NotSheep

This piece is titled, A classroom revolution unfolds

Referring to the news that teachers are to get more planning-time, it says:

“The workforce reforms are seen by ministers as a prerequisite for a bigger change to the teaching and learning in schools. It goes by the name of “personalisation”. This is the buzzword in government policy circles.

The “personalised curriculum” is one where teaching and programmes of study are tailored to suit each individual child.”

Hm. Sounds a lot like home-education.

“It requires careful monitoring of each pupil’s progress, week by week and term by term. It means collecting and analysing data of performance in reading, writing, maths and other subjects.”

I don’t formally collect and analyse data on my children’s progress, but home-education inherently involves what could be called ‘careful monitoring of progress’. Doing it formally isn’t necessary, because I don’t have 30 kids to keep tabs on, and I don’t get a new bunch of 30 unknowns every year.

It also requires that teachers have the time to check each child’s progress, to diagnose their needs, and to devise the best teaching plan.”

Still sounds a lot like home-ed.

“They will also have to make this information more readily available to parents who, in turn, will be encouraged to demand the appropriate action plan for their child.”

Information about my children’s learning is already “readily available” to me (because I’m with them most of the time) and their father (because he can ask us any time he wants).

“Yet that is not all. This “personalised curriculum” also requires a new form of teaching. It cannot work if the class teacher is standing at the front of the room all day long.”

Absolutely. My experience shows me that doing stuff with my kids is far better than standing in front of them talking at them.

“Instead the teacher becomes a facilitator. Like a bespoke tailor they measure, design and plan each child’s educational suit. They will set work, monitor progress, and assess outcomes.”

Sounds more and more like home-ed to me. Not all home-educators “set work” (we do, but it’s certainly not a requirement), but you can’t help but “monitor progress” and “assess outcomes” when you’re with your children for large chunks of time.

“While they are doing all this, someone else has to be the constant presence in the classroom. Someone else has to prepare the classroom wall displays. Someone else has to collect the dinner money or do the photocopying.”

Thank goodness I don’t have to worry about collecting dinner money and doing photocopying

“It is a potentially radical step-change to teaching”

It might be radical in classrooms, as the title says, but it’s not radical to those of us who home-ed - we’ve been doing it for years!