Universidade
Moocs are the clever way to keep up to date
Leading UK universities offer short Mooc courses to help mature students stay abreast of the latest developments
The world of distance learning has changed beyond recognition since the first correspondence courses dropped onto doormats more than 40 years ago. Classes of thousands from around the world can now join interactive lectures for free. This is the world of moocs – massive open online courses – which have blazed a trail in the US. This autumn, 21 UK universities – including Bristol, Leeds and Southampton – are preparing to launch their own moocs in partnership with the Open University.
While moocs mostly don't set entry requirements, they are pitched between "taster" and postgraduate level – short chunks of learning that will enable students to dip their toe into a subject – science or arts – or keep up to speed with changing career needs.
Early analysis of mooc students shows most of them to be mature learners who already hold one or two degrees; this is the experience of the University of Edinburgh, which announced the first UK moocs in July last year and saw 308,000 students from 167 different countries sign up to a handful of subjects, from an introduction to philosophy to the more advanced artificial intelligence planning. While completion rates on nearly all moocs are low – somewhere below 10% – this doesn't matter, says Jeff Haywood, professor of education and technology. Some 12% of students completed Edinburgh's first batch of moocs. Many sign up to "window shop" or dip in and out, which is no bad thing, he says. Edinburgh's students came mostly from the US and UK and those who responded to the survey said the courses met or exceeded expectations.
Those in the know are hotly anticipating FutureLearn's forthcoming courses – because they draw on impressive UK pedigree – many Russell Group universities, the British Library, the British Council and the Open University, with years of experience in distance learning.
This new batch of UK moocs will be typically about eight weeks or less and subjects offered will play to universities' individual strengths. Southampton for instance is considering oceanography, web science and mechanical engineering.
Key to a good mooc is the right mix of intuitive, efficient technology combined with well-designed content and effective peer insights.
"This is the beginning of something – moocs are innovative and evolving," says Alan Greenberg, director of education at video learning platform MediaCore, "Good moocs will be successful; the less good will fail miserably."
Game theory applied to PR
Katy Swainston, 26, completed a six-week mooc in gamification (the application of digital game design techniques to non-game problems) offered by the University of Pennsylvania in partnership with Coursera. She works in PR in London and has an MA in museum studies.
I was really interested in further learning outside my job. This course jumped out at me – it seemed pitched at the right level. About 63,000 signed up. I've spent about four to five hours a week on it – it's a mix of video lectures, live chats with the tutor who was inspirational. I was slightly concerned before the peer assessment (students mark each other's written work) but we were given such good guidelines and it was helpful to get different perspectives. (Online) discussions were useful for ironing out specific questions and communicating with others.
It's been really well-received at work – we have such a culture of knowledge sharing. This mooc was well thought out and engaging and learning was reinforced all the way along so the knowledge stays with you. And it didn't finish with a big exam so there wasn't that sort of pressure but we were learning quite complicated things toward the end. And it was free.
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Survey finds little opposition to comprehensive schools: From the archive, 18 June 1964
Opposition to the new system centres among middle-class mothers whose children attend a model primary school with an enviable 11-plus record
The typical woman opponent of comprehensive schools is middle-class, a grammar school product, and an optimist about her offspring's 11-plus prospects. The typical woman supporter of comprehensives is more likely to have left school at 15, to know what comprehensives are about, and to be married to a manual worker.
This tentative typecasting, based on the results of a survey published today, goes some way to clouding the dream of electoral bliss which some Conservative opponents of comprehensive schools have conjured up for party delectation. Destruction of grammar schools, far from being political dynamite, seems a damp squib with distinct tendencies to backfire.
The survey, conducted by Mr Stephen Hatch, a research officer at the University of Essex, and published in a "Where?" report solicited 135 maternal opinions in Basildon and Brentwood, Essex. Allowing for the expected but depressing fact that nearly half had only the woolliest notion of what comprehensive education involved, the sample, all of whom had children taking the 11-plus this year, divided 2:1 in favour of comprehensives.
Profound parental muddle and ignorance marked all stages of the inquiry. Only 57 per cent knew comprehensive schools were nonselective. Over half supported the introduction of comprehensive methods, and over half, too, were in favour of children going on together.
But these two halves, bizarrely, were not the same. A mere 37 per cent said "Yes" to both. Comprehensive schools, it should be added, are being introduced in many parts of Essex.
Mr Hatch found very few opponents among the working class. Opposition was basically centred among middle-class mothers whose children attended a model primary school with an enviable 11-plus record. They criticised size, levelling down, and grammar school abolition in roughly equal proportions.
"Where?" comments that because the middle class is supposedly more articulate "one should beware of taking the noisiness of opposition as a measure of its size." It is a lesson which party strategists - comparing the volume of protest in test cases like Bristol and Liverpool with subsequent local election swings, are already taking to heart - though there does seem to be a period, during introduction of the new system, when the issue grows marginally more potent.
But as a determining election factor, comprehensive schooling is clearly negligible with Labour probably getting whatever small benefits it confers. Labour, too, may be pleased to note that, in the "Where?" inquiry, no mothers with higher education qualifications opposed the system.
The survey reflects a situation which could well sober the invective tomorrow, when the Conservative and Unionist Teachers' Association meets in London for its annual celebration of grammar school inviolability.
Comprehensive schools were introduced nationally in England and Wales in 1965.
Peter Prestonguardian.co.uk © 2013 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds
How has technology transformed the role of a teacher?
Technology allows students to become more independent in the classroom. But is the change from teacher to facilitator a positive move for the profession? Mike Britland is firmly in favour
When I went to school it was common place for a teacher to place a text book in front a set of students and offer the simple yet daunting line, "copy that". There would be no talking to either the teacher or fellow pupils. For me lessons seemed to drag so much that I wasn't engaged in the subject material. I'm proud to say that I became a teacher in spite of the education I received; I believed that I could and would do a better job. This task was made easier through the use of technology in the classroom.
During 10 years in the profession, I've seen technology alter the role the teacher almost beyond all recognition. Teachers have undergone a Kafkaesque metamorphosis from Mr Chips to Mr Jobs; wooden, flip-lid desks have been replaced by iPads. The question we have to ask is, has this change from teacher to that of facilitator of learning been positive? Undeniably so, in my opinion.
Making use of technology to allow students the freedom to discover solutions to problems both independently and collaboratively is a force for good. As educators we strive for students to engage with our subject beyond a superficial level. We want them to be active learners, learners who have a thirst for discovery and knowledge. Technology places the world in the hands of every student inside the confines of your classroom.
There are many ways in which technology can be used in the classroom to engage students and facilitate exciting, engaging and interesting lessons. I'm not going to ignore the fact that there is a cost attached to most things, but it's about getting more bang for your buck, as our American cousins would say. Whatever you choose to use you need to make sure that you're getting it for the right reasons.
If you're not used to allowing your students space to guide their own learning then I can see how this all might seem intimidating; don't let it be. For many of us it feels counterintuitive to allow our students the space to discover solutions as these might not be the ones that we want them to find. Allowing the use of technology in my classroom has freed me from my lesson-plan shackles. It feels strange at first but the this type of emancipation is addictive
We all feel the stresses of getting students through exam courses and allowing them the freedom to wander is sometimes too much for some to allow. However, in my experience allowing the freedom to search and discover the subject through technology has fostered a love for my subject.
The best teachers that I have seen using technology to aid independent learning are the ones who have embraced the power that is already in the pockets of students. Most students have powerful devices, primed and ready to go in their pockets – the dreaded mobile phone. If you're lucky like me, your school will see the power that these wonders hold. Allowing students to unholster these weapons is a liberating experience for both teacher and student. Filming a peer assessment or recording a group discussions and uploading to AudioBoo is yet another way of engaging students.
Allowing yourself the opportunity to do something new and using technology as the tool can open up a cave of treasures that hooks the attention of the student and once you have that it can lead them anywhere.
Mike's tips for getting started with technology in the classroom• Do plan how you're going to use the technology in advance. How is it going to aid the learning of your students? If it isn't going to aid teaching and learning then you shouldn't use it
• Don't buy the latest fad product. There has been a temptation for schools to replace laptops for tablets. This might have been successful for some schools but as good as tablets are, they aren't ready to replace laptops … yet
• Do invest in good CPD in brushing up your ICT skills. This doesn't mean that you have to pay an expensive consultant. Simply ask your ICT department for some training or advice. Also, ask colleagues, NQTs or PGCE students for some fresh technology ideas
• Don't give up. You might try something once and it doesn't work but don't let that put you off. Try and discover what works best for you and your students. If that doesn't work then try something else
• Do focus on how technology can aid not hinder student progress
This content is brought to you by Guardian Professional. Looking for your next role? Take a look at Guardian jobs for schools for thousands of the latest teaching, leadership and support jobs.Mike Britlandguardian.co.uk © 2013 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds
Loi Fioraso : la mobilisation se poursuit (II)
Le 18 juin 2013, une intersyndicale de l'enseignement supérieur et de la recherche (ESR) appelle à manifester contre le projet de loi de Geneviève Fioraso. Elle demande « l'abandon de l'actuel projet de loi sur l'ESR », revendication avec laquelle nous ne pouvons qu'être d'accord. Cependant, un problème très grave nous semble se poser en ce qui concerne l'enseignement dans des langues étrangères (en clair, en anglais). Une question stratégique vitale mais sur laquelle l'intersyndicale ne prend aucune position claire et de surcroît s'en prend aux médias qui se seraient « focalisés sur le seul problème de l’enseignement en langue étrangère…
Technology that traced Osama bin Laden now used to extend life of cakes
Hyperspectral imaging to be employed to study deterioration of sponges and cupcakes and prolong their shelf life
It took 10 years and an elite unit from America's navy seals to hunt down Osama bin Laden. Now the technology used to track the most elusive terrorist in history is at the centre of another top mission to help to enhance the life of cakes in British bakeries.
Strathclyde University has been awarded a grant to examine how the imaging used on the helicopters that surrounded Bin Laden's Pakistan compound in 2011 might be used to perfect cupcakes, Victoria sponges and a host of other staples of the British diet.
They are working with a British food company, Lightbody, to try to accurately plot the deterioration of a cake and formulate a recipe with the best fat, sugar and liquid proportions for taste and shelf life.
"With hyperspectral imaging, you can tell the chemical content of a cake just by taking a photo of it. That allows the baker to optimise the process for shelf life and taste. It tells you what's going on, how the sugars are breaking down, how the fats are breaking down. If bakers can get the formula right, they can extend the shelf life and sell their cakes further afield," said Stephen Marshall, professor of image processing at the university.
In a military context, hyperspectral imaging captures hundreds of values in the electromagnetic spectrum which enable scientists to identify objects without sending them to a laboratory.
A hi-tech snapshot creates an electromagnetic "fingerprint" of the objects which can be used to identify minerals, crop disease, and movements of people and vehicles under military surveillance.
In the hunt for Bin Laden, it would have identified movements of people and vehicles simply by capturing changes in the grounds surrounding the terrorist's compound.
Strathclyde and Lightbody received a grant of £25,000 from the Interface Food & Drink, a Scottish fund designed to forge links between business developers and academic research.
Howell Davies of Interface said: "You can basically take a picture of something and analyse the product without taking it away for testing in a lab. You can see things that you can't see with the human eye."
Lisa O'Carrollguardian.co.uk © 2013 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds
Schools that were promised new buildings are still crumbling, years later
The coalition's Priority Schools Building programme is not delivering results and some pupils are still being taught in buildings that were declared inadequate 10 years ago
There is a cartoon on one of the presentations currently being circulated by the government to schools that have been promised money under the current school building programme. It shows a headteacher figure, pointing a ruler at a blackboard, with a speech bubble that reads: "I really wanted an atrium".
For Karine Jasper, newly appointed headteacher of the Newark academy, the implication is clear: aspirations that heads like Jasper had for their schools under the last government's Building Schools for the Future programme are being derided.
And the staff, pupils and parents at her school are as angry as she is. The Newark academy's predecessor school, the Grove school, is one of hundreds of schools across the country that lost millions of pounds in capital investment when BSF was cancelled by the coalition in 2010.
Education Guardian first visited the Newark school just over a year ago, before it converted to an academy. We met parents who had chosen the school on the basis of its planned new building and were waiting to hear if it would get into the coalition's much less ambitious Priority Schools Building programme (PSBP).
But a year after being told that the school's condition was among the worst in the county, and that it would be one of 261 schools eligible for the new capital investment, the academy is still waiting to hear when any money will actually be available; and if and when the building work might start. Some 715 projects were cancelled with the demise of BSF, and the PSBP includes just 69 of those owing to different eligibility criteria.
Meanwhile, the school's condition is deteriorating rapidly. In one block the classrooms are dark as the windows have been boarded up to support the roof. Some classrooms have holes in the ceiling. Further patching-up work is not economical or feasible because of asbestos.
The temperature in the building can reach over 30C in the summer and below 8C in the winter. Four days after Jasper took over as head in January, she had to close the school. "We had two and a half inches of snow and the roof couldn't tolerate more than three inches. We had to close the school and turn up the heating to melt the snow in order to start teaching again the next day."
It all has an effect, she says. "It's absurd to suggest that working in conditions that are too hot, too cold or without enough light don't affect the morale, self-esteem and aspirations of children and teachers."
Recent announcements from the Department for Education suggest progress on the £2bn PSBP, announced last June, has been patchier than expected. A spokesman said that work had been confirmed with 124 schools, to be funded either through a private finance initiative or direct capital grants. "There has been no delay or change to the timetable," he added.
But raising finance for new PFI schemes, which Michael Gove, the education secretary, announced would be the main source of funding for PSBP, has been harder than anticipated. The remaining schools are due to be funded via capital grants, but this is subject to next week's comprehensive spending review.
It is estimated that a further £1bn is needed, to come either from the Treasury or within the DfE budget, and there is little prospect of replacement funding for the 600-plus schools that lost BSF and are not in the PSBP.
David Simmonds, the Conservative councillor who chairs the Local Government Association's children and young people board, confirms that there are schools up and down the country in the same situation as Newark academy. "The government has gone deathly quiet on this and, frankly, I don't think the schools care where the money comes from as long as they get it because the impact on many of them is enormous," he says. "We know of schools that are literally falling down and still have to compete with brand new builds down the road."
And it is the huge inequalities in provision and facilities that most anger Jasper. She was appointed last year, when the school converted to academy status. Her aspirations are high and part of the attraction of the job was the promise of the new build: "The DfE representative was present at my interview, where it was stated categorically that we would get the funding and therefore the new building," she says.
"I had already taken my old school through BSF so I have the skill set and also the knowledge of how buildings can transform learning and teaching.
"Which is why I get so annoyed when I see things like the 'atrium' being sneered at. We introduced an atrium at my old school and it was absolutely fantastic, it became a real hub for the school, its feeder schools and the community.
"Of course new buildings can't compensate for poor leadership and management. But my worry is that it will become impossible to recruit heads, staff or children who are aspirational to come to learn and work in schools whose conditions are well below par. They will gravitate, like moths, towards the light of the new buildings.
"Every school needs to respond to the needs of its community and we are not in a position to do that. I want every child to have the opportunities the students at my last school enjoyed. All I am asking for is an equitable playing field.
"We have a generation of children coming through who have not got access to the facilities that other children have. Even if we get funding confirmed soon, it will take time for the procurement and the building work to be completed – that would be almost 10 years on from when the people of Newark were told this building wasn't fit for purpose and were promised something better."
Parents and pupils back Jasper's ambition for the school. Elaine Winter, whose son is in year 7 and whose second child is due to transfer to the Newark academy next year, says: "As a parent, you can tell the school is on a real upward trend. The new head is great, the opportunities for the kids are getting better all the time, and as a school it has the real beating heart of a place at the centre of a community. But a new building should be acting as an inspirational shell for all the great work going on. Instead, we are all still waiting and being fobbed off with excuses about 'different pots', while money for untested free schools seems to be readily available. How can that be fair?"
Emily Stafford, in year 10, says: "The school has improved a lot since we started, and I always say to people outside that you shouldn't judge a book by its cover, but we feel we have been let down."
Fellow year-10 pupil Archie Ratcliffe says: "I remember coming here for the taster day when I was in year 6 and being promised a new building then. Now, I feel we will never get one.
"The teaching and the atmosphere here are great. The teachers make it work, in spite of the fact that the walls are too thin, so you can hear what's going on in the next classroom. But we just don't believe what we are being told any more.
"Mr Gove was supposed to come and visit the school but he pulled out at the last minute. Now we feel no one cares."
Fiona Millarguardian.co.uk © 2013 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds
Education in brief: Pupils will study new curriculum but be examined on the old one
English and maths Sats tests will not be changed in time for the launch of the new curriculum; more extreme marketing for teacher training in schools; and is Ofsted being uncommonly harsh?
Sats exam farceMore than half a million pupils in England are to start the new "national" curriculum in September 2014, only to be tested on the old one in 2015, the Department for Education has confirmed.
In what looks like the latest in a succession of problems for the curriculum review, the current English and maths Sats tests for 11-year-olds will not be changed in time for the launch of the new curriculum in September 2014, and will continue to be set for schools during the following year, and possibly longer. This will affect pupils now in year 4, who will take the tests in 2015.
In an email to the teacher blogger Michael Tidd the Department for Education said: "The [Sats] tests must reflect the current statutory curriculum only, [so] I can confirm that we cannot use anything from the draft curriculum as a basis for test content until 2016 at the earliest.
"This will mean that students … ending key stage 2 in 2015 will be taught under the new curriculum for the academic year 2014-15, but assessed under the old curriculum in 2015."
This could create practical difficulties, with subjects including data handling and probability given more prominence in the old curriculum than in the new.
Tidd says many schools are likely to continue teaching the old curriculum to year 6 from September 2014, as Sats results are so important. "It is farcical," he says. The DfE did not respond to requests for comment.
Direct marketingAnother example reaches us of seemingly overzealous marketing for the government's controversial new School Direct teacher training programme. Last month, we reported that the National College for Teaching and Leadership sent an email to would-be trainees, some of whom had already applied for conventional postgraduate certificate in education courses, encouraging them to consider instead trying School Direct, where provision is centred on schools rather than universities.
Last week, the NCTL sent an email to those on its database headlined "School Direct: a new way to train teachers". Underneath was a case study of a school where School Direct trainees had reportedly helped bring about a rapid rise in maths GCSE results. Yet School Direct was only introduced last September, meaning no relevant GCSE results have yet been produced. The NCTL now accepts that the school's results could not have been affected by School Direct trainees, and has "tightened up its approval systems for future promotional material".
Meanwhile, an online survey of 730 members of the National Association for the Teaching of English – 538 of them teachers – found 92% believed the advent of School Direct would lower the quality of initial teacher education; 78% said schools did not have the time to lead teacher education provision.
Ofsted and outClaims that Ofsted inspectors are a little too eager to fail schools that are being prepared to become academies do not seem to go away. Suspicions have been aroused by last month's verdict on Roke primary school, Surrey, which placed the formerly "outstanding" school in special measures just as it prepares to be taken over by the Harris chain, something Roke parents campaigned against.
Comments in the report such as "too little teaching is consistently good" seem to some a questionable basis for Ofsted's worst possible overall verdict. Parents who fought the school's forced academisation have written to the inspectorate to complain, while sending flowers to the teachers. The report also comments on high staff turnover – Roke is reportedly losing 70% of teachers this year – which parents say has been heavily influenced by the takeover process.
Meanwhile, parents at Abbey Meadows primary in Cambridge, which also faces becoming an academy, were aghast to read its recent inspection report, which branded the school "inadequate", and teaching "inadequate" overall, seemingly mainly on the basis of poor teacher assessment results in year 2. Its data for older children suggest "all groups of pupils make good progress", a rapid improvement last year and better results than most "similar schools".
For both schools, almost all respondents completing Ofsted's "parent view" survey were positive about provision.
An Ofsted spokesperson said: "We do not have a preferred model for schools nor are we furthering any political agenda. The decision to judge a school inadequate is not made lightly."
Warwick Mansellguardian.co.uk © 2013 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds
Tell teachers what you want, Ofsted – what you really, really want
Teachers need a clearer idea of what is expected of them so Ofsted must do better, says Laura McInerney
Teachers know the drill. When the text arrives from a friend saying "Uh-oh, Ofsted inspectors on the way, save me now!" you reply saying "Stay calm, just do what you always do, and you'll be fine". Problem is, no one knows if that advice is true any more. After a decade of endless fiddling with the criteria for "outstanding" lessons, plus constant cries that teachers are "failing" some or other group – last week it was the highly able – it has become impossible for teachers to know if their daily practice is what inspectors, or even their own school senior managers, are looking for.
Back in the mid-2000s, the criteria for achieving an outstanding lesson were lengthy but specific. Included were things such as: using technology, varying activities, developing positive relationships. The array of requirements was overwhelming. Sometimes the job of teaching involved being a ringmaster of an elaborate circus of activities. Concerns then arose that this frenetic effort was not translating into outcomes. Ofsted therefore split the criteria, offering a grade for teaching and one for student learning. But this led to its own problems. Schools told teachers they must prove student learning was continually happening. In some classrooms, teachers were pressurised into having students mark their work every 20 minutes to show how they were progressing.
By the start of 2012, when Sir Michael Wilshaw took over at Ofsted, teachers breathed a sigh of relief as he promised to simplify the criteria and said inspectors had "no preferred teaching style". Yet the era of "anything goes" felt short-lived. With detailed criteria gone, school leaders try to "guess" the right approach. Ofsted reports still overwhelmingly praise activities in which students work together and denigrate teachers who talk too much. Yet in a speech last month, Michael Gove, education secretary, lampooned lessons that didn't look adequately traditional and criticised teachers who got students to create interactive presentations, or act as "history detectives", or plan a fashion parade.
To add insult to confusion, teachers awoke last week to the message that they have been neglecting to help their brightest charges. An Ofsted report looked at the progress of high-scoring 11-year-olds as they moved through school and complained that "many of the most able students receive mediocre provision", before decreeing that, in future, Ofsted will check the progress of the highly able. Presumably this scrutiny will also run alongside audits of the pupil premium – funds being given to schools to "close the achievement gap".
Teachers are being given the message that quality teaching is whatever works … just as long as what works isn't talking too much, creating PowerPoints, or history detectives. Plus, they must make sure the lowest achievers score the same as the highest, but mustn't let the highest achievers score the same as the lowest. The confusion is undeniable.
Ignoring Ofsted is not an option, and neither should it be. But a few simple things could make it better. For example, last week's report seems incomplete. Where is the information about middle- and low-ability students? Are they getting mediocre teaching, too? It would be easy for schools to start focusing on the most able when the issue may be more widespread.
It is also about time Ofsted published the observation notes taken by inspectors during outstanding lessons. If no style of teaching is genuinely preferred, the notes will show a true diversity in activities; if a preference is revealed, teachers can learn from the notes about the ways to help all students learn, regardless of ability.
With several years of curriculum tinkering ahead, a more coherent, transparent steer from Ofsted would provide at least a small oasis of certainty from which teachers could draw confidence. It might also cut some of the terrified texts when the inspector calls.
• Laura McInerney taught in London for six years and is now a Fulbright scholar
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Deux motions du CNESER - 17 juin 2013
• Motion sur l'amendement proposé au parlement par le gouvernement sur le CNESER disciplinaire
• Motion sur les moyens et le modèle SYMPA.
Dans la précipitation, évacuant les réelles concertations d'usage, le gouvernement a proposé un amendement modifiant en profondeur l'organisation de la section disciplinaire du CNESER, revenant notamment sur sa présidence, qui serait confiée à une conseiller d'Etat nommé.
Le CNESER considère que de tels bouleversements imposent de disposer du temps pour mener les débats nécessaires. Il dénonce le dépôt en commission d'un tel amendement qui jette le discrédit sur son travail, sans que le gouvernement n'ait clairement annoncé son intention lors des débats sur la loi ESR.
Devant des modifications qui touchent à l'indépendance de la section disciplinaire du CNESER, le CNESER demande que cet amendement, retiré en commission, ne réapparaisse pas dans le débat parlementaire.
Motion présentée par : SNESUP-FSU, SNASUB-FSU, UNSA (SupR, SNPTES), SGEN-CFDT, CGT, FercSup CGT, QSF, Sup Autonome-CSEN, FO-SNPREES Vote : 0 contre, 3 abstentions, 30 pour, dont la CPU
Motion sur les moyens de l'ESR et la refonte du modèle SYMPA CNESER17/06/2013
La loi ESR est désormais en débat au Sénat. Les contraintes calendaires qui ont été imposées, n'ont pas permis à tous les acteurs de l'enseignement supérieur de participer pleinement au débat d'ampleur qu'ils demandent de longue date. La dégradation de la situation financière des établissements d'Enseignement Supérieur est une préoccupation de l'ensemble de la communauté universitaire. Elle fragilise de nombreuses formations et équipes de recherche. En l'absence de correction budgétaire d'ampleur, permettant en particulier d'assurer le recrutement effectif sur les postes gelés (déjà 300 de plus cette année à partir d'un décompte effectué sur la moitié des établissements, s'ajoutant aux 1500 emplois non pourvus en 2012), la rentrée universitaire se ferait dans un climat de tension et de profonde désillusion.
Le CNESER se satisfait de disposer enfin de documents plus complets, portant sur la situation budgétaire des établissements. Certes encore perfectibles (répartition Plan Campus, dotations TP/TD, masse salariale dans les établissements...), ils contribuent à illustrer la réalité vécue dans l'enseignement supérieur, dont les inégalités sont encore profondément creusées par la carence du mode de répartition utilisé et l'insuffisance flagrante des dotations.
En conséquence le CNESER demande :
- une programmation pluriannuelle de moyens humains et financiers, notamment en masse salariale, incluant une remise à niveau immédiate des dotations des établissements ;
- la création d'une commission, émanation du CNESER, dotée de moyens de fonctionnement, chargée d'un travail d'analyse et de propositions en matière de dotations aux établissements ;
- l'élaboration, associant étroitement cette commission, d'un modèle d'attribution, nationalement régulé et basé sur les besoins.
Motion présentée par : SNESUP-FSU, SNASUB-FSU, UNSA (SupR, SNPTES), SGEN-CFDT, CGT, FercSup CGT, QSF, Sup Autonome-CSEN, FCPE, UNEF, FAGE. Vote : 1 contre, 4 abstentions, 30 pour dont la CPU
Revue de presse du 17 juin 2013
Oui, nous sommes bien le lundi 17 juin... Mais le monde ne s'arrête pas de tourner pour autant et la réflexion éducative et pédagogique n'en demeure pas moins centrale, bien au contraire. Intéressons-nous donc à des thématiques que d'aucuns qualifieront de hors sujet au regard de la semaine qui s'annonce mais qui après réflexion nous sont apparues d'intérêt général. Au menu du jour donc :
- la question de l'évaluation
- le raccrochage scolaire en marge de l'école
- les français et la fessée
- Mais aussi en vrac : le numérique, les rythmes scolaires et la pédagogie coopérative
Curieux hasard du calendrier : alors que le Mouvement Contre La Constante Macabre (MCLCM) lancé par André Antibi se réunissait aujourd'hui à l'École des Mines de Paris (voir programme du colloque) pour fêter ses dix ans de combat pour une évaluation plus juste à l'école, tombaient, dans le même temps, les tristes résultats au Concours de Recrutement des Professeurs des Écoles (CRPE) faisant état, comme on peut le lire sur le site du Café pédagogique de centaines de candidats recalés à l'oral par des zéros éliminatoires. Oui, vous avez bien lu : des zéros éliminatoires pour une épreuve orale d'admissibilité préparée sur toute une année.
Voilà qui en dit long sur l'état schizophrénique de la relation ambiguë que l'institution entretient avec la notion d'évaluation. D'un côté donc, on réfléchit depuis plus d'une décennie sur des pratiques pédagogiques qui permettraient aux enseignants d'évaluer positivement et plus justement leurs élèves, en mettant notamment en place ce qu'Antibi appelle le contrat de confiance, et dans le même temps et comme portée par des vents contraires, est mise en lumière l'absurdité d'un système de recrutement, essentiellement fondé sur la compétition, l'infantilisation et l'expertise disciplinaire. Si l'on souhaite faire évoluer les pratiques enseignantes, pour éviter que ne subsistent certaines pratiques ensAignantes, n'est-il pas urgent, en parallèle, de faire évoluer le système de recrutement, de formation et de notation des enseignants ? Comment un enseignant nourri, récompensé et sanctionné par la note depuis son plus jeune âge sera-t-il en capacité de se distancer d'une pratique non seulement héritée mais totalement métabolisée par l'ensemble du corps éducatif ? Question qui reste en suspens et dans les mains de ceux qui voudront bien s'en saisir...
Ils sont nombreux chaque année à décrocher, beaucoup trop nombreux. Ce sont de jeunes adultes, âgés de 18 à 25 ans, mais aussi de plus jeunes adolescents, déscolarisés de façon précoce. C'est pour tenter d'endiguer ce véritable fléau humain et sociétal que Muriel Epstein, mathématicienne de formation, a fondé Transapi, une structure éducative alternative proposant cinq pistes pédagogiques permettant, selon elle de « revenir à l'apprentissage, sans revenir à l'école ». On trouvera dans Rue89 un article complet relatant ce dispositif original de raccrochage ; en effet, singulier par sa forme et contrairement à d'autres expérimentations visant à raccrocher en interne ces élèves décrocheurs, Transapi fait le pari d'un raccrochage externalisé, fondé sur ce constat que si ces jeunes ont décroché du système scolaire, ils n'ont pas pour autant décroché des apprentissages. Voilà qui est intéressant... On n'apprendrait pas qu'à l'école et pour certains l'école ne permettrait pas d'apprendre. A méditer, non ?
Vous êtes plutôt claque ou plutôt fessée ?Alors que dans trente-deux pays dans le monde, claques et fessée, considérées comme des châtiments corporels, sont punies par la loi, la France, elle, n'a pas encore passé ce cap. Loin s'en faut...C'est donc pour sensibiliser l'opinion à cette douloureuse question des violences éducatives que la Fondation pour l'Enfance lance à partir du 22 juin, une nouvelle campagne sous forme de clip télévisé. Relayée par France 3 Auvergne éducation, et par quinze autres chaines, cette campagne intitulée « Il n'y a pas de petite claque » ne vise en aucun cas à culpabiliser les familles concernées, mais à les prévenir de l'impact tant physique que psychologique de ces conduites déviantes sur le développement à court et long terme des jeunes enfants. A court terme : la souffrance, bien évidemment avec tout son lot d'effets associés. A long terme : la souffrance encore, doublée du risque de « transmission transgénérationnelle » de ces mêmes violences. « Il était important de déculpabiliser les parents en expliquant que nous sommes parents avec l'enfant que nous avons été, et que notre éducation nous amène de manière consciente ou inconsciente à reproduire des pratiques potentiellement dangereuses, tout en pensant au bien de nos enfants. » rappelle le Docteur Lazimi. Une campagne à faire connaître et diffuser parce que nul n'est à l'abri de cette petite claque lancée un jour de grosse fatigue et réitérée, comme une forme ordinaire de communication, le lendemain et le surlendemain... Alors, j'en entends déjà murmurer oui, mais bon une petite claque à la française n'a jamais fait de mal et c'est bien peu au regard de certaines pratiques culturelles et sociales infligées ailleurs. Argument irrecevable qui ne doit pas cependant faire oublier les conditions de vie de certains enfants dans le monde, comme nous le rappelle cet article paru sur RFI. Parce qu'un enfant d'ailleurs, comme un enfant d'ici portent l'un et l'autre en eux le devenir de notre humanité, aucun enfant ne devrait souffrir d'aucune violence d'aucune sorte.
En vrac...Bonne nouvelle : dans un article du Figaro on se réjouit que Paris soit couronnée ville numérique. On peut lire « Tout le monde s'accorde sur ce point : Paris produit d'excellents informaticiens. « Il y a des bonnes compétences de développement et les ingénieurs sont moins chers qu'aux États-Unis », explique Mickael Jordan. La capitale française bénéficie d'une grande concentration d'universités, donc des écoles d'informatique réputées. »
Mauvaise nouvelle : à propose des rythmes scolaires, Lucien Marboeuf, sur son blog l'Instit' Humeurs nous annonce pour la rentrée prochaine une panoplie de couacs restés en coulisses...
Bonne nouvelle : éducation et pédagogie font bon ménage comme en témoignait ce week-end Sylvain Connac lors de sa conférence Apprendre avec les pédagogiques coopératives donnée à l'Université du Maine au Mans. Aide, entraide, tutorat et coopération, quatre mots clés pour un mieux apprendre et un mieux vivre ensemble. Le storify de la conférence par @Alyaelle à découvrir ici.
Et pour le reste, c'est un peu partout sur le net ! Alors... Hors sujet ou pas hors sujet cette chronique du 17 juin ?
Parce que l'actu ça se lit, se commente et se partage, à votre tour de relayer !
A demain donc, en compagnie de Lionel Jeanjeau, votre chroniqueur du mardi !
Ostiane Mathon
Places d'étudiants boursiers en Master franco-allemand Nancy
Cuerpos y destinos
Fuente: Parlamento Europeo
Tenía nueve años. Iba caminando despacio, de la mano de mi hermano mayor, por una calle céntrica de San Isidro del General. El camión se acercó de frente. Venían dos tipos. El copiloto sacó la cabeza por la ventana y gritó “¡flaca pero rica!”, con voz sonora. El insulto estaba dirigido a una niña de nueve años. La niña era yo.
Mi cuerpo, que fue dejando paulatinamente de ser mío, pasó a ser, ese día, un objeto del orden del dominio público. El dominio público es un lugar en el que todo el mundo opina: es flaca, pero rica. Es flaca, pero no tiene tetas. O tiene tetas muy ricas. O tiene tetas ricas pero es gorda. O tiene mucha celulitis. O camina como un ganso. El dominio público es un espejo tramposo: en él, una se mira a través de los ojos del otro, cuya empatía suele ser nula, cuyo juicio suele ser implacable. Este proyecto discursivo termina, con el paso de los años, convirtiéndonos en las peores juezas de nuestras desgracias: todo pasa porque nos lo merecemos. Por flacas. Por gordas. Por tetonas. Por usar minifalda. Por borrachas. Por zorras.
Hace veintiséis años, no existía en Costa Rica una ley que penalizara el acoso callejero. Al acoso callejero se le llamaba “piropo” y era algo por lo que yo debía sentirme agradecida. El enojo, el desconsuelo, la incomodidad con ese cuerpo del cual apenas empezaba a tener conciencia, no tenían cabida en la respuesta al piropo. Todas esas sensaciones me fueron transformando, poco a poco, en una muchacha temerosa e insegura. Con mala postura. Incapaz de externar ningún tipo de sensualidad. Me convirtieron en una muchacha jorobada. Vestida con ropa holgada para proteger ese cuerpo que alguien puso a mi cargo pero no es mío. Una muchacha anónima, ausente e invisible, porque ser invisible era mejor que ser lo otro. Mejor que ser “flaca pero rica” a los nueve años. Hoy hay una ley que penaliza el acoso verbal y físico pero el piropo sigue existiendo. Existe como si tal cosa. Como si fuera incuestionable. Una no lo pide. Pero la provocación está implícita en el acto: usted está rica, usted se buscó el piropo. Usted se puso minifalda, porque desea la mirada del otro sobre sus piernas. La provocación, que está inscrita en el acto mismo de ser mujer, no deja lugar a dudas en el ámbito de la práctica de dominación.
El enojo de mis nueve años aún me persigue. Lo experimenté sobre la piel de todo el cuerpo en 1999, en la fila del autobús, cuando un perfecto desconocido metió su mano en medio de ¿mis piernas? y la sostuvo por un momento contra ¿mi vulva? Lo miré sorprendida: él sonrió con picardía, como si fuéramos cómplices en un acto propiciado por mi condición de mujer. Caminé detrás del tipo hasta que la luz de un semáforo lo hizo detenerse: todo el cuerpo me temblaba. Toqué su hombro levemente y él volteó la cabeza. Le di un golpe con el puño cerrado, y el desnivel de la acera lo hizo trastabillar. De ahí en adelante, todos mis recuerdos están teñidos de rojo. Sé que lo golpeé mucho, contra el piso. Que pisé su tórax. Que le di más de una patada en la cara. Fue rápido. Luego un policía me sujetó por la cintura y me apartó del tipo. Preguntó qué era lo que estaba pasando. La voz se me quebraba. Me tocó. Este hombre me tocó, oficial. El policía me miró con cara de sorpresa y dijo “eso no es nada, mamita”. También a él le di un golpe en la cara, con el puño cerrado.
“Eso no es nada”. El discurso minimiza el daño de la acción hasta ponernos en el lugar de locas, exageradas o culpables. A la hermana de mi amigo, en una fiesta de final de curso, la violó un compañero de la universidad. Un perfecto conocido. Alguien de toda confianza. Ella estaba borracha. Ella tuvo la culpa. Siempre, por más que la lógica esté de nuestro lado, por más que nada justifique el acto de violencia, nosotras nos lo buscamos. “Eso no es nada”. No pasa nada si un perfecto desconocido aprieta con lascivia la vulva de una muchacha en la fila del bus. La hermana de mi amigo estaba borracha, así que ella se buscó la violación. Tenemos la culpa por ser mujeres.
En este escenario, la resistencia es inútil. El hombre del camión remesero que me gritó “flaca pero rica” cuando yo tenía nueve años todavía existe. Hay miles como él. Casi treinta años después, sigue siendo una tortura salir a la calle. Atreverse a caminar por la calle. La calle es una jungla. Yo no pido el piropo. No lo deseo. No lo propicio. No lo solicito. Pero aun así lo recibo. Mi palabra no vale: mi palabra es la palabra impertinente de un objeto que, lamentablemente, sabe hablar. Este diálogo existe:
Taxista: “Rica, bote ese bebé, que ya está muy grande. Venga y le hago otro”.
Muchacha: “Váyase a la mierda, viejo verde”.
Taxista (mostrando una nueve milímetros): “Calladita más bonita, mami”.
Este otro diálogo también existe:
Viejo en banca de parque: “Uy mi amor, qué rico se le marca el panocho con ese pantalón tan apretadito”.
Muchacha: “¿Quién le preguntó, viejo hijueputa?”
Viejo en banca de parque: “Está bien, fea. FEA”.
Y este otro también:
Tipo en moto: “¡Sabrosa!”
Muchacha: “¡Malparido!”
Tipo en moto: “¡Zorra!”
La invasión del ámbito privado de ese cuerpo que creemos nuestro no debe ser resistida, porque la resistencia genera aún más violencia. La borracha se buscó la violación. Y si se atreve a usar la palabra en contra del agresor, recibe el implacable juicio de la opinión pública: “¿quién la tiene?”, “a una muchacha decente no le pasan esas cosas”, “por buscona, por fiestera”. El espacio público es un lugar perverso, en el que nuestro cuerpo le pertenece a todos los demás. Nos educan con advertencias. Nos educan para la prevención: “No salga sola”, “no se emborrache”, “tenga cuidado”, “no se suba sola a un taxi”. Nos educan para que evitemos colocarnos en la posición en la que nuestra condición genere una respuesta instintiva de parte de un par que nos considera provocadoras y cómplices de la violencia que recibimos.
¿Qué ha cambiado de 1989 al día de hoy? Al parecer no mucho. Hace un par de noches fui a un concierto. Salí de madrugada de vuelta a mi casa. Durante el trayecto tuve miedo. Miedo de ir sola. Miedo de la oscuridad de la noche. Miedo del ojo implacable de la opinión pública y lo que tendría para opinar si mi exposición, mi atrevimiento, se llegaran a traducir en violencia contra mi cuerpo. A esa misma hora, una muchacha salía completamente borracha del mismo bar. Iba sola. Subió a un taxi y le pidió al taxista que la llevara a su casa. Estaba ebria, muy ebria. El taxista, como quien se siente una persona correcta y decente, le dijo estas palabras: “agradezca que soy un mae buena nota y no la violo, porque a como usted anda, sería muy fácil aprovecharse”. De 1989 al día de hoy, ha cambiado un discurso. Pero la práctica sigue siendo la misma: el cuerpo, en el espacio público, es de todo el mundo menos de su propia dueña. No se engañe, amiga: su cuerpo no es suyo. Su cuerpo es un destino. ¿Qué hemos hecho para cambiar la práctica? ¿Cuántas niñas siguen siendo acosadas, violadas, despojadas de la propiedad sobre su cuerpo antes de entrar a la adolescencia? ¿Cuántos cuerpos son mutilados, leñateados, violentados, antes de entrar a la vida adulta? ¿Cuántas de sus amigas han recibido una agresión verbal en la calle, de parte de un perfecto desconocido? ¿Cuántas muchachas han experimentado la impotencia de saber que un NO, por más enérgico, no es suficiente para detener la avanzada sexual de un hombre contra el cual la resistencia física solo generará una violación más dolorosa, con más secuelas sobre el cuerpo?
Repita conmigo: “eso es algo”. Es algo grave. Decir lo contrario, decir que “no es nada”, es normalizar de la violencia. Es el posicionamiento de la dominación como parte de una estructura fija, en la cual podemos ser visibles para ser deseadas, pero no para ser escuchadas. Dígame que estoy loca, que soy una exagerada. Ahora pregúntele a su círculo de conocidas cercanas cuántas veces han sido violentadas por la opinión pública, que tiene tantas bocas para decir palabras soeces y tantas manos para tocar lo que considera propiedad de todos. ¿Cuántas son? ¿Seis de cada diez? ¿Nueve de cada diez? ¿Todas? ¿Todas somos locas, exageradas? ¿Todas nos lo buscamos? ¿Qué tenemos todas en común? ¿La locura, la exageración, la culpa? ¿Deberíamos agradecer que alguien en la calle nos encuentre atractivas y nos vuelva a ver? ¿No es nada? Respóndame estas preguntas. Hablemos sobre cambiar el mundo. Hablemos sobre la violencia normalizada, vista como algo común, que una niña de nueve años debe aprender a aceptar como parte del destino de su cuerpo. Hablemos hasta que llegue el día en el que ese cuerpo, en vez de ser un destino, nos ayude a construirlo.
Proses de l'inventeur
Les Territoires du Cinéma
Stendhal, Journaux & Papiers
Labour would halt free schools expansion, says Stephen Twigg
Shadow minister says free schools and academies are no panacea, and calls for stronger local oversight of all schools
A Labour government would end the building of free schools and reassert local oversight of academy schools, the shadow education secretary, Stephen Twigg, announced in a policy address on Monday.
"Contrary to the government's rhetoric, free schools and academies are not a panacea for school improvement. We are seeing that they can and do underperform, just like other schools," Twigg said.
All state schools should give priority in admissions to disadvantaged children who qualify for pupil premium payments, as part of an overhaul of the admissions code for maintained schools, he said.
The speech by the former schools minister marks Labour's first serious attempt to grapple with the introduction of free schools and the huge increase in academy schools outside local authority control that has become a signature policy of the Conservative education secretary, Michael Gove.
Twigg said maintained state schools should also enjoy the flexibility that academies have been granted. He announced that Labour's former education secretary David Blunkett would head a review into local oversight of schools – including free schools and academies – and giving communities a bigger say in creating new schools.
"We need stronger local oversight for all schools so that struggling schools are spotted much sooner, local support is on hand to drive up standards, and schools have a clear relationship with their community," Twigg said.
"Currently, too many schools are coasting, yet because he is fixated on academy conversion, Michael Gove has no credible plan to drive up standards in schools once they have become academies."
Part of Blunkett's remit will be to examine a new policy that Twigg called "parent academies", allowing parents to sponsor academies "to bring outside energy and expertise into the schools system" – suggesting that new academies could continue to be set up under a Labour administration.
Twigg also proposed that the successful London Challenge model, a key part of the revitalisation of London's schools, should be extended to forge partnerships between schools and spread best practice.
"That is why under Labour we would make it a requirement for all schools to partner with weaker schools as a condition for attaining an outstanding rating by Ofsted," Twigg said.
"I also want to make sure that new academy funding agreements, and the renewal of existing ones, are subject to these schools demonstrating a real commitment to playing their part in collaborating with other schools in their community."
Noting recent research showing that the best maintained state schools fell below national and regional averages in admitting pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds, Twigg said there was a strong case for ensuring the school admissions code was being applied fairly.
"We are seeing social selection playing out in the system and this worries me deeply," he said.
Richard Adamsguardian.co.uk © 2013 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds
Moving beyond the monarchs: using personal stories to bring history to life
Neil Bates explains how he uses tales of ordinary men and women in class
As history teachers we are all familiar with the big names; the kings, queens, statesmen and warriors who have shaped our past. How many of us though, have considered the roles played and stories revealed by the likes of James Braddock (the Bergen Bulldog), the Mason Brothers of Hampshire, Germany's Frau Haferkamp or James Maley from Glasgow? Ordinary people, whose lives and stories can open the window to extraordinary events.
The result of ignoring the stories of ordinary people is that pupils can develop a view of the past that is stereotypical and amorphous. We miss the opportunity to present the past in all its diverse complexity. We might miss a chance to create curiosity and allow students to see that the process of history is one in which we can all play a part. I have built historical enquiries around a range of my own personal stories and hope this article might offer other teachers some inspiration to do the same.
Personal stories as a starting pointWhen you're getting started in sourcing your personal stories, my advice is to start close to home with your own family histories. On a basic level, simply creating family timelines which include members of your own or your students' family can help to plug students in to the notion that the past is not some far off distant realm, but that people alive today are contemporaneous with events our students are studying. An example from my own family is as follows:
• Myself, Neil: Born 1970. The year the accused from the My Lai Massacre went on trial
• Ian, my dad: Born 1943 when the clearing of the Warsaw ghetto began
• Irene, my gran. Born 1923 on the day French and Belgian soldiers began the occupation of the Ruhr
• James Hall, my great granddad. Born 1893. The year the Independent Labour Party was launched
By showing students that members of their own families have lives running parallel to the big events, we do much to root our work not only in an historical context but in one which allows students to visualise the passing of time and our own temporal proximity to events. For further examples of this concept take a look at Ian Dawson's site.
Personal stories as windows on the pastWe all want our students to study and be curious about the big events of the past. It is my belief that personal stories can act as an effective window into these events. For example, the Spanish Civil War is an often neglected aspect of the rise of the European dictators, ditched in favour of Germany and sometimes fascist Italy. However, the stories of the International Brigades and the characters that fought with them can act as an excellent window into that conflict.
My own work in this area was inspired by the song These Hands by Glasgow band The Wakes. The song, an integral part of the eventual enquiry, tells the story of Glaswegian James Maley and his part in the battle of Jarama.
By combining material from the song, James' obituary and material from the International Brigade Memorial Trust, students are able to explore contemporary representations of the past, motives of individuals and the issue of typicality. More importantly, students come to care about the Spanish Civil War because they have come to care about the character and story of James Maley. A brief lesson plan for the enquiry can be found on the Ofsted best practice case study of the Hampshire History networks.
Personal stories allow for parallelsHaving just completed an arduous trek through revision territory with my GCSE students I can testify that Roosevelt's New Deal is often lacking in colour and, beyond the character of Roosevelt himself, personality. Once again, however, folk music and film came to the rescue.
The story of James Braddock, the Cinderella Man, immortalised by Russell Crowe in the movie of the same name and in song by the Biblecode Sundays allowed me to ask students: "Was James Braddock's life a metaphor for the US economy in the 1930s?" Having listened to the song and watched a short clip from the film, students are asked to create a timeline of the ups and downs of Braddock's life. They then create a similar parallel timeline for the American economy in the 1920s and 1930s. By getting them interested in Braddock's colourful character, students are much more receptive to studying the wider events and legislation of the Roosevelt era.
The personal story does have a genuine capacity to engage students and foster their curiosity about the past. I'll finish with some words from Charlie Connelly's excellent book And Did Those Feet: Walking through 2000 Years of British and Irish History: "The past is all around us, in the buildings, in the landscape, in the ground we walk on. It's not in lists of monarchs or dates of battles that it truly comes alive; it's in people and places. Everyone and everywhere has a story."
Neil Bates is an Oxford University graduate and an advanced skills teacher with 17 years experience of teaching in Hampshire. He works at Fort Hill Community School. Neil has for the last 10 years been part of the Hampshire History Steering group, providing a range of CPD to teachers across the county.
This content is brought to you by Guardian Professional. Looking for your next role? Take a look at Guardian jobs for schools for thousands of the latest teaching, leadership and support jobs.guardian.co.uk © 2013 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds
Hello parents, let's talk about your student children…
We're creating a space to provide advice, news and discussion for everyone whose sons or daughters are studying in the UK and abroad
From the moment your child's life begins, you start to wonder what they will become. Do those powerful lungs belong to a future opera singer? Will those strong little feet kick a goal for their country one day?
We all want our children to make their own way in life, but we also want to give them the guidance and information they need to make the best decisions for themselves. Sometimes, let's face it, we nudge them a bit in one direction or the other. After all, we know a bit about the world. We want them to have a better life and more opportunities than we did.
Most parents believe that education is the key to a fulfilling future, and at every step of the way they want to be sure their children are getting the best on offer. So parents often compete to get their children into a good nursery, the most sought-after school, the top set, the debating team, the orchestra…
And as the end of school looms, parents face the biggest decisions of the lot. Should your son or daughter go to university, or to college, or train as they work? Should they try to avoid a lifetime of debt? Can they work part-time if they're going to uni? How do you pick a uni that they stand a good chance of getting into, but that is also prestigious enough to impress future employers?
The economy remains shaky, and careers services have been cut just when students need them most. So parents have to step in and make sure their children are getting the information they need.
Universities tell us that parents are more involved than they have ever been in choosing the right course for school-leavers. Once they get to university, parents maintain an interest in their progress and their route to the jobs market.
And that is why we are launching this special Parents section on Guardian Student. We plan to give you the advice you need and a place for you to discuss the options with other parents and with experts from the sector.
We'll cover topics from the psychological to the financial, from the philosophical to the practical. In the process, we'll answer questions such as:
• Is my child "university material"?
• What are the options to university?
• How can I help my child feel happier at uni?
• What should I be doing on Open Days?
• Is my child missing out if they stay at home while they study?
• How will debt affect my child's life?
We hope that you'll enjoy the articles, blogs and panel discussions we provide, and that you'll share your experiences with other parents facing the same dilemmas.
- Parents of students 16 and over
- Students
- Parents and parenting
- Higher education
- Further education
- Sixth form
- Applying to university
guardian.co.uk © 2013 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds
A parent's guide to university league tables
As you contemplate the higher education market place, how do you pick a university to feed your child's hunger for knowledge?
When tuition fees rose to as much as £9k, ministers decided that universities should provide the public with more information about what they can expect from a degree course.
This means that, over the past year, a whole mountain-load of education data has been released, covering nearly all UK higher education courses. For each degree programme you can see a "key information set", a collection of stats which tell you how much teaching time your child will receive, the employment opportunities they can expect and much more. But this information is available from a plethora of sources and formats – from government websites to university prospectuses and league tables. Where is the best place to start? And how can you avoid drowning in an information overload?
"Before looking at the league tables and the statistics that are available, it's important that parents support their child in thinking about what's best for them," says Ruth Chapman, a national careers adviser. "The child needs to think about what it is that they hope to get from their university experience – what learning and teaching styles they prefer, or what they hope their graduate prospects will be."
"There are lots of university league tables available – all based on different criteria. League tables are useful when you know which points are most important for your child," adds Ruth Chapman. She points to the rankings produced by the Guardian, which prioritise student experience and employability and the Times Good University Guide (£) which includes institutions' research quality when rating universities.
Most university guides provide two sets of rankings: an overall league table, which scores universities according to the performance of the whole institution, and subject tables, which assess a university's performance at departmental level.
Once your child has have a rough idea of the universities and department area they prefer, they can then start comparing individual course programmes.
Unistats, a government website which contains information for all UK higher education courses, was recently revamped to help users do just that, says Jenni Rogers a higher education policy adviser.
"How you choose to use Unistats depends upon where in the decision-making process you and your child are. The majority of people tend to start by typing their chosen subject area into the search box on our home page and then exploring the results that are generated."
The website allows users to shortlist courses by adding them to a virtual basket, she explains. "You can press compare to get an overview of all the courses that you're interested in listed side-by-side. This will show you all the different statistics available, so that you can compare things like student satisfaction, average starting salaries or how accommodation costs vary across the country."
Parents can also create a Your Unistats area where they can personalise what appears on their screen when comparing courses, says Rogers. "It might be that you're only interested in whether or not a course is accredited, and you don't want to be overwhelmed with lots of other stats. In that case you can limit what information is generated."
The site is entirely neutral, adds Rogers. "People can make up their own minds about what they see."
But even unranked statistics should be taken with a pinch of salt, warns Cathy Gilbert, director of external relations at Birmingham University. If you rely purely on data you might end up comparing apples with pears, she says.
"You may find that the number of teaching hours offered, for example, vary a great deal from course to course. A low number of teaching hours isn't necessarily a bad thing – but you need to understand the type of teaching you can expect. Some courses will require a lot of independent learning, others will have high teaching hours because there's a lot of lab-based time."
University league tables and stats are a useful starting point, but numbers can only tell you so much, she says. "Parents should also make sure that they go with their child to prospective universities and talk to staff and current students. It's only then that they'll get a real feel for what the university can offer."
Rebecca Ratcliffeguardian.co.uk © 2013 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds
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