Feb 24, 2015

If you had a say in the Education system of your country, and were told "FIX IT" what would some of the things be that you would "fix"? Class sizes? Subjects? What is it that teachers want?

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Science Math Primary/Secondary Education


Maria Woodbury
Head of Science at St Bishoy Coptic Orthodox College

If you had a say in the Education system of your country, and were told "FIX IT" what would some of the things be that you would "fix"? Class sizes? Subjects? What is it that teachers want?

Comments

Anand Mehta
That is one tall order and here are some quick thoughts to get the ball rolling. There are several changes that I would like to see - given below in no particular order. I am not sure how one would go about realising them. By the way, I am a private tutor, not a teacher in the normal sense, and have also been a school governor for over 10 years.
1. Ensure that teachers, for ALL age groups, know the subject(s) that they teach. In the UK this is largely true for many secondary schools but often not so for primaries and rarely so for infant schools and nurseries. Ideally, they should be enthusiastic about the subject as well.
2. Pupils, parents and politicians to show professional respect for teachers. This will be particularly hard for politicians who know little about education but feel they must leave a lasting impact!
3. Get parents involved in their children's education. This is one of the most important factors.
4. From personal experience, I think that class sizes are less important than they are made out to be (I went through school with class sizes in the low 40s)..
5. Provide extra support for children who have not mastered critical stages. Pushing them upwards through school every year when they are missing key knowledge or skills is more likely to result in frustration and resentment than the pupil succeeding in learning what they previously found difficult.
6. Make subjects more relevant to peoples' lives. Under this I include, for example, warning secondary school pupils that Newtonian physics is an approximation. In extreme situations it does not work and other, broader, theories are required. Or that there are consistent geometries where Euclid's parallel postulate is negated. Sometimes these things can hook pupils. I could not wait to see how one could get square root of negative numbers!

Maria Woodbury
Head of Science at St Bishoy Coptic Orthodox College

I agree with the all of the above...thank you Anand!
Personally I would also add that education not be run like a "for profit" organisation. I really do not like when money is the decider of what is to be taught. Leaves our students out of studying subjects that they are good at. A wide and broad education for students, I think, has been compromised because of money. But as you say, not sure how we would realise these dreams we have...but thank you for your thoughts.

Marsigit Dr MA
Lecturer at Yogyakarta State University

In whatever educational context, I think we always need to reflect:
1. Its philosophical/mindset grounds (the nature, approach and ethic/esthetic)
2. Its theoretical/paradigm grounds
3. Its psychological/anthropological/social/context/cultural grounds
4. Its vision and mission
5. Its empirical/evidences/implementation
Thank

Theophile
Theophile Kaneza
Student at Kigali institute of education

I admire the 3rd article of Anand Mehta as the prior key which can be used to reach the teacher's target. thanks you all for your points of views
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Gene
Gene Weitzel
Dept Head & Mathematics Teacher at North Caddo Magnet High School

If you want the best, you have to pay for the best. You are competing with major industry for every brilliant math, science, linguist, writer, speaker that is sent out of our colleges and universities. In most instances one person cannot make enough money to raise a family without spousal income as well. To get these top minds you have to make the commitment to provide remuneration to lure them into the educational fields. You also can poach those who are early retirees by making it easier to be certified to bring their maturity and knowledge into the classroom. Currently experience is given little to no credit for not only knowledge but the ability to communicate that knowledge effectively. Virtually every career field in the military has instructors who have to know how to impart knowledge based on a specific syllabus daily. No credit for that ability. Gotta learn the theory, don't care what you know or if you already can apply the theory. You get what you pay for.

Marsigit Dr MA
Lecturer at Yogyakarta State University

From the side of public education oriented, it is a little bit difficult to understand the logic of Industrial Trainer and Technological Pragmatist oriented of education. We found something important left behind the competition among industrial education; and they are not ready and not willing to accept this as a reality because it is beyond their mind. They left the victim of their ambition and their ego; unfortunately their victim are their students who really need their helps. Many notions produced whatever they do not like to say; persistently, they are their theories/paradigm/philosophy. The question is what next if they feel to be successful to win the competition. I see they produce a split in-harmony life of the world.

sean
sean wilson
Mathematics Teacher at Seabury Hall

I agree with Gene. To fix education society needs a paradigm shift. Everyone seems to realize the value of education but nobody wants to pay for it.
As for the original question, what do teachers want? It's not about the teachers.
Teachers should be able to understand, communicate, and apply content knowledge effectively.
Of course management will want to hold teachers accountable for student outcomes and restrict pay accordingly. So fixing education is not about becoming a business model, but creating a new model that incorporates parents, students and teachers in a learning vortex.

Elvis
Elvis Kwame Assumang Dip M.E Eng, PBA
Searching for job at Any where

Education should not be free, for people dont value free things, the see it as inferior, I will like every body to pay something for the teaching, as we say knowledge is power, nothing is free, and what does teachers want? It not about the teaching, but how student will understand the communication, the content and how they will apply it in their daily life in future
Like Reply privately Flag as inappropriate August 16, 2013

Marsigit Dr MA
Lecturer at Yogyakarta State University

If we think about plurality, we can not approach them only with singularity. If we force to use the singularity approach to solve the problems of plurality; there will be many impact of reduction/simplification. You may need to have such an experience how difficult and how grievance to be simplified.

Kevin
Kevin Hewitson
Expert in developing teaching and learning strategies especially "Learning Intelligence" concept.

Have a look at: http://4c3d.wordpress.com/2013/03/30/the-next-step-in-education-evolution-is/

Marsigit Dr MA
Lecturer at Yogyakarta State University

Good example from Kevin of elaborating prescription inspiring by evolutionary process. Among the many, there are still many crucial and fundamental problems to look at. I found a fundamental weakness of your approach i.e. you look at the educational development only from your perspective i.e. contemporary one. The result is that you produced a linear dimensional aspects of education. While, according to me, education is encircle dimension of life.
Delete August 17, 2013

Kevin
Kevin Hewitson
Expert in developing teaching and learning strategies especially "Learning Intelligence" concept.

@Marsigit Thank you for your feedback. You need to follow up on that post by looking at what I have termed Learning Quotient or "LQ". I developed this concept to support the idea of the learner being able to manage the learning environment to meet their needs. You can find the beginning of a discussing LQ and what it means for teachers and learners as well as education systems at:
http://4c3d.wordpress.com/2013/08/11/learning-quotient/

By developing an LQ based approach the learner takes responsibility for their learning but also has the knowledge and skills to do this effectively. I spent a long time trying to change education from within only to realise it is not in the control of educators but rather politicians. The solution or next step in development is not top down but bottom up. Many learners have found a way to learn despite their formal education. Up until now this has been happenchance, a Youtube video or podcast or a book perhaps has provided the key learning opportunity that meets their needs. I believe education will truly evolve if we develop LQ within the learner. In this way, so long as there is belief, there are no limiting factors and we have true life long learning. I am writing the student book about LQ now and hope to have it ready in the Autumn.

Marsigit Dr MA
Lecturer at Yogyakarta State University

Thanks Kevin, I think your elaboration of LQ is inspiring others how an adult people (e.g. like you) have a struggle to uncover and to facilitate students' need to learn. However, I note that LQ is belong to teacher (you); and, I see that the students will have additional burden due to the adult (your) content. Rather than to introduce many adult contents to their students; I prefer to strive to uncover the students' content, and then from their contents I strive to start to communicate and to interact as well in order that they (the students) are able to build their own (world of) life.
Delete August 17, 2013

Kevin
Kevin Hewitson
Expert in developing teaching and learning strategies especially "Learning Intelligence" concept.

@Marsigit. The concept of LQ is to empower the learner. It is not a top down model. The role of a teacher is to be aware of LQ (including their own) and to ensure they discuss learning needs and how to use LQ to meet those needs. I have written the blog for Monday which covers this point in more detail but here is an extract which seeks to make the point that the student should be helped in building their own learning map - much as you have suggested.

"--- earlier I talked of the dangers of creating our own learning environment and expecting others to learn within it as we do. As you read it consider how as a teacher you would respond to the challenges of creating a learning environment to meet diverse needs and how much easier it could be if the learner was able to manage the learning environment to meet their own needs. Think also of how you would respond to the challenges when a learner adopts a strategy you were not expecting or which challenges your beliefs about learning."

Marsigit Dr MA
Lecturer at Yogyakarta State University

Thank Kevin for the LQ references; it make me to in-depth read the related reference e.g. of Daniel Coyle's blog http://thetalentcode.com/2013/07/01/whats-your-lq-learning-quotient/What’s Your LQ (Learning Quotient)?

I do not agree with Daniel Coyle that “character” and “work ethic” is an an increasingly quantified world in education; and many use these terms to explain unexpected patterns of success and failure. I prefer to explain and uncover them still as a qualitative aspect and strive to look for the solution through communication and interaction.

In my point of view, LQ as a concept has its scheme and substance. Both has its crucial and critical position whenever they are used as an indicator of a certain stage of educational/life progress or achievements. It always can be questioned about any criteria the educationist make to measure of the degree of competence. According to LQ, you will be the best if your score is 50. I do not agree with this criteria due it try to match between qualitative and quantitative one. While you may difficult to identify a certain point to indicate a range of students' competence in a relatively dynamic and movable stage of life.

On the other hand, I do not totally agree with the approach or the ground of LQ. I understand, because of the context of their life, most of educationist always refer to something that is the best, the star, and the championship. In here, I wish to urge them to calm down by looking at the reality how many people or percentage of human life not able to be the stars, the winners, the champion, etc? I am more concern with those who are the loser because they are the more. And education is responsible to all of the people both the winners and the losers.

It will be very rough and refutable to quantify a kind of skill, process, relationship, awareness, enthusiasm, innovations, comfortableness, refining, etc. All of those educational phenomena we need to explain, discuss, exchange ideas rather than just simply to quantity. So I prefer to use hermeneutics to approach educational phenomena.

Kevin
Kevin Hewitson
Expert in developing teaching and learning strategies especially "Learning Intelligence" concept.

@Marsigit I make no mention of scoring LQ and see it as a failing of education to want to grade and score LQ as a way of assessing competence. It is also a failing of education systems to want to turn everything in life into subjects. I would rather measure the outcome of successfully managing the learning environment to meet learning needs, i.e. engaged and motivated learners making progress in whatever it is they are learning (where progress and competence is what is measured in relation to the application of LQ). The individuality of LQ fits in with your third paragraph because it promotes the concept of being the best you can be either despite or because of your learning environment. It is a portable concept and can be taken through life with the learner. Each time they face a challenge they have a strategy, an approach, on which to rely and are not prone to being "programmed" by their success or lack of it.
Please explain using "hermeneutics to approach educational phenomena".

Marsigit Dr MA
Lecturer at Yogyakarta State University

Kevin, from the History we may learn that the Hermeneutics means to translate and to be translated. This tradition underwent since the time of ancient Greek (Goddess of Hermein); however, most of currently scientists and educationist (in the contemporary life) forgot and did not understand this very useful approach to educate, to construct and to understand everything. Because of the impact of Pragmatism and Utilitarian, most of them even are not able to see something useful in the past. They are hypnotized to perform life based on capital, investment, business, industry, ambition to uncover and create the new world, very hard competition, quantity the qualitative aspect of life, promote quantum learning, explore and employ environment. The logical consequences are they define education in a very short term goal and getting return from educational investment. They are moving like a locomotive in the sense of only looking for the championship, the stars, the winners; and irresponsibility left the looser. So their behavior create a partial life of the world, a partial life of people, a split-personality of peoples, an instant of life, an immediate product of education. Their the only slogan is arrogantly say that who will be the best should pay the best. In my sense of life, this is a crazy currently tendency of life because life only based on the stronger will eat the weaker, the winner will scorn the loser; the very bad behavior is that the teacher also blame their loser students who really they are their responsibility. In my perception this is very bad life and unhealthy or ill educational system.

While, the aspects of Hermeneutics are imbedded and prevalent in/at every aspect of our life. This my long description and explanation is the result of my spirit in the scheme of Hermeneutics. We need to communicate and exchange ideas each other. In order to the teachers are able to communicate with their students, they should revitalize or overhaul their mindset of thinking of every aspect of education. They need to change their position in perceiving the nature of students, teaching, learning, method, subject (e.g. the nature of school math should be differentiated with the nature of Formal (university level) of mathematics). So it is up to you how you may perceive all of my notions, because I also wish to know your context of life/education/world.

If you start to understand some of my notions, you may make some response.
Thank.

Kevin
Kevin Hewitson
Expert in developing teaching and learning strategies especially "Learning Intelligence" concept.

@Marsigit - Thank you, I think I get where you are coming from and we very much agree.

Education to my mind has evolved to be and is being defined by what can be assessed (easily). Subjects and content are giving may under political pressure to that which is often referred to as "the basics" but is no more than minimal education. This is often done under the premise of "driving up standards", but only those of the readily assessable criteria. No matter what examination reform has taken place the world of work and employers still complain students are not ready or able to take their place. This should suggest what is being taught is not what is needed.

To see "for profit schools" being proposed is to me morally wrong and I wrote about this on my Blog (http://4c3d.wordpress.com/2013/07/22/for-profit-education/). I wrote "They have delegated their responsibility for the most base of reasons – money". The "they" being those who command and direct education systems, often politicians. Learning in such a "toxic" environment is not true learning. Teaching is also not teaching, merely instruction. On my website I proposed a model of learning responsibility (http://www.ace-d.co.uk/id5.html) ij which the responsibility of learnin gpasses from the teacher t othe learner and thi sprocesses is shielded by leadership. Unfortunately this does not appear to be the case in many schools. The problem is that when under pressure the teacher takes back the responsibility and learning stops. This then distorts the learner's perspective on what learning is about.

In my earlier thinking I defined education as (http://www.ace-d.co.uk/id1.html):

... there are six aspects or functions of education. These are:

Integration: sharing traditions, rituals and beliefs
Understanding: to develop and share knowledge and understanding
Awareness: to achieve an understanding of ones self, needs and desires
Evolution: to educate the educator, to be relevant and to move forward
Objectivity: to reflect, observe and question
Responsibility: to understand options and consequences (physical, social, spiritual and moral)

I think these aspects fit in with the Hermeneutics philosophy. Where we are at in educations systems is we only learn what has been prescribed or deemed "important" rather than pursuing learning as a journey and sometimes not knowing where it is going.

The joy of learning has been substituted for false reward (grades, scores) and we are not better for it!

Marsigit Dr MA
Lecturer at Yogyakarta State University

Thank a lot Kevin for your references. Your references indicate that education is multifaceted and multidimensional. You do the best in striving to find the solutions between the nature of education and its relationship with outside perspective such as its responsibility, its profit, its rights, its obligation, etc. Some of your notions are also inspiring. I do agree with your statement that education is a fundamental right so let it get right. I also agree that building learning relationship must be our first priority. I think profit education is something that can not be dispense. However, it needs a wise action.

The problems are whenever we strive to in-dept thinking and implement into practice. It is not easy to perform accountability (you said responsibility); we need to learn how educationists at other places perform their accountability. Hermeneutics will give its perspective a sustainable of education. Inside the sustainability consists of evolution (your notion).

I may give inputs to your responsibility ratio model. It seems that it contains only linear and plane geometrical illustrations, while we know that our life has three dimensional life. Hermeneutics approach let you to find encircle phenomena in its interaction with straight line. As you know that our life is in line with the straight line due we can not repeat any event in the past. However, we always hope that we may meet again in the future the day of Sunday; it indicates that our life is in line with circle.

I may give additional comment in the next session. Thank.


Marsigit Dr MA
Lecturer at Yogyakarta State University

Kevin, in the case of responsibility, I see there is still a bit different with accountability that has not covered yet in your references. My concern, because this is the important one, is how teachers at different level and different context are to account their teaching? What do you expect the accountability of e.g. the teacher from other country? And what do you account of your teacher to other context?

Further, in your statement that the student teacher relationship is critical in ensuring this transfer occurs in a managed way. I am worry about your term of "transfer" because it leads to confuse about the psychology of students way of learning. You need also to explain what do you mean by "building relationship must be PROTECTED"?

If you don't mind I may add the aspects of the function of education (not only six but may seven or more). There are not only Integration, Understanding, Awareness, Evolution, Objectivity, Responsibility; but also Constructing, Communicating, and Reflecting.

The pragmatists may end their thinking about "constructing" at a certain educational prescription and the psychologist at Piaget. In fact, through hermeneutics, I found that the "constructing" can be elaborated from Hermein (Ancient Greek).

Kevin
Kevin Hewitson
Expert in developing teaching and learning strategies especially "Learning Intelligence" concept.

@Marsigit. Many thanks for your perceptive analysis and comments. The responsibility diagram seeks to address a key issue that occurs when education is measured by student outcome only (grades, levels or marks). This situation is compounded when a teacher is rated or graded according to the success of their students. I have noticed that teachers are for the most part compliant souls. My theory is that many compliant students who do well at school because complicity is a key aspect of success in a grade based success environment (teaching and learning to the test) return to the school environment as teachers. We all like to repeat enjoyable experiences and times and perhaps this is part of the draw. Unfortunately in a politically driven system being compliant can be the worst thing, especially when being bombarded with new initiatives and ideas to "drive up standards" and to "return to basics".

What I have experienced is when pressures are applied to the school it is passed on via the headteacher and senior team instead of shielding the learning relationship. Instead of only allowing things through that actually support or strengthen the relationship they pass everything down - they are compliant. This pressure is also taken up by the compliant teacher who may see their success in terms of being compliant and achieving whatever new target is set (even if this is fundamentally flawed in terms of teaching pedagogy). In such circumstances the teacher/learner relationship comes under threat,. This is because the teacher takes back the responsibility for the learning, it is the only way they see of achieving some of the targets. This happens even to the extent of teachers "editing" students work, suggesting "improvements" that were not part of the student's own original work or thinking and other efforts to achieve the targets. The teacher can be found "teaching to the test" or coaching responses without first developing understanding. The learner soon understands this and like all children use it to their advantage. I have had a student say to me about his coursework "You do it for me Sir, you know it will make you look good." Teachers do have to account for their standard of teaching. As one who has mentored and coached teachers I know this is essential for professional development and successful teaching but there are more "professional" ways of doing this than by measuring the success of the students they teach.

If the above model is adopted then the line becomes a "saw tooth" shape with the teacher taking back responsibility each time a new target or initiative is passed down. The learning responsibility ratio never passes over to the student, they never become independent learners merely adaptive learners using whatever strategy they can to get the outcome they want. In some ways I see this is a negative LQ since they have adapted the learning environment to meet their needs but not in a way that leads to independent learning. I see the role of senior management as one of protecting this relationship so that the transfer is more consistent and the responsibility for learning understood. In teaching I believe building a relationship based on trust is of the greatest importance. If this trust is betrayed then the relationship is severely damaged, sometimes irreparably. A teacher who demonstrates enthusiasm and passion for their subject or responsibility as a teacher should not, in my opinion, then tell a student it is all secondary to getting a grade (either by dead or word).

My original list was for only three so I have no problem in adding to it! Perhaps "Reflecting" is part of Objectivity in my list. I see Constructing as building a "learning map", making links or as I have termed it developing Understanding. Communicating I believe is part of Integration, to share requires communication at a number of levels.

I hope I have answered your points.

Marsigit Dr MA
Lecturer at Yogyakarta State University

Thank for your great explanations Kevin. I am now more understand about your context and philosophy of education. The more I exchange ideas with you the more I find similarities of both our vision of education. Really, what you had explain exist at every educational context.

In my opinion, in a well-established educational system in which their educational system has it long history to examine and lay their philosophical ground of life, to uncultured intensive and extensively the nature of meaning, method and ethics, a compliant teacher is needed. However, in a mix orientation and developing educational system, in which different side has its different vision and struggling to perform their best among their large compound community through political approach, a compliant teacher can be problematic or even has many serious consequences.

For the second type of educational context, I may identify that a compliant teacher is characterized as the teacher who practice: teaching based on prescription, textbook teaching oriented, conventional way of teaching, as curriculum implementer rather than developer, final/national examination oriented, transfer of knowledge teaching, convey/delivery method of teaching, single method of teaching, misunderstood of the nature of students works sheet, single method of teaching, talk and chalk method, single knowledge for different students with similar method and similar time, etc.
In your context, you said the second type of compliant teacher should return to the school environment as teachers. I totally agree with your suggestion. What do you mean by the school environment may back to the nature of life (I use the term of hermeneutics). I also agree with your notion that in a politically driven system being compliant can be the worst thing. I found in a certain educational context even the teachers being bombarded with new irresponsible, inconsistency, partially motive of a certain clan, not research based, and just based on personally bureaucratic experience/claim of ideas. This situation makes the teachers in the fait a comply position; in which at every different angle of position, decision, or policy, they always to be blamed for their in competencies. In this kind of situation, the relationship of the responsibility between teachers and students not only is in danger but also broken or even vanishes. They lost the trust each other; in which I agree with you that the trust is the most important ground of education. I do not see any side is able to save the fate of these teachers. Whatever the best approach of getting educational method of teaching at university, but there will be no meaning and no impact at school because the schools are very pragmatic while the university are still idealistically. The very bad situation is whenever the university go directly to change their idealistic into pragmatic one.

In the case of adding the function of education, for me, “reflecting” can be very subjective one. Once if you state the notion of Objectivity, you should also fairly ready to note Subjectivity, because education is not partial. Interaction between Objectivity and Subjectivity results the nature of knowledge after the process of publishing, criticizing, and redefinition. So I do not agree with you to put “Reflecting” inside “Subjectivity”. Also, “Constructing” is not just a learning map; it contains the form and substance of knowledge. It will be very unintelligibly to put Constructing into Understanding. To construct every single concept one should has their Understanding, Willingness, Attitude, Skill and Experiences. The last, for me Communicating is not just a part of Integration, to share requires communication at a number of levels; I define Communicating as Hermeneutics i.e. to translate and to be translate in order the students are able to construct their own concept of life.
I appreciate highly If you may make the responses. Thank.
(Marsigit)

Marsigit Dr MA
Lecturer at Yogyakarta State University

One more for Kevin, you have not yet explain how a certain teacher from a certain context may perform his/her accountability to other sides from different context e.g. how the teacher at your context may perform his/her accountability to the teacher from our context?

Kevin
Kevin Hewitson
Expert in developing teaching and learning strategies especially "Learning Intelligence" concept.

@Marsigit re context and philosophy - it is interesting when two people realise they are holding different ends of the same stick!

In respect of the functions of education your three are: Reflecting, Constructing and Communicating. What I think may be occurring here is the problem of defining something using the limited form of language. I often wonder why we have so many words, and apart from adopting words from different cultures to add to our own when we need another which we feel better defines what it is we are describing, why so few are used! Let me consider your points.

Reflecting: You make a case for subjectivity if there is objectivity, two sides of the same coin perhaps. I can see the case for this and accept adding subjectivity to the list of functions to allow the learner to develop their own view based on feelings. I do not suggest putting reflecting inside subjectivity but I see the correlation you are making with objectivity (as I have said earlier, two sides of the same coin). Perhaps the term Reflecting should replace Objectivity and Subjectivity because they are functions within the process of reflecting. I included "to reflect" in my definition of objectivity and re ordering this and adding subjectivity, I suggest, would be a better definition.

Constructing: I think you are suggesting that to construct a learner needs the; "substance of knowledge", understanding, willingness, attitude, skill and experiences. Here again the heading I chose is within your definition. I mention to develop and to share knowledge and understanding. To do this there needs to be the willingness and skills to do this as well as the experience on which to base the process. Would you agree? If this is the case then we impose the higher placed function of Constructing over Understanding.

Communication: based on Hermeneutics principles, to translate and to be translated. In this respect it is in addition to the six aspects I have as my working theory.

Thank you for helping me to evolve my working theory of the function education.

Regarding accountability, this is an area which I believe has led to limiting professional practices because it seeks to impose a set of expectations rather than supporting developmental ones. The process of accountability can be very subjective, a little like a view on a picture or sculpture. Teaching is part an art and part a science. Trying to apply scientific rigour to an art destroys the process of art. There needs to be differentiation of the two as far as accountability is concerned. Teaching has a single focus - the learner. The responsibility is to facilitate learning but a difficulty also arises in that there are different stages of learning from reliance to independence. The stage at which the teacher and learner are at moves the focus of accountability but if this is not understood then we have conflict when it comes to assessing the teacher. This may be best understood by considering the role of a teacher working with infants and that of a lecturer working with PhD students. If we look at the more difficult area of the "art of teaching" there are professional competencies which need to be present although harder to assess objectively as individual elements their presence is easily seen as a whole. A teacher who is able to build a sense of belonging with the learner, is able to offer them choice without losing control and who can offer them a voice without being coerced and above all makes learning fun is operating at the higher end of their professional capabilities. Having subject knowledge is not enough, even knowledge of pedagogy is not enough. Both must be translated into the action of teaching. To assess any of these one must understand the art of teaching and be able to recognise individual aspects without relying on objective assessment of the process (or outcome - often the easier option but so wrong).

Marsigit Dr MA
Lecturer at Yogyakarta State University

Many thank also Kevin. I do agree with your all explanations. Your elaborations consist of important understanding of educational aspects. It is important not only for a single context but also universally. Due the limitation of the time, I wish to continue raising and digging up some problems in the following session. Hope that many peoples in the world can learn the substances of our discussion and you are still in favor to continue the exchange . Thank.

Marsigit Dr MA
Lecturer at Yogyakarta State University

For Kevin, specifically I am interested with your statement that trying to apply scientific rigor to an art can destroy the process of art. Or can I imply that applying scientific rigor to teaching learning processes can destroy the process of learning? I am looking to hear for your explanation.

Kevin
Kevin Hewitson
Expert in developing teaching and learning strategies especially "Learning Intelligence" concept.

@Marsigit I am enjoying your challenges and the opportunity to explain my philosophy, I am worried about boring everyone else though!

I will reply to your latest post in the morning (BST).

Maria
Maria Woodbury
Head of Science at St Bishoy Coptic Orthodox College

I wouldn't worry about boring everyone else..seems you two get on well and have similar viewpoints and I for one have been intrigued by the discussion...thank you gentlemen for taking the time to "thrash out" the philosophy of/behind good teaching...
Marsigit Dr MA
Lecturer at Yogyakarta State University

Kevin, I may wish to continue to dig up, sharp, and revise as well some notions. Frankly speaking, I am still not satisfied yet with your explanation about accountability. May I start with your notion about two peoples hold different ends of the same sticks? I do agree that we have similar stick (universal) of the ground of education; and however, because of different context, we naturally always have different ends.

Further, it implies to get and to construct different smaller contextually sticks, with different methods, meanings and values. Here I will show you the interval of position or location in which different ends means also different way to account of any aspect of educational implementations. The easiest example how to account of teaching practice in my educational context is just inviting others to look at directly the practices and vice verse.

Benefited from high technology, way observe teaching in the remote places (different context) through VTR. The crucial point is how to follow the step in such a way that the sides are able to share or exchange (hermeneutics) constructively. The next may be will be belong to your points, please.

Further, I found you have still misunderstood about "Constructing". In the very basic educational foundation, Constructing does not mean to construct the learner meet. It means definitely to construct any kinds of "knowledge" of in the more extended meaning it is to construct LIFE. So any human being without any exception (including the smarter animal) needs to construct their life. Of course, in the mean of education, constructing covers not only knowledge but also understanding, relationship, concepts of e.g. mathematics, skill, attitude and experiences.

On other places of your writing, you have ever stated about "transfer" (may be transfer of knowledge). I am not sure whether your term of "transfer" and your misunderstanding of my term of Constructing indicate that you may still have not understood yet about the nature of Constructing in education. In order that I can translate you comprehensively (in the spirit of constructing our life) you may need to explain these points. Thank you.

Kevin
Kevin Hewitson
Expert in developing teaching and learning strategies especially "Learning Intelligence" concept.

@Marsigit. Peer observation is a good way to assess teaching; it also supports peer development and sharing of good practice. The problem comes when we try to scientifically define good practice and only adhering to this definition is acceptable. Let me put this into my context. Here in the UK we have Ofsted (the official body for inspecting schools) who produce "Teachers' Standards" as well as "grades" for schools. Ofsted can "call" on a school with very little notice, days in fact, and inspect the school. Their grading can affect the position of the Headteacher, the reputation of the school and even its very survival. It is a "high stakes" process and the resulting stress of an Ofsted inspection is not to be underestimated. Even waiting for the Ofsted phone call pervades the daily routine of many heads and they live just waiting for the call! Even when away from the school at a conference or on a course they have their mobile, phone at hand, just in case. When Ofsted calls each teacher can be observed by the Inspectors and also graded and therefore they live and teach under the same conditions daily.

I am sure no one ever wanted this situation but that is what you get when you apply "standards" as you would apply them in a production line model seeking consistency of product. Perhaps we would see the process more as quality assurance rather than quality control. A quick search of the web and you will find "The perfect Ofsted lesson" guides and tips and tricks for achieving "Outstanding". In my view both the rhetoric and principle of this is detrimental to the art of teaching. For example I have observed first hand a perfectly good teacher go to pieces when observed by Ofsted because instead of doing what they do best, instinctively react to the learning environment and learners needs, they tried to follow what is viewed as the "outstanding lesson" plan. All this did was undermine their confidence, alienate them from the class and prevent them from truly teaching. Further the trust that had been built up with the students was now broken and there was a great deal of remedial work to be done. The reactive behaviour of the students during the lesson to this situation was predictable, they did not recognise this teacher in front of them and their behaviour demonstrated their insecurity (lack of belonging).

Is trying to achieve consistency in education in the manner we are following in the UK a hangover from the Victorian model of education and Industrial Revolution? Can the same criteria for an Outstanding lesson in maths or science be applied to music or drama or art? Is an Outstanding lesson at he start of the year the same as the end of the year or any point in between?

It is not just about observation, it is about response too. What works for one teacher may not work for another. I believe it takes careful coaching to develop teacher competencies and not all teachers in school have the time or skills to do this. I offer, as part of my professional services, teacher coaching. The advantage of an "independent" coach is that it is their single focus and they are available when you need them (not when free lessons coincide or after a long day teaching when both parties can be tired). So just what could make that lesson even better? I am guessing the coaching process follows hermeneutic principles as you see them. I recognise the value in peer assessment but only when both parties have the time and approach necessary to ensure the quality of the process and outcome. I do not see this in the high pressure situations teachers here in the UK face. I have not touched on performance related pay either and its effect on the profession. It is worth asking teachers here in the uK and perhaps around the world what they think of their lessons being videod. I would bet on a correlation between an environment of accountability on the one hand and professional trust on the other.

Kevin
Kevin Hewitson
Expert in developing teaching and learning strategies especially "Learning Intelligence" concept.

Presently I see Construct as a function of education as building knowledge and understanding etc but I am exploring the concept and my understanding as we continue our discussion. In an education system I would expect the learner to receive and develop the tools and skills to construct their own views, beliefs and understanding so as part of the function of education for there is no other way we will further our knowledge base surely than in helping learners construct their own views and interpretations. "Teach a man to fish and..." What has been proposed as a theory has in some cases been shown to be flawed using exactly the same knowledge but constructed in a different way. Schools need to provide the environment under which "self" construction can take place too. An opportunity for the individual to explore what self is and to help them in defining it in a low risk manner. An opportunity to act out and consider the consequences of actions or beliefs. My thinking suggests that if this is not the case then intolerance and bigotry will prevail in society. Is constructing "life" the same as constructing "self"?

When I talk of transfer I am referring to the transfer of responsibility in the learning partnership. The giving up by the teacher and the taking by the learner. This needs to be a managed process and constantly reviewed by both partners. We do not want over reliant learners who show no independence and we do not want a lack of direction or guidance and support from the teacher. To be there when they stumble rather than a crutch perhaps is a good way of describing it.

Scott
Scott Watson
Electronics-Robotics Instructor at Hunter High School

From my perspective the problems in education are mostly because it has become completely disconnected from the employment (job) market. I am not advocating running schools like a business for those who cringed when I inferred the business world. What I am advocating is a constant evolving of education so we aren't graduating flocks of students with skills for jobs that disappeared decades ago. I will use my own teaching area of electronics/robotics as an example. I can place students with good soft skills and tech skills out of class into 50K a year Jobs. So why are my teaching areas nearly non existent in the schools? If you think seeing this post "great" a school has this area so the problem is being addressed...nope exact opposite the numbers in my teaching area have dropped by over 90 percent in the past 2 decades while the job opportunities exploded. The 90 percent reduction in programs is both college and high school. The surviving programs are barely hanging on because funds to keep equipment-curriculum up to date have been siphoned off to pay for ?????

Maria
Maria Woodbury
Head of Science at St Bishoy Coptic Orthodox College

I think you make a valid point there...we are forever being asked by students: I need to know this....why?? And trying to make things relevant like the theorems of Euclidean Circle Geometry indeed becomes a challenge. (personally I find the theorems fascinating, but will it bring bread on the table in the long run for these students? I think not.)
Then the curriculum developers have a hard task of what to leave in and what to take out. On top of that, many teachers have to teach to an external exam where the only measure of achievement or competency is really a "final mark". Should that mark be considered "low", it's the teacher and school that gets blamed. And further still, in some schools here they are advocating performance based pay..so in essence: kid fails, teacher doesn't get a pay rise.
I think for an education system to work it must be: relevant to the era, the learning must be a partnership as Kevin suggests, the art of teaching needs to be recognised as such, it's an art, a skill that not many can do, society (and governments) needs to value educators and hold them in high respect, not "hey, if I can't get into anything else, I can always be a teacher" attitude that seems to prevail here. Further, governments need to listen to teachers who are actually within the classroom, not to a board of directors who "taught once" and now seem to think that they are experts in education in dishing out regulations that are "one size fits all" and who seem to adopt a business style structure to education. It won't work, and our students suffer the most then. But that's my two bobs worth!

Tracie
Tracie Passlow
Science teacher Magdalene Catholic High School

Certainly many things could be fixed, or possibly tweaked a little.

Class sizes, yes previously people were taught in classes of 40 or more, but the expectations of society were different, respect for teachers higher, and methodology was chalk and talk.

In the current climate, use of IT and educating the etiquette associated takes up time.

I would much prefer to guide students in life skills of communication and inquiry, where they can research and discover what is relevant and expand their general knowledge of all things in the world.

To truly understanding our students needs and cater accordingly, may require more teachers and therefore less number of classes rather than less number of student per class.

Collegial discussion time and sharing be built into the timetable. We are individuals that keep reinventing the wheel.

Kevin
Kevin Hewitson
Expert in developing teaching and learning strategies especially "Learning Intelligence" concept.

I have always found it strange that as a profession "teachers do it alone". Where I have been able to promote team teaching, or at least an open door policy, collaboration and professional development sored. It does bring with it it its own set of problems though such as students trying to play one teacher off against the other (a bit like mum v dad!). The view that teaching is only the interaction with the student is also a problem for the profession. I most strongly agree with Tracie when in her last paragraph she calls for discussion time and sharing be built into the timetable. This and her other comments reminded me that I was lucky enough to have an insightful mentor when I started to teach and my conversations with him and watching him teach taught me so much. He died recently, nearly making 80, and I took the time to reflect on our relationship over 35 years. I came up with John's 12 rules. Not only did he teach by them I discovered, in my reflection, he lived by them. One of John's rules was "Always have a project on the go." You can interpret this as "Be the learner you want your students to be." It is a powerful message for teachers because it is so effective. John taught design and so always was making something. This process brought him into contact with a wide range of people, it caused students to stop and ask "What are you doing Sir?" There was always a talking point, a way of engaging with people through a project. Of course John demonstrated his skills and passion and also the value of what he was teaching, much better than any textbook or promise of better things if you pass the examination.

If anyone is interested in the remaining rules let me know and I will post them here.


Marsigit Dr MA
Lecturer at Yogyakarta State University

@Kevin and others. Still I am concerned with the case of educational Accountability. Many points we have got from Kevin about (in my perception) his effort to show British educational context may to indicate (not to show or perform yet) its educational accountability. He indicated how firm possibly, one of them is through the building of Ofsted or possibly there is still another model), educational Accountability to be erected. We also have got additional references of the aspect of educational Accountability from Australian context (Maria Woodbury and Tracie); though they are different intensive and extensively. Tracie’s indication especially, as it has indicated already also by Kevin, proved that at each single stage of educational dimension we still have a problem in performing educational Accountability.

In the case of Kevin, though he strive hardly to show how firm the atmosphere of British context in supporting to perform its educational Accountability; however and still it is about your context. Kevin and others seem still subjectively talk to themselves about their Stick s and the criteria how to judge theirs goodness. That’s they called it they have already to perform their educational Accountability. In my opinion, they are still far away in achieving the stage of the nature of educational Accountability for the universal Sticks.

By the way, I have found that the rigor building of Ofsted and its social context have its points which are needed to be improved. In this scheme, I did not find the chance for the inspected teachers to contribute fairly to perform national level of its educational accountability. I also did not find they are able to dig up their themselves (may in collaboration with others) the new notions of educational theories. So in my opinion, the Ofsted building have its strength to account of education through its top-down approach in which inspected or monitored teachers have no say to defend their accountability. I saw this is really the problems of educational hermeneutics i.e. how each single side in education is to translate and to be translated. To what extent that the Ofsted scheme is able to be translated?
Delete August 25, 2013

Kevin
Kevin Hewitson
Expert in developing teaching and learning strategies especially "Learning Intelligence" concept.

@Marsigit There was a time before Ofsted in the uK when HMI (Her Majesty's Inspectorate) were responsible for the standards in education. This was a much "gentler" time in education and the concept of "professional accountability" prevailed. My experience was schools self regulated and the focus was on your ability to teach and through this you were accountable for the results of your students but not responsible (the student was responsible for what they achieved or did not achieve). This is different to the teacher being responsible for the results of the students they teach. True different ways of teaching existed, some teachers were better than others and some made more of an effort than others and some teachers needed to be encouraged to leave the profession altogether. Much like now! I felt as though there was a climate where I and others could try different approaches with much less risk. My early teaching career was during a time of great change in Design teaching and I worked with other teachers to develop new resources and subject content. It was a very exciting and rewarding time and a great deal of what is now missing in Design teaching (an called for by today's manufacturers and engineers) was present only to be lost as we moved towards a standardised approach to education.

I am inspired by this debate about accountability to work on developing a model which reflects what I would term "best practice" and present this for review.

Maria
Maria Woodbury
Head of Science at St Bishoy Coptic Orthodox College

don't forget to post those twelve rules Mr Hewitson!!!
I also think that the move to a standardised approach to education is detrimental to our students. Not sure that there is "best practice". My own teaching changes as my classes and students change, what works one year will not work the following, sometimes simply because the dynamics within the group are different, or the "energy" of the class is different or their cultural background is different. Teaching is an art that tunes into the subject..our subject is the students and ensuring that they have the skills to embrace, process and analyse, acknowledge and empathise with the world around them...and most of all, to contribute to the betterment of the world. (At least that is how I see teaching subjects no matter what key learning area...and although going by my experience doesn't stand for much, I have taught such a variety of subjects and the more I interlink them, the more the students see that nothing stands on its one...in my early teaching days as an enthusiastic twenty year old, I used to call it the power of association. The more a student associates and connects between subjects, the better the grasp of the complexities of the world around them). But I digress...
I am interested how we do look at teacher accountability for it seems to me that governments will always place a heavy burden on teachers, we are easy targets these days...and not so much on the students..and yet as we know, learning is a two way street...thank you all for posting your thoughts...(I find this forum very much like a global staffroom and appreciate your insights)

Kevin
Kevin Hewitson
Expert in developing teaching and learning strategies especially "Learning Intelligence" concept.

@Maria - 12 Rules - will do! Best practice is typified by your comments - the approach should reflect the needs of the learner. Strategies should be considered and resources chosen according to needs. This is how my approach to accountability is different. Accountability is linked to undertaking the professional "duties" associated with teaching. In this way we strengthen the teacher and achieve the desired aim - an effective and appropriate education system. More on this later.

The 12 Rules - to be interpreted and applied as necessary.
* your stall out and be ready before you make a start.
* you are going to pick something up, know where you are going to put it down.
* is no point in struggling, remember the Egyptians!
* blunt tool is dangerous.
* ask questions to elicit the least number of responses.
* work out what you want to know before you ask the question.
* because it's broken does not mean it cannot be mended.
* custody is not the same as stealing; you are just looking after it.
* lesson has a beginning, middle and an end when you are leading it, at other times let the students get on with it.
* you have got it organised somebody else will use it.
* it home first and then decide what you are going to do with it.
* have a project on the go.

Maria
Maria Woodbury
Head of Science at St Bishoy Coptic Orthodox College

apart from the Egyptians..which I am a bit confused about (ancient Egyptians? slavery to do ones hard work?)...the rest are quite endearing. Thank you...will use it some of the ideas for my teenage students in the Virtues program we run.
I am looking forward to your accountability posts too!
Many thanks once again!

Kevin
Kevin Hewitson
Expert in developing teaching and learning strategies especially "Learning Intelligence" concept.

@Maria The reference to the Egyptians is about not struggling, rushing into things with haste. The Egyptians were very creative in how they approached problems, many of which we are still not sure how they solved. Stand back, review, think, look around see who else has solved the problem before you rush in. Often the most "beautiful" of solutions is the simplest in execution. Hope that explains the thinking - nothing to do about slavery!

I noticed that in the second from last rule I missed the word "Get" at the start, sorry about that. In fact a number of the first words are missing - I wonder why that is? They were there when I posted. I have put them on my blog if you want to refer anyone to them. You will find it at: http://4c3d.wordpress.com/2013/08/26/johns-12-rules/

Kev (It is a long time since I was called "Mr Hewitson"!)

Maria
Maria Woodbury
Head of Science at St Bishoy Coptic Orthodox College

thank goodness...I was perplexed by those Egyptians...???
I have found your blog too, many good posts there on ace-d especially about LQ...amongst other things...
thanks once again...

Marsigit Dr MA
Lecturer at Yogyakarta State University

Kevin and others, thank for some responses, however, I still have not satisfied yet with your elaboration of Educational Accountability. Still and still you are talking about your Sticks; and I see it is difficult for you to look at another Sticks. It means that it is still far away from getting universal Sticks. It is Kevin who said about Similar Sticks. But you never and never have an idea on how to perform Accountability for Universal Sticks. Your 12 prescriptions consist mostly a partial way of behave i.e. from the angle of your context. If you say you have got it organised somebody else will use it; other people can also say the same. I can deliver a question t you based on your notion "you are going to pick something up, know where you are going to put it down". This is about accountability. If many sides all over the world just talk from and for themselves, we will produce in-harmony life of the world. And currently, we see that case is spread out and prevalent in such away that we live in unhealthy universal society. Anybody else may help Kevin to solve my the most important question i.e. how to perform universal Accountability of education?

Kevin
Kevin Hewitson
Expert in developing teaching and learning strategies especially "Learning Intelligence" concept.

@Marsigit. I think you have confused John's 12 rules for teaching (and life) with accountability. They are meant as a metaphorical set of guidelines.

I have started to write a draft of what could be a universal accountability model. It is based on the premise that we make the teacher accountable for their professional development, involvement and strategies to aid the learner. In the model I make a distinction between accountability and responsibility with the latter resting with the learner. In the model I list a number of professional responsibilities ranging from undertaking active research projects to building learning relationships. The model moves away from measuring learner outcomes which are seen as the responsibility of the learner. In the meantime if I did not mention the Prezi an what makes an excellent teacher here is the link:
http://prezi.com/ffa7mnh1mldu/?utm_campaign=share&utm_medium=copy&rc=ex0share

More to come when about the model I have had a little more time to refine it.

Marsigit Dr MA
Lecturer at Yogyakarta State University

Kevin, apologize for my last high tone for I expect highly from you. Thank for you really gave a lot and useful ideas of developing educational accountability in a certain educational context. In my perception, yea the normative solution for universal accountability is universal hermeneutics i.e. to what extent a certain educational context is able to translate and to be translated. It seemed that, for a certain educational context, it is not easy to do so. So my next question is to what extent you are ready to open your mind in order that you may understand other educational context. By universal hermeneutics, it lets you exchange ideas on all aspects of education without any prejudice and in the spirit of free thinking to promote constructive collaboration based on universal right and obligation. To what extent that your educational context can be observed by others and that you are willing to observed others. Are you ready to held a dialog on the Universally Common Stick with others. In order to account of Similar Sticks of education you should ready for exchange ideas on each single stage of education dimension. Without any awareness of all those points your undergo projects surely be meaningless in term of universal accountability. Collaboration/cooperation is the nature of human-being; even animal need to collaborate in order to survive. So, universally educational accountability need to explain the extent and to elaborate the kind of educational collaboration rather than competition.

Kevin
Kevin Hewitson
Expert in developing teaching and learning strategies especially "Learning Intelligence" concept.

@Marsigit - Only those looking down and back do not see the opportunities ahead. I am guided very much by my insight and feelings in all matters. I find that discussion with others who want to explore the most rewarding. As for my project - it is my thinking that I present - not a solution or a "truth", only ideas ready to be refined and explored. Am I ready? - Bring it on!

Now where did I put my copy of Krishnamurti "Think on These Things"

Marsigit Dr MA
Lecturer at Yogyakarta State University

Kevin, it is rather difficult for me to uncover which point you started Krishnamurti and "Think on These Things". So, from this if I continue my words it may produce misleading. However, I am interesting with your copy of Krishnamurti, at least..it is possibly your striving to understand our educational context. It will be a good point to start to communicate or share cultural aspects of education. I also praise your "Think on These Things" and possibly I translate this as "reflection". If it does so, then thank you very much for your wise suggestion to me. Later I may continue about Krishnamurti of which as far as I know it is originated from India (the story of Mahabarata).

Back to educational Accountability, I wish to learn from my above sentences "reflection". How do you relate it with accountability? When I say "you" may it does not usually mean as individually you, but it can be your context or your society. My other fundamental question is to what extent and how the teachers in your context are to reflect their teaching. For me, still in the scope of accountability, reflection is very important both for the teachers and the students. Are there any scheme for the teachers of doing the process of publishing subjective knowledge of teaching, criticizing or getting input from others and ultimately getting their objective knowledge. So, in my perception, Accountability should consists of framework and substance. They should interact hermeneutic-ally, dynamic and creative at all level of educational dimension in such a way that it always produce further hermeneutics of theory and practice, teachers and their students, students and knowledge, school and parents, rationality and empirical, coherency and correspondence, objectivity and subjectivity, idealism and pragmatism, intuition-ism and perception-ism, a priori and a posteriori, rigorous and dynamic, principal and regulation, apodictic and probability, universal and partial, etc. All that the places you may put your copy of Krishnamurti. Please think thing in themselves.

Kevin
Kevin Hewitson
Expert in developing teaching and learning strategies especially "Learning Intelligence" concept.

Here is something to start the ball rolling on accountability. My background is as a designer so you can see I have moved from the "Brief" stage to the "Analysis" stage of the process of developing a model of accountability.

Accountability in Education: observations and questions

Observations (to be challenged and verified)
Overall most systems appear to be "top down" models.
The approach to educational accountability is through the setting of educational standards.
The standards are subject and performance level based.
There are minimum standards, expressed as percentages, based on the number of grades achieved in individual and a combination of subjects.
Schools are held accountable for the standards achieved by their students.
A process of internal accountability makes teachers accountable for the achievements of their students.
Teaching standards are a way of ensuring students receive good quality teaching and that standards are met as a result.
Internally set tests, assessments and reports are a way of monitoring student standards and progress.
Systems are used to determine potential performance of students. Some of these systems are based on prior performance and some on potential (assessed through cognitive based tests).

Question (to find answers to and determine relevance to Brief)
On what are the educational standards based, what forms the baseline?
What is the rationale behind the selection and identification of a subject (and subject combinations) when setting standards?
Are there any examples of how accountability is achieved without the setting of subject based standards?
What forms of teacher assessment are there?
How do we achieve objectivity in a primarily relationship based system?
Who else should be involved in the accountability process other than schools and teachers?
Should, and can, an accountability system factor in social and environmental influences (if indeed these are influences in terms of achievement of students)?
Can any appropriate (see earlier discussion about the functions of education) education system be just subject based and is this enough to demonstrate the standards of a system?
Does holding an organisation, a system or someone to account mean those who are doing so have a responsibility to understand the process sufficiently enough to provide the necessary resources to achieve whatever targets or standards are set?
Can what works in one context be applied to another and achieve the same results?

Please jump in and if you can provide answers to questions or add more please do.

Marsigit Dr MA
Lecturer at Yogyakarta State University

Great Kevin. I am pleased to get your last very important references to construct the idea of educational Accountability. Let me take a time to learn your notions. Thank. Marsigit

Maria
Maria Woodbury
Head of Science at St Bishoy Coptic Orthodox College

not sure I like this teacher accountability thing....accountable to whom? to the school board? to the parents? to the student? to one's peers? to the government of the time (Communism anyone?)
accountable in what form? is it the marks or the employability of the student? surely we want to build character in our students as well, which means should teachers be held accountable for failing a student not only academically but also personally?...against what standards? internationally (in Australia, governments are forever trying to work out where Australian students lie in the global educational spectrum...but to measure or put a number on something like that is ridiculous because the background, culture and experience is different as you go from country to country..wouldn't that then be ignoring this Learning Quotient of the student?)
I always hesitate when it comes to "teacher accountability" because it is something that cannot be measured or accurately pinned down. Every teacher is different, their style is different. Comparing them to one another proves nothing. To hold them up to a set of vague standards, reviewed by a parental, school or governing body crushes creativity of the teacher and the spontaneity of the learning. The art of teaching dies. It's as if I asked which one, Fred Astaire or Gene Kelly, is the better tap dancer...how do we know whether Mr A and Miss B are good teachers or not without thoroughly looking into their students needs, likes and resources available.
I understand that there may be poor teachers, through inexperience or lack of mentoring or just plain laziness...but slapping standards on teaching, I personally, don't think, can bring any good.
I sometimes feel that it is always because of the small group of poor examples of teachers, that the majority of good teachers then have to jump through bureaucratic hoops in order to obtain a pay rise or even be recognised/valued. The poor examples are always held up as the majority, and as a consequence various bodies draft what they deem as necessary standards for quality teaching...what would they know?? how could they know if they are not in the class teaching that particular group of students...When I hear a politician talk about how easy teachers have it (holidays, finish work at 3pm etc), and how teachers are not performing (because the students failed a nation wide reading/writing/arithmetic test)...I tend to ask "why don't you come and try it?"...
(Let's face it, if governments suddenly turned around and said what a great job teachers are doing...it would cost them...)
Sorry, I may have missed the point you were making Kevin..and thus my rant on teacher accountability...I will reflect a little more...
Sorry...

Kevin
Kevin Hewitson
Expert in developing teaching and learning strategies especially "Learning Intelligence" concept.

@Maria I believe you have expressed the concerns of every "professional" teacher (and I make the distinction purposefully). At the moment I am at the "What is there?" and "What are the issues?" stage. The setting of "standards" to my mind is the tail wagging the dog if all we do is try to meet them. We have seen the impact of this as "teaching to the test" etc. This leads into the spiral of claims and counterclaims that things are getting easier etc.I think your "rant" expressed everything that is wrong with any system that is top down and imposes "standards" and defines some of the challenges we face in developing a universal accountability model.

Marsigit Dr MA
Lecturer at Yogyakarta State University

@Maria, I am very deep concern with your statement "I always hesitate when it comes to "teacher accountability" because it is something that cannot be measured or accurately pinned down. Every teacher is different, their style is different. Comparing them to one another proves nothing. To hold them up to a set of vague standards, reviewed by a parental, school or governing body crushes creativity of the teacher and the spontaneity of the learning. The art of teaching dies." I think it is very important to consider when we go on teaching accountability.

So then my question to you is with the maximum number of utterances how you elaborate if there is an urging to perform teacher's accountability (even universally)? What do you think about the thinking of "standard" in teaching processes? In your point of view can the teacher stays in balance position in perceiving and in behaving his teaching between personal matter and public obligation?

Marsigit Dr MA
Lecturer at Yogyakarta State University

@Kevin and Maria, still I wish to pose the issues. Especially to Maria, to what extent in your context that a certain teacher is able to be given an input by other teachers to improve his/her teaching. So here, the next issue is (for Maria and Kevin) what do you say about developing teacher's professional based on teachers community/society? That is the idea of improving the quality of teaching is from, for and by the teachers?

Marsigit Dr MA
Lecturer at Yogyakarta State University

My response to Kevin about his notions of Observation and Question on educational accountability is the following.

In the case of observation, I do not agree with Kevin about overall systems should appear to be "top down" models. The most concerns of quality improvement of education is overall something happened at the classroom in which the experience teachers in a well established educational context such as British context should have their ample data of teaching learning processes; and it follows by professional way of interpreting and reflecting the data in the scheme of their classroom based research e.g. ethnography, as for their paradigm that teaching is also as research activity. This is of course absolutely different in developing countries in which classroom based research is mostly strange. The problem is that what is the kind of bottom-up scheme of model that can promote teacher’s initiation, creativities and art of teaching as an input to the high level of educational policy. So in my perception, there is still a space to develop bottom-up educational accountability model.

In the normative way of thinking, it is a bit strange to heavy stress educational accountability on what it is called as “standard”. This idea consists full of unfairness due to its relationship with politics and power. They who has the power who outlines the standard; and the tail end of standardizing of education is economical motive. So from this point I think we are bit difficult to develop the nature of education. This is not only about philosophy of education but ideology of education also. My question “Can every single aspect of teaching e.g. art of teaching be standardized?”

I agree with Maria that it is impossible to indicate teacher’s competencies if it does not look through into teacher’s activities of teaching in his/her classroom. Many sides can be involved in the accountability process e.g. supervisor, students parent, teachers club and even educational government official; in the form of “open class” like in Japan that it is called Lesson Study. Accountability system should be developed based on its culture development in such a way that it serves sustainability of overall aspect of educational accountability.

I am a bit strange to hear Kevin for he sometimes posed about Subject Based educational system; and why he does not mention about e.g. Constructive Based Educational system? In my perception, to relate subject-based educational system with high educational standard of achievement is a kind of Investment-based educational system in which it tends to meet with high technology and strong political system; they can in the form of Industrial trainer and Technological Pragmatists society (Ernest P).

In sum, the model of educational accountability depends on its philosophy and ideology of education as well as their educational context or culture. However, we should find out the universal notions in order to perform compromise understanding of what we called as educational Accountability. The universal notions cab be e.g. cooperation, observation, reflection, getting input, believe in or trust in. Japanese teachers invite many and many teachers and educationists surrounding the world to account of their teaching by open their class to be observed and getting input in the scheme of Lesson Study.

Kevin
Kevin Hewitson
Expert in developing teaching and learning strategies especially "Learning Intelligence" concept.

@Marsigit I think you have misunderstood my post, I have not made any proposals or suggestions - I have only presented some observations to be either challenged as inaccurate analysis of many present systems or verified as most common practices. The questions that follow seek to address the issues and key concepts that should be built into any universal accountability model..

I have a particular approach I use to look as "problems" such as this one. The early stages are very much analysis based, raising questions and preparing to answer them through research in order to arrive at a specification. Once this is established then I move onto ideas, potential solutions. These ideas are then evaluated against the original specification in order to develop a proposal.

I hope that this makes the purpose of my post clearer Marsigit.

Actually I agree with many of your comments about the nature and development of a universal accountability model. If you look at this post you will see some of my thinking on the subject of a "subject based" system.
http://4c3d.wordpress.com/2013/03/30/the-next-step-in-education-evolution-is/

Maria
Maria Woodbury
Head of Science at St Bishoy Coptic Orthodox College

I like that evolution in education very much in your post Kevin....and agree, the politics of education must be removed for education to go forward...(and must agree also that half the battle that any maths teacher has, is to fight a long counter offensive campaign when the student and their parents say "we were never good at maths" in order to make any progress in that subject.
I guess the real question is then..how do we hold teachers and the educational system accountable?
Are doctors held accountable? or even politicians? what about lawyers? Sure there is a code of conduct, so I suppose teachers should have a code of conduct too...there is also a requirement that these other professionals be aware of the latest developments within their field, and so yes teachers should be aware of the latest philosophies in education and the latest technologies...but that is where we might find problems...there are many philosophies out there....and technologies change as we speak...
I must say I hadn't given much thought about all of this....until these posts..
The Japanese seem to have an interesting system...my concern is that the lessons may become a show, "who had the most fun?" "which classroom was quiet?" and parental perceptions will become the yardstick for accountability...schools here also have "open days" and parents can wander in and out of classes....but I must say, making a judgement based on one or two days and one or two classes is not very prudent. I think what we are seeing is that teaching accountability is definitely not an easy "thing" to grasp. At the end of the day, most parents will classify a school according to the results the students generate at the end. The better results and entry in to tertiary institutions, the better the school. But the fact that some of these schools may be generating parrots and non thinkers is overlooked. Performance based accountability is what seems to be dominant here. As long as there is an exam at the end of the thirteen years or so of education, accountability will be tied to performance of the student.
I will be most interested to see what you come up with Kevin once you have asked the questions and gathered the data. I am heartened by your post that you find the results encouraging.
It's early morning (5:30am) here in Sydney...so forgive me if I haven't addressed all the issues...
I will ponder the problems/questions throughout the coming days...

Marsigit Dr MA
Lecturer at Yogyakarta State University

Kevin, I have split perceptions with your concept of Evolutionary Subject Based curriculum development. I agree with you about the substances of your evolutionary approach to develop curriculum and the way how to develop subjects. However, your term "Subject-based" deliver very old and conventional approach of education; at any different educational context it can not promote any innovation in education. Even, it brings a mislead to justify that the Subject in curriculum just very easy to be manipulated especially by powerful agents e.g. authoritarian government.

In my perception, what you are doing in your indicated web link and what you are meaning is really a "Constructive" approach i.e. how to construct subject in evolutionary approach of curriculum development. It will be very powerful justification if you may consider to change your theme from "Subject-based" into "Constructive-based"; because only the West (UK, Australia and North America) who really understand the nature of "Constructivism"; and, I see your contexts have their en-culturing activities for a long time in developing it.

While, in my educational context, I am still very hard struggling how to promote "Constructivism" as a new paradigm and change the old "Subject-based" one.

Further, I may indicate the form of Educational Accountability in the East and South East Asia and APEC Countries educational contexts at the following site (in which I also have a limited involvement):

http://hrd.apec.org/index.php/Lesson_Study

Have a look at the site. Thank. Marsigit

Kevin
Kevin Hewitson
Expert in developing teaching and learning strategies especially "Learning Intelligence" concept.

@Marsigit - Definition of Constructive based system - emphasis on process rather than content. Would you agree? Interestingly although you suggest the West understands this model in the UK I would say under the direction of our Secretary for Education, Mr Gove, we are reverting to a subject based approach to education. This is, it is claimed, to "raise standards". You may want to look at his ideas on the EBacc qualification. This is not a direction many teachers/schools want to go in and provides a context to answer your earlier question about teacher involvement in accountability. The freedoms to innovate of the 1970's and 1980's have, for the majority, gone. There are pockets of innovation taking place supported by "brave" and enlightened heads but in many cases this is seen as too risky for jobs and careers are at stake if it goes wrong. I have been involved in a project that has a focus on the emotions and feelings of learning and helps young students express this through a "Learning Line". The approach helps bring about engagement and reassures young learners at a time of great expectation giving them a voice. You may find this link interesting, it is a presentation on the Butterfly Model by Roy Leighton with whom I have been working. http://prezi.com/_eq5_saqblow/the-butterfly-model-summary-of-the-process/

I have a further question or two! Do we develop a model of accountability based on a subject based curriculum or a constructive based curriculum and are the two mutually exclusive? Or do we use the developed model of accountability to change the approach to education much the same way as the present (outcome only) accountability model is trying to shape the curriculum?

Re your link - I enjoyed looking through the site and seeing the approach to learning. Yes you will find this approach in UK schools, but possibly not everyone. The issue I have is the reaction of schools when there is pressure to perform (those who need a different more involved approach especially) tend to "play it safe" and revert to a didactic approach. This is an example of the Responsibility Diagram working in a negative manner (discussed earlier). You may be interested in "Mindful Learning", Ellen Langer is worth reading on this subject and their is a summary to download in my Teaching Series at: http://www.ace-d.co.uk/id10.html "A Mindful Approach to Learning".

Look out for todays article on my blog which is about approaching learning through design as part of LQ. Very much in line with a Constructive-based approach.

Maria
Maria Woodbury
Head of Science at St Bishoy Coptic Orthodox College

Thanks for that post on your blog...a very succinct description of how to approach learning.
It does appear that we do a similar thing here. We have three types of assessment that our education department advocates: assessments "for" learning (these are your teaching strategies), assessments "of" learning (these are your tests and exams) and assessments "as" learning (investigations, open ended activities). Although I am still trying to get my head around all these various forms of "assessment" (sometimes we are baffled by the terminology) that our Board of Studies advocates, I would put your notions in to the assessments as learning. I don't think that such a design process be marked formally by the teacher, but rather evaluated by peers or the student themselves?
thank you once again for sharing this.

Marsigit Dr MA
Lecturer at Yogyakarta State University

Thank a lot Kevin, I strive to learn your references. Thank also to Maria and LinkedIn for opening and carrying out this discussion. Regard. Marsigit

Kevin
Kevin Hewitson
Expert in developing teaching and learning strategies especially "Learning Intelligence" concept.

Thanks for your encouragement Maria and Marsigit. I am trying to build a career and make a living offering my ideas and philosophy to teachers and schools - it is slow going! Perhaps the environment is not right just yet or perhaps it is the way I am describing my ideas. I started this journey in 2011 after struggling to make a difference as a teacher thinking change from outside may be easier from within, Without the likes of LinkedIn, as Marsigit acknowledges, I would have few options for discussing ideas and philosophies. It really is like one big classroom! Now I just need people to buy into what I am offering.

Maria
Maria Woodbury
Head of Science at St Bishoy Coptic Orthodox College

To change a system...that indeed is a hard task, especially when the philosophy is so embedded on many levels. And without proper backing (be it research or government funded), it will become a huge strain on you.
I know of a course from an American backed by an institution like Harvard that advocates "Cultures of Thinking" in classrooms.
http://www.pz.gse.harvard.edu/cultures_of_thinking.php
Now much of what the project advocates, teachers in Australia already do, (in Latin we'd say: nihil novi sub sole)...however what I get frustrated with is all the theory and no practical application...no resources that say: hey, here is the lesson plan, here is the template, this is what you'll need etc. There's no concrete "this is what you need to do" in order to teach, let's say, "ionic bonding" or "factorisation of trinomials" in a fashion that will endorse/encourage the student to be the designer, evaluate-r and problem solver. Only recently did I find a lovely booklet on Energy (American) that contained an excellent activity on renewable and non-renewable sources of energy. The bean experiment. And it involved the student to question, model mathematically, solve, realise, and evaluate. But it took me an hour of trawling the internet for it.
So, if you can come up with lesson plans/links etc on how to teach specific units of work for various topics of the curriculum, teachers would JUMP/RUN to them...because, as you would know, the hours spent trawling the internet for ideas would be minimised..and we can get on with the teaching instead of the endless trawling! You'll need teachers to help...publisher or website...but I think it can be done...
I do appreciate what you have done already!

Kevin
Kevin Hewitson
Expert in developing teaching and learning strategies especially "Learning Intelligence" concept.

@Maria - funny you should say that, about the resources! Two years ago got involved in developing a coaching model to help students develop their literacy and numeracy skills. It took several months to come up with a model that would work independently of teachers or schools and put the learner at the centre of the activity. We set up a coaching centre and opened for business. The results have been nothing short of spectacular. Only a handful of students have attended (we charge for the sessions 4 x 1 1/2 hours a week for 48 weeks of the year and in this climate its difficult) but each one has been recognised by their schools for the progress they have made and the strategies they have employed in their school work gained from attending our centre. I could go on at length about the project but in case you are interested here is a link: http://www.coachingmathsandenglish.co.uk/
Let me know what you think.

Joel
Joel Kahn
Digital Artist

Kevin Hewitson wrote: "Without the likes of LinkedIn, as Marsigit acknowledges, I would have few options for discussing ideas and philosophies."

I may have mentioned SchoolForge before, but I'll post their address again:

https://schoolforge.net/

SchoolForge is focused mainly on educational technology; however, their online discussion group has been the site of many interesting debates with wider implications. I encourage you to join and bounce some concepts around.

Kevin
Kevin Hewitson
Expert in developing teaching and learning strategies especially "Learning Intelligence" concept.


@Joel - Thanks I have had a quick look. It does as you say focus on ed technology. I will join and see what happens. Nothing ventured, nothing gained!

22 comments:

  1. Bayuk Nusantara Kr.J.T
    18701261006
    PEP S3

    I do agree with prof Marsigit's opinion that promoting constructivism in Indonesia is a little bit hard. To construct the knowledge, teachers, students, and the environment should support. Hard does not mean can't, so let's try to change it by starting in our own class.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Dini Arrum Putri
    18709251003
    S2 P Math A 2018

    Sedikit yang bisa saya simpulkan bahwa dalam proses pembelajaran ada sebuah interaksi antara guru dan siswa yang terjadi dan interaksi antara siswa, suasana kelas dibuat semenarik mungkin untuk menimbulkan minat belajar siswa. Guru sangat berperan aktif dalam hal membuat media belajar atau metode belajar yang efektif, dan siswa dituntut untuk menjadi peran yang aktif di kelas sehingga mandiri dalam mengembangkan konsep dan pengetahuannya karena proses pembelajaran akan berhasil jika kedua belah pihak dapat saling mendukung dalam proses pembelajaran.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Nur Afni
    18709251027
    S2 Pendidikan Matematika B 2018

    Assalamualaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh.

    Menurut saya yang harus dibenahi bukan hanya dari satu sisi, tetapi dari berbagai sisi. Bukan hanya guru yang harus membenahi cara mengajar atau persiapannya tetapi juga kebutuhan siswa, pengorganisasian kelas, dan sarana belajar yang tepat untuk mendukung pembelajaran. Yang perlu diperhatikan adalah guru harus belajar dari bagaimana siswa belajar sehingga terjadi umpan balik antara guru dan siswa. terimakasih

    ReplyDelete
  4. Fany Isti Bigo
    18709251020
    PPs PM A 2018

    Untuk memperbaiki pendidikan di Indonesia diperlukan kerja sama dari semua pihak bukan saja dari guru disekolah tapi juga dari orang tua. Lebih jauh lagi diperlukan perhatian dari pengambil kebijakan untuk memperbaiki sistem pendidikan menjadi lebih baik. Salah satu contoh perbaikan yang dapat dilakukan adalah dengan lesson study dimana mengundang orang tua siswa untuk sama-sama memperhatikan kondisi anaknya disekolah. Dengan hasil tersebut dapat disusun suatu proposal perubahan untuk perbaikan kebijakan yang dapat digunakan oleh pengambil kebijakan ke depan.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Hasmiwati
    18709251023
    S2 Pend.Matematika B 2018

    Assalamualaikum Warahmatullahi Wabarakatuh.
    Pemikiran orang dewasa memang harus hati-hati terutama dalam menghadapi pendidikan. Jangan sampai orang dewasa memperlakukan siswa sebagai obyek matematika karena merekalah yang menjadi subyek dalam matematika sendiri. Jangan sampai orang dewasa menjadikan siswa sebagai korban. Pendidikan tidak hanya berlangsung pada satu waktu tertentu. Karena pendidikan tidak terikat oleh ruang dan waktu.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Umi Arismawati
    18709251037
    S2 Pendidikan Matematika B 2018

    Assalamu'alaikum, wr, wb.
    Dalam memperbaiki pendidikan di Indonesia perlu kerjasama darisemua pihak, baik pemerintah, sekolah, guru, dan siswa. dari pihak pemerintah sendiri dapat dilakukan dengan membuat kebijakan-kebiajakan yang dapat mendukung proses pendidikan. Menyusun kurikulum yang sesuai untuk siswa dan telah dirancang secara matang. Serta dapa juga dengan memberikan pelatihan-pelatihan untuk meningkatkan kualitas guru.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Umi Arismawati
    18709251037
    S2 Pendidikan Matematika B 2018

    Assalamu'alaikum, wr, wb.
    Salah satu hal yang sangat penting dalam dunia pendidikan adalah kualitas pendidik/tenaga pendidik. Guru yang berkualitas akan mengajar atau memberikan pembelajaran yang baik juga. Untuk itu, sangat penting untuk meningkatkan kualitas guru salah satunya dengan pemberian pelatihan atau juga bisa dengan program profesi guru yang sekarang sedang ditempuh beberapa guru. Peningkatan kualitas dengan lesson study juga sangatlah bagus karena dengan lesson study guru dapat mengevaluasi pembelajaran yang telah dilakukan sekaligus memberikan pengetahuan kepada tenaga kependidikan yang lain tentang cara mengajar.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Cahya Mar'a Saliha Sumantri
    18709251034
    S2 Pendidikan Matematika B

    Assalamualaikum wr.wb.
    Mengenai pendidikan, banyak hal yang patut dibicarakan misalnya kurikulum, tenaga pendidik, fasilitas belajar, waktu belajar di sekolah, dll. Berbicara mengenai banyaknya kapasitas siswa dalam kelas tergantung sekolah yang menentukan berapa banyak siswa untuk setiap kelasnya. Banyak sedikit memang kembali kepada guru karena guru harus siap sedia menerima banyak sedikitnya siswa dan bagaimana menanganinya. Misal pada kasus kapasitas siswa yang banyak sekali, guru bisa menerapkan pembagian kelompok dan membagi tugas untuk setiap kelompok dengan bobot yang sesuai dengan kemampuan masing-masing. Sedangkan pada skala kecil guru jangan merasa tenang karena skala kecil pun bisa menjadi masalah besar bila tidak ditangani dengan benar. Sehingga, untuk kapasitas kelas banyak sedikit siswa tergantung kebutuhan sekolah dan banyaknya tenaga guru di sana.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Cahya Mar'a Saliha Sumantri
    18709251034
    S2 Pendidikan Matematika B

    Assalamualaikum wr.wb.
    Perbaikan sisten pendidikan memang selalu tidak luput dari pemikiran banyak orang terutama orangtua yang semakin menuju jaman sekarang semakin menuntut pendidikan yang paling bagus untuk anak-anak mereka. Bahkan saking inginnya memperoleh pendidikan bagus bagi anak-anak, mereka mengirim anak-anak tersebut sekolah ke luar negeri, seakan-akan pendidikan di rumah sendiri kurang memuaskan. Setiap negara mempunyai ciri khas sistem pendidikannya sendiri-sendiri, tetapi bukan berarti tidak mau berkembang hanya saja proses menuju ke puncak masih susah untuk dilalui. Peran segala pihak dibutuhkan, tidak hanya peran fisik, pikiran, hati, jiwa patut disatukan. Tidak melulu berbicara tentang uang atau memperkaya diri sendiri dengan mempertaruhkan pendidikan. Keinginan guru kadang ingin merasakan sistem pendidikan seperti di luar negeri, tetapi bila dipaksakan akan berdampak pada siswa juga. Karena bisa saja siswa di sana dan di sini berbeda perlakuan sejak awal.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Deden Hidayat
    18709251032
    S2 Pendidikan Matematika B 2018

    Bukan hal yang mudah tentunya memperbaiki sistem pendidikan di Indonesia. Diperlukan kerjasama dari berbagai pihak untuk dapat mewujudkan suatu pendidikan yang diharapkan. Dimulai dari peran seorang guru yang sangat penting di kelas. Menurut saya guru pada saat ini masih disibukkan dengan administrasi-administrasi yang harus diselesaikan, padahal tugas sebenarnya dari seorang guru adalah merencanakan suatu pembelajaran yang dapat menumbuh kembangkan kemampuan yang dimiliki oleh siswa dan mendidik siswa-siswa di kelas sehingga mampu menghadapi tantangan zaman.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Cahya Mar'a Saliha Sumantri
    18709251034
    S2 Pendidikan Matematika B

    Assalamualaikum wr.wb.
    Sistem pendidikan di Indonesia yang semakin berkembang, baik isi kurikulum, media pembelajaran, maupun metode pembelajarannya. Sehingga bisa dikatakan banyak kemajuan , tetapi untuk di tenaga pendidiknya lebih ke arah untuk lebih ditraining lagi karena semakin banyaknya gaya pendidikan dari luar yang digunakan maka guru juga harus latihan untuk menggunakannya sebelum diaplikasikan kepada siswa. Oleh karena itu ukuran kelas tidak menjamin juga akan semakin baik karena bisa saja kapasitas siswa yang banyak dalam suatu kelas guru mempunyai stratgei berupa pembagian kelompok besar yang bisa dihandle oleh guru, sedangkan bila kapasitas siswa yang sedikit akan lebih sulit untuk dibuat menjadi beberapa kelompok dan individualis akan lebh terasa.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Sintha Sih Dewanti
    18701261013
    PPs S3 PEP UNY

    Menanggapi pernyataan 3 dari Anand Mehta “Pupils, parents and politicians to show professional respect for teachers”. Hubungan guru dengan siswa sesungguhnya tidak hanya terjadi pada saat sedang berlangsungnya pemberian pelayanan pendidikan. Meski seorang guru sedang dalam keadaan tidak menjalankan tugas, atau sudah lama meninggalkan tugas (purna), hubungan dengan siswanya (mantan siswa) relatif masih terjaga. Bahkan di kalangan masyarakat tertentu masih terbangun sikap patuh pada guru. Namun, menurunnya rasa hormat (respect) siswa terhadap guru merupakan masalah umum yang tengah dihadapi oleh dunia pendidikan masa sekarang. Tentunya terdapat banyak faktor yang sangat mempengaruhi terjadinya masalah ini baik internal maupun eksternal.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Diana Prastiwi
    18709251004
    S2 P. Mat A 2018

    Proses belajar mengajar dan outputnya masih menjadi masalah dalam pendidikan di Indonesia. Begitu juga dengan faktor pendukung dari berlajannya sistem pendidikan Indonesia. Disamping itu, konsep link and match antara lulusan dan dunia kerja yang belum sesuai. Ini hal hal yang harus kita kerjakan bersama, perlu koordinasi antara orangtua, pemerintah, guru, masyarakat, investor serta stakeholder lainnya. Proses yang diharapkan dapat berproses, tumbuh dan berkembang menjadi suatu bentuk yang indah kedepannya.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Diana Prastiwi
    18709251004
    S2 P. Mat A 2018

    Dari artikel diatas kita dapat belajar bahwa dalam hidup kita harus berjuang dan tidak mudah menyerah. Dalam konteks kenegaraan, kita harus semangat menghadapi berbagai tantangan yang ada. Kita harus bangkit dan terus semangat menggapai tujuan citatita bangsa Indonesia. Menjadi generasi muda yang tak gentar untuk berjuang demi masa depan adalah hal yang penting penting.karena bergerak adalah salah satu tanda kita hidup.begitu pula dengan guru yangmerupakan penguasa forum kelas yang menentukan skenario yang harus dipakai untuk pembelajaran berjalan dengan baik, sertakebijaksanaan guru dalam menghadapi sifat-sifat siswa dan perilaku siswa yang berbeda2 namun harus tetap dilayani sesuai dengan kemampuan dan kepercayaan siswa. karena proses perubahan harus terusdihargai dan diapresiasi.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Diana Prastiwi
    18709251004
    S2 P. Mat A 2018

    Pyhtagoras merupakan salah satu filsuf yang membuktikan bahwa filsafat dan matematika memiliki hubungan yang erat. Ia memandang bahwa segenap gejala alam merupakan hasil pengungkapan inderawi juga perbandingan-perbandingan matematis. Peran filsafat matematika adalah untuk memberikan landasan yang sistematis dan absolut untuk pengetahuan matematika, yaitu dalam nilai kebenaran matematika. Dan asumsi ini merupakan dasar dari aliran filsafat. Oleh karenanya aliran filsafat, filsafat ilmu, dan filsafat matematika memiliki keterkaitan satu sama lain.

    ReplyDelete
  16. sintha fardu anggraeni
    19709251071
    S2 pendidikan matematika /D

    Thanks very much, Sir. This script of debate is very interesting to be studied more further. One thing that I got here is the way how to argue with others opinion politely, and I do like how Mr. Marsigit and Mr. Kevin tried to understand each other. Actually they have some same understanding, but also have different understanding.
    Thank you very much, Sir. This script is very inspiring.

    ReplyDelete
  17. Jewish Van Septriwanto
    S2 Pendidikan Matematika D 2019
    19709251077

    Saya setuju dengan pemikiran bahwa siswa jika terlalu dibebani pada kompetisi bukanlah satu ajang untuk membandingkan siswa satu dengan lainnya, terkadang penilaian dilakukan hanya sebagai tuntutan pada standar yang ditetapkan oleh pejabat-pejabat pemangku pendidikan. Disisilain ada berberapa faktor yang menyebabkan standar pendidikan satu daerah berbeda dengan yang lain. Selain itu, saya setuju apabila guru melakukan pendekatan pembelajaran yang sesuai dengan tahapan perkembangan siswa.

    ReplyDelete
  18. Annisa Nur Arifah
    18709251058
    S2 Pendidikan Matematika C 2018

    Materi pembelajaran di sekolah-sekolah juga seharusnya diperbaiki. Untuk tingkat TK, sebaiknya tidak ditambahkan materi-materi pelajaran sekolah. TK sebaiknya hanya tempat anak menikmati dunia bermain dan berteman. TK adalah tempat bagi anak usia dini mulai mengenal kehidupan bersosialisasi yang baik. Pada tingkat sekolah dasar dan menengah, sebaiknya dipastikan keseragaman materi didik setiap pengajar di setiap sekolah karena mendapat pendidikan yang layak dan sama adalah hak setiap warga negara Indonesia.

    ReplyDelete
  19. Fitria Restu Astuti
    19709251069
    S-2 Pendidikan Matematika D 2019

    Pada artikel ini saya membaca pendapat Mr. Kevin tentang the art of teaching. Mengajar memang merupakan seni. Seni yang diciptakan guru dalam menyampaikan ilmunya kepada siswa. Izinkan saya sedikit berpendapat dengansedikit ilmu yang saya miliki. Jika diberi pertanyaan manakah yang akan saya perbaiki dalam Pendidikan di Indonesia saya ingin merubah system kegiatan belajar mengajarnya. Jika dulu guru mengajar dengan memperhatikan hal-hal yang diinginkan guru maka sekarang guru harus mengajar dengan memperhatikan hal-hal yang dibutuhkan siswa. Guru menjadi seorang fasilitatordalam pmb sedangkan siswa menjadi eksekutornya. Dengan begitu ilmu yang diperoleh oleh siswa akan lebih bermakna.

    ReplyDelete
  20. Vera Yuli Erviana
    NIM 19706261005
    S3 Pendidikan Dasar 2019

    Assalamualaikum Wr,.Wb.
    Saat ini, perkembangan teknologi dan komunikasi kian berkembang dengan pesat. Maka dari itu, keadaan pendidik atau tenaga pendidik memang harus diperhatikan khususnya di Indonesia, dengan salah satunya pemberian latihan dan diklat untuk menjadi tenaga pendidik yang profesional dan berkemajuan seiring berkembangan teknologi dan informasi.
    Wassalamualaikum Wr.Wb.

    ReplyDelete
  21. Latifa Krisna Ayu
    19709251060
    S2 Pendidikan Matematika D

    Berdasarkan artikel di atas, saya sangat setuju mengenai pendapat bahwa pendidikan itu tidak gratis. Untuk memperoleh pendidikan di institusi yang baik dengan tenaga pengajar yang terkualifikasi tentunya membutuhkan uang yang tidak sedikit. Proses pembelajaran yang difasilitasi oleh guru yang kompeten tentunya akan membutuhkan biaya untuk membayar guru, karena bagaimanapun juga guru tersebut harus memperoleh gaji atas kegiatan mengajar yang telah ia lakukan. Kemudian jika proses pembelajaran didukung oleh sarana dan prasarana yang mumpuni tentunya juga akan membutuhkan uang yang tidak sedikit untuk pengadaan sarana dan prasarana tersebut. Lalu apakah orang-orang yang tidak memiliki uang tidak bisa mengenyam pendidikan? Jika kita lihat dari sisi pendidikan non formal, belajar sebenarnya dapat melalui berbagai macam cara. Kita bisa memperoleh ebook atau buku teks yang cukup terjangkau untuk kita pelajari. Kita juga dapat belajar melalui video, dan lain sebagainya. Mengeluarkan uang untuk memperoleh pendidikan adalah hal yang wajar, kita tidak bisa menuntut pendidikan gratis begitu saja. Namun perlu diingat, bahwa ada berbagai macam cara untuk belajar, selama kita memiliki keingiinan yang kuat untuk terus berkembang.
    Terima kasih

    ReplyDelete
  22. Hima Naili Hidayah
    19701251004
    PEP A 2019

    Proses belajar mengajar ibarat sebuah sistem yang saling terkait dan saling memiliki fungsi serta kegunaan.Untuk memperoleh hasil yang maksimalsistem itu harus dijaga dan dirawat. Manakala ada ketidak sesuaian perlu d cek disemua komponen.

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