Bill Boyd’s Literacy Adviser

Compelling evidence has been found to suggest that Curriculum for Excellence is not in fact a vision for education in Scotland in the 21st Century but has been kicking around since the beginning of the 20th! Just look and listen to some of the language in these two texts. The first is from a Headteacher’s retirement speech made in 1904. Amazingly the film clip, from the Scottish Screen Archive of the National Library of Scotland, was recorded in 1938.

George F Duthie, a Victorian Headmaster, retired in 1904. He had been head at Woodside School , Aberdeen , for 50 years. He was also active in the EIS.

The following is from his retirement speech:

 “I taught the children, and they taught me; for I had much to learn of them and from them…The fact of difference of home circumstance – differences of temperament, of degrees of ability, mental and physical, of the power of sympathy and kindly words, became more and more to me elements in the problem of school keeping, and now I’m persuaded that a school curriculum which does not permit of the exercise of all these, carried on in a quiet, deliberate, and I had almost said leisurely way, will fail to develop the kind of men and women we would all like to see taking our places in the world… What we teach is important. How we teach is much more so.”

At the retirement, another teacher said of Mr Duthie that “..he imparted knowledge on true educative lines, sometimes leading in advance, ofttimes accompanying, but never driving, his pupils. He taught them to think for themselves , and he did so with quiet enthusiasm and cheerful kindness. …”

Exam marking finished and posted at last! The exercise has confirmed my belief that those who are able to see inside the setter’s head (students and teachers) are best placed to succeed. Couldn’t quite agree with what was required for some of the answers even after attending the markers’ meeting, although I can accept that the important thing when marking is to be consistent. When you boil it down, it seems to me that the difference between success and failure is whether a candidate is aware of the difference between “how” and “why”, not always an easy distinction to explain in the west of Scotland.

In fact, language can often be a barrier to success for many candidates, as was demonstrated in one school last year at the start of the Intermediate Practical Cookery examination. On opening the paper and finding the instructions, “1. Heat 3 tbsps of oil in a pan. 2. Add chicken and seal.” a distressed candidate put up her hand and asked the invigilator for assurance that they did in fact only have chicken.

Teachers’ thoughts are now turning to the long summer holidays of course, and why wouldn’t they. The job doesn’t get any easier and is much more physically demanding than people realise. But is there a more sensible way to organise the school year so that everyone wins? The Institute for Public Policy Research certainly thinks so. In a recent study they found that not only do young people’s reading and maths abilities regress over the long summer break, but the poverty of access to out of school activities for children from socially disadvantaged areas increases the gap between the haves and the have-nots. I think there are several other good reasons for re-adjusting the traditional school year. If you want to read more and join the debate you can read the original article in the TES archive.

I’ve been critical throughout my career of the fact that the examination industry determines how the curriculum is organised in our schools, especially in secondary schools of course. It’s the assessment tail wagging the curriculum dog. Having said that, we do examinations well in this country and of all the examination bodies and systems in the world I’m sure the SQA is up there in the premier league. I have to say that because I’m still marking Intermediate 2 English Close Reading Papers - you have to request to have your name taken off the list nowadays otherwise they keep you on by default. It’s an interesting exercise if not quite money for old rope! However, no matter how efficient the system is ( I believe we have the only system in the world with an appeals process built in, or did I imagine that?) you have to ask yourself, are we really serving our young people well simply by making them better at passing exams?

What a hectic week last week was. Took part in the much-anticipated (by me) interview on the Fred MacAulay show on Radio Scotland. After delusions of chatting to Fred over the course of an hour or so and eventually being offered a daily programme of my own, I actually had approximately 4 minute squeezed between a man talking about car insurance and a woman who runs her own ironing business. Now I know why the art of the soundbite is so important.  Came back to sit in on the first of a series of Inspiration Sessions at LTS run by Ewan. Taking as its starting point a truly inspirational clip of Ken Robinson presenting a twenty minute talk called “Do Schools Kill Creativity?” it was the stimulus for some great discussion. I am absolutely convinced, as Robinson clearly is, that the traditional hierarchy of subjects in schools, and an outdated notion of what constitutes intelligence, is stifling creativity and halting our progress to building a curriculum fit for the 21st Century. You can read more of my thoughts on this if you follow the link to an article I wrote last year for TES.

I had a phone call at the end of last week inviting me on to this Tuesday’s Fred MacAulay show on Radio Scotland.  Imagine my disappointment to learn that it was not because word had got out about the success of my Chic Murray impersonation but to talk about exam stress and how to avoid it. It’s exam season in Scotland again, and students, teachers and parents will be feeling the pressure. I was asked to provide similar advice for new teachers on Leaning and Teaching Scotland’s website some time ago and what I offered then was really just a matter of common sense. The key points for me are:-

• Preparation is everything. Draw up a study plan and stick to it
• Eat and sleep well. Avoid fatty foods and too much sugar. Drink plenty of water and resist fizzy drinks
• Take some exercise. Swimming, cycling or walking are probably best
• Think long-term. Decide what your next move will be in the event of best and worst-case exam scenarios

Remember,

Learning is for life.

Some stress is necessary. Otherwise we wouldn’t perform at our best.