Scrapheap Orchestra

[Night Train]

I used to teach kids to make things. Some were quite good at it where as others had the attention span of a fruit fly.
Still worthwhile trying though.

 

[Arch]

I used to teach kids to make things. Some were quite good at it where as others had the attention span of a fruit fly.
Still worthwhile trying though.

Well, that's life innit, some people can learn in a focussed way, some can't. They probably (but not always!) have other talents.

All children can learn, or they'd never be able to walk and talk!

 

[vernon]

Easier to write them off I know, but there are still a few with talents waiting to be unlocked.

You misunderstand me. The kids (and their new generation technology teachers) are just about completely deskilled in the use of tools. Technology teaching now is all about process and design and very little to do with actual making.

I work in a brand new PFI school with some pretty snazzy lathes and milling machines. They have yet to be used for any pupil work and won't be because the teachers don't have the necessary skills to use them never mind teach or supervise kids using them. The machinery isn't something that you can let kids have a 'voyage of discovery' with - it would end in tears and considerable amount of gore.

Sadly those kids with hidden talents will have to live with them unlocked until there's a wake up call for schools to teach proper practical skills again and remove the academic payload that accompanies all activities that take place in workshops.

 

[vernon]

Well, that's life innit, some people can learn in a focussed way, some can't. They probably (but not always!) have other talents.

All children can learn, or they'd never be able to walk and talk!

All kids can learn something.

The extent of their learning is affected their environment and their natural capacity to learn.

Not everyone can be an astronaut.

 

[MontyVeda]

You misunderstand me. The kids (and their new generation technology teachers) are just about completely deskilled in the use of tools. Technology teaching now is all about process and design and very little to do with actual making.

I work in a brand new PFI school with some pretty snazzy lathes and milling machines. They have yet to be used for any pupil work and won't be because the teachers don't have the necessary skills to use them never mind teach or supervise kids using them. The machinery isn't something that you can let kids have a 'voyage of discovery' with - it would end in tears and considerable amount of gore.

Sadly those kids with hidden talents will have to live with them unlocked until there's a wake up call for schools to teach proper practical skills again and remove the academic payload that accompanies all activities that take place in workshops.

Earlier in this thread I was thinking "it's a teachers job to inspire the often bored and apathetic, rather than blaming the kids for not being interested enough" But since you put it like that... I'm thinking more along the lines that teachers are so embroiled with 'results' they have little opportunity to teach they way the feel teaching should be done. I could be talking crap.. i don't really know anything about the politics of teaching.

Anyhow, just watched Scrapheap Orchestra and it was wonderful (IMHO) ... almost like a Christopher Guest movie in parts.

 

[vernon]

Earlier in this thread I was thinking "it's a teachers job to inspire the often bored and apathetic, rather than blaming the kids for not being interested enough" But since you put it like that... I'm thinking more along the lines that teachers are so embroiled with 'results' they have little opportunity to teach they way the feel teaching should be done. I could be talking crap.. i don't really know anything about the politics of teaching.

Anyhow, just watched Scrapheap Orchestra and it was wonderful (IMHO) ... almost like a Christopher Guest movie in parts.

 

[Arch]

All kids can learn something.

The extent of their learning is affected their environment and their natural capacity to learn.

Not everyone can be an astronaut.

Of course not, and I never implied it. What a useless world that would be.

I do understand what you're saying about schools, and I think it's crying shame that academic skill has become so highly prized over practical skill, producing a plethora of university graduates with useless degrees, and no one who can work as a plumber reliably, not to mention the immense snobbery attached to those with book learning over those with practical ability. I wasn't thinking of a school project necessarily. There are other places where kids can learn. If schools are becoming rubbish, maybe other people have to take over.

Saying "That'll fall flat because they don't know things" seems silly, when 'that' might be a project to teach them those things. Like saying there's no point in learning French because you don't speak French.

 

[vernon]

There's lots of things that teachers have to do to demonstrate that teaching and learning is taking place in an attempt to make teaching and learning a measurable commodity every step of the way from the OFSTED inspected childminder through to the end of compulsory education.

In many instances is the demonstration of the learning process that is assessed and not the actual learning/transfer of skills. The Geography examiner in the news last week was not far wrong in her comments about the shrinking content of syllabuses.. There's too many peripheral and ephemeral activities that have to take place to be able to accommodate content as well.

The cleverest pupils from thirty years ago could demonstrate more skills and have a deeper understanding of subjects than pupils of today simply because they were exposed to more content and had more frequent opportunities to explore each subject.

There are no winners in the race to get the most GCSEs per pupil, per school or per LEA.

 

[subaqua]

Earlier in this thread I was thinking "it's a teachers job to inspire the often bored and apathetic, rather than blaming the kids for not being interested enough" But since you put it like that... I'm thinking more along the lines that teachers are so embroiled with 'results' they have little opportunity to teach they way the feel teaching should be done. I could be talking crap.. i don't really know anything about the politics of teaching.

Anyhow, just watched Scrapheap Orchestra and it was wonderful (IMHO) ... almost like a Christopher Guest movie in parts.

don't forget its also the parents responsibility to assist with the education of their own offspring. SWMBO is a primary teacher and is heartily sick of the 90% pupils got a level 5 at KS2 boasts of lots of schools. Yes you may well have them sort of figures, but where did the kids start from ?? a huge majority of pupils in the school she teaches in are starting with English as a second or other language . its not about the end result its about the "value added" going from level 1 to level 4 is a huge step level 3A to level 5 isn't