Comments on: The two worlds of education discourse

By: Education Tay

Education Tay — Sat, 13 Feb 2010 18:54:55 +0000

Cambridge primary education is in general a good curriculum for teaching and learning, although many people in education think in a different way from the world. Academia is one world and the real commercial and social world is another for many people. Being an academic myself I spent 14 years in a commercial job and use this knowledge and experiences in teaching and learning. I use a holistic view in teaching and learning to students as this is the view I have of the world and learning.

By: Kevin J. Brehony

Kevin J. Brehony — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 13:10:24 +0000

The response by the government and the Tories to the Review is deplorable but predictable. The National Curriculum and the standards based paraphernalia that has so diminished primary schooling since 1988 is part of the neo-liberal hegemony which is hegemonic in popular discourse and shown itself to be electorally successful for both the Tories and New Labour and the prime consideration of politicians in our times are electoral. Neo-liberal regimes require that schooling becomes a commodity with exchange value which is why it is packaged, ‘delivered’ and measured before its value can be realised in the market place. As youth unemployment rises the market is diminishing but the principal objective of most of the schooled encouraged by New Labour is still to redeem the value of their schooling. Such regimes have deep ideological roots which are very difficult to shift without new relations of power. Reason, in the form of evidence however valid, is not likely to be convincing when weighed against electoral considerations and the desire to hold on to or gain power. Neither is it likely to have much impact on the dominant neo-liberal consensus. In effect it would require a depoliticisation of schooling, along the lines Sidney Webb used to demand which would substitute for rational debate for ideological commitment. Alexander is wrong to say that ‘polarisation, sloganising, myth-making, misrepresentation and name-calling [...] have bedevilled the primary education debate since the 1960s as much of these actions he deplores have attended education debate since at least the state’s first interventions in the field. Historically schooling and ideological contestation are inseparable for a whole host of reasons. Nevertheless, like the payment by results system before it, bit by bit the testing edifice that keeps schooling tied to measurable results, is crumbling. That part of the settlement brought about by the 1988 Education Act that has to do with assessment is suffering death by a thousand cuts. What would help it to collapse is if teachers, and it is gratifying to see the union’s supporting the recommendations of the Review, and parents gave it a strong push in the form of boycotting SATs. The Report found that in general terms, primary schooling was in ‘good heart’ . Given that the main problem with primary schooling is the failure of deprived and disadvantaged children, a party that seriously addressed the problem of social and economic inequality through income redistribution and promoted education policies consistent with this aim might go a long way to resolving the problem. Nevertheless, such ideas are foreign to popular discourse thanks to the New Labour project’s acceptance and elaboration of Thatcherism that made them thus.

By: Vesna Popovski

Vesna Popovski — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 12:02:00 +0000

I would like to take part in the new alliance. I am a former University Lecturer and mother of the 7 years old. I am very sad to hear the instant response from the Government which makes me think that not only they have not read the document but that they dread to agree with it. I am thinking of all the teachers who are doing a wonderful job as well as of all the childre who love to learn through play. I also dread to think that children would connect learning with pressure and taking time away from playing. I think we should show children that learning is a joy which stays with one one’s whole life.

By: matthewtaylor

matthewtaylor — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 17:21:27 +0000

Hi Ann. Good question. Early next year we will be launching a new alliance for people who share a broadly progressive perspective and we hope to engage students, parents, businesses as well as teachers and educationalists.

By: Jane Dickinson

Jane Dickinson — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 10:57:28 +0000

The question that came to my mind while listening to Robin Alexander on Monday was – given the huge input, debate, analysis and resolution encompassed by the Primary Review and, on the other side, the apparent poverty of insight evident amongst policy makers – where’s the interface, how do these clearly disparate elements articulate? The emperor has walked out in unabashed nakedness for all to see and has been clothed in inaccuracy and cliche.