Autonomy quashed

Boujichef · 2022-01-07T21:11:16+00:00

Does anyone else feel that education is increasingly becoming a formulaic exercise? I am increasingly seeing HOD creating PowerPoint lesson plans and expecting teachers to follow them to ensure all students are exposed to the same lesson. What happened to the teacher planning their lesson based on the SOW and the students they teach? I want autonomy back! I’m not a robot and neither are our students!

watingroom2 · 07/01/2022 22:02

You are not alone - I know many who 'teach' from the script - it's horribly demoralising.

Snowisfalling33 · 07/01/2022 22:28

Yes this seems to be the way everywhere. Schools are very dependent on various schemes where you work your way through a series of booklets or powerpoints with little flexibility.

WellBuggerMeSideways · 08/01/2022 07:14

We even have a script to follow when talking to students about their behaviour...

Children need to learn how to deal with different personalities and I feel this, toegther with ever more structure during social times, is making their ability to interact well with others worse.

Original poster

Boujichef · 08/01/2022 09:23

The 'script' devised by companies like Pivotal education may have some merit as it is based on the psychology of the human brain and how children learn. It can also be useful to keep our own emotions in check as teachers. It is hard not to take inappropriate behaviour personally when you have worked hard to plan an engaging lesson. However, the script is robotic and does not allow us to display empathy and kindness. Restorative conversations are our opportunity to get to the heart of the child's perspective, which is invaluable in developing that positive relationship. We probably don't need to script that conversation for it to be effective.

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SueValentya · 08/01/2022 11:26

@Boujichef

The 'script' devised by companies like Pivotal education may have some merit as it is based on the psychology of the human brain and how children learn. It can also be useful to keep our own emotions in check as teachers. It is hard not to take inappropriate behaviour personally when you have worked hard to plan an engaging lesson. However, the script is robotic and does not allow us to display empathy and kindness. Restorative conversations are our opportunity to get to the heart of the child's perspective, which is invaluable in developing that positive relationship. We probably don't need to script that conversation for it to be effective.

The script is for the uneducated masses of temporary 'teachers' that now fill the classrooms of state 'schools'. It is the middle managers wet dream.

DenbyChina · 08/01/2022 14:53

Our HoD says it’s about providing continuity for Ofsted. It’s unbelievably boring.

SueValentya · 08/01/2022 15:07

@DenbyChina

Our HoD says it’s about providing continuity for Ofsted. It’s unbelievably boring.

This says all you need to know: middle manager HOD jobsworth. No ability to think.

Dizzyhedgehog · 08/01/2022 19:16

It's nothing new, though. A few years ago, I worked in a school where the headteacher constantly asked me whether twins would have the same "educational experience" if they were placed into the two different classes within the year group. She kept getting very irritated about me saying they wouldn't. I know what she was trying to get at, but I found it completely ridiculous and stupid. We had to teach the same lesson to both classes (if we could manage it at the same time, that would be even better).
The two classes were completely unequal in terms of composition (abilities, characters, behaviour and learning needs). My partner teacher was very different to me. Add to that the fact that even twins are different people and might experience the same situation differently.

I'm now in a four-form-entry school. The four classes in my year group are very different from each other. (The majority of mine are just starting to learn English, for example. That's not an issue in the other classes.) We have the same objectives and can follow the same planning, if we want to. In reality, however, each class teacher approaches things a little differently and adapts lessons to suit the needs of that particular class. It wouldn't work otherwise.

AssemblySquare · 09/01/2022 13:29

I work in a large MAT and they want all schools/classes to have the same assessments, do the same units, and use the same resources. It’s horrendous and I’m not staying! I’m utterly bored!!!

MsGoodenough · 09/01/2022 20:16

I hate the belief that a ppt is a lesson. I don't teach from a ppt, never have and never will. Atthe moment we're getting a lot of directives to include x y z in all of our ppts, which I happily ignore as I don't have ppts.

Original poster

Boujichef · 11/01/2022 18:51

I'm so glad that I'm not alone in feeling frustrated. I've had the exact same comment about 'twins' experiencing the same lesson today because I dared to produce a plan of learning for my class with differentiated recall activities based on their particular knowledge gaps in light of last assessment. I also 'wrongly' assumed that the SOW was to be adhered to and accurate, when in actuality it is a fluid document that might be changed at the drop of a hat by a 'hunch' my HOD has about next years GCSE content! I've been out of education for a year and COVID seems to have turned everyone crazy! Perhaps my HID would like to borrow my clothes so we are wearing the same outfit whilst teaching with the exact same resources, in exactly the same lesson format.

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Original poster

Boujichef · 11/01/2022 19:43

@DenbyChina

Our HoD says it’s about providing continuity for Ofsted. It’s unbelievably boring.

I've had that comment too! Who are we teaching exactly? Students or OFSTED. Bloody deep dive regime.

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Original poster

Boujichef · 11/01/2022 19:47

@AssemblySquare

I work in a large MAT and they want all schools/classes to have the same assessments, do the same units, and use the same resources. It’s horrendous and I’m not staying! I’m utterly bored!!!

I've been back teaching for a few months and wondering if I've made a hideous mistake. My enthusiasm and creativity have well and truly been stamped on this week and I'm thinking about working to rule now. Totally disheartened. Not sure why I'm really surprised though, I've been here before sadly. Robot teaching it is then!

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Original poster

Boujichef · 11/01/2022 19:51

@MsGoodenough

I hate the belief that a ppt is a lesson. I don't teach from a ppt, never have and never will. Atthe moment we're getting a lot of directives to include x y z in all of our ppts, which I happily ignore as I don't have ppts.

I hate this PowerPoint lesson thing too. It's only been designed for non specialist our supply to pick up at a drop of a hat. Spoon-feed the unqualified stand in. Teach to the PowerPoint, never mind differentiated resources, meeting individual/class needs and the increasing numbers of children who can't access the whiteboard.

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RandomDent · 11/01/2022 22:06

I was handed a book of English lessons for KS1 the other day. They are ok, but very formulaic, thought I could dip in. Nope, I have been told off for not using all the lessons in this book every day. With 6 year olds. I’ve been teaching forever. I don’t need this book!

teach1066 · 11/01/2022 22:34

I feel your pain. Every lesson is a PowerPoint….. all the department does the same PowerPoint. It is just a series of slides to talk through. So boring. But I have been around a long time - think blackboards and chalk/OHPs and TV on wheels! I used to be so creative but now that has gone and I don’t like teaching anymore. Looking forward to leaving.
I wish teachers could see that a PowerPoint is just another tool in our teaching toolkit and that there are so many other effective and interesting ways of teaching that don’t involve 20 slides.