watch an inspirational teacher and weep a little

[BadDog]

dont apply mascara before watching

I didn't really think that video had much to do with teaching, it was more about his family. It wouldn't have mattered if he were an engineer, a SAHP, a soldier or a fireman, he would still have inspirational tale to tell.

The exploding pumpkin stuff was just window dressing.

oh meh. i teach a science,and you will see me making things burst into flame. it is kind of part of the job. i can tell my students that some molecules have an electrical polarity, but it drives the point home when they can see a thin stream of water bend as they bring a charged rod towards it. just because it doesn't always look like how learning happens in a different subject doesn't make it showy,or necessitate someone ' picking up the pieces after me' fgs.

you might as well have a moan that those flashy PE teachers get the students' blood all agitated by making them play sport when a sensible teacher would just have them write down how to play netball, or that drama teachers should just have students answer questions about plays rather than act them out.

as to his relationship with the students, it wouldprobably be totally out of place here,which is fine, seeing as how it seems to work just fine for him, in his culture and context, and no one is going to force anyone here to start behaving like that.

I had a teacher that was always doing mad experiments. He set fire to the teaching bench at the front of the classroom one day and we had to evacuate through a door at the back of the classroom through to an adjoining class. We learnt loads, did loads and looked forward to his lessons.

Surely teaching is about engaging your pupils and helping them to learn. If you don't engage them they will struggle to learn. Same as anything you do in life. It is always easier to do a job that engages your interest than one that doesn't. I would happily have a teacher like Mr Wright teach my ds and I wonder if the teachers on this thread feel threatened by those sort of teachers or maybe envious.

The teachers like Mr Wright are few and far between imvho but if you are lucky to experience one in your academic life than you are very lucky indeed. There is one teacher like that at ds's old school. Everyone talks about him, pupils and parents, and everyone wants to be taught by him.

Hard to judge as it was such a snippet and we don't get a feel for what the students are actually learning. Quite a large proportion of the film seemed to be about his son and you couldn't help feel for him but that has nothing to do with teaching per se or his teaching style.

The best teacher I ever had was one that encouraged debate in the classroom, I remember we were all passionate about the subject as he always got us to think about things in different ways. Didn't get a feel for how he got the children to think and discuss as it was just a one man show at that point.

He looks like a very good teacher- he just teaches in a different way to me. Some kids will respond better to him, some to me, some to other teachers.

The sad thing is, he'd probably fail an OFSTED inspection. Assuming he got through his PGCE.

I don't think he does teach in a different way ...apart from the "hog calling"

Chibi in a sense I think we actually agree - flashy experiments are actually fairly standard and so those alone don't make him an outstanding teacher. It is the whole package which determines that.

My comment about 'picking up the pieces' was made based on my experiences of people in my life who have a very 'showy' way of working with children, both teachers and other related jobs. Those who are all show look fantastic until you realise that without others behind them doing the groundwork and the 'boring' stuff, they'd fall flat on their arses.

That's not to say its not possible to be an engaging and 'showy' teacher without needing someone to pick up te pieces, in fact most teachers I know (especially science) manage a happy, balanced medium. However, those I know who have been labelled inspirations and mavericks are normally skating on very thin ice.

The teachers like Mr Wright are few and far between imvho but if you are lucky to experience one in your academic life than you are very lucky indeed. There is one teacher like that at ds's old school. Everyone talks about him, pupils and parents, and everyone wants to be taught by him

Are they though? And is it really the best way forward in lerms of teaching and learning?

I had a teacher who when I was a lad I thought was really good. He was popular, he was bright and breezy ( he did know his subject) , everyone loved his lessons and he was super cool etc.

But with hindsight now I realise that I learned very little from him. I thought I had learned a lot at the time. I was even confident about that - confident enough to take his subject on to A level , which is where I begain to learn how much I had not been taught and how ill prepared I was in fact. Over the years I have re assessed and reassessedagain and each time his methods and what I actually learned has gone down.

Now, equally during that time an old geezer I really under estimated has proven to be the bedrock and foundation of much of what I know and learned in school. he didnt sing and dance lessons but everything he taught was solid and accessible and taught to a high level.

So forgive me for my lack of enthusiasm. That is why I would prefer not to have my own DS taught by any teacher with the traits demonstrated in this clip. I would rather he was taught by a solid and dependable type with strong teaching skills ( not fancy whizzy skills like many teachers these days seem to display - like the clip ) and a secure subject knowledge.

Indeed you can skip the singing and dancing displays for me too. I would rather be taught by someone who knows what they are talking about and who can tell me in a way that makes it accessible. Someone who will keepgoing with it when the going gets tough and someone who gives substance to the subject rather than being lightweight. I can get lightweight on TV thanks.

well,i guess i will agree to disagree,and chalk it up to cultural differences - i have been in this country long enough to appreciate why people are having the reactions to him that they are

I dont want to get involved with another thread that I have deliberately avoided because it isnt about my interests. This kind of teacher/ teaching, which as I said is a current educational trend is precisely the reason I believe most state school DC are not applying for or when they do apply not getting into top universities ( Oxford and Cambridge particularly) . They are just missing the roots - the foundations. They are pretty vases of flowers often but there is no anchorage there, no roots.

I find it odd that you read so much into so little. Honestly, whizz bang demonstrations are very common in Science teaching. I expect you would see them if you went into your colleagues' lessons. They take up a reasonably small proportion of teaching time.

You cannot tell from that video whether this teacher meets your requirements, because we saw a number of set pieces, and no lessons.

A lot of dodgy extrapolation on this thread.

what was it do you reckon ronaldo that kept most state school educated children out of Oxford and Cambridge say, 50 years ago when everything was infinitely better in the teaching and learning game?

i am v intrigued to get your take on it

A lot of dodgy extrapolation on this thread

I admit I am using the content of the clip as a generalisation and an example of what interestsme ( rather than being specifically about the guy in the clip) - that is an educationaltrend. The way we are expected to teach these days and how effective it is ( or not maybe)?.

That may not be what others aredoing but it has been explicit in everything I have commented on from the outset.

I watched up to the bit with the club hammer and the bed of nails.

His pupils seem to love him. He engages them. Engaging your pupils (especially teenagers, and even more especially disadvantaged teenagers) is 90% of the battle.

Even if they don't achieve then due to complicated outside factors and handicaps, if a teacher can instill a passion or a curiosity for a subject, or for learning itself then the memory of that, and the influence of it will NEVER leave that child. Maybe they will come back to education later on, or just continue to learn for their own personal enrichment, irrespective of their formal level of education. Either way it's a very special thing. I still remember my most engaging teacher to this day, and I remember (and still have a huge interest in) so much of the stuff he taught me.

The level of charisma and enthusiasm of the teacher you have can make or break how you feel about a subject.

I found the 'hog-calling' (have never heard that term before ) slightly odd but not hugely inappropriate.

Too many teachers don't actually like children. Especially teenagers. Let's be honest, they can be hideous, and it must be the toughest job in the world, so if someone can do it with a smile on their face day in, day out and actually love the company of those kids no matter what, them I take my hat off to them.

I was a bit about some of the stuff he did re: health and safety though. Hoe did he get away with that?

He teaches in a different way to me, mrsz; not in a different way to the norm.

I am a far too lazy for whizz-bang full on entertainment

The reason I would like to differerntiate between the educational systems in the UK is because you are basing your argument on your experience of the English one. The English educational system is well known for its focus on assessment and results, whereas others are not; and though you may not realise it, have more in common with the teaching methods shown in the video.
Thus when you quote 'educational trends', I feel you should be more specific.

With regards to the video, I feel that it is hard to critique this man's teaching talents when it focused so much on his life at home.

For something truly inspirational it is worth viewing this - www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b01hdbcl/Rhod_Gilberts_Work_Experience_Series_3_Teacher/

and also reading up on the Scottish Government's Curriculum for Excellence.

what was it do you reckon ronaldo that kept most state school educated children out of Oxford and Cambridge say, 50 years ago when everything was infinitely better in the teaching and learning game?

I am not sure the statistics show they always were. 50 years ago the world was a different place and around 5% of the school population went to university at all. There were fewer universities and mostly all of them would be considered " top" by standards now. Many of the candidates then came from state grammar schools (all areas had grammar schools and the 11+was compulsory) and a good share got into "Oxbridge".

You make a big mistake in correlating my comments to some assertion that all was better in teaching and learning back then. It certainly was not. 89% of the population were written off entirely.

There is of course an elephant in the room in all that. I wont mention it either.

I don't understand why an inspirational teacher is considered a 'lightweight'?

You are very good at not mentioning things You actually want to talk about!

I don't understand why an inspirational teacher is considered a 'lightweight'

Inspiration is only 1% of achievement. The other 99% is perspiration.

You are very good at not mentioning things You actually want to talk about!

You misinterpret me. I am not saying I want to talk about this. I saying clearly that there is something I am not going to talk about, although I know it is there ( and I say that because I dont want to be accused of being a thicko or a dimmy who "doesnt know").

This is not the topic of this thread. I can see the thread is going no further at the moment ( its light weight) so I will say good evening to you all.

No need to try to explain. I did get all that.

however, Usually when people don't want to talk about something....they simply don't talk about it!!

raising it smacks a bit of 'don't look at me, I'm shy'.

Anyway...as you were...

For those who talk of disadvantage you need to remember that even now in the US the " American Dream" still exists and people believe in it. They still believe that anyone with the right ability and determination can rise from dirt poverty to be President of the United States.

It may not be true but they still believe it. Despite what you think, most American children are still quite conformist and compliant in education.

We do not have that in this country.