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Original poster

Innovation fatigue according to a teacher on BBC London radio this morning

19 replies

speedymama · 01/02/2007 14:11

There was a discussion about what kids should be learnig in schools and as the debate progressed, a recently retired teacher came on. She said that as a teacher she suffered from Innovation Fatigue because of the new initiatives that were constantly foisted on them and then discontinued within a couple of years.

I thought that was an excellent phrase. Do other teachers empathise with her sentiment?

OP posts:
fizzbuzz · 01/02/2007 14:24

God ...yeah!

Blandmum · 01/02/2007 14:28

God yes!

I've lost count of the things I now have to encorporate into my lessons.

Literacy, numeracy, citizenship, cross curricular links, I have been asked to link into modern foreign languages and teach part of my lesson in French and enterprise.

And I teach Biology!

spudmasher · 01/02/2007 14:29

Yup. I have now seen it go full circle. On my last day at techer trainng college they handed us a million folders called The National Curriculum. All I had ever done was Topic webs! Now, hey guess what, my topic webs are innovative!!!!!

SueW · 01/02/2007 14:39

I'm not even a teacher and I love that expression. It descibes exactly how I feel when I'm feeling stressed and my mind won't do the fun/creative stuff any longer, just processes the day-to-day things.

fizzbuzz · 01/02/2007 14:43

Yeah, latest gumph we had round before I went on mat leave, was "every child matters".

Whilst I agree with it all, was NOT amused when HoD asked me if I was going to promote breast feeding as suggested in gumph, by breast feeding dd in front of YEAR 9, with a practical visual aid. HoD then said in pathetic "little me" voice..."But the government say we have to......"

spudmasher · 01/02/2007 14:47

LOL fizzbuzz!!! I had to teach sex ed to year six whilst 8mnths pregnant. Conception, birth everything. It was funny to see their faces as the penny dropped as to what Miss had been up to. And what she was about to go through! All those kids thinking about me giving birth!! CRINGE.

amicissima · 01/02/2007 22:33

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percypig · 01/02/2007 22:38

I agree completely! I was clearing out my store in school and same across endless 'bumph' from various government initiatives going back 30+ years (from older teachers, not mine, I've been teaching a mere 6, or is it 7 years and feel innovation fatigue already)

Christie · 01/02/2007 23:40

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cat64 · 01/02/2007 23:50

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fizzbuzz · 02/02/2007 14:16

Does anyone else find, that once they have done a starter, discussed objectives, incorporated, literacy, numeracy, and multi-cultural issues, had a question and answer session, pleinary (sp? I'm a teacher I should know how to spell!), and in my case
a 10 minute demo, and then 10 mins clearing up, there is no time to actually do the lesson?

Oh, and also incl citizenship...forgot about that one!

Blandmum · 02/02/2007 14:19

Fizzbuzz, LOL. You forgot, and handing out individual tasks based on VAKI, and then sorted out the fights over 'I don't want to do writing miss, why can't I do role plake like the kinasthetic learners?'

Thank god my lessons are all 70 minutes long, or I'd never get to the biology at all

fizzbuzz · 02/02/2007 14:27

I teach D&T and Art. Our lessons are 55 mins long (no doubles). In a good lesson, sometimes the kids actually might have time to write their names on their paper,or even get out a paintbrush, but then that is it for that lesson. Total chaos

Blandmum · 02/02/2007 14:32

I always do a starter....the course is modular, so most often it is re-capping what we did last lesson. If I'm clever this is literacy based, so that is two down! then I demo the practical, they do the practical at the spped of sound, with be chiding them about how short the time is, then they put away the kit. Then they all moan like hell because they have to draw a graph. I spend 10 minutes trying to explain to them, again, how to work out a scale. And my pleniary activity is history ! So at least that bit is cross curricular!

fizzbuzz · 02/02/2007 14:37

Always try and do a conclusion, but depends on cleaning up, often find conclusion is:
" Right you lot, I want you all back at break to clean up disgusting mess in sinks etc etc".

Do try....but find it all so so exhausting........

Blandmum · 02/02/2007 14:41

Glad it is not just me!

It isn't so bad when ther eisn't a practical aspect to the lesson, or if the practical is short. Then I usually fit one in.

I like starters though, and I'm better at them I think. I also find that at the end of 70 minutes, so after an hour of work the kids are tired and less focused.

roisin · 02/02/2007 18:58

I just do cover: but sometimes the material left is pretty dire, and very difficult to chunk up in any meaningful way.

So doing a 10-minute starter, and a 10-minute plenary makes the 1 hr lesson more bearable allround

I like plenaries a lot ... but not when the kids have mucked around, not worked, and certainly not learned anything

ScummyMummy · 02/02/2007 19:06

PMSL @ the suggestion of breast feeding dd in front of YEAR 9, with a practical visual aid, fizzbuzz. What a terrible thought! Unless year 9s have comp[letely transformed since I last saw the inside of a secondary school...

fizzbuzz · 02/02/2007 22:23

They are still the same....full of hormones

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