Teachers say no-one should 'fail'
I have actually found something I agree with the government on.....
Quote:
Education Secretary Ruth Kelly has dismissed suggestions that the concept of "failure" should be removed from school in favour of "deferred success".
She said she gave the idea - which will be discussed at a teachers' conference - "nought out of 10".
The Professional Association of Teachers will be told at its meeting next week that the label of failure could undermine pupils' enthusiasm.
Delegates will also hear a condemnation of the phrase "happy slapping".
The term is used to describe bullying where assaults are filmed on mobile phones.
Liz Beattie, a retired teacher, will call on the association's annual gathering in Buxton, Derbyshire, to "delete the word 'fail' from the educational vocabulary to be replaced with the concept of 'deferred success'".
Demolish
She argues that repeated failure, such as in exams, can damage pupils' interest in learning.
She told the Today programme on BBC Radio Four she had deliberately made the motion provocative to spark a good debate, but said it reflected the way the education system was developing.
"We have made so much development in recent years in making examinations more flexible, doing them in modules so you can concentrate on different parts of them at different times," she said.
"What happens when an exam is failed but, for example, three-quarters of it is perfectly satisfactorily done? It should be possible to do the other bits as add-ons afterwards and to defer the success of the exam."
Wesley Paxton, a member of the association's council, is supporting the motion.
"Elsewhere we applaud those who persevere, like marathon contestants who take days to complete. It's time we made the word 'fail' redundant and replaced it with 'please do a bit more'," he said.
Education Secretary Ruth Kelly told the Today programme on BBC Radio Four: "For that particular proposal, I think I might give them nought out of 10.
"It's really important for young people to grow up with the ability to get on and achieve, but also to find out what failure is.
"When young people grow up and enter the adult world they have to deal with success and failure, and education is about creating well-rounded young people who can deal with these sorts of situations."
The association, one of the smaller organisations for teachers, will also hear a call to block the use of the term "happy slapping" - when the attacks recorded on phones should be labelled as either an assault or bullying.
And there will be a call for "the producers of children's programmes to consider and address the presentation, language and diction of those programmes".
Re: Teachers say no-one should 'fail'
I don't really care about this issue to be honest. Had a think on the subject and I really don't think either way makes much a difference. The real difference which is being made is the brilliant funding in our school system by the govt and the money being put into new schools and redevelopment.
Re: Teachers say no-one should 'fail'
I agree with the education minister here as well. In life their are winners and loosers. We all can't be winners, and if were taught that early on in life, most people will be sorely disappointed to find the real world is not like that at all.
Re: Teachers say no-one should 'fail'
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The real difference which is being made is the brilliant funding in our school system by the govt and the money being put into new schools and redevelopment.
Sorry to pick you up again mate, it all must be in London (and Blairs constituancy) as its not at my daughters schools or any of the schools in my local area.
Special needs schools are closing all around the area, so where is the money being transfered to ? and what is happening to these pupils educational needs, they are all being stuck into main stream schools as its government policy....
Re: Teachers say no-one should 'fail'
The word 'fail' is not the problem with student motivation, the way schools operate is the problem, most public schools are based on the Prussian model whose purpose is to make citizens who are docile.
Re: Teachers say no-one should 'fail'
oh noes, people sometimes fail
go cry me a river :rolleyes:
how can you possibly know what it feels like to win when you have never lost?
Re: Teachers say no-one should 'fail'
Quote:
Originally Posted by JAG
I don't really care about this issue to be honest. Had a think on the subject and I really don't think either way makes much a difference. The real difference which is being made is the brilliant funding in our school system by the govt and the money being put into new schools and redevelopment.
I must admit that I'm not familiar with schools over there- but here its not funding that's an issue rather than squandering resources. Some of my local schools are spending just shy of $10,000 a year, per student to educate them. There are universities I could go to for less than that- and yet actual student achievement continues to falter. Throwing money at the problem isnt the answer- and neither is coming up with new PC ways of coddling students.
Re: Teachers say no-one should 'fail'
How are univiersities and employers supposed to tell who are the most able students when everyone nobody is allowed to excel and nobody is seen to fail at anything? This is more PC garbage.
Re: Teachers say no-one should 'fail'
Wasting money is a huge problem over here. They recently made a new highschool, and we needed it. But they put in a pool. What the hell? Who needs a pool?
