Act out a talk between an experienced teacher and a student-teacher.

 

& Reading 4

Read the passage below about a child with behavioral problems. Decide how you would deal with Daniel if he were a pupil of yours. Use the topical vocabulary (pp. 21-24).

Nine-year-old Daniel was troublesome at school. His parents were well off but they were divorced. Daniel was in the habit of pushing children for no apparent reason, and on one occasion he scratched a girl’s leg with a cocktailstick until it bled. In spite of this very objectionable behaviour the teacher reported that there was something very appealing about Daniel when she talked to him and reprimanded him.

Daniel was also a problem at home. There was a close connection between his home circumstances and his behaviour at school. He lived with his mother and a younger brother with whom Daniel quarrelled all the time. Mother preferred the younger brother who was much better behaved at home and much more successful at school than Daniel. The mother tried not to favour her younger son, but she was aware of her preferences.

It seemed very obvious that Daniel’s attacks on other children at school were connected with his jealousy of his younger brother. He attacked his brother at home, just as he attacked the children at school. His attacks on his brother were, of course, linked to his feelings of being unwanted and unloved at home. They also ensured that his mother took notice of him. Similarly, his attacks on the other children at school necessitated the teacher’s attention. Once he had the teacher’s attention, e.g. when she talked to him, he could be very appealing. Just as his frequent quarrels with his younger brother can be seen as his way of telling his mother that he felt hurt by her preference of the younger child, he showed his teacher how hurt he was by her attending to other children. Neither the mother nor the teacher neglected him. Neither of them could give him as much attention as he desired. The reasons for Daniel’s insatiable greed for attention were very complex and complicated and not easy to discover.

Daniel’s attention-seeking behaviour made the teacher’s life very difficult. She understood that he wanted attention and that he needed it, yet as one of forty children he could not get what he wanted. She also had to protect the other children from his attacks. So she had to reprimand him and punish him, just as his mother did at home. In this way Daniel was caught in a vicious circle, which was difficult to break. He wanted to be loved, he felt angry because he could not get what he wanted, he attacked other children because he was angry, and therefore could not get the love he wanted.

(from Troublesome Children in the Classroom: Irene Caspari)

 

 

III. SCHOOL AND SCHOOLING

EDUCATION IN GREAT BRITAIN

Topical Vocabulary

1. Types of schools: maintained (state), county, voluntary, nursery, primary, infant, junior, secondary, grammar, secondary modern, technical, comprehensive, all-through, two-tier, first, middle, upper, mixed (co-educational), single-sex, special, specialist, independent (fee-paying, private), pre-preparatory, preparatory, public, sixth-form college, tertiary college, denominational.

2. Stages of education: compulsory, pre-school, primary, secondary, further, higher.

3. Education policy: administration, schooling, full-time education, part-time education, tripartite system, class-divided and selective system of education, to sustain inequality of opportunity, to go comprehensive, the Department of Education and Science, Local Education Authorities (LEAs), to be responsible for national education policy, to run a school, to prescribe curricula or textbooks, the provision of schools, to provide maintained school education, grant-maintained, publicly funded.

4. Management: Head Teacher (Master), Principal, Assistant Principal, Acting Head Teacher, staff, governing body, to have responsibility, to employ teachers, provide and maintain buildings, supply equipment, provide grants, appointment and dismissal of staff.

5. Admission: to admit, to allocate, to apply for admission, selective procedure, intelligence tests, substitute for the abolished 11+ exams, to measure inborn abilities, to have a time limit, to coach for, catchment area, without any reference to a child’s ability or aptitude, to transfer (promote) from one class to another, to withdraw from.

6. Curriculum: broad curriculum, academic course, non-academic course, vocational bias, foundation course, foundation subjects, cross-curricular themes, to meet special interests, common curriculum, simplified curriculum, education with a practical slant for lower-attaining pupils, to be encouraged to do smth, the three R’s, subject teaching, specialist teacher, to have set periods, remedial teaching, to conform to

7. Examinations: GCSE (exam); to sit for an exam; “A” level exam; Common Entrance Exam; to be set and marked by, to hand the papers out, to assess; examining board; grades, “pass” grade; resits and retakes; unsuccessful pupil; to repeat the year; to pass an exam; to keep up with the group; to fall behind.

 

& Reading 1

State Schools

The majority of pupils-over 90 per cent-go to publicly funded schools, usually known as state schools. These make no charge to parents. In most areas children aged five to 10 attend primary schools, and move on to secondary schools at 11 for education up to the age of 16 or beyond. Primary schools usually have both girls and boys as pupils; secondary schools may be either single-sex or co-educational.

England and Wales

Within the state schools system in England and Wales there is a wide range of provision. However, here will be changes during the next few years. At present there are a number of different categories of schools:

• county schools are wholly owned and maintained by Local Education Authorities (LEAs).

• voluntary schools (voluntary-aided schools, voluntary controlled schools and special agreement schools) are provided by voluntary bodies, the majority of which are churches or bodies associated with churches. They too are financed and maintained by LEAs but the assets of the schools are held and administered by trustees.

• grant-maintained schools are funded by central government through the Funding Agency for Schools. Following a ballot seeking the views of parents, individual schools maintained by LEAs may apply to central government for grant-maintained status.

• specialist schools ( city technology colleges, technology colleges and language colleges, sports colleges and arts colleges) only operate in England. The Specialist Schools Programme enables secondary schools to develop a strength in a particular subject area, often in partnership with an employer with an interest in the same specialism, while still delivering a broad and balanced education through the National Curriculum.

• special schools are provided by LEAs for certain children with special educational needs though the great majority are educated in ordinary schools.

The Government’s concern is to ensure the best possible quality of teaching and learning in every school. The Government intends to introduce a new framework of foundation, community and aided schools, which will better promote these wider objectives of raising standards.

This framework will replace grant-maintained (GM) status, and will incorporate existing GM schools. Plans were set out in the White Paper Excellence in Schools and legislative proposals introduced in autumn 1997 include provisions to implement these proposals.

Northern Ireland

In Northern Ireland public education (up to higher education level) is administered centrally by the Department of Education and locally in controlled schools by five Education and Library Boards. There are several categories of school:

• controlled schools which come under the Education and Library Boards;

• voluntary maintained schools which are mainly under Roman Catholic management;

• voluntary grammar schools;

• grant-maintained integrated schools, which take Protestant and Roman Catholic pupils.

Although all schools in Northern Ireland are open to pupils of all religions, most Roman Catholic pupils attend schools under Catholic management and most Protestant children attend controlled schools and non-denominational voluntary grammar schools.

Scotland

In Scotland, 32 Scottish Local Authorities are responsible for the provision of education locally. School Boards, with elected parent and teacher members, play an important part in the running of Scottish state schools. There are three school categories:

• state schools, which are maintained and controlled by the LEA;

• grant-aided schools (including those for special educational needs);

• self-governing schools (equivalent to grant-maintained schools in England).

Independent Schools

About seven per cent of pupils in England attend independent schools, of which there are around 2, 270. In Scotland, around four per cent of pupils go to independent schools, of which there are around 114. Independent schools are not funded by the state and obtain most of their finances from fees paid by parents and income from investments. Some of the larger independent schools are known as public schools. Most boarding schools are independent schools and look after their own day-to-day affairs. However, they are subject to inspection to ensure they maintain acceptable standards of premises, accommodation and instruction.

The School Curriculum

All state schools in England, Wales and Northern Ireland must conform to the National Curricula. These set out what subjects pupils should study, what they should be taught and what standards they should achieve. They ensure that pupils cover a broad and balanced range of subjects that helps them to develop the qualities and skills needed in adult and working; life.

The period of compulsory education is divided into four key stages, depending on pupil age:

Key Stage 1 – Pupils aged 5 to 7

Key Stage 2 - Pupils aged 7 to 11

Key Stage 3 - Pupils aged 11 to 14

Key Stage 4 - Pupils aged 14 to 16

Pupils at Key Stages 1 and 2 study English, mathematics, science, design and technology, history, geography, art, music and physical education; at Key Stage 3 they study all these subjects plus a modern foreign language. Pupils at Key Stage 4 must study English, mathematics, science, physical education, technology and a modern foreign language; this gives pupils more choice and the opportunity to pursue further vocational courses if they wish.

For each subject, at each key stage, Programmes of Study set out what pupils should be taught with Attainment Targets setting out the expected standards of pupils’ performance.

From September 1998 the primary curriculum in England and Wales will be modified to allow schools to concentrate on the teaching of literacy and numeracy. The other key stage subjects will continue to be taught.

In Wales, the teaching of Welsh is part of the curriculum. In Northern Ireland the curriculum is made up of religious education and six broad areas of study: English, mathematics, science and technology, environment, society and creative studies. It also includes six compulsory cross-curricular themes: education for mutual understanding, cultural heritage, health education, information technology, economic awareness and careers education.

In Scotland the curriculum in state schools is not prescribed by statute. Instead, the Secretary of State issues national advice and guidance to schools and Scottish Local Authorities. Under the 5-14 Development Programme pupils aged between five and 14 study a broad and balanced curriculum based on the national guidelines which set out the aims of study, the ground to be covered and the way that pupils' learning should be assessed and reported.

The key aims of the programme are to achieve breadth, balance, coherence, continuity and progression for all pupils. Pupils aged between 14 and 16 in Scotland generally study for Standard Grade examinations and may also take National Certificates in vocational subjects.

Religious Education

Religions education in schools is not prescribed nationally as part of the curriculum, but is decided locally. Most schools provide religious education in accordance with locally agreed syllabuses. These are required to reflect that religions traditions in Britain are in the main Christian while taking account of the teaching of the ether principal religions represented in Britain. Agreed syllabuses should be non-denominational and should not try to convert pupils, or to urge a particular religion on pupils. All parents have the right to withdraw their child wholly or partly from religious education and schools must agree to any such request.

Assessment

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