TED Community » James Kemp

More About Me

I'm passionate about

Breaking paradigms in education, inquiry based learning, ways of nurturing creativity, building self-esteem and educational resiliance in young learners.

Talk to me about

Education, philosophy, theology.

Comments

• TEDCred score: +0.20 TEDCred reflects your contribution to the TED community.

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  A comment on Talk: Ben Saunders: Why bother leaving the house?

  Jan 7 2013: Best of luck Ben. I am going to show your talk to my Year 6 class tomorrow; I'm sure it will speak to the intrepid explorer in them.

• A reply on Conversation: How much of a right do students have to questioning and independent thinking?

  Jan 4 2013: Did I understand you correctly that the school gives your son detailed lesson plans? That is very different from the situation in the UK. I don't think I could work in such a prescriptive environment; you need to be able to go off topic and be flexible. Although it is hard to do that as much as I would like.

• A reply on Conversation: How much of a right do students have to questioning and independent thinking?

  Jan 4 2013: I notice I said briefly then wrote loads. Teachers hey!

• A reply on Conversation: How much of a right do students have to questioning and independent thinking?

  Jan 4 2013: Apologies, but there is a little too much in your reply to respond to here.
  
  But briefly, the new curriculum was based on the findings on The Cambridge Primary Review, you should be able to find more information if you search for that.
  
  I would say that what I find limiting is the assessment frameworks, the criteria being very narrow and also the fact that the rely too heavily on children being able to write well within a short space of time which doesn't give many children a good opportunity to show what they can do. Also the fact that it is only these subjects that are assessed doesn't show the progress the children make across the curriculum or in their personal/social development.
  
  We don't only focus on English culture; we spend a great deal of time learning about other cultures. Through topic work where we might focus on the history, geography, art, dance and social aspects of other cultures. In religious education we take time to study all the major faiths of the world and how they have helped to influence the lives of others. In English we look at stories from unfamiliar cultures and seek to draw paralels with our own. Many schools across the UK also link with schools from other parts of the world to help foster better understanding. There are many other ways we try to prepare our children for the world they will need to thrive in. I'm sorry that you feel so let down by those who taught you.

• A reply on Conversation: How much of a right do students have to questioning and independent thinking?

  Jan 4 2013: No problem Carolyn.
  
  I can only speak for the curriculum here in the UK however, I know many of you are speaking more specifically about the situation in the US.
  
  In our SATs tests that children have to take at two points during their Primary education only reading, writing, maths and now grammar are tested and we have to give a child a level dependent on very narrow criteria. Teachers almost without exception dislike these tests; they force professionals to narrow the scope of what we cover to fit thay criteria that does not take into account the great raft of different skills and attributes the children have. Also, prior to this government coming into power a new more child centred curriculum was ready to come into being based around 6 areas of learning and with much more importance placed on child initiated activities. This was immediately scrapped by the new government with nothing prepared to take it's place.
  
  Just a couple examples for you.

• A reply on Conversation: How much of a right do students have to questioning and independent thinking?

  Jan 4 2013: Apologies Colton, my comment was aimed more as a response to Carolyn's post rather than to your question. I think you have a point and it is a worthwhile issue for debate.
  
  I think the problem is a systemic one; I often feel constrained by the curriculum not supported. It seems that there is a view of education based of a transmitted model of learning, i.e. if you know a certain number of facts you are educated. Those who dictate policy are reluctant to listen to professionals because a certain quarter of the electorate have a very outdated view of learning and any sort of break from the traditional policies of the past gets stirred up in the media as new fangled hippy nonsense.
  
  As professionals we have to grasp every opportunity we can to empower learners to ask questions and explore their own curiousities; a move to enquiry based learning is a move in the right direction in my opinion.
  
  In answer to your intial question, yes learners do have a right to question and independent thought and in my opinion this right superceeds the right of policy makers to dictate to us what the template of an "educated" person looks like.

• A reply on Conversation: How much of a right do students have to questioning and independent thinking?

  Jan 4 2013: I don't know any professional who would teach or omit those things, I certainly wouldn't. Although I don't think I would laided the children I teach with the guilt you imply; rather help them to see through history and recognise interconnectedness, causation and that it was often written by both the victors and/or people who had their own agenda when writting it. I think you do us a disservice suggecting that we do not teach about those things that might be uncomfortable.
• +1

  A reply on Conversation: How much of a right do students have to questioning and independent thinking?

  Jan 3 2013: As a part of the seemingly maligned and tainted profession you so eloquently detest I would like to ask you both what you do and what can be done in more general terms to fix the system as you see it? I know I am far from perfect, and any teacher who tells you they haven’t pressed on through a few questions to hit a learning objective or finish what they felt they had to in the given time is lying. Of course there are outdated and perhaps even harmful modalities, but I think you are tarring a great many people with the same brush here. But at least we are rolling our sleeves up and trying; it’s very easy to throw stones from the sidelines.