GCSEs are usually studied full-time at school or college, taking five terms to complete. A percentage of their final grade will be from course work produce as a portfolio.
For an English GCSE you must take an exam in English literature and an exam in English language, there is a choice of two tiers: 'higher' or 'foundation'. Each tier leads to a different range of grades. Your subject teacher normally decides which tier is best for you.
GCSE’s were revised, so that from 2010, they are supposed to test thoroughly functional skills. If students fail to achieve level 2 in this test, they can not exceed a grade D at GCSE.
“If English are not about "functional" skills, then what are they about? If students can pass English GCSE without being able to write clearly, such as writing a letter, or if they can pass Maths without being able to do everyday applied math’s tasks such as working out their family budget then the curriculum has no validity”. () states Mike Baker.
“The Qualifications and Curriculum Authority began defining functional skills, producing a 52-page booklet intended as "a helpful guide" to the new tests. This explains that the level of functional skills will depend on "the complexity of situations and activities, the technical demand associated with those activities, a learner's level of familiarity with the task, and the level of independence with which they can complete the task".(www.news.bbc.co.uk)
So pupils can still get their GCSE’s without passing a functional skills test first. Can we be sure that, from 2010, achieving a grade C in English or Math’s GCSE will prove a student is functionally literate or numerate.
It will be interesting to see how many students getting Cs or above at GCSE also pass the functional skills level 2 tests which is deemed to be equivalent to a grade A-C GCSE. Without passing this test they would not be able to gain a grade C in these exams. “If students can pass English GCSE without being able to write clearly, surely something is wrong.” Mike Baker (2009)
FEEDBACK: These last few paragraphs read like a conclusion. However, although this is interesting you haven’t made it relevant to the task. Your conclusion needs to sum up what you did in the essay and what you discovered and briefly state any opinions, such as, which curriculum you think is better.
Task 1 Wider Reading on curriculum
Armitage, A et al (1999) Teaching and Training in Post-compulsory Education Open University
Bloor, M & Lahiff, A (2000) Perspectives on Learning London: Greenwich University Press
Flinders, DJ and Thornton, SJ (2009) The Curriculum Studies Reader New York:Routledge Farmer
Keeley-Browne L (2007) Training to teach in the Learning & Skills Sector
Kelly, A (2009) The Curriculum: theory and practice London: Sage
Marsh, C (2000) Key Concepts for Understanding Curriculum Abingdon: RoutledgeFarmer
Middlewood, D and Burton, J (ed.) (2005) Managing the Curriculum London: Sage
Slattery, P (2006) Curriculum Development in the Post-modern Era Abingdon: Routledge
Task 2 (1000)
FEEDBACK: Well done, your task 2 response is very engaging and your arguments are well thought out. It’s great to hear your ideas and demands for BEP student.
With reference to current ideas and discourse about inclusivity, discuss how you could make your curriculum more inclusive for your learners.
The term ‘Inclusive learning’ was first defined in 1996 with the release of the “Tomlinson Report”. (www.matematicas.reduaz.mx.)
Inclusive practice enables us to recognise and accommodate the requirements of all learners, therefore removing barriers to learning. The report changed the way we teach and how students with barriers to learning are perceived within the educational system.
There are many contrasting views that support and define the term inclusion which can often be associated with students who have impairments or students seen to have special needs. However I feel it is the responsibility of schools to provide inclusive practice and that it should relate to all learners.
Effective curriculum design is important for BEP learners because they are not as adaptable as students who have progressed up the formal education system. For example, in the Higher education system, it is possible to make assumptions about the learners in the classroom, they have greater self-control and discipline, and for this reason, it is fair to make a generalisation about your learners. Inclusive practice is central to BEP students because they come to the classroom with so many emotional, social and physiological barriers to learning. There are many possible reasons why learning may be repressed, are identified as barriers to learning. Maslow’s (1954) Hierarchy of Needs basic and fundamental requirements e.g. cold, hunger, thirst are not met; students might find it difficult to remain motivated. These may become barriers to learning.
As their tutor, I have responsibility for my learners welfare and learning. The qualification in functional skills English enables them to gain a recognised qualification. The curriculum design for functional skills allows me to take a flexible and personalised approach to delivery. The aims and objectives are clearly set out in the formal course criteria, but crucially the methods I use to achieve those criteria allow me to approach teaching in a way to allow an inclusive approach.
The situational model has particular relevance with my group of learners. Often coming from an unhappy home life, lacking motivation and a good parental role model has had an impact on their focus in the classroom. Maslow’s hierarchy of needs theorises that until their basic psychological needs, security, love and belonging are satisfied the learners will struggle to move on to the higher order levels of esteem and experience culminating in self actualisation. I attempt to make the classroom feel a welcoming and friendly environment and to try and satisfy some of the lower order of needs. To overcome the lack of a role model at home, as that role model I continuously explain and reinforce how the course can lead on to further education, and possibly a career where they could support themselves. Daily, I give a different example of where the course could lead them, tied into real life experiences.
I don’t ask people to speak for an entire group. “ Minority students often report either feeling invisible in class, or sticking out like a sore thumb as the token minority. This experience heightened when they are addressed as spokespeople for their whole group, and can have implications on performance” (Lord & Saenz, 1985).
It is important to remember the focus of education is the learner. There is no one size fits all approach to curriculum, each learner is an individual. It is important to put their needs clearly in sight when teaching. For example, I have come up against what I would consider to be an unfair college policy, by insisting on a formal referral process linked to attendance. My learners have been threatened all through the education system and not responded positively. By arguing this point with the college and relaxing the rule for my learners I can tailor targets and goals for each learner without setting them on target to fail before they start the course. I have set my learners personalised targets to encourage and give them incentives to attend, rather than using the mandatory formal referral system. An example of a personal goal would be getting to the centre, progression would be getting there on time.
Recent government policy has set some stringent targets in terms of reducing the number of NEETS, not in Employment, Education or Training. For the government and the educational establishment effective practice is defined as reducing the NEETS, regardless of course suitability to the learner. For me, however, the employer is one of the most important stakeholders since the ultimate aim is to support learners to find their place in the employment system, which then leads to fulfilment for the learner, culminating in the economic success of the country.
To conclude, I feel the aim of the functional skills curriculum design should be to focus it to the learner. However, as I have argued, effective teaching and learning is not just about the design of the formal curriculum, it is the design and delivery of the informal curriculum – including a safe and comfortable learning environment, targets which are appropriate for the learner, systems which don’t punish failure, and meeting expectations, motivations and needs which are aligned with the individual’s own context of learning. “In a productive class, the learning experience is characterized by excitement for discovery, joy, satisfaction and pride at one’s accomplishments. All these positive emotions have the effect of motivating students for further learning. Conversely, if the predominant emotions in a class are fear, shame or embarrassment for being wrong, or boredom and apathy about the content, these negative emotions will be highly demotivating to students.” (Ford, 1992). Inclusive practice means understanding learners’ needs and then personalising both the content and delivery of the learning. At all times, inclusive practice needs to be continuously and relentlessly built into the curriculum. Every lesson of every day has to be structured to be adaptable to meet the ever changing needs of the learner, sometimes minute by minute.
Reference
Wakeypedia (2008), What ideologies underpin curriculum? Available from: , (accessed 24th February 2012)
, (accessed 24th February 2012)
Gary Eason (2009), GCSE basic skills pledge scrapped, Available from: , (accessed 27th February 2012)
Mike Baker (2009), What are GCSEs testing, if not skills? Available from: , (accessed 28th February 2012)
, (accessed 28th February 2012)
Smith, M. K. (1996, 2000) 'Curriculum theory and practice' the encyclopaedia of informal education, , (Accessed 20th March 2012)
Lord, C. G., & Saenz, D. S. (1985). "Memory deficits and memory surfeits: Differential cognitive consequences of tokenism of tokens and observer." Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 49, 918-926
Ford, M. (1992). Motivating humans: Goals, emotions, and personal agency beliefs. Newbury Park, CA: Sage.
Avoid writing the task – put into your own word, e.g.
A critical analysis and evaluation of ...
Can you also state the level and awarding body, e.g.
BTEC Health and Social Care, level 1, Edexcel.
+
Make clear which one you teach on.
Please turn to page 72 in your trainee handbook to see how to reference an online source within an essay.
This statement is a bit isolated. Can you start by giving an opinion and then back it up with this statement from Mark Baker?
Why, when and how did the QCA do this?
– this is another isolated piece of information.
Very good. Is this you or are you quoting someone?
support and define ??? what do you mean.
May help if you back this up with a reference.
This needs reworking to make your argument clearer.
Are you saying that university lecturers expect their students to come from a stable learning experience?
Need to explain more about your institution. A second assessor might not know what you are referring to.
Good, can you give a reference to Maslow here please.
Sentence construction. Explain that as you are someone they see everyday you are potentially a significant role model for them.
Excellent. Do you feel you also act as a role model for certain types of social behaviour – showing respect; politeness; sympathy etc?
Excellent point. Do you have any quotes or references to add strength to your argument?