Waffle here about anything and everything

[Steve Toy]

I've been out of teaching for nearly ten years but streaming was replaced a long time ago with setting. The difference is simply that setting is selection tailored to individual subjects or subject groups, according to timetable constraints, rather than being put into the same stream for every subject. Thus you could be in set one for maths and set two for French, for example, rather than being in one stream for the lot.

Mixed ability teaching really sucks. Its place is in an idealist Utopean dream for social engineers rather catering for the learning needs of individuals. Mixed ability lesson planning is also a fucking nightmare.

[Chris Frost]

Mixed ability teaching - for 11-16 yr olds? Who the hell gave that car crash the green light

[Iain Sinclair]

I've been out of teaching for nearly ten years but streaming was replaced a long time ago with setting. The difference is simply that setting is selection tailored to individual subjects or subject groups, according to timetable constraints, rather than being put into the same stream for every subject. Thus you could be in set one for maths and set two for French, for example, rather than being in one stream for the lot.

Mixed ability teaching really sucks. Its place is in an idealist Utopean dream for social engineers rather catering for the learning needs of individuals. Mixed ability lesson planning is also a fucking nightmare.

Back in the mists of time, when I was at school, we had mixed ability classes. Granted, it was a grammar school, and granted there were three 'streams' for each year, but for individual subjects such as maths the duffers (eg me) were taught with the bright lads (or 'spods' as they were affectionately known). A terrible experience for all concerned, and one which has left me with an abiding fear of any sum in which numbers are replaced by letters and/or where you have to calculate how much sooner a bloke walking at 4mph will reach point A than another bloke walking at 3 mph.

By the same token, English lessons contained a mix of sophisticated, erudite, well-read intellectuals, and blokes who followed the words in their books with their fingers and mouthed the words at the same time.

My two children have been right through the school system, but I have no idea whether they were streamed or setted or whatever. I think on the whole they welcomed my somewhat detached attitude.

[Filterlab]

...By the same token, English lessons contained a mix of sophisticated, erudite, well-read intellectuals, and blokes who followed the words in their books with their fingers and mouthed the words at the same time.

Hehehehe.

At my high school everyone who moved from a middle school started straight into year 2 (like me). However there were some local schools which were lower rather than first & middle. The pupils coming from a lower school went into year 1 and were brandish with either 1i (intelligent), 1n (normal) or 1t (thickys). Now I'm not sure that the 't' actually stood for thickys, but I'm positive it meant something along those lines.

Modern schooling isn't a patch on the realism of 'old schools'. Great days, I remember laughing lots and getting the slipper once - but it was for a trivial crime; hanging a year 1 student by his shoelaces from the banister on the steps to a mobile classroom.

That's nothing compared to the knifings and drugs that go on these days.

[Filterlab]

Oh, I had some absolutely fantastic teachers too.

My favourite was Mr Harris the corduroy wearing (trousers AND jacket) quietly spoken art teacher. His first name was Wayne and we used to address him as such when there were no 'harder' teachers about. In art class after school he used to bring his guitar in and strum a few tunes whilst we did our artwork, we'd all be singing along to the best of Burt Bacharach with brushes in our hands.

Man, only as an adult does one truly appreciate how care-free those school days were.

[jcbrum]

That's nothing compared to the knifings and drugs that go on these days.

Arrhh, ........... come on now Rob, .. that only happens in Surrey

[Filterlab]

Actually it doesn't, we have high-end crimes here; fraud, bribery, extortion and politicians exposing themselves in royal parks - all with gentlemanly conduct of course.

[Marco]

I was a boring little brat who went to Prep school in his silly little grey shorts, satchel and cap. You should see some of the photographs: 'cringe-worthy' doesn't even begin to explain it!

We even had elocution lessons, ha-ha, but I was doing Algebra and O-level standard French and English in Primary 5. The school was basically an old Victorian house with very small classrooms (in terms of the amount of pupils) so the one-to-one teacher to pupil attention was fantastic, and the standard of education excellent as a result.

I think the fees must have been too much of a shock for the old man though as I attended a bog standard (but well respected) state Secondary school where I was taught, in the main, by nuns. The atmosphere was rather disciplinarian and extremely strict in terms of learning, especially with Latin!

There were plenty of fun times, though, especially during 5th and 6th year in Secondary school, where I was a bit of a lad to say the least

Anyway, that explains why I'm such a big dafty today!

Marco.