Excerpt From:
Islamic
Home Schooling Advisory Network Newsletter
Volume
1 Issue 1
TIME
WELL SPENT?
Most people
assume that a child being taught at home is being deprived of something, whether
academically or socially. As an experienced secondary teacher I would
immediately answer this claim with the observation that most of our children in
state schools are also being deprived. This includes, amongst many other things,
being deprived of:
·
Individual care and attention from
teachers.
· The right to be a ‘good’ student
without being bullied for it.
· The right to be ‘unfashionable’ or
different without being called names.
· An education that matches the needs and
ability of the pupil.
· An Islamic, moral ethos and environment
conducive to the development of a Muslim child’s character and to the
realisation of his full academic potential.
The social problems and appalling
behaviour found in schools, which reflect the state of modern Western Society,
are fairly apparent to most Muslim parents but do we also realise to what extent
schools let our children down academically? The whole system of large classes in
large institutions, the failure of many parents to control and discipline their
children and the huge workload expected from teachers are just some of the
factors I feel are to blame. The teachers themselves are fighting a losing
battle. Admittedly there are poor teachers; teachers that hate their job and
shouldn’t be doing it, and teachers whose moral standards and expectations are
typical of today’s ‘society’. But there are also many good, well-meaning
teachers who give one hundred percent commitment but are still unable to do the
job properly.
So why is it so difficult to
successfully teach a class in state school? When examining this question let us
not forget that people have become accustomed to the school system and therefore
judge a child’s achievements to be successful when, in fact, that child is
probably capable of much more. If we think of the level of the GCSE exams, is
this really all children could achieve after twelve years (from age 4) in
school?
Firstly, a huge amount of time is
wasted. As a French teacher I taught each of my classes for two separate hours
per week. Let us look at a typical lesson, from 1:25pm through to 2:25pm:
1:25
The bell goes for the end of registration. No time is allowed for
movement between classrooms, so my pupils arrive several minutes late.
1:28
I ask for quiet before taking the register. I am held up a few times as a
couple of students are still talking or noisily taking books out of their bags.
A couple arrive late, and give their excuses. One is wearing trainers and I ask
him to change into shoes.
1:32
I finally start the lesson. Someone has forgotten their textbook
(there’s always at least one per class) so they have to be moved to share with
someone, or given a photocopied sheet.
1:33
I give my presentation/introduction. During this I will probably have to
ask pupils to pay attention several times.
1:43 Pupils start individual work. They
are given ten minutes to complete a task. During this time many will only spend
around half the time concentrating fully on the work. In the meantime I monitor
their work and give help where needed. During the ten minutes I will probably
help around three or four pupils.
1:53
I Introduce a different activity and then explain the task.
2:00
There is more individual, focused work. I am able to help another four or
five students.
2:15
I stop the students to explain their homework.
2:20
Pupils are told to pack away.
2:23
Pupils stand behind their chairs while I inspect the room for litter and
graffiti.
2:25
The class is dismissed.
The total learning time comes to
approximately 35 minutes. Around nine pupils will have received individual help
from the teacher.
Perhaps the most striking thing is how
little attention is given to individual pupils. There will be at least one
pupil, probably more, who will have written the date and the title in their
books and nothing more. They may be lazy, but the more likely explanation is
that they do not understand the work. Many children with learning difficulties
also have behavioural difficulties and therefore an image to live up to. They
may be reluctant to ask for help, and teachers often give priority to pupils who
ask for assistance when time is restricted. Many will go home and struggle to
complete their homework, or not even attempt it.
Any trained teacher will know the theoretical solution
to this problem is differentiation - delivering a lesson which incorporates
several different levels of ability at the same time. Sound difficult? It is.
The theory is to cater for three or four different ability levels within every
lesson. Now most comprehensive schools have ‘mixed ability’ lessons instead
of ‘streaming’ or ‘setting’ pupils. Most teachers struggle to even
provide for two levels. This is because it’s twice the preparation and also
because it’s so difficult to deliver both simultaneously. During the
teacher’s presentation/talking time only one level is catered for, that of the
majority or the lower level, quite often. You feel that the more able pupils are
not being stretched and you feel a little sad for them, as they are capable of
better. This feeling is heightened by the inevitable interruptions from
disruptive pupils, again wasting the other pupils’ time.
Of course the main problem is the sheer
number of pupils in the class. Most classes in secondary school contain 25-30
pupils, with one teacher. On rare occasions an assistant is provided to help a
child with special needs.
In order to teach effectively a teacher
must get to know their students. It is important to build a relationship with
the pupils so that they feel able to approach the teacher for help. It is vital
to assess the pupils’ level, preferred learning methods, character, emotional
state and constantly evaluate their progress and needs. When a secondary teacher
has several classes of thirty, each of which they see for two or three hours per
week, it takes a couple of months to even learn the pupils’ names, let alone
their character. Every teacher will admit to meeting at least one set of parents
on a parents evening and talking about a pupil they cannot even remember
teaching. The current situation in many London schools is that pupils rarely
have the same teacher for more than a year, and often their teacher will change
several times during that year. When I took over a year eight French class one
September, they had previously had twenty different French teachers -mostly
supply teachers.
This situation is worlds apart from that
of a parent educating their child at home. Just the one-to-one ratio is
obviously an enormous advantage. Why is it that people pay such high fees for
private tutors? Because of the one-to-one attention and the huge difference it
makes compared to learning in a class. Everything the teacher says and prepares
is tailor made for the pupil. The lesson takes everything about the pupil into
account; his interests, character, preferred learning methods as well as his
level and ability. When the teacher is also the parent, the added advantage is
the love for the child and eagerness for that child to achieve. The parent also
knows everything about the child, making it easier to understand how he learns.
Of course the main disadvantage could be
the parent’s lack of knowledge in some subject areas. However, considering the
low level that is required at GCSE it should not be hard for the parent to
research a little ahead of time and get help or advice from other home educators
or knowledgeable people when necessary. The main component of most lessons is the resources; if you
have these plus the natural nurturing instinct towards your child, the results
must surely be superior to the quality of education provided by many schools
today.
-Fadila Aoumeur
ISLAMIC
HOME SCHOOLING
ADVISORY
NETWORK
-IHSAN-
PO Box 30671, London, E1 OTG, ENGLAND
Phone/Fax: 020 8851 1866