As stated, assessment can be beneficial in motivating students to succeed as without assessment they would not have anything to work toward or to achieve. However, assessment needs to be varied to suite the range and abilities of each student in the classroom. For instance, what one child is good at another child may be very weak at, and therefore their assessment will be affected. However that child may be very good at another subject. This demonstrates that assessment in terms or singling out the ‘smart’ students from the ‘dummies’ needs to be broad in terms of subject. When assessing students, teachers need to consider every aspect of their learning before making judgements about the student’s abilities and status, or likelihood of achieving success. Assessment also needs to be varied in terms of how students are assessed. It would not be fair to assess students with examinations only as not all students are able to achieve good marks in examinations due to the pressure and stress. Other students may succeed at this type of assessment, but not be very good at formal assessment tasks in the form of written assignments. Therefore teachers need to ensure that they have a varied way of assessing their students so that each students varying needs and differences are catered for.
Theme 2: Schools, communities and education
“Schools have always been viewed as places for students learning. More recently, however, they have begun to be thought of as places of learning for all participants including teachers, parents, school support officers and members of the wider community. Thus schools are being referred to as ‘learning communities’” (Ewing, R., Groundwater-Smith,S., & Le Cornu, R. (2001), pp.85-86).
Most schools are either organized ‘Bureaucratically’, which means they have a hierarchical leadership structure and are run from many departments and spend limited time with students or ‘communally’ where teachers and students work more collaboratively and see the one teacher on a frequent basis (Groundwater-Smith, S. (2001), pp.86). In the primary years it would be beneficial for students to be involved in a communal learning environment as they are able to pursue common activities and the students and teacher get to know each other well. A bureaucratical classroom would not work very efficiently in primary schools as students would be constantly shifted and may not achieve high learning results due to this.
Communal learning also enables schools to involve the wider community into their schools as it allows people to volunteer and be part of the students learning. The teacher of a classroom may have certain volunteers form the community that come into the school and assist the teacher with various activities throughout the week.
“A school is or might be…a community, a web of human relationships, a context, an institution, an infrastructure, a means of connecting with people, life, experience, information, an environment, a means of learning, a product of historical change, a bureaucracy, a place of power, a focus of historical change…all in the context of change and continuity over time” (Larkin, F. (2003), week 3 lecture).
This shows how people in the school and the wider community may perceive a school. It also shows the structure of the school as it identifies the many aspects of what a school actually is and from this we can draw upon how schools have changed overtime. It is important for a school to have a school culture which draws upon all of the teacher’s beliefs, attitudes and expectations. If the school has a positive culture or climate all participants involved with the school, including students, teachers, parents and members of the wider community are made to feel as if they belong. (Groundwater-Smith, S. (2001), pp.87).
Advancing Technology is an issue that schools and communities have had adapt to and address. Students these days are very comfortable with the use of technology as they have grown up with all of the latest advances. Some of the teachers in schools however may find this difficult to adapt to as they grew up in the generation where technology was not as advanced. Luckily, the majority of students have adjusted extremely well to the significant changes technology has influenced within their classrooms and many would be found to be showing the teacher how to operate a program. The introduction of computers and technology into the classroom can only be seen as a good thing as it is the way of the future and if the students get comfortable with it now they will have no problems using it in later life. Technology can also improve the academic performance of students in a range of Key Learning Areas as they are able to use programs designed for computers to help tutor children or teach them new skills. Technology allows students to become empowered enough to help construct their own learning and collaborate with other students. Technology encourages and motivates students to complete their work, work independently, cooperate with others and stay on task. Therefore when implemented within the school and classroom in an effective manner by the teacher, technology can have many positive implications for student learning (Goodman, S. (2003), Critical Question 8, week 11 tutorial).
Theme 3: Diversity, difference and cultures.
Each and every school in the education system has significant issues of difference and diversity. Some of these may include race, gender, disabilities, socio-economic background and geographical location. There have been many instances of educational inequality in Australia and statistics help to prove this.
> The link between parental background and tertiary education entrance; children of professional parents have about a 40% chance while children of unskilled parents have only a 10% chance.
>With regard to gender, since 1976, more girls have completed full secondary education than boys. 54% of university students are now women. (Preston, N. & Symes, C. 1997).
“Australian Multiculturalism sees diversity as a strength, social justice as a necessity, and human development as the basis of our economic future” (Dept. of School Education, 1992). Schools need to take a multicultural approach to learning and ensure that all students understand the role that culture and linguistic diversity plays in the lives of individuals, their families and the nation. Schools and teachers need to be sure that students form language backgrounds other than English have equal access to educational opportunity. Schools should follow policies such as the Multicultural Education Plan (1993-1997) in implementing strategic policies and practices into their schools in order to ensure student learning is fair and equal. Teachers need to refer to Anti-racism policies and be familiar with these in order to prevent any racial discrimination from happening in their classrooms. Schools have to encourage multicultural education and show how this diversity benefits the school community as well as the nation and provide students with examples. Teachers can focus units of work on multiculturalism and address issues such as foods, languages, products, inventions that have originated in other countries but that benefit Australia as well. Teachers need to monitor the school environment in terms of racist attitudes and behaviours and intervene to prevent racism from occurring in the school.
Another issue of difference and diversity is that of gender. As mentioned above with the statistics addressing gender in education, it is now considered that females may have a higher chance of gaining entrance into tertiary education and that more females continue secondary schooling than males. This however was not the case many years ago. Last century, it was thought that females were better off finishing school early, getting married and having children. They were to become fulltime housewives while their husbands went to work. As times changed, men went to university to further their education, but women were still expected to be housewives. It wasn’t until there was a feminist move that educating women became an issue and women spoke out declaring that they wanted to go to university and have careers. Nowadays, women and men both go to university and have opportunities to have successful careers.
In the past policies and practices were invented that paid attention to the needs of a specific gender. However, these days policies have been designed that give boys and girls gender equity within the school environment. Strategies focus on giving particular attention to girls and boys who most require support if they are to benefit from schooling. Schools should examine their present approach to gender as an educational issue and consider the ways in which the equitable education of girls and boys can be addressed in their school plans.
“Equity requires that he school system and schools themselves be organized in ways that treat all students fairly, and as far as possible, avoid policies and practices whereby some students are disadvantaged compared to others by circumstances outside their own control or influence” (NSW Dept. of School Education, 1996)
Theme 4: Constructing the child and the student
The construction of the child and the student has changed overtime due to many factors. These changes would not occur if it wasn’t for the changes in our world over the last century. The changes in education and how it is taught to the child are what help to change the child in the past to the child in present day. Therefore the way teachers address education has an impact on the construction of the child.
Initially school in Australia was seen as ‘instrumental’. It was merely a place where children were sent to be disciplined, as most of these students were children of convict parents. It was believed that through schooling the children would be transformed into skilled laborers that would contribute and benefit the colony. Children were seen as labour and most parents wanted them out of school as quickly as possible so that they could be put to work in order to bring in some income. As the years progressed, departments of education were established in various colonies, and by federation the departments were being well established. However the beliefs of education were not very beneficial for the child. Some of these beliefs included that learning only occurs through memorization and repetition, that the teacher must provide facts, matters were difference of opinion occur have little place in schools, students who seem unwilling to learn must be dealt with by punishment i.e. the cane (Groundwater-Smith, S. (2001), pp.32-33).
The child’ social class and gender would determine what they were to become after the Second World War. If you were from a working class background that is what the school would expect of you. If you were lucky enough to come from a wealthy background, you were able to train for a job with power and money. If you were female you were to prepare for domestic and commercial duties and if you were male, you were prepared for trade and industry.
A new education was shaped and education worked as an equal opportunity for all children. This new education system ensured “individuals were allocated to a station befitting their ability; and being born into a humble home would be no barrier to success, and being born into a wealthy or powerful family, no cushion against failure” (Bilton, Bonnett, Jones, Skinner, Stanworth, Webster, 1996, pp.331). This meant that children were assessed, perceived and judged on their own merit, not that of their parents or families history.
The history of education has shaped how the child had achieved and what opportunities they were given over the centuries since white settlement in Australia. Thankfully, nowadays children are given equal opportunities so most children have the same chance of success as everyone else. Although, in contemporary issues, it is still believed that not all opportunities are equal for children and those that are socio-economically disadvantaged, have a disability, are indigenous etc are thought to be disadvantaged in education. However, opportunities for children these days are a lot fairer than many generations ago. Over time, history shows us that children in today’s generations are given a fairer education through the use of bodies such as the Department of Education, highly trained and skilled teachers and many other devices such as the use of technology.
Theme 5: Critically analyzing teacher perspectives and perspectives on teachers.
There are many beliefs about teachers and beliefs that teachers have. It would be rightful to say that teachers can have the biggest influence on their student’s lives as they spend a great deal of their time with them. It is obvious that teachers have an influence towards students on how the educational material is delivered to these young people. Teachers have the power to shape their students attitudes towards life. The attitudes teachers place on the information they are teaching their students can impact on a students schooling and therefore affect that child’s view on life. The beliefs, attitudes, personal experiences and training all shape the way that each individual thinks and teaches in their classroom.
There are many beliefs about teachers that are commonly discussed within society. Many people believe that teachers are overpaid for the ‘six’ hours of work that they do a day. These people however are ignorant to the knowledge that teaching goes beyond the classroom and that there is a lot of preparation and programming that goes into what teachers teach their students in order to get the content covered.
“If we were to pay attention to talk-back radio we might be persuaded that this is how things should be, the teacher teaches and the students learn. The teacher, preferably armed with a cane, should stand at the front of a row of desks in which sit attentive students who do as the teacher says. As sentences are written on the board, they are dutifully transcribed in books. Everyone spells the same words and is tested upon the weekly spelling list, irrespective of whether they can spell each word or if they can spell none of them. Tables are chanted. The flower chart is copied and labeled. Poetry, preferably British, is recited…The teacher teaches, and the students learn” (Groundwater-Smith, S. (2001), pp.26). If everyone in society believed this of teaching, education would not be very meaningful and people would have negative views on the benefits of teaching and education. If all teachers taught to this ‘rule’ there would be limited room for children to develop their own critical thinking and views.
Teachers need to be critical of their own teaching and methods put before them in order to think ‘outside the square’. Teachers need to “move beyond your biography… and aspire to education being transformative” (Larkin. F. (2003), week 4 lecture). If teachers move beyond their comfort zone they are able to play the role of learning leader in stead of instructor they therefore give students the opportunity to think for themselves, solve problems and analyse situations instead of being told what to do.
As teachers we need to have beliefs that all children can learn and have the ability to succeed with education. We need to recognize that children learn best when they are in a safe and supportive environment and that teacher and parent collaboration ensures children are understanding and embracing education. Teachers also need to believe that with equity children are able to achieve maximum educational outcomes, and through critical reflection of their own work, teachers are able to better their teaching methods and therefore support and nurture each child’s education.
Through the constant revision of syllabus documents and curriculum teachers can be sure that students are being taught the correct knowledge that their generation needs to know. Assessment needs to be varied in order to suit each Childs differing learning capabilities. Schools and communities need to work in a communal way in order to ensure that students are gaining the most benefit from their education. Teachers need to embrace technology with open arms and implement it into their classrooms so that children of each generation are well equipped to use it in their lives. Schools and teachers need to be aware of issues of difference and diversity in their classrooms and follow policies to ensure that these issues are addressed and dealt with.
The construction of the child over history has been based mainly on the changing face of education and its value. With equal opportunities for most students in Australia the child can now benefit more from education than ever before. The changing values of teachers over time and the perspectives of teachers from people in the wider society has also helped to shape education. With constant analysis of own teaching, teachers can help to create an education system that will benefit all students and support their education.
References
(Bilton, T., Bonnett, K., Jones, P., Skinner, D., Stanworth, M., Webster, A. (1996). Introductory Sociology: Third Edition, Macmillion Press LTD, London.
Ewing, R., Groundwater-Smith,S., & Le Cornu, R., (2001). Teaching: Challenges and Dilemmas, Nelson Thomson Learning, Southbank, Victoria.
Goodman, S. (2003). Critical Question 8: How are students, teachers and communities influenced by school structure and technology?, week 11 tutorial handout.
Larkin, F., (2003). Lecture 3: The School. Available from:
Larkin, F., (2003). Lecture 4: Teachers Work. Available from:
NSW Department of School Education, (1992). Anti-Racism Policy Statement, Sydney.
NSW Department of School Education, (1996). Girls and Boys at School, Specific Focus Programs Directorate, Sydney.
Symes,C., & Preston, N., (1997). Schools and Classrooms: A Cultural studies analysis of education, Longman, South Melbourne.
