Twinkl KS1 Facebook group

[Feenie]

Joined it recently, but might have to leave - so depressed at the level of incompetence! This weekend I've seen threads from a teacher of 30+ years who says that phonics is to blame for all her non-readers in Y2, a teacher who wants to know how to collect evidence in Y2 for explaining writers' use of figurative language (don't bother - you're reading the Y6 interim framework, love ) and a teacher who wants advice on dealing with 'figgity' children. And loads if threads asking to be spoonfed to plan EVERYTHING down to the last detail. Or threads that say 'do we have to teach such and such? Where can I find out? Thanks in advance.' READ THE BLOODY CURRICULUM!

And breathe.

Will do my best, Irvine

Did the Rose review happen? I didn't just imagine it, did I?

I'll prepared to be flamed here

Rather than criticising teachers, it would be more productive to look at the poor standard of teacher training and at CPD - in my area there is still literacy CPD which is based on the old searchlights methods with phonics thrown in.

Rather than criticising teachers, it would be more productive to look at the poor standard of teacher training and at CPD

Oh we do plenty of that too, believe me. I challenge poor practice where I can, windanddrizzle - and post here to save my sanity. Anything else we should be doing?

As teachers we are professionals and should be quite capable of research and taking some responsibility for our own professional development

Well you may have been brilliant as young teachers, but I know I relied on the advice and support of more experienced colleagues. I also had a tendency to believe that the information that I was given in CPD was evidenced based - it took several years to realise that this was not the case.

Teachers are constantly criticised, it is a shame when members of the same profession join in, but it's fairly well known that bullying amongst the teaching profession is rife.

I'll leave you to your mocking

Windanddrizzle, at least I am actually trying to educate younger teachers, even if I let off steam about it here later.

What are you doing - apart from moaning on here?

And bullying, my arse. You would think that someone from our profession would have the definition of bullying nailed, at the very least

No I definitely wasn't brilliant when I first started teaching which is what led me to question many of the things I'd learnt during teacher training and look for good practice and evidence.

Me too. One child left our school unAble to read and I was so horrified that I researched the best practice in reading so that it would never happen again.

What are you doing?"

I'm a specialist teacher and I work with children who have literacy difficulties - I took an MA because of the misinformation that I was repeatedly given about reading and writing development and reading ad writing difficulties in LA CPD, but not everybody has the time to do that.

I also work for a charity that provides support for children and adults with literacy difficulties and training for teachers. I think I am reasonably knowledgeable and that I do more than sitting about moaning. If I see poor practice, I assume that it is due to poor training and not because the person is stupid or inadequate in some way.

I think we're usually quite clear on here that poor teaching of reading is because of poor ITT and poor LA training of teachers to teach reading.

That's a very different thing to people who are given help and advice and choose to ignore it.

I'm certain that lack of help and advice on reading is not an issue on this part of MN just don't go to AIBU.

Asking for someone to give you an interview lesson for the next day isn't stupid or inadequate ...its blindly lazy!

Not always the case - like the teacher who told me that she has far more non-readers in Y2 ' because of phonics', when in fact she was perpetuating their non-readng using the same mixed methods. She was adamant she was up to date in her phonics teaching. Her stupidity is stopping those children from reading - but she has been teaching 35 years and hasn't bothered to find out anything to change it.

There are stupid and inadequate teachers - just like any other profession.

Feenie the people you describe are frustrating, but decent and supportive management would not allow this to continue. Extra training and then, if no improvement, a genuine reason for capability. IME though CPD will have given this sort of teacher very mixed messages about the teaching of reading which helps validate their misconceptions. In addition, I doubt this sort of teacher has Twinkl Facebook.

mrz - I agree very lazy, but IME lazy people don't last long in teaching. Also a decent interview process would soon screen out this sort of person.

Rafa the current culture in teaching is completely toxic which discourages many talented students from even applying. Why do a job with long hours, relatively low pay and no respect when you could earn a similar amount in a 9-5 office job? This is certainly the case in London and the SE where I work.

Experienced and knowledgeable teachers should be supporting the next generation of teachers, not mocking them on Internet forums.

In addition, I doubt this sort of teacher has Twinkl Facebook

I was talking to her on Twinkl Facebook - and there are many others spouting the same thing every day, I'm afraid.

Experienced and knowledgeable teachers should be supporting the next generation of teachers, not mocking them on Internet forums

You're not listening - I am trying to support them but this sort of teacher is convinced that mixed methods is best. I think they are just resigned to thinking some children just struggle. And many of them are experienced.

My point was I am trying to advise them online - I come here to express my frustration. And you're here telling me to do what I'm doing already - and moaning about teachers online!

There's a certain irony there.

Have you visited many teaching fora Wind?

There's a strange sort of culture on these groups were any sort of discussion about something is seen as unsupportive and you're shot down. It's very frustrating when you try to help but are told your comments are not welcome as they are not supportive (and I don't mean having a go at someone, I genuinely mean 'have you tried this...' in a nice way). Furthermore, many people are so stuck in their way of thinking that they cannot be told otherwise.

In a group I'm in, someone had written in their marking 'this is great writing for a boy' and anyone who suggested this was inappropriate was absolutely shot down.

Windanddrizzle mrz, Feenie and rafalstheking have all been incredibly helpful and supportive to me on reading matters and I've been taking their advice as well as doing some research of my own, putting it into practice in my school is a whole other issue. I think they are referring to how frustrating it is when there are people who ask for advice then aren't willing to accept any that doesn't pander to what they already believe to be true. I've come up against this when arguing for best early years practice and it is hugely frustrating, like trying to convince conspiracy theorists that vaccines don't cause autism.

I refollowed. some poor soul is asking for ideas for familiar stories for literacy. At Christmas time. Now does anyone know a story that most children know, about Christmas?

Can't think

Yes, BeanTi, I also have an issue with the fun obsession. I posted on a subtraction one (ways to make subtraction FUN please?) and said 'Just teach them subtraction' and was shot down for not being helpful, but it was good advice - for some things, they need to listen and watch carefully, no all singing/dancing distractions. It's no wonder then that there are subsequently threads wailing that the children 'don't get it'.

I've posted something similar about column addition in a thread recently, Feenie. Make sure they have a secure knowledge of the pre-requisite skills and just bloody teach it. Then provide lots of opportunity to practice using it in different contexts.

The fun brigade don't realise that by making everything a fun filled gimmicky experience when they do actually want to inject a little excitement and fun it is totally lost.

If I hear one more shriek as fake snow is flung around in a classroom in the school where I workI shall scream!

And as for telling children to do something and expecting it as a behaviour strategy ... I'm still chuckling about the poor souls who were devising complicated methods for preventing the children moving pencils to the wrong pot/table