1. Change the entry requirements for eduction courses at uni. Undergrad - High School leavers must get a minimum B+ for English and B for Maths B or A for Maths A. Postgrad - Minimum GPA of 5. Actually, don't accept anyone straight from school. We want teachers who have a thirst to learn - not people who are thirsty for qualification. Let them get a BA or BSc or something first.
2. For Professional Development, encourage teachers to do further study in anything they are interested in. If teachers are excited about learning themselves they will teach better.
3. Have educationalists start talking to psychologists. There is a whole lot of research out there about how kids learn that teachers never ever read.
4. Employ many more guidance officers (school based psychologists). They can do a swag of assessments on kids to help work out why they are having troubles with stuff. What usually happens is that if a kid can't read (or something) they are put on a particular program that the school has decided to use without asking whether or not it is appropriate for that child. You need to diagnose what is going wrong before you can fix the problem. GO's can help with that. (This one would be very expensive.)
5. Give teachers freedom to teach in the way they think is best for the kids. Specify outcomes not the method.
6. Double resourcing in classrooms - someone to do the filing, photocopying, paperwork. This could significantly increase time teachers have to plan and prepare lessons, and get into student work so they can know and respond to needs... and you know, teach.
ReplyDeleteBen had a student teacher a couple of years ago...mature age, career changer who's previously was a lawyer. He commented that Teachers have way more paperwork to do than lawyers, and the big difference was teachers don't get paid to do it, lawyers get to bill somebody by the hour!
DeleteNot sure that I'd require a GPA of 5 from the undergrad course before letting them into post grad teaching. You'd potentially wipe out a lot of people who would make better teachers than the professions they tried the first time / those who ended up in course they weren't suited to (either by other things happening in their lives at the time or by poor lecturing) and didn't do well in. I'm told I make a good teacher (ESL - not that I'm currently working as that); my engineering GPA was rather less than 5.
ReplyDeleteI'd actually say that having teachers who have failed at least one subject in their university courses can be an advantage as they may have a greater understanding of what the strugglers are going through on an emotional / mental level than someone who gets all 6's and 7's.
I'm with you Laetitia. Failure can help someone have more empathy and be better at explaining, but that said, teaching really is a gift. My husband had enormous GPAs and not much failure in his specialities, yet he's a great teacher: patient, good at explaining, loves the kids etc.
DeleteOh, certainly Wendy, my husband also had a great GPA and never failed anything and is also a dedicated and inspiring teacher who has had former students tell him that he's the one that inspired them to do teaching. I'm not saying that those who have never failed anything can't be great teachers. I was just trying to say that those who have failed things shouldn't be dismissed just because they don't have a Credit minimum GPA in their first qualification and indeed can bring something extra to the table (as it seems you agree).
DeleteSpeech Pathologists and OTs can also do swags of assessments. This has a strong Psych bent. Psychs are definitely useful, so are GOs, however most Pscyhs are poorly trained now. GOs get paid a ridiculous amount and work short hours! Not bitter at all...
ReplyDeleteI heard Carol Christiansen on the radio yesterday - she said a lot of the issue is pay, workload and behaviour, which being support staff in schools for a number of years I think I agree with. If class sizes can't be reduced, increase pay.
Yep. OT and SP's too.
DeleteAnd actually, follow the Heckmann Equation - it did win a nobel prize after all! No 'too late' intervention, invest in the right stage of life!
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ReplyDeleteI am trying to help No3DD get help now at school. I know how hard things have been to learn for her to this point. But her teacher doesn't see any problems yet, possibly because of the work done last year with an OT. I am worried that things will slip for her because she has no intervention at school to help at the right end of her schooling life. I don't want to have to keep pulling her of of school time for appointments for things that could receive some help in the school environment.
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