Comments for EDUCATION, EDUCATION, EDU... http://primarymatters.wordpress.com By journalist and ex-teacher, Steve Thompson Wed, 14 May 2008 23:07:40 +0000 http://wordpress.com/ hourly 1 Comment on CORPORAL PUNISHMENT by babbit http://primarymatters.wordpress.com/2007/12/23/corporal-punishment/#comment-27 babbit Wed, 14 May 2008 23:07:40 +0000 http://primarymatters.wordpress.com/2007/12/23/corporal-punishment/#comment-27 Of course it's alright to joke about such things. That kind of 'gallows humour' (I'm not suggesting we should hang children) is vital in stressful or upsetting situations. A friend of mine who studies medicine once told me there was much laughter to be derived from placing dead bodies in comical positions during her anatomy classes. She managed to transfer that morbid sense of humour to leisure activites, and was particularly blase about finding a dead body in the river during a canoe trip. I agree that those kind of jokes are just coping mechanisms. If we didn't laugh we'd cry. Of course it’s alright to joke about such things. That kind of ‘gallows humour’ (I’m not suggesting we should hang children) is vital in stressful or upsetting situations.

A friend of mine who studies medicine once told me there was much laughter to be derived from placing dead bodies in comical positions during her anatomy classes.

She managed to transfer that morbid sense of humour to leisure activites, and was particularly blase about finding a dead body in the river during a canoe trip.

I agree that those kind of jokes are just coping mechanisms. If we didn’t laugh we’d cry.

]]> Comment on BONJOUR MES ENFANTS by michaelguk http://primarymatters.wordpress.com/2007/12/20/bonjour-mes-enfants/#comment-26 michaelguk Wed, 14 May 2008 12:48:19 +0000 http://primarymatters.wordpress.com/2007/12/20/bonjour-mes-enfants/#comment-26 In other European countries, the Netherlands for example, children are taught English at an early age and so are more or less fluent by the time they reach secondary school age. I tried learning both German and French at secondary school but had to drop German because learning the two languages was too confusing. I think when a a child reaches secondary school the chances of them enthusiastically learning a foreign language from scratch is slim. If the teaching of foreign languages is to be made compulsory in primary schools then perhaps the teaching of French and Spanish might be more appropiate given that Spanish is more widely spoken than German. I'm not an expert on what ages a child learns most effectively at but I think the earlier the better. Its common sense that there's more chance of them continuing to learn the lanuguage well and enthusiastically if they have a good knowledge of it already. In other European countries, the Netherlands for example, children are taught English at an early age and so are more or less fluent by the time they reach secondary school age. I tried learning both German and French at secondary school but had to drop German because learning the two languages was too confusing. I think when a a child reaches secondary school the chances of them enthusiastically learning a foreign language from scratch is slim. If the teaching of foreign languages is to be made compulsory in primary schools then perhaps the teaching of French and Spanish might be more appropiate given that Spanish is more widely spoken than German. I’m not an expert on what ages a child learns most effectively at but I think the earlier the better. Its common sense that there’s more chance of them continuing to learn the lanuguage well and enthusiastically if they have a good knowledge of it already.

]]> Comment on CORPORAL PUNISHMENT by Debbie http://primarymatters.wordpress.com/2007/12/23/corporal-punishment/#comment-25 Debbie Tue, 13 May 2008 22:31:25 +0000 http://primarymatters.wordpress.com/2007/12/23/corporal-punishment/#comment-25 Oh no, I dread to think what my teachers said about me!! I also dread to think what my doctor says to his colleagues after I've left. And what people in call centres say about me after I've hung up. I work in a call-centrey-sort-of-place and I know our clients wouldn't be happy if they heard us mocking their accents/lisps/campness, etc. But like you say about teachers needing to rant in the staffroom to ensure they don't kill the kids, I think it's the same in almost any job. Who doesn't have a bad day and slag off a customer (or colleague)?! If I couldn't laugh at people at work or have a rant about them, I'd go insane and probably end up rocking in the corner, silently laughing along with the giggling in my head.... or plotting something evil. However, I did witness a couple of lads hit some of our teachers at high school - one being a little old lady. I still don't think I would have minded all that much if the teachers had headbutted/punched/strangled/scratched the little feckers back. Oh no, I dread to think what my teachers said about me!! I also dread to think what my doctor says to his colleagues after I’ve left. And what people in call centres say about me after I’ve hung up. I work in a call-centrey-sort-of-place and I know our clients wouldn’t be happy if they heard us mocking their accents/lisps/campness, etc. But like you say about teachers needing to rant in the staffroom to ensure they don’t kill the kids, I think it’s the same in almost any job. Who doesn’t have a bad day and slag off a customer (or colleague)?! If I couldn’t laugh at people at work or have a rant about them, I’d go insane and probably end up rocking in the corner, silently laughing along with the giggling in my head…. or plotting something evil.
However, I did witness a couple of lads hit some of our teachers at high school – one being a little old lady. I still don’t think I would have minded all that much if the teachers had headbutted/punched/strangled/scratched the little feckers back.

]]> Comment on STAND-UP by amyfenton http://primarymatters.wordpress.com/2007/11/30/stand-up/#comment-24 amyfenton Tue, 13 May 2008 21:56:25 +0000 http://primarymatters.wordpress.com/2007/11/30/stand-up/#comment-24 Perhaps people will say the same when you qualify as a journalist Steve! But at least as a hack, the worry of speaking in front of a group of people won't be quite as impending... on the phone maybe... at a press conference maybe... but at least you won't be quite as much in the limelight anymore! Perhaps people will say the same when you qualify as a journalist Steve!

But at least as a hack, the worry of speaking in front of a group of people won’t be quite as impending… on the phone maybe… at a press conference maybe… but at least you won’t be quite as much in the limelight anymore!

]]> Comment on BONJOUR MES ENFANTS by aaronj2 http://primarymatters.wordpress.com/2007/12/20/bonjour-mes-enfants/#comment-23 aaronj2 Tue, 13 May 2008 09:52:32 +0000 http://primarymatters.wordpress.com/2007/12/20/bonjour-mes-enfants/#comment-23 Paying kids to go to school after they are 16 now appears to be the norm so I say pay them at Primary/Secondary schools too. That way they won't have any idea what it is like to work for your money, like when I was a lad, and we will become a nation of wasters, but at least we will speak French down the dole office. Speaking from the P.O.V of someone who studied French and German to A Level and for a good two weeks (don't ask) at degree level it is tough and back then was, in my view, poorly taught. I had to toil away with the delightful Herr Matthews and his strange German helper/captive Ulrich for two hours periods three times a week, poor little lamb I hear you cry, but schiving little sod and I invariably had a dentist appointment or went to work instead. I am a true believer that the best way to learn a language is not to learn verbatim the various verb tenses but to go to the country and speak to people. Get the little bleeders on RyanAir flights for the £53 million. Paying kids to go to school after they are 16 now appears to be the norm so I say pay them at Primary/Secondary schools too. That way they won’t have any idea what it is like to work for your money, like when I was a lad, and we will become a nation of wasters, but at least we will speak French down the dole office.

Speaking from the P.O.V of someone who studied French and German to A Level and for a good two weeks (don’t ask) at degree level it is tough and back then was, in my view, poorly taught.

I had to toil away with the delightful Herr Matthews and his strange German helper/captive Ulrich for two hours periods three times a week, poor little lamb I hear you cry, but schiving little sod and I invariably had a dentist appointment or went to work instead.

I am a true believer that the best way to learn a language is not to learn verbatim the various verb tenses but to go to the country and speak to people.

Get the little bleeders on RyanAir flights for the £53 million.

]]> Comment on BONJOUR MES ENFANTS by rachelm08 http://primarymatters.wordpress.com/2007/12/20/bonjour-mes-enfants/#comment-22 rachelm08 Mon, 12 May 2008 13:05:02 +0000 http://primarymatters.wordpress.com/2007/12/20/bonjour-mes-enfants/#comment-22 If this is the Government's idea of boosting achievement then I have to agree it seems slightly bizarre and potentially doomed to failure. We all know that given the choice at 15 or 16 (or 14) we probably would have opted out of French had it been an option. Who wouldn't? This surely can't be the best way of boosting numbers, acheivement and British French speakers! The 53m injection is sort of a side issue. But it's a lot of money - and a big slice of the Education budget. Why waste it on doing something which could more easily be done by compulsory education? Compulsory education - while admittedly probably not always the best way of motivating pupils and boosting enthusiasm - is really necessary to build the foundations of learning - which can then be expanded, specialised and enthused! We might not like it, but we need it. Is sort of how it goes for this kind of thing. Bring it back! If this is the Government’s idea of boosting achievement then I have to agree it seems slightly bizarre and potentially doomed to failure.

We all know that given the choice at 15 or 16 (or 14) we probably would have opted out of French had it been an option. Who wouldn’t? This surely can’t be the best way of boosting numbers, acheivement and British French speakers!

The 53m injection is sort of a side issue. But it’s a lot of money – and a big slice of the Education budget. Why waste it on doing something which could more easily be done by compulsory education?

Compulsory education – while admittedly probably not always the best way of motivating pupils and boosting enthusiasm – is really necessary to build the foundations of learning – which can then be expanded, specialised and enthused!

We might not like it, but we need it. Is sort of how it goes for this kind of thing.

Bring it back!

]]> Comment on BONJOUR MES ENFANTS by Agence casting pour Enfants http://primarymatters.wordpress.com/2007/12/20/bonjour-mes-enfants/#comment-20 Agence casting pour Enfants Mon, 21 Jan 2008 16:27:24 +0000 http://primarymatters.wordpress.com/2007/12/20/bonjour-mes-enfants/#comment-20 Really interesting post! Never stop iterating and don’t fear failure. Choose well-understood conventions where they will do to the most good , shortcuts you might take will cost you more to fix later than to try to get right up-front today. Thanks , Zoli Juhasz Really interesting post!
Never stop iterating and don’t fear failure. Choose well-understood conventions where they will do to the most good , shortcuts you might take will cost you more to fix later than to try to get right up-front today.

Thanks , Zoli Juhasz

]]> Comment on MY BEST LESSON by BONJOUR MES ENFANTS « EDUCATION, EDUCATION, EDU… http://primarymatters.wordpress.com/2007/12/02/my-best-lesson/#comment-5 BONJOUR MES ENFANTS « EDUCATION, EDUCATION, EDU… Thu, 20 Dec 2007 21:45:46 +0000 http://primarymatters.wordpress.com/2007/12/02/my-best-lesson/#comment-5 [...] did briefly try teaching a bit of French to my year fives - it went down a treat (see here) - but that’s because I know a bit of French already (and I do a mean Thierry Henry [...] [...] did briefly try teaching a bit of French to my year fives – it went down a treat (see here) – but that’s because I know a bit of French already (and I do a mean Thierry Henry [...]

]]> Comment on MY WORST LESSON by Idetrorce http://primarymatters.wordpress.com/2007/12/02/my-worst-lesson/#comment-4 Idetrorce Sun, 16 Dec 2007 05:21:09 +0000 http://primarymatters.wordpress.com/2007/12/02/my-worst-lesson/#comment-4 very interesting, but I don't agree with you Idetrorce very interesting, but I don’t agree with you
Idetrorce

]]> Comment on MY WORST LESSON by Alan Rawlinson http://primarymatters.wordpress.com/2007/12/02/my-worst-lesson/#comment-3 Alan Rawlinson Thu, 06 Dec 2007 17:59:15 +0000 http://primarymatters.wordpress.com/2007/12/02/my-worst-lesson/#comment-3 It's good to read what you write -- keep it up! Good tags, too. But please don't bring any candles into class... Tell us about interesting stuff you've found on the web, and offer some links. Alan It’s good to read what you write — keep it up! Good tags, too. But please don’t bring any candles into class…

Tell us about interesting stuff you’ve found on the web, and offer some links.

Alan

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