So many autonomously educating parents seem to be vehemently opposed to the very idea of a curriculum, that I think it worth considering what we mean by the expression. A curriculum, at its most basic, is no more than a plan of study. It can be as simple as a list of subjects which will be covered over the next year or so. This is in itself hugely controversial, because of course the Badman report recommends that some such plan be compulsory and many parents are determined to have nothing to do with the idea. It has even been suggested that just giving such a plan would render autonomous education impossible. This seems very strange. Let us have a look at a curriculum and see whether or not it really would have this effect.
Here is a very simple curriculum; English, Mathematics, History, Geography, Science, Art, Music. How could such a curriculum work in practice? Let's look at one subject, Art. This could involve painting, drawing, making models from plasticine, visiting art galleries, looking at books about artists, watching television programmes, the list is endless. Just by doing one or two of those things each week, Art has been covered. What about science? Visits to zoos, keeping and observing an ant farm, hunting for fossils, watching tadpoles grow, going to a museum, attending a lecture, reading a Horrible Science book, watching television. One or two of those activities each week and science is covered. And so it goes on.
Most of these things are already being done by most home educating parents. In other words, the lifestyle and educational techniques used with their children will not have to change in the slightest degree in order to comply with the recommendation for a "Plan of Work". I am guessing that many parents are following a curriculum already, even if they do not call it by that name and have nothing written down. Most of us arrange a programme of event for out children which cover areas like art and music. Few parents fail to read to their children or discuss aspects of science with them. A curriculum like the one above does not tie a parent down to any particular activity or force the child to do anything against her inclinations. There is nothing scary about it, still less is it likely to destroy the fun of the child's learning!
A good thing about a curriculum is that it can act as an aide-memoire, reminding us of what we hope to do each week. It would not of course be a disaster if we missed out on science one week, or spent more time on Music than on History. The curriculum just tells us what we hope to be covering one way or another. I honestly cannot see why so many people are afraid of it.
I agree with you to some extent, but you make the same mistake Graham Badman seems to make - you both assume that local authority inspectors will be reasonable, flexible people. Some will be. Possibly even most will, but some will not. Believe me: some of them vehemently disagree with home ed, especially the sort that doesn't look like school all day, and consider it their duty to get our children into school.
ReplyDeleteSo yes, in an ideal world a family whose children practice autonomous learning could draw up a loose curriculum and many probably do without realising it, their local authority would be accepting of this and everything would be lovely.
Except that we don't live in an ideal world, do we? And those people who live in less than ideal local authority areas need a lot more protection than the Badman report offers them.
I don't know what people mean when they use the word "curriculum."
ReplyDeleteIs it possible to paste a link in the comments box as I would be interested in others' views on the Mark Smith article about curriculum theory and practice to be found on the infed site.
Fiona
"A curriculum is prescriptive" - so not compatible with autonomous ed, unless child requests it.
ReplyDeleteI think you must mean this article, F.
ReplyDeleteWhat happens when, under new powers, LA's want 'evidence' of the tadpole watching, or the plasticine models? What if it is decided there should be a test on it? What if the LA or the government decide that the curriculum has to be the one they chose and not the parent?
ReplyDeleteSo then for Art, I may be allowed to teach my child about Manet, Monet, and Picasso, but leave no time for Dali, Rosetti and Cezanne?
What if my child has a burning desire for Chaucer, Rowling or Dahl, but someone else has decided the curriculum is Shakespeare and Keats. Suddenly in being required to follow someone else's curriculum, there leaves no time (or even possibly motivation) left to pursue avenues that would have been eagerly sought had a curriculum not been dictated?
What if the plan at the begining of the 'year' doesn't go to plan? Perhaps the goal was to look at deforestation, but a tanget made us look much longer at marine biology? Would we have failed in our planned objectives, even though a child's enthusiam had took them on a path of huge learning?
What if we started off doing 'Geography' and ended up with 'History' because thats where the questions took us? Perhaps we could tick off History, but Geography wasn't as well covered at that time. It probably would be 'covered' another day- if you are inclined to seperate subjects, but the LA might not like it.
If we say yes to a curriculum plan- I think we have to be realisitc that it isn't likely to be our curriculum plan. Someone else will choose Byron over Burns for our kids and expect a learning objective to be placed upon it.
Are you okay with that? Are your kids?
There is simply no reason at all to think that anything of the sort will happen. Home educating parents will be asked to provide a statement of their educational approach and desired outcomes for their child. there is no suggestion that the local authority will be providing the plan.
ReplyDeleteThe other point is that there is nothing at all in any of the recommendations to suggest that something bad will happen if parents and the LA don't see eye to eye on this plan.
All this is just to give parents a chance to show that they have actually thought a bit about the decision to educate a child at home, not some scheme to trip them up or catch them out!
This is going to be long so apologise in advance
ReplyDeleteI wonder where Guinea Pigs usually creatures that schools where we live tend to keep in some classrooms, where the children are allowed to take turns at looking after them at home during the holidays if they behaved themselves in class, would fit in to a curriculum. The school that my two sons attended before we embarked on home education and where incidentally I was COG for many years always had Guinea Pigs.
When we removed our son from school, he was just 5 years old; we had no curriculum mapped out for him we just knew that school was making him both physically and mentally ill and that we wanted him out, despite my being COG. After a few weeks of de-schooling, which believe me he needed, we wondered how we were going to embark on teaching a child who ran and hid underneath his bed every time you tried to show him a book. So we went out and we bought two Guinea Pigs. We had never had Guinea Pigs before having always kept dogs but my middle son reacts very badly to dogs having developed a severe allergy to them and so we opted for Guinea Pigs.
The first very valuable lesson my son learnt, and us to, was that you do not buy two male Guinea Pigs and expect them to live in the same cage as each other. Within less than 48 hours one had almost lost an eye while the other had almost lost an ear and I almost lost a toe trying to separate them. That meant a visit to the vets. Our son was both devastated that he might lose one of his pigs and fascinated by his visit to the vets, where he hung onto the vets every word. The visit to the vets was followed by a visit to Pets at Home where we had to purchase another cage. For that we had to do our sums to see if we could afford it. Then we had to discuss what else we needed to keep the pig healthy, warm, dry, happy, (because that was something else we learnt Guinea Pigs can lose the will to live pretty darn quickly if they are left alone for too long)and fed and watered.
Sooty and Chocolate very quickly became our son’s best friends. Children with autism do not do friends all that easily. Our son learnt that if you wanted to stay healthy you have to eat healthily and you have to exercise regularly, that topic alone ran and ran and continues to develop along with our son, who is now a member of our local gym and has already explored the possibility of taking a spots science degree if he continues to excel in that area as he does at the moment. Our son learnt that to be healthy you have to keep not only yourself clean but also your house. He learnt where Guinea Pigs originated and where they live when they are in their natural habitat. He learnt how many litters a year they can have and that after the age of one if a sow becomes pregnant that she will die giving birth. He even learnt that in some counties people actually eat Guinea Pigs. The hardest lesson came a year into our lives living with the Guinea Pigs when Sooty took ill had a seizure and died in my arms. This would not have been a nice experience for any child but for an autistic child who has issues with death it was quite horrific. However horrific the experience was for our son it did allow him to live with his issues and move on. Sooty was followed by Goldie and Snowy (original names I know) who were rescued from a pig sty (every pun intended) of a pet shop that distressed our son so much, we ended up buying the girls and a cage and praying that they would managed to live together – they did – phew.
If I were to continue to expand on where buying two Guinea Pigs has led us in the way in which we teach our son I would be here for days. My point is – yes there is one – that we have never had a curriculum for our son, have never needed a tick list to ensure that we are covering all of the subjects that we should be with him, but whatever topic we have ventured into has almost always taken in all of the subjects that you have named in your basic curriculum, and in some cases many more.
continues post
ReplyDeleteThere is no doubt that our son is not only learning he is enjoying learning, he understands what he is learning and because of this he retains his knowledge. His capacity to learn has been enabled whereas school had disabled that capacity to learn, to the point that our son was spending days and weeks on end in a catatonic state vomiting and making regular trips to A&E because he was so dehydrated by his persistent vomiting. It is accurate to say that following the National Curriculum was making our son very ill. We do not tick boxes that are not full. We are not trying to cheat the system because to do so would be to cheat on our son and that would be criminal in my opinion. Having a curriculum on the other hand or an active working plan does not make us criminals and it does not make us bad parents either.
A lady called Stephanie Lord, a woman who has devoted the best part of her life to teaching autistic children, addressed the members of the All Party Parliamentary Group for Autism in 2002 I think, and told them that autistic children did not really need to know where potatoes originated or who brought them to this country, what they need to know is how to peel them, cook then, mash them and eat them. Heathermount School, where Stephanie was Head Teacher for a number of years, developed something called Connective Education where you teach your child to connect their emotions, feelings, senses, creativity, to the world around them and other people. How can you ever hope to understand other people if you can not first of all understand yourself? That is how we have taught and continue to teach our son.
If we had had to stick to a curriculum, plan or whatever you chose to call it, we would not have been able to teach our son the subjects that will enable him to live as independent a life as possible as an adult. Even more importantly I know for sure that our son would not be the happy, well rounded and well educated 12 year old that he is right now.
So here we are looking down the barrel of a gun pointing directly at us which is probably going to change the way in which we have successfully taught our son for the last 7 years, and yes I am more than a tad cross and angry about this. If and when a suitable education is defined I doubt very much that we will find connective education mentioned anywhere in that definition and yet two (at the moment four) Guinea Pigs and the desire to connect has already empowered our son who is now an active member of his community with many friends within his peer group.
He did not need a curriculum he needed something that was and is meaningful to him to give him the desire to learn. We are all different. We all learn differently and I personally have no feelings one way of the other about the many different styles of learning that home educators use to teach their children. Just because we do not have a loosely or broadly based curriculum which we adhere to does not mean that we are not educating our children. Having such a curriculum will not mean that we are. It will mean that we are conforming because we have been told that we must, and we must because we are sitting outside of the box looking in and because we dare to be different.
My son knows all about what it is like to be different. That difference has always inspired my husband to connect with our creativity enabling us to connect with and teach our son. Being different does not make you a bad person or wrong. Living with our two autistic sons has taught us that being different can teach you a great deal in this life and being different can be a good thing.
A curriculum is a tool. Tools can be altered, improved or even dumped in favour of a new one if the way you/somebody else designed it fails to support you in achieving the task/aims you had in mind as a start point.
ReplyDeleteIssues only arise if a specific "one size fits all" curriculum is externally imposed that does not meet the needs of the end users.
A curriculum can be a broad, loose, flexible framework, descriptive of which kinds of methodologies/activities/resources have been investigated, considered, sourced etc. in order to aid the kids in achieving their aims (or potential aims, based on what interests the child has shown thus far) with a proviso that allows for change should the child's needs demand it. It doesn't have to be highly prescriptive by definition. It can function as a prediction with roll over to an updated version for anything that so far has not cropped up and the later inclusion of anything unexpected that did.
Most people, HEing or not, whatever their prefered "flavour" of education, know their children well enough to be able to produce something like that and anticipate specific difficulties or areas where little external aid will be needed.
Since I am "new" just adding the merest introduction, I'm a (newly) HEing British mum, living in Italy. I have been an English language teacher for the last 20 years, a field where learner autonomy and student centred learning is far more prevalent than you'll find in many other areas of education. My educational philosophy is best described as principled eclectic.
onevoice
ReplyDeleteHeathermount school has a curriculum. You outlined some the educational aims in your post. Forgive me if I misunderstood but you seem impressed with the founder and her educational philosophies so I don't understand how through her ideas you have come to the conclusion that any curriculum at all is automatically incompatible with your son's needs. Surely it is the content of the curriculum and the principles upon which it is based that raises the issue of compatibility, not the existence of a curriculum itself.
Guinea Pigs could be used as a unifying context all the way though a curriculum based on the principles practiced by a school like Heathermount.
How would you write a curriculum for an autonomous home educator? Working on the basis that the child decides the content and style of their education? I mean, is there any point in the parent deciding what they want their child to learn over the next year if they have no intention of influencing their child in any particular direction?
ReplyDeleteAnd what will happen if AE parents devise their compulsory curriculum and then the child doesn't follow it? Will their educational provision be deemed unsatisfactory, and their registration be refused? Or will the LA decide that the curriculum doesn't matter after all?
ReplyDeleteHow would you write a curriculum for an autonomous home educator?
ReplyDelete________________________________________
Start with outlining the all contexts you predict the learner will show an interest in. Based on past interests, current circs, any expected changes (like moving house or a new baby or pet, their personality and particular quirks.), specific requests and note what other topics that are linked are likely to appeal, crop up or be needed so their interest does not get frustrated by knowledge/skill gaps. Doesn't have to be tightly precise, Sports / Animals / Environmental Issues / Politics / Relationships / Travel, that sort of breadth.
Link in prediction of which skills are most likely to be required/desired/improved upon by the child in order to follow their pursuit (anything from learning how to use scissors right through to scary stuff like quantum physics depending on whose needs/wants the curriculum is being written to anticipate.)
Outline resources that are available or have been investigated/evaluated that can be used to allow the child to follow their pursuits. (i.e. library, safari park, DVD series, websites, discovery channel, festivals that have published the workshops they are offering, local colleges or other centres that offer short courses / talks / conferences)
List the range of activities/methodologies that can be used to best support that specific child in their pursuit of learning. (i.e. guided discovery, overtly taught, covert presentation in context, wholly independent research).
It's written as anticipation of a learner's needs from the facilitator's POV in order to ensure timely, high quality support is available, whilst acknowledging that not all needs can be anticipated, but where possible suitable resources and learning strategies are known about, evaluated as suitable for that specific learner and to hand if and when required. It is not an outline of what will / must / should be studied / learned / acquired, it doesn't have to look like a report, a bubble diagram actually works better to allow for editing, updating and cross referencing when it becomes a work in progress as opposed to a start point.
But what's the point in guessing what they will be interested in? I thought the point of a curriculum was to guide study. I really cannot see any benefit it planning ahead in this way instead of reacting as necessary. Why waste time and effort researching resources that are never going to be used? I can see absolutely no benefit to the home educator and also cannot see the problem with the current system where the LA looks at the previous year to determine if a suitable education is being provided.
ReplyDeleteTo Sharon.
ReplyDeleteI didn't say guess, I said predict (in very broad terms). Most people know their own child well enough to be able to do that with a certain expectation of getting some of their (broad) predictions right.
Unless it is treated as a hoop to jump through and nothing more the process can't avoid developing the facilitator's comprehension of the learner's continually developing and changing needs, interests, desires, skills, inclinations, motivations... I can't imagine a parent not finding profound benefit in that.
I don't understand the logic of being comfortable with a system that requires a child to spend up to an entire year of time and energy in order to see if a suitable education can be provided in the context of a complaint of how parental time and energy is too valuable to waste, despite far shorter period of investment and far less energy being required in comparison.
I have been quite unable to find anything at all in the Badman Report which suggests that parents will find themselves being judged against the statement of educational approach which they have made and perhaps have their registration as home educators revoked because their children have not performed as well as they hoped. This is often voiced as a fear, but I have no idea where this notion has come from. The only casual mention of refusing registration as a home educator is in the chapter on safeguarding and it is specifically tied to concerns about the welfare of the child. There is no mention of preventing parents from home educating just because their ideas about a curriculum are different from the local authority.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the article link Fiona. These sections stood out to me (well the would, wouldn't they):
ReplyDelete"The problem here is that such programmes inevitably exist prior to and outside the learning experiences. This takes much away from learners. They can end up with little or no voice. They are told what they must learn and how they will do it. The success or failure of both the programme and the individual learners is judged on the basis of whether pre-specified changes occur in the behaviour and person of the learner (the meeting of behavioural objectives)."
"As Cornbleth (1990), and Jeffs and Smith (1990, 1999) have argued, curriculum cannot be taken out of context, and the context in which it was formed was the school. Curriculum theory and practice only makes sense when considered alongside notions like class, teacher, course, lesson and so on. You only have to look at the language that has been used by our main proponents: Tyler, Stenhouse, Cornbleth and Grundy, to see this. It is not a concept that stands on its own. It developed in relation to teaching and within particular organizational relationships and expectations."
"What is being suggested here is that when informal educators take on the language of curriculum they are crossing the boundary between their chosen specialism and the domain of formal education. This they need to do from time to time. There will be formal interludes in their work, appropriate times for them to mount courses and to discuss content and method in curriculum terms. But we should not fall into the trap of thinking that to be educators we have to adopt curriculum theory and practice. The fact that so many have been misled into believing this demonstrates just how powerful the ideas of schooling are. Education is something more than schooling."
This last para particularly reflects our approach. Most of the time our education is informal but occasionally we make use of specific courses that serve a child's need at that time (like the Toe by Toe book we are working through ATM). All child-led in our case, of course.
"I didn't say guess, I said predict (in very broad terms). Most people know their own child well enough to be able to do that with a certain expectation of getting some of their (broad) predictions right."
ReplyDeleteThat might work for a week or possibly a month ahead, but anything beyond that and it will be a guess, at least in my experience.
"Unless it is treated as a hoop to jump through and nothing more the process can't avoid developing the facilitator's comprehension of the learner's continually developing and changing needs, interests, desires, skills, inclinations, motivations... I can't imagine a parent not finding profound benefit in that."
Why would I need to look a year ahead to do this? I appreciate this by seeing it happening and taking part in it every day. This article touches on the issues involved in attempting to foresee what your child will be interested in and taking too close an interest in products, http://www.takingchildrenseriously.com/node/71. If you plan ahead in this way I doubt it would be possible to avoid putting subtle pressures on your child that will change their view of education and influence the direction it takes.
"I don't understand the logic of being comfortable with a system that requires a child to spend up to an entire year of time and energy in order to see if a suitable education can be provided in the context of a complaint of how parental time and energy is too valuable to waste, despite far shorter period of investment and far less energy being required in comparison."
If I thought it would benefit my child and not actually harm them I would agree with you. I spend a lot of time and energy on my child's education, parental time and energy is not the issue. They don't spend an entire year of time and energy in order for me to see if a suitable education is being provided, I can see this every day. Why would I need a plan or curriculum to see this? It's the LA that waits a year and I don't need their judgement to tell me that I am providing a suitable education. Fine, if they want to satisfy themselves that I am providing my child with a suitable education, they are free to ask and I will answer. But if schools (or 1 anyway, Summerhill) can provide an autonomous education without plans for an individual child, why can't we?
"I have been quite unable to find anything at all in the Badman Report which suggests that parents will find themselves being judged against the statement of educational approach which they have made and perhaps have their registration as home educators revoked because their children have not performed as well as they hoped."
ReplyDeleteWhy ask for a plan for the year ahead if they will ignore it when they check the following year? What purpose will it serve in the eyes of the LA if it can be ignored by the home educator? They are bound to think that the plan is there for a reason and should be followed, otherwise why waste time writing it?
Badman does talk of defining a suitable education more closely and plans are already in motion to this end. If that definition excludes the possibility of autonomous education (which will happen if they start setting age limits for skills, for example) they can claim that a suitable education is not being provided and issue a school attendance order. Once a SAO has been issued they will obviously revoke registration. There is obviously no point in defining a suitable education if they do not plan to issue SAOs when a home educator does not match specifications.
"There is no mention of preventing parents from home educating just because their ideas about a curriculum are different from the local authority."
But for many it's not their ideas about the content of a curriculum that are at issue, it's the idea of a curriculum at all. They have suggested two sides of A4 for you plan for the year ahead (at the last count, it started as a few sentences). If I write, "I intend to help my child follow their interests as and when they arise", I don't think they will be happy. But that is our plan.
Simon, you say that there is no suggestion in the recommendations that the LA's will have any say in the curriculum provided by HErs, or that parents will be prevented from HEing if their ideas about a curriculum are different from those of the LA.
ReplyDeleteI suggest that you look again at Recommendation 1:
"Local authorities must ensure that there are mechanisms/systems in place to record and review registrations annually"
and Recommendation 2:
"That the DCSF review the current statutory definition of what constitutes a "suitable" and "efficient" education.....Such a review should not be overly prescriptive but be sufficiently defined to secure a broad, balanced, relevant and differentiated curriculum......... The outcome of this review should further inform guidance on registration."
And another one.
ReplyDeleteRecommendation 7:
"......That parents be required to allow the child through exhibition or other means to demonstrate both attainment and progress in accord with the statement of intent lodged at the time of registration."
The main purpose of getting the parents to produce a staement of their educational approach is to make them think hard about what they are proposing to do. Of course at the end of the year it is wise for this to be discussed with a local authority officer. The parents might then realise that the whole enterprise is more than they bargained for. After all, home education isn't for everybody. Recording and reviewing registrations has nothing at all to do with revoking the registration on the grounds that the child has not done all the things that the parent hoped she would do in the course of a year! I simply do not understand that anybody would see anything at all sinister about any of these proposals.
ReplyDeleteSimon, you're in cloud cuckoo land. Don't unfair outcomes exist in your world? Under the recommendations, some children will be driven into school, against their own wishes and the wishes of their parents, on the basis of the plan not being 'properly complied with'. If you're going to speak so authoritatively about these things, do you think you could have some regard for the real world, as well as your ideal one? Your airy, casual disregard for people's very real concerns (which are often based on real experience) is starting to look quite callous.
ReplyDelete>>>>>>>>>I have been quite unable to find anything at all in the Badman Report which suggests that parents will find themselves being judged against the statement of educational approach which they have made and perhaps have their registration as home educators revoked because their children have not performed as well as they hoped. This is often voiced as a fear, but I have no idea where this notion has come from.<<<<<<<
ReplyDeleteSimon, the concept already exists in law. The education provided for the child must be 'efficient' and I think it was case law which defined that as 'achieving what it sets out to achieve'. HE'ers in the past have apparently been hoist with their own petard.
If parents will have to become even more specific about their educational aims, even more of them (mostly AE'ers, which I am not) are likely to find themselves in trouble. This is a Bad Thing.
Parents, not the state, must be allowed to retain responsibility for their child's education. (And their diet. And their health. etc Until and unless it appears that there is neglect.) Even if their educational provision is less than perfect. And that applies to all of us.
Mrs Anon
Sharon said, 'Badman does talk of defining a suitable education more closely and plans are already in motion to this end.'
ReplyDeleteYes, another DCSF Consultation on defining 'suitable' is planned for early next year, isn't it?
Mrs Anon
Simon said, 'The main purpose of getting the parents to produce a staement of their educational approach is to make them think hard about what they are proposing to do.'
ReplyDeleteYes, that's why people were encouraged to write their own Educational Philosophy. Personally, I think it's very said that sample ed phil's have been copied, without much thought, in recent years. Before the internet, each indvidual family had to think hard about this before writing to the LA, (often with the support of a local EO rep).
Mrs Anon
Simon said, 'I simply do not understand that anybody would see anything at all sinister about any of these proposals.'
ReplyDeleteAnd this is what is so baffling about you, Simon. And the reason some of us visit your blog. LOL! It's hard for us to fathom why you do not see what, for so many of us, is so starkly obvious. Especially after so many people have explained to you exactly why they believe the proposals to be sinister. You should at least be understanding where they are coming from by now. Even if you don't agree with them. It's possible to understand why people are anxious without necessarily sharing their anxiety.
It's okay though, we all have our blind spots. I have many, I am sure.{g}
That last from Mrs Anon
ReplyDeleteYes, some LAs now have many copies of an educational Philosophy from the HE-UK site which differ only in the name of the child which has been inserted! I don't think it will do parents any harm actually to write their own statement of educational approach, rather than downloading one from the internet.
ReplyDeleteAnonymous, telling somebody that he is in Cloud Cuckoo Land and sounding callous is not really my idea of objective debate. I am not speaking authoritatively at all; simply reading the recommendations in the Badman Report and putting my own constructions upon them. This is exactly what everybody else is doing. Presumably my guesswork sounds callous because it differs from what other people are guessing? Find out what John Stuart Mills wrote on the subject of the Tyranny of the Majority! I believe that what many people are saying about the Badman Report is muddle headed and wrong; this does not make me callous, although it may make me mistaken.
Mrs. Anon, I understand the anxiety, but I think it unnecessary. I am in the position of one who sees a phobic shrinking back in terror from something which most folk would find wholly innocuous and unthreatening. If I encounter such a one, who is perhaps having a panic attack because Friday 13th is approaching and it inspires irrational dread, then I may sympathise but at the same time be a little impatient. I would certainly do everything in my power to explain why I did not regard the advent of one date as mor ominous than any other. No doubt to many phobics, this would appear callous and unfeeling. To me, it would be an attempt to dispel their fears and introduce a little common sense into the situation.
ReplyDelete"Anonymous, telling somebody that he is in Cloud Cuckoo Land and sounding callous is not really my idea of objective debate."
ReplyDeleteI'll consider myself told off then! It's just such a shame that I don't care about your idea of objective debate, whatever that might be. I'm commenting on a blog, not working towards a dissertation. As long as everyone knows what we all mean, that's all that matters to me.
That's true as far as it goes, Anonymous. Surely though, it is better and more pleasant all round if I were to to tell you that you might be mistaken, rather than simply calling you a fool and a dunderhead? In both cases, you would know precisely what I meant, but one way of putting the case would, I think, be less helpful than the other. Or are you perhaps one of those individuals who values her reputation for plain speaking and calling a spade a spade?
ReplyDeleteNo, I prefer the bit where you admit that you might be mistaken ;)
ReplyDeleteTo Sharon
ReplyDeleteYourchild would be more more likely to be harmed than benefit from you developing your comprehension of the his/her continually developing and changing needs, interests, desires, skills, inclinations, motivations and widening your range of techniques, methods, resources available to support them ?
Simon said,
ReplyDelete"The main purpose of getting the parents to produce a staement of their educational approach is to make them think hard about what they are proposing to do."
In the interests of debate, can you quote the part of the Badman review that gives you this impression.
Erica, thanks for finding the Badman links above, they say it all really. Couldn't face ploughing through it again.
Simon, what do you think he means when he says, "The outcome of this review [into the statutory definition of what constitutes a "suitable" and "efficient" education] should further inform guidance on registration"? To me it suggests that the only reason the education provision cannot be used to decide if registration will be allowed is because LAs find it difficult to judge. They often claim that the definition is too woolly (or words to that effect). Once they have a more closely defined definition of education they will feel more comfortable issuing SAOs which will inevitably mean that registration will be revoked or refused.
No, of course not Sarah, I do this all the time from day to day and week to week. They might be harmed by pressure (however subtle) to follow someone else's plans for their education. I think pressure is inevitable if you attempt to plan a year ahead and know that the LA will require you to allow the child through exhibition or other means to demonstrate both attainment and progress in accord with the statement of intent lodged at the time of registration (see the link in the post you replied to for other problems with expecting children to exhibit work, attainment and progress). Should my child suffer as a result of me not being very good at guessing, or predicting what they will be interested in over the next year?
ReplyDelete"Telling someone he is in Cloud Cuckoo Land and sounding callous is not my idea of objective debate"
ReplyDeleteCalling people mad extremists, and all the other insults you have bandied about here, is not my idea of objective debate.
You need to understand that this is your blog, and you are setting the tone. You can't blame people for responding in kind.
Ah, I can see where we are talking at cross purposes here, Anonymous. If somebody says something vaguely insulting about some large group of people to which I belong, that is not a personal remark. For example, I am a regular churchgoer. If someone says, "All churchgoers are smug, self righteous hypocrites!" That remark passes me by. If on the other hand, in the course of a conversation somebody says to me, "You really are a smug, self righteous hypocrite!", then that is a personal remark. Do you see the difference between the two cases, Anonymous? So when I half humerously categorised one group of home educators as "Mad extremists", then the fact that you belong to that group does not make this a personal remark directed against you. If on the other hand, during an exchange of comments here I said, "Oh Anonymous, you really are a mad extremist!", then that would be a personal remark.
ReplyDeleteThey might be harmed by pressure (however subtle) to follow someone else's plans for their education.
ReplyDelete------------------------------
Can you define what you mean by harm ?
You speak of "plan" whereas what I suggested was an act of anticipation with the focus on strengthening the facilitator's ability to provide timely, quality support that gives a start point to what will, by the nature of it's design, be a work in progress. It has the potential to grow and change as the reality of what topics and skills are desired or required becomes apparent because it's purpose is to adapt TO and reflect the learner as they develop. It follows the learner, not the learner follows it.
If you "save as" before you edit at each point that you wish to add something, what you end up with is fantastically clear illustration of a learner's journey over a period of time which if anything is a better support for a process of "exhibition, attainment, progress" than a more traditional form of curriculum because it is more descriptive (of the depth and breath of exploration or the frequency with which the opportunity to learn new skills etc. occurs) than a tick or a date next to something in a list.
If the requirement for a statement of education or a curriculum comes into play (with no funny business) autonomous educators do not have to find themselves automatically excluded from HE by a report style "laundry list" rendering them unable to comply, there are other formats available that better illustrate and support the type of education they want to be available to their children.
I more than most understand the frustration of balancing the need to comply with the need to minimize compromising a decent education (I live in Italy). I also understand that for many there is a strong belief that there will be a successful challenge to any attempt to change the regs as they stand currently in the UK, so it is felt the focus should be on forthright opposition of any proposals from the onset which means any proposed solutions to the mechanics of compliance with an eye on minimizing educational compromise may be seen as not only unnecessary but actively counter productive.
Simon, forgive me for not understanding that you were joking when you called autonomous educators mad extremists. The written word is very easily misinterpreted. May I suggest that you use emoticons or acronyms such as :-) or lol when you are joking? These may not appeal to you; I don't particularly like them myself; but at least you will not risk being taken seriously.
ReplyDeleteI have noticed that if anyone challenges you about your jokey insults, you often respond by saying that you were not talking about them personally. You said that to me about the mad extremist jest. But I belong to the group you were referring to. How was I to know that your humour was not directed against me? And what makes me different from the rest of the group?
"Can you define what you mean by harm ?"
ReplyDelete"For instance, they may keep diaries of educational activities or portfolios of their children's work. This may sound innocuous, but in making themselves continually aware of their children's education as education, parents are likely to convey this to the children who are then likely to start thinking about their ‘education’ at the expense of their own interests. Education then becomes performance. Children's creativity is diverted into the problem of how to be seen to be meeting the external standards implicit in the curriculum and to produce ‘evidence’ of ‘progress’, instead of solving problems that arise naturally out of their own personalities and experiences."
http://www.takingchildrenseriously.com/node/71
"You speak of "plan" whereas what I suggested was an act of..."
Badman talks of a plan, so if you are talking about something else it probably won't be acceptable.
"Guidance should be issued to support parents in this task with an opportunity to meet local authority officers to discuss the planned approach to home education and develop the plan before it is finalised. The plan should be finalised within eight weeks of first registration."
"...anticipation with the focus on strengthening the facilitator's ability to provide timely, quality support that gives a start point to what will, by the nature of it's design, be a work in progress. It has the potential to grow and change as the reality of what topics and skills are desired or required becomes apparent because it's purpose is to adapt TO and reflect the learner as they develop. It follows the learner, not the learner follows it."
As I said, I do this already, day by day and week by week. I cannot see any advantage (and plenty of disadvantages) in attempting to do this for the next year.
continued...
the rest...
ReplyDelete"If you "save as" before you edit at each point that you wish to add something, what you end up with is fantastically clear illustration of a learner's journey over a period of time which if anything is a better support for a process of "exhibition, attainment, progress" than a more traditional form of curriculum because it is more descriptive (of the depth and breath of exploration or the frequency with which the opportunity to learn new skills etc. occurs) than a tick or a date next to something in a list."
Not really, because they want the child to exhibit attainment and progress because they believe it would be too easy for a parent to lie about what they have done with child. We have to allow our children to be seen and questioned so that they can check that we are telling the truth.
"If the requirement for a statement of education or a curriculum comes into play (with no funny business) autonomous educators do not have to find themselves automatically excluded from HE by a report style "laundry list" rendering them unable to comply, there are other formats available that better illustrate and support the type of education they want to be available to their children."
What specifically in the Badman review makes you think they will accept something an autonomous educator might find acceptable? The following quotes suggests that, "I plan to follow my child's interests as and when they arise" (which is out 'plan'), would not be acceptable as a statement of intent along with the issues I have against my child having to exhibit and demonstrate attainment and progress. I do not wish my child to be treated as a performing seal.
and Recommendation 2:
"That the DCSF review the current statutory definition of what constitutes a "suitable" and "efficient" education.....Such a review should not be overly prescriptive but be sufficiently defined to secure a broad, balanced, relevant and differentiated curriculum......... The outcome of this review should further inform guidance on registration."
Recommendation 7:
"......That parents be required to allow the child through exhibition or other means to demonstrate both attainment and progress in accord with the statement of intent lodged at the time of registration."