I know this is very school dependent) I have NEVER been told how to teach something - what to teach yes the curriculum is set to a certain extent as we have to be able to compare the students progress but not how. We are able to deviate quite a lot as long as we cover the main content.

Shall I get her to speak English with an Italian accent so they catch up quicker?

Should the maths teacher leave the kid capable of doing his Gcse at 14 until the others have "caught up"

Exactly.

Totally disagree that Ofsted only want to see facts. I can't see a lesson where a teacher just feeds facts for regurgitation going down well at all.

How long was this exercise going to take? Whilst I would mention it and probably ask children if they could think of other words with the prefix 'oct', I wouldn't be using up much maths time doing an activity on it. If I was going to do that it would be in literacy or as part of a history topic. Although it's much easier to do that in primary rather than secondary.

If it isn't in the exam or in the narrow curriculum a teacher can't really cover it as there simply isn't time.
It is a shame that curriculum stands in the way of learning but its what governments want to see and in fairness a free for all would be difficult for Ofsted, HTs and teachers to assess progress.
So teachers have to tick boxes really, if you want them to learn anything more than this you need to do it yourself.

I think ancient Romans had a 10 month year and so october was the 8th month and december the 10th month but then they inserted july (Julius Caesar and august (augustus) between june and september to make what was known as Julian Calendar it stayed that way until gregorian Calendar introduced

@fluffyduffydoo & @blueinspiration

The Roman Calendar only had ten months originally, then January (Ianuarius) and February (Februarius) got added (allegedly by Numa Pompilius, one of the early Roman Kings).

July used to be called Quintilis (five) before it got renamed in honour of Julius Caesar, August was Sextili befor Augustus etc.

Realised I forgot to comment on the reason I clicked on this thread in the first place...

AIBU to think that education should broaden your outlook?

Nope, YANBU, you are bang on the money!

You anbu - Fairly basic knowledge isn't it? I'd be anticipating a child to raise a question (like octopus?).
I really hope that head of department isn't a school local to here.

As I said in my earlier post morethan, I certainly do talk about things not directly assessed, and I am not unusual in my experience.

TheFallenMadonna

I am pleased you do, but ime not many teachers do.
If it isn't part of the curriculum it doesn't get taught usually.
To me it seems a shame that school systems are so narrow and don't allow for much deviation.
It isn't a criticism of teachers because I think only the experienced ones are able to wander occasionally, I fully respect teachers.
I'm just very against school and the system to educate.

We come at this from very different perspectives!