The world is full of ambiguity at the moment; I suppose that’s a reflection of the current political and sociological impasse that we find ourselves at. Everything is in limbo and there appears little we mere citizens can do to elicit change (apart from vote, of course). Perhaps in a climate of austerity, you don’t want to hear how it is at the coalface if you are making policy?
I have been reading a fair amount lately, mainly to attempt to understand why our education system looks the way it does. I’ve benefited from Bill Lucas and Guy Claxton’s book Educating Ruby, which is a well-thought-out call to arms for those who actually ‘use’ or work in education.
They challenge the refusal of a ‘traditionalist’ system to listen to new ideas, dismissing these as liberal or weak. You would expect policy-makers to turn to research to help formulate a coherent strategy, but that’s not really a populist vote winner. It strikes me as odd that the early years is the one sector that doesn’t see research put into practice (apart from perhaps the prison service).
Wouldn’t it be odd if the health service or an engineering company completely ignored the latest research (in fact, did the opposite)? Imagine the latest developments in targeted radiotherapy being ignored because they didn’t chime with a reactionary view on using leeches. It’s quite simply crackers.
When you question the way in which things are done (such as the unbelievable focus on grades as a substitute for ‘standards’), you are normally referred to as a hippy, drippy liberal who wants children to spend their life knee-deep in macramé, but this is the defence of those unwilling to debate properly, using absolutes to prevent challenge and, therefore, change.
We are good at research in education; in fact, you might even see them as the same thing. So, why is this view still being promoted when it is so obviously failing (child mental health, obesity levels, off-rolling, SEND funding)?
Personally, I believe it’s because it serves an elite, the ones who don’t rely on the system, that get the grades and go on to formulate policy, often from the comfort of a trust fund.
So, watch and listen during the general election campaign. Let’s see if any of our potential leaders are prepared to refresh their ideas about the tired, old way in which we educate our children for a future we cannot yet understand.