Stories + Views: Curriculum, Exams & Qualifications

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trevor fisher: The Mr Men Debate

The Mr Men story which Janet Downs commented on (see sidebar) is part of a bigger narrative - Gove avoiding commenting on the critics of his National Curriculum proposals. The Mr Men citation is important, but it is vital not to allow him to divert from the critics particularly the Royal Historical Society, whose comment on their web site is ... read more and comment →

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Latest comment by Leonard James: ""The link to the early thread was not meant to be a “representation” of “my body of work”. It was what it said on the tin – an argument for both “knowledge” and “skills”." Then why mention it given the context ......"

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Roger Titcombe: Could Gove be right about the need to reform GCSE grades?

The Independent (16 May) reported on Michael Goves's intention to change the grading system for GCSE from 2015. Gove proposes a ten level grading system using numbers, with the present A* and A grades covered by the top four of the new grades to enable better discrimination between the brightest students applying for places in our top universities. In this LSN post ... read more and comment →

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Latest comment by Roger Titcombe: "I am posting this as Gove is about to announce his new GCSE grading plans to parliament, so I don't know the details. However, his plan already appears to bear more than a passing resemblance to mine. He has moved from ......"

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Janet Downs: Is this the revenge of the Mr Men?

“Before he rushes to judgment about young people, Michael Gove should make sure he has researched the evidence thoroughly. Otherwise he risks coming across as Mr Sloppy," said Tristram Hunt, Labour education spokesman and historian. Hunt was commented on the news, which first appeared here, that all but one of Gove’s surveys which supposedly proved teenagers’ ignorance of history were unreliable. But ... read more and comment →

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Latest comment by Edssential » Why I Blog Anonymously: "[...] of teachers disagree with their political views. In fact. it’s not even the worst recent example. This comment recently appeared on the website of the Local Schools Network, who are known for their sane and [...]..."

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Janet Downs: DfE abandons surveys and rolls out Ofsted evidence. But does Ofsted agree that teenagers are clueless about history?

Now that the majority of the surveys about young people’s knowledge of history used by Michael Gove have been debunked, the DfE has tried to deflect criticism by citing Ofsted: "… A 2011 report by Ofsted found that many primary school pupils ended up with 'an episodic knowledge of history and their sense of time was unclear'," a spokeswoman for the ... read more and comment →

21 comments

Latest comment by Leonard James: ""Roger has claimed quite succinctly why if the DfE quotes a source (in this case Ofsted) and that source doesn’t quite uphold what the DfE says it does then it’s quite legitimate to point this out." But you've gone beyond pointing ......"

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Janet Downs: Middlemarch, Misrepresentation and Mr Men – another Gove speech

What would most impress you as a parent? That your daughter read Twilight or Middlemarch? Or that your son used his laptop to play Angry Birds or coding? These questions kicked off the Education Secretary’s latest speech. Leave aside the gendered stereotype – girls read while boys use computers – Gove’s questions raise false dichotomies. It’s either one or the other. ... read more and comment →

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Latest comment by Janet Downs: "Russel Tarr's full comment about Gove's misrepresentation of his revision exerciise is below. The consolidation exercise was not "about Hitler" or Nazi Germany as many commentators said. It concerned the Weimar republic 1918-33 "with a focus on why ......"

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Roger Titcombe: Demos wants the ‘toxic’ testing system abolished

A new report by think-tank Demos proposes a fundamental shake-up of how schools and pupils are assessed in order to rescue an education system obsessed with targets and league tables. You can read and download it here. The report criticises the current ‘toxic’ culture that forces school leaders and teachers to place results, targets and impressing inspectors ahead of their students’ education. According ... read more and comment →

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Latest comment by Janet Downs: "A further concern about science education is that "experiments" could be simulated using on-line methods of delivery. That may be acceptable with experiments which are very expensive or very difficult to deliver in a school lab but most practical ......"

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Janet Downs: Accountability measures can distort what is taught, writes school head in Wellcome report

(Words in brackets are the author’s own) Concentrating on a “limited range of accountability measures skews what is taught” wrote Joan Sjøvoll, Head of Framellgate School, Durham*. Joan Sjøvoll concentrated particularly on science education but the points apply more widely. Some aspects of science (and all subjects by extension) are hard to measure, she said. These include: fostering curiosity, independence and innovation ... read more and comment →

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Latest comment by Janet Downs: "Masha - a new report by Demos cited Sahlberg and a Finnish survey which "found that half of Finland’s teachers would consider changing jobs if they had to submit to the diktats of a centrally mandated inspection system such as ......"

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Roger Titcombe: The Bucket Theory of Learning

In the 1980 science fiction romp ‘Flash Gordon’ (Universal Studios), Dr Zarkov, a major character, is subjected to ‘mind reconditioning’ by ‘Ming the Merciless’ using a ‘mind reprogramming’ machine. We see the unfortunate Zarkov strapped to a bed beneath a huge device that resembles an X-Ray machine pointing at his head. When activated, the machine proceeds to suck out all the ... read more and comment →

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Latest comment by Janet Downs: "Joan Sjøvoll, head of Framwellgate School in Durham, cited Dickens's "Hard Times" in her essay about school accountability and how a limited range of accountability measures skews what is taught. She claimed this had negative effects on pupils' learning. I ......"

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Francis Gilbert: Schools need to sign up to the #ModBac curriculum now! It’s aspirational, inclusive, personalised, student-centred and motivating…

We all have to admit it; the current exam system does not prepare students properly for 21st century; it’s almost entirely structured around dubious assessments of children’s writing in silence on bits of paper, and does not embrace the sorts of skills people need in this fast-changing world. Michael Gove’s solution is to introduce more “do or die” exams, cut ... read more and comment →

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Latest comment by Janet Downs: "The ModBac is a superior alternative to Gove's proposed reforms of GCSE. It allows a broad curriculum up to age 16 with achievement recognised at all levels. It also allows progression at 16+. The ModBac website says their philosophy ......"

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Janet Downs: Look at how schools enrich learning and develop “independence, spirit of enquiry and practical skills” as well as exam success, says new report

“…the vision for the student experience includes high expectations for examination success, but it should also acknowledge the ways in which education enriches learning and develops students’ independence, spirit of enquiry and practical skills.” So ends the introduction to a selection of essays published by the Wellcome Institute. The report, entitled “Effects from Accountabilities”, contains contributions from, among others, Andreas Schleicher ... read more and comment →

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