Schools and the power of the pupil...
On the programme tonight, Andrew Bomford will report on what's happening at John Hanson School in Andover in Hampshire.
The introduction to the item says:
"Do children need more rights? If you're the victim of anti-social behaviour at the hands of children you're probably thinking "certainly not". But today, on the 18th anniversary of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, the UN is asking you to think again. Here's one reason why. In the UK more than 200 schools have become "Rights Respecting Schools", which alongside rights also stress "respect" and "responsibility". Its the 3R's, but not the traditional ones... "
And Andrew adds this to accompany the photos below which
"show some Year 11 students discussing a recent visit to a secondary school in a rural part of Ghana which they are linking up with. Note that it is the students, not the teacher, leading the discussion. The concept of "rights, respect, and responsibility" is all about pupils having the right to voice their opinions, and others respecting their right to be heard. The students say the pupil-teacher relationshiop is not about "us and them", and the result has been to create a school which feels more like a community. They say it has had a big impact on issues like bullying, and helped foster an improvement in attendance and exam results. More schools are becoming rights respecting schools."
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This is how education should work, imho. It should be a collaboration between students and teachers, with the teacher facilitating learning and encouraging other pupils to help one another. And, let's not forget, the teacher isn't a god, just a bit ahead in their specialist area. Students bring with them their own experiences and knowledge, which can enrich the lives not only of their peers but also of the teacher.
I learnt a lot from my students over the years in which I was teaching, and my acknowledgement and respect for their talents and experiences made them respect me and what I could give them much much more. I am a great believer in creating a disciplined environment in the classroom based upon mutual respect, not through hierarchies.
I'm looking forward greatly to this report tonight.
This reminds me of what Dartington School was always said to be trying to achieve, back in the 1960s and 1970s. Laudible!
I have to say that I know some people who went through that school and came out at the other end seriously incompetent to deal with real life, and others who are very well-balanced and sensible indeed. This leads me to think that like every system for dealing with hundreds of people, each different, it will work for some and not for others. The trouble with trying to treat everyone of every age as a reasonable person, of course, is that not everyone *is* reasonable, certainly not all the time...
I have taught in schools where this works and schools where it does not. The key is that in those schools where it DOES work mutual respect has been fostered from day 1. there is also a clear message coming from the top of the school (The Head) that disrespect of staff will not be tolerated anymore than disrespect of students.
I am currently Head of Year 11 in a school where, to coin an awful phrase i hoped I'd never use, the kids know all about their rights but nothing about their responsibilities. A number of them think nothing of shouting, swearing, insulting and ignoring their teachers but heaven help the teacher who DARES to do the same to them. i know we are the adults but it strikes me that, had these students had a stronger message sent to them from home and school that adults as well as children deserve respect, they would be facing their futures with much more positivity and their time at school would have been much more enjoyable.
"Today we will debate whether 2 + 2 = 4."
JimmyGiro @ 4, there are people in some scientific-academic disciplines who will debate the suggestion that 2+2=4 given a particular set of perameters, but may not always do so.
Joan (3) make some good points. I was impressed by the maturity and commitment of the pupils I spoke to at John Hanson School, and I think the initiative is clearly working there. But I did wonder how transferrable it is. In some schools teaching is closer to crowd control and the idea of giving children more rights would seem to be inviting trouble. But the idea is as much about respect and responsibility as it is about rights, and I think children often respond positively when given the respect they deserve. The initiative is the brainchild of Unicef, and you can find out more information about on their website: www.unicef.org.uk/rrsa
Chris G @5 - Sounds like chemists to me... don't ever turn your back on 'em!
I'm presently on a part-time teaching course (PTLLS) at the local college, and most of the fellow students have done their 'MicroTeaches' (20 min. lessons to the class).
My lesson included some 'ratio' calculations, nothing too taxing, and well within the level 2 numeracy expected from teachers, of which most of my fellow students are currently teachers themselves (I and one other being unemployed).
I was rather dumbstruck at the lack of numeracy, and how 'debating' seems to be used to cover-up the lack of substance in lessons.
My point of view regarding the respect between teacher and student is summed here:
Good stuff Jimmy!
xx
ed
fortune: No such file or directory
Good stuff, Jimmy!
From the void, eh?
Salaam/Shalom/Shanthi/Dorood/Peace
Namaste -ed
A priest asked: What is Fate, Master?
And the Master answered:
It is that which gives a beast of burden its reason for existence. It is that which men in former times had to bear upon their backs.
It is that which has caused nations to build byways from City to City upon which carts and coaches pass, and alongside which inns have come to be built to stave off Hunger, Thirst and Weariness.
And that is Fate? said the priest.
Fate... I thought you said Freight, responded the Master.
That's all right, said the priest. I wanted to know what Freight was too.
-- Kehlog Albran, "The Profit"
Andrew, your piece captured much of the esence of what is happening in our school. Time will tell how transferrable the UNICEF Rights Respecting School is in secondary schools, but there are a number of teachers and school leaders around the country who are working hard, with some success, to demonstrate that what is hapening at John Hanson is not a one-off. It is important for listeners to appreciate that the process is not a quick fix if a school has a problem with behaviour, for example. Your piece illustrated that students can be suspicious about the intentions of their teachers initially, and only sustained effort, commitment and sincerity from school leaders through to classroom assistants will allay students' fears. A key element of this effort is for students to learn about the UN Charter on the Rights of the Child. They quickly appreciate that the Charter applies to them, now, and they then follow the logic that if the Charter protects them, then it must also protect every other child in the world. This leads, at differing rates for different students) to a heightened sense of responsibility for how their actions (positive or negative) affect others in the school, and also for how they can play a part active global citizenship.
The measurable impact of this initiative was far from immediate for us. It has taken us 3 years since we launched it in school - but the evidence is there to be seen now, and it was acknowledged by OFSTED recently as being at the core of the school's positive ethos.
Joan (no 3) raises a frequently-expressed concern: that "young people know all about their rights...". Sadly this is far from true. Part of the problem is that there is a general sloppiness in public discussion about rights. There is much misinformation. When pressed, very few people can give clear examples of what rights children have or the responsibilities that fall on governments, parents and children themselves as a consequence. In achools that have achieved the UNICEF Rights Respecting School Award, young people and adults alike learn exactly what rights and responsibilities are as set out in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. Young people themselves are seeing that embedding rights and responsibilities in a school's ethos and curriculum is having a positive impact on their own well-being and progress. The same is true of the adults working with them as indicated by Steve Evatt (10)
The Government has a duty under article 42 to ensure all children AND PARENTS know about the CRC, but sadly, instead of seeing te opportunities presented by this responsibility, they see only threats based on prejudices.