Education...

I think studying education is really interesting, and I do find the numerous debates you can have about the best ways to do things very engaging. BUT, man does it get depressing.

I'm not sure it gets to people as much as it gets to me, but the more we seem to learn the more and more corrupt, political and totally opposite to what I thought it was, education becomes. I used to see it as fun, fascinating, magical; learn for the sake of learning; learn what you found interesting. I wanted to believe that people were being taught for the sake of teaching people about all those wonderful things out there in the world. I think I was very naive.

I've recently handed in an essay on the effects of marketisation on education, and just had a lecture on the effects of globalisation. And it just gets to me. I enjoyed tests and exams because I had plenty of time to draw and daydream, and I found the material interesting...but I had started to find it annoying that I couldn't learn something without someone then testing if by chance what I learnt from the course would answer one of a few questions just the way they want it to...there is more to learning than that, but the education system doesn't really focus on that. And I know, testing and exams help see the progress students are making, helps you to see how much they understand, helps to judge if a school or university is doing it's job...but how much do they REALLY test all that stuff?

There were a couple of interesting quotes on the slides in my lecture today which I wanted to share, and then my rant is over.

"The obsession with standards risks alienating creative teacher and stultifying classroom practice" (Phillips & Harper-Jones, 2003: 130)

"We are creating hordes of smart conformists. They know what they have to do to get ahead, but they have little understanding of why they do what they are doing." (Brown, 2006: 393)

"A 'variety of classroom practices aimed at improving test results' have 'distorted the education of some children'" (The Children, Schools and Families Committee, 2008: 3)

"We have embraced dullness, and so close are we to it, we do not even see what has happened" (Seldon, in Davies, 2009: 9).

I'm kind of not sure about the whole education thing at the moment, and feel more and more as if I haven't gotten out of it what I wanted...but then I don't really know what it was I wanted anymore...

Rant over.

Hello Durham

I had my interview yesterday! Eeeeee. I didn't sleep well the night before, partly due to nerves and partly due to this stupid cold I managed to pick up that day...seriously, my luck! My cold wasn't too bad during the morning though. We got told about the course and what it would include, and then separated into our groups for the "group interview". They basically asked us what we thought made a successful lesson. The other two in my group sounded like they'd really prepared for their interviews coming out with all sorts like preparing for the class, structure, dividing the class based on ability...I started to feel a little useless with my "make it fun" and "get them to learn through play so that they may not even realise they are learning". We then shared our answers with everyone else and moved on to the reading and writing bit. We read a section of the Rose Report on phonics and had to say how we would teach phonics in our class effectively. Whilst doing this they took us out for our individual interviews one at a time.

I felt like my interview went alright...there were points that I think worked for me, but also points that worked against me. They had a set of questions they asked, such as: What did you get out of doing a degree? Do you speak other languages? What did you learn from the placements you did? What kind of teacher do you want to/think you'll be? I hadn't put much thought into those things, so felt like I was repeating myself a lot. I did know what kind of teacher I wanted to be though, and I think she quite liked my answer: a mix of Ms. Honey from Mathilda and Ron Clark: motivation, caring, enthusiasm, creativity and fun. She picked up that those themes ran through most of my answers, and asked if there was an event I had witnessed or been part of that made me feel so strongly about it. I cried...I cry way to much in the Education Department. I think I have only not cried when meeting someone in there...maybe 3 times...thats in the last 2 years. Oh dear! It also seemed to be an issue that I hadn't done any work in a British school, so hadn't had experience with the National Curriculum.

BUT, they have offered me a conditional place, SO none of those things matter! :D Yay!! I will try go into some schools though, just to get a feel before the course starts. :)

So yeah, I should be in Durham again next year! :D Yays!!!

PS: The photo is of the outfit I wore...I felt rather underdressed compared to some others there! But I liked my outfit. :)

In the post.

Look what I have! Eeee. Very excited, oh the prettiness that it contains!

In other news, I visited a Special Needs school this morning as part of a module I am doing this year. It was very interesting. The school was for 'BESD' (Behavioural, Emotional and Social Difficulties) students...although the head teacher doesn't like this term because she thinks it puts too much emphasis on the 'behavioural' part which is really only an effect of the emotional and social difficulties; I would agree with her on this point. Because of the nature of the 'disability' the students seemed pretty normal when we had a look in on the classes, however we did see once child having a fit over something and there was obviously some difficulties for some students having a group of strangers come into the classroom. I think it was a nice experience to have though, and will definitely help with the course. :)

I also got my courses all sorted out! There was a definite miscommunication, but it's been sorted so I should be able to access info for ALL my modules soon! YAY!!

Interview tomorrow, eeeee! The closer is gets the better I feel about it. Just be myself. :)