I first outline a lesson of RE that took place in my school in year 9. We had just been assigned new form teachers, mine being the most frightening prospect since attending the school. We were told to stand in silence outside the RE classroom and were then berated by the teacher. This was the first RE lesson of the academic year. The teacher (who shall remain nameless) told us all that our new form teacher wasn't happy with some of our grades from the previous year, and that because of this- there would be two separate lessons within the classroom. The students who acheived grades deemed to be 'acceptable to their personal ability' were seated in the middle of the classroom and were allowed to sit with a friend and converse. The teacher even gave them sweets. The rest of us were sat by ourselves on the outer aisles of the classroom, in silence to work on a worksheet.
Now, I know that I was terrified. I was terrified that my new teacher- who we would have for the next three years- didn't like me, that if I hadn't done well enough in the previous year- which had been me working at my hardest- that I would certainly fail and get into trouble. I put my hand up to ask a question and the teacher told me to simply 'get on with my work'. By this time I was very distressed. That was the first time I ever walked out of a lesson. I stayed in the girl's bathroom until the end of the period- and sobbed the entire time. Less than a minute after I left, the teacher had sent another girl out of the class to go after me- apparently the lesson she had been trying to teach ceased immediately after I left the room.
The lesson had been on 'discrimination'- and this was somehow meant to have taught us how classes used to be taught with some students being treated better than others. However, I felt- and do to this day- that this wasn't taught in an effective manner. A better lesson would be to select a group of students based on eye or hair color and explaining why- giving them sweets but no one else. This is what they now do. Their choice to make it about grades was, however unintentionally, cruel. Particularly at a school where grades and acheivement are of the utmost importance. This lesson, and the school itself, reaped havoc on my self esteem for over a year. I was unconfident in my ability to learn, as a result I stayed up into all hours of the night- an affliction I still suffer from now- to study, I had regular nosebleeds, headaches, I stopped eating properly- which could have been avoided. Of course, this may have happened eventually anyway, but even though the lesson was explained to me- and i was told that it was untrue that my form teacher was unhappy with my work- that seed had already been planted.
But if my experience was misguided- the following situation is just idiocy refined and personified.
Taken from: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/educationnews/7519836/School-condemned-after-pupils-left-in-tears-by-mock-shooting.html
Blackminster Middle School in Evesham, Worcs, faced condemnation from parents after their children were left traumatised by the mock shooting.
The youngsters, aged between 10 and 13, thought they were taking part in a fire drill when an alarm bell rang and they were ushered out into the playground. But they were left in terror as a man appeared brandishing a gun and appeared to shoot dead Richard Kent, their science teacher, as he ran across a field. Following a loud bang simulating a gunshot, other staff involved in the act rushed to the teacher's aid and appeared to try to resuscitate him. There was a delay of 10 minutes before weeping pupils were taken back to the assembly hall where teachers explained that the pretend shooting had been laid on as part of a science lesson. But some of the children were left in shock with some being sick and one girl suffering a panic attack, parents claim. The school was forced to apologise to parents, admitting that the stunt on Tuesday afternoon had gone “too far” and that pupils should have had their fears allayed sooner.
How this could ever have been seen as a good idea is beyond me. Leading anyone, yet alone children, to beleive that someone has been shot down and killed in front of them it stupid- of course it was going to horrify them- of course they were going to be upset. I don't suppose anyone can help me to understand how this could ever have been viewed as a positive lesson to teach?
Written Badly by Naomi Wong
Shock tactics, such as those used in your examples, rarely, if ever, produce the positive 'lesson' it was intended to achieve.
ReplyDeleteThe mock shooting was beyond reprehensible, that sort of thing doesn't happen here in the UK, but even in the US where this type of tragedy does happen, children don't need it rubbed in there faces.
The discrimination lesson was also tactless and obviously there had been no forethought about the effects it would have on pupils.
Whilst I agree that children tend to learn best by example and participation, there has to be limits. You wouldn't stick a childs hand in a pot of boiling water to prove a point.
I found RE lessons boring and monotonous until yrs 10/11. It was compulsory to take them throughout my whole school life but I had hoped to drop them in my option years. We had one term a year, and the teacher who realised that none of us had chosen the subject made them more interesting by talking about life, sex, relationships and everyday things.
One other thing, people tended to associate being fat with being lazy and stupid. This meant I had to work harder than the skinny minnies to prove myself. My chosen activities, trampolining and gymnastics. And yes I did feel smug when I wiped the floor with them in competition.
Two questions:
ReplyDelete1. What's RE?
2. Couldn't anyone have thought of a better way to teach "collecting facts and analyzing evidence?" (Sorry, American spelling default:) ) We used to do that with a "stranger" who came in and "stole" the gradebook. No nightmares, there.
B- RE is "Religious Education", they also use it to teach things like discrimination and that- we didn't learn about Martin Luther King Jr in history- we learned in RE.
ReplyDeleteYeah, the whole incident was just stupid. how educators could ever believe it was a good idea is beyond me...