... Continuing from my previous post about university interviews, here are the 2 short talks that I prepared and gave.
The first talk was regarding homework in primary schools:
"Homework has been the
topic of controversy for many years; not only within the UK but
around the world with some teachers and groups such as the Parents
Outloud charity calling for schools to abolish it all together;
following in the footsteps of some areas of Europe such as Denmark
which has piloted homework-free schools.
John Hattie (Professor
of Education at the University of Melbourne) described homework as
“low hanging fruit” in a recent BBC interview, continuing with
the surprising finding that homework in primary schools in fact has
no impact on children's achievement. Despite this, he does not call
for homework to be abolished, but rather for teachers and schools to
rethink the value of the tasks and work that they are setting.
I am involved in many
discussion groups on the social network 'twitter', where
professionals from the early years, primary and secondary sectors can
share ideas and discuss relevant issues. During these talks I have
found that many Primary Teachers share the feelings of Professor
Hattie that homework can be beneficial to children if it is used to
reinforce the learning that takes place in the classroom, however it
is vital that homework is planned with the same rigour as lessons and
involves stimulating activities, rather than just tedious or 'boring'
tasks.
On reading many of the
Homework Policies for (my town's) Schools, I found that homework is
promoted as a valuable link between home and at school, allowing
parents to become involved in the learning and development of their
children. Many parents wish to be helpful and
engage with their child's education and well planned homework can
allow them to do this. Unfortunately
it can also be said that homework is a major cause of friction and
stress within many households, which raises the concern of children
being discouraged from learning as they begin to associate work with
being source of conflict with parents rather
than a positive learning experience.
Completing homework can
provide children with many valuable skills such as time management
and responsibility and abolishing homework would be damaging as it
prepares them for high school and later life where increasing amounts
of self led learning is essential.
Despite this it is also
important to remember that children need appropriate amounts of
'downtime' and that there must be a degree of separation between home
life and school. Especially for children with difficult home lives or
for those who find school particularly challenging.
When setting homework,
teachers should take into consideration that extra curricular
activities such as sport or drama clubs allow children to continue
their learning in different ways. If vast amounts of homework is set
then children who engage in these extra activities are left with less
and less time to relax and recharge before beginning the next day.
Professor Hattie pointed out in his study that 10 – 20 minutes of
homework is just as valuable as 1 – 2 hours. This again comes back
to the quality of the homework being set.
In conclusion, In the
hands of passionate, skilled teachers; I feel that homework can be a
valuable tool to extend learning and to enrich knowledge that is
learned in the classroom. However it is vital that homework is
planned and only given when it will benefit the children's learning
rather than being set simply because a policy says so."
My second talk was about outdoor learning:
"As
the interest in learning and playing outdoors continues to grow both
in the UK and internationally, I have decided to speak to you today
about some of the benefits of outdoor education and learning through
nature.
Outdoor
education defines any learning that takes place outside of the school
walls, whether it be in a playground or further afield in a forest or
on a beach. In Scotland we are lucky enough to have access to a huge
variety of natural environments and it is essential that children are
provided with opportunities to explore the wonder and magic of their
natural surroundings throughout their education.
The
curriculum for excellence states that in order for children to
develop into Confident Individuals, they must be provided with
opportunities to be active. There is a frightening prediction in The
Foresight Report (2007) which concluded that half of the UK
population could be obese by 2050 and with the temptations of
technology such as television, ipads and video games, it is easy to
see this becoming a reality.
By taking children out of the classroom and engaging them in outdoor
learning, teachers are able to promote the benefits of an active
lifestyle and the enjoyment that goes alongside exercise.
Outdoor education allows for many different learning styles, from
visual to kinaesthetic and provides children with relevance and
depth to the curriculum as they are able to apply their learning
within real life contexts. Learning in this way promotes self esteem
and confidence, it can also be used to teach team work and problem
solving as well as improving attitudes towards the environment.
From my own first hand experience working within a pre school which
promotes outdoor education and forest school experiences, I have
witnessed the positive impact of outdoor education, including
increased motivation and enthusiasm for learning, that continues even
on returning into the classroom environment.
Of course, there are many factors which must be given careful
consideration when taking learning outside. Risk assessments must be
rigorously completed and accessibility for all students, including
those with additional special needs must be taken into account.
However, with careful planning and preparation, teachers are able to
overcome these challenges in order to provide valuable experiences
for the children.
I
believe that taking education out of the classroom gives them access
to a wealth of benefits and by allowing children to explore and
investigate of our natural world, together we can ensure that
learning is powerful, exciting and rewarding."
Keep in mind, I had a 2 minute limit for each, and there is so much more I could have said about either topic!
