October
Quite a lot to report this month.
Chester Literature Festival
On the 19th I had a full day at the Chester Literature Festival. In the morning I completed a workshop at the Bishop Hever School. The students were engaged in the 'Writing from Experience' task and though we had a few tears (we always do with this activity) there was some brilliant work produced. It never ceases to amaze me just what some kids have been through in their lives and how open they are to writing about it. Thanks to Richard Sayle (Head of English) for inviting me in.
After lunch I visited the University itself to give two talks, the first to English students who are studying Asboville as part of their 'Contemporary Literature' unit (I'm very grateful for this) and the second to PGCE students where I delivered a presentation on my concerns about how young people today are portrayed by the media etc and the challenges we face as teachers in forming positive working relationships with our students
The talk with the English cohort was a pleasure. It was a unique experience for me to be faced with 40 students who had all read my novel!
The presentation to the PGCE students was not without its controversies. This comes as no surprise as there is much polarisation within the teaching profession when it comes to where our role as a teacher begins and ends. Quoting many findings from the 'Institute for Public Policy Research - Freedom's Orphans Publication' and attempting to open up debate on key issues it soon became clear that there are many entrenched opinions on both side of the argument.
What I wanted to do was demonstrate what it might feel like to be a teenager today, faced with negativity and labelled as disrespectful in thier lives beyond school, under pressure to be an academic success within school. I looked at how the future of teaching may change to encompass far more wide reaching learning than at present, how schools may become centres for youth activities during evenings and weekends, how the practice of teaching may alter accordingly with teacher working hours becoming more flexible and subjects widening to embrace talented/dissafected students in any number of ways. The response was mixed.
I also brought up one of my biggest concerns regarding the current 'culture of fear' that exists between adults and children and looked at some of the ways that we as teachers can help bridge that gap. I suggested that in the age of technology, where many of our students live lives in the word of cyberspace, there might be a time where we as teachers put our fears behind us and enter into that world ourselves, exchanging e-mails with our students for instance as a way of delivering/receiving information, communicating through MSN and other chat environments. Naturally there was a mixed response with many teachers feeling this was a step too far.
The only thing that really upsets me about this response is that often the reasons behind it are centered on a fear teachers have of putting themselves in a vulnerable position, open to all types of suspicions and accusations. While these worries are valid it is very depressing to me that we have reached the stage where young people and adults cannot engage in any type of relationship beyond the classroom without a cloud of fear looming over them. Are we not in danger of losing the sunlight altogether?
Chester Literature Festival
On the 19th I had a full day at the Chester Literature Festival. In the morning I completed a workshop at the Bishop Hever School. The students were engaged in the 'Writing from Experience' task and though we had a few tears (we always do with this activity) there was some brilliant work produced. It never ceases to amaze me just what some kids have been through in their lives and how open they are to writing about it. Thanks to Richard Sayle (Head of English) for inviting me in.
After lunch I visited the University itself to give two talks, the first to English students who are studying Asboville as part of their 'Contemporary Literature' unit (I'm very grateful for this) and the second to PGCE students where I delivered a presentation on my concerns about how young people today are portrayed by the media etc and the challenges we face as teachers in forming positive working relationships with our students
The talk with the English cohort was a pleasure. It was a unique experience for me to be faced with 40 students who had all read my novel!
The presentation to the PGCE students was not without its controversies. This comes as no surprise as there is much polarisation within the teaching profession when it comes to where our role as a teacher begins and ends. Quoting many findings from the 'Institute for Public Policy Research - Freedom's Orphans Publication' and attempting to open up debate on key issues it soon became clear that there are many entrenched opinions on both side of the argument.
What I wanted to do was demonstrate what it might feel like to be a teenager today, faced with negativity and labelled as disrespectful in thier lives beyond school, under pressure to be an academic success within school. I looked at how the future of teaching may change to encompass far more wide reaching learning than at present, how schools may become centres for youth activities during evenings and weekends, how the practice of teaching may alter accordingly with teacher working hours becoming more flexible and subjects widening to embrace talented/dissafected students in any number of ways. The response was mixed.
I also brought up one of my biggest concerns regarding the current 'culture of fear' that exists between adults and children and looked at some of the ways that we as teachers can help bridge that gap. I suggested that in the age of technology, where many of our students live lives in the word of cyberspace, there might be a time where we as teachers put our fears behind us and enter into that world ourselves, exchanging e-mails with our students for instance as a way of delivering/receiving information, communicating through MSN and other chat environments. Naturally there was a mixed response with many teachers feeling this was a step too far.
The only thing that really upsets me about this response is that often the reasons behind it are centered on a fear teachers have of putting themselves in a vulnerable position, open to all types of suspicions and accusations. While these worries are valid it is very depressing to me that we have reached the stage where young people and adults cannot engage in any type of relationship beyond the classroom without a cloud of fear looming over them. Are we not in danger of losing the sunlight altogether?
posted by Danny Rhodes at 9:23 AM
0 comments
