There were incredibly enthusiastic (and glamorous) teachers with a lot more freedom over the curriculum, an inspirational manner, and a range of students who seemed range from interested to very interested. Completely fluent in English, many were also equally fluent in Spanish and Japanese. They were an elite lot - being educated bilingually in English and German, but this was still a state school. My friends, they could easily have coped with the curriculum at my university, and in some cases actually were doing very similar things. I did try to encourage them to apply to this august institution, but their teacher implied that there are better places to choose - perhaps because I'd informed her of recent changes.
How have we gone so wrong? Why do we have an education system designed to churn out mobile phone salesmen and drones when clearly any child can achieve better when given the attention, resources and encouragement. Sure, parental aspiration helps, but it was plain to me that the average in this school was far higher than the average in Britain.
The essential difference, it seems, is that these German students were explicitly encouraged to become independent thinkers - research, synthesis and creativity were built in to every class, whereas our students are trapped by league tables, centralisation and standardisation, forcing teachers to teach-to-the-test. The results are obvious at university entry-level: many students have lost whatever love of literature and study they may have had. Over-dependence on teachers, lecture notes and study guides is widespread, and it takes a lot to regain enthusiasm, or to inspire people - something I intend to work on this year.
What were your experiences of school? And how should I change my approach to, say, Shakespeare or critical theory?
3 comments:
When I attended college 3 out of 5 tutors who were these 'free thinking' types. And when I look back on it now, I notice a remarkable improvement on grading in their classes (apart from the time my English tutor marked me down for using too many quotes. Too many, I thought, wow!). I'll discount my one Media tutor because she was doolally and it was the kind of free thinking lecture I'd go to half an hour late. This extra half an hour was not spent smoking, drinking or tripping up little school kids - maybe the once - it was spent in the company of Craig, my film, and best ever, lecturer.
He was a fascinating man, the kind who couldn't fathom whether to point to the remote at the tele or the door, the kind of man who'd use a DVD as a coaster, the kind of man who'd talk all the way through a film he hated. Once he said to me in reference of a recent media lesson "She didn't show you Easy Rider did she? What a load of old shit that is." I loved him for that.
He was enthusiastic about everything, films, Tom Waits, the Electric Cinema, white shirts from Primark and my hair*, strangely.
Kind of like the History Boys he told us that exam questions were, basically, a load of old codswallop in which they don't really read the answers but just look at what quote you can spout and which books you've read. Once, in a particularly bold move, he made us answer a question about the rise of home cinema with lyrics from our favourite songs. I hope, I think he was joking as even this would be slightly too radical.
Along with his enthusiasm came his friendly nature, his urge for me and my other two classmates - two, unbelievable - to stay behind and talk about books (he was writing one), scripts and Denzel Washington.
He had a quite a bit of control over the curriculum and stamped his feet when anyone tried to take the reins. Particularly so when the "big gaffer" made us watch Vertical Limit next door to his office.
My last year with him was the year he retired and it was good to see him bat out his innings with the same fervour he'd presented me with two years earlier. I wish he'd hurry up and get that book finished/published wherever he is now.
As for your approach to Shakespeare, said English tutor had some particularly mental ideas. One of these, which was used during the study of The Lyrical Ballads, involved bringing in a bag liqourice allsorts, distributing them out to the class and then explaining that the three different colours that made up the sweet were the three key lyrical themes within the poems; Nature, the sublime and something else (probably romance or religion). We were then meant to eat the things but I utterly despise them. So, you could pick your own choice of confectionary, admittedly one with lots of colours, and use that approach. Or you could take the sending people off in groups to record Much Ado About Nothing in silly voices avenue which was always a winner.
College was mental.
*I do not have a hairstyle, okay? Just really thick hair which was admired by a bald man.
Is that a comment or an essay?
NO laptops. says it all. These pupils probably still have a real life rather than spending their lives on facebook talking to others who don;t do anything else but go on facebook.
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