Making Changes

Abstract

For many children learning experiences can be ordinary for most of the time. The experiences that are 'learned' are on the teachers terms. The secondary survey of schools by HMI found that large amounts of pupil's time is spent on writing, and that the more difficult a pupil found 'language' the more s/he wrote, and that much of it was copied.

Could it be that writing and words are considered important by teachers and their main stock in trade?

Other experiences of learning which children have at school are:- answering questions about 'other people's interests', and, guessing which answers are 'Right'.

Rhetoric is an important part of a teachers armoury. Questions, directions, instructions and exhortations form a substantial part of the educational experience of many children in schools.

Motivation is confused with compliance and learning is also confused with evidence of the ability to find out 'what the teacher wants.