Is coming soon!! I have a lot of photos to sort out and suddenly even more things to sort in my private life, but I am working my way through both.
One thing which has taken a lot of my time it trying to arrange for some tutorials for my grandson: he is not backward, rather is too bright and bored at school and therefore not trying since he can ‘wing it’. He has asked me if he could have a tutor so I have been researching the subject. This has involved interviewing bright young male academics in our University, so no hardship there!!! I have found a Greek Ph.D. student working at the LHC and another in Electronic Engineering (which is what Theo is most interested in at the moment) and both seem very likeable and intelligent so I have been arranging trial tutorials. I am looking for someone whose own academic life can enthuse Theo and open mental doors for him as to the possibilities out there if he will get down to some of the more mundane school work. I remember myself how hard it was to concentrate on the basics when one’s mind wanted to fly onwards to subjects which were exciting but I did not have the necessary ground work in place. I have always felt that children could easily be given access to greater concepts even if they are not yet able to participate in the methodology, to give them something to aim for.
As a first year undergrad I went to some open lectures on particle physics: now I am not a physicist and do not have the mathematical skills to ever become one, but that did not stop me being quite thunder struck at the concepts and what was being discovered. The impulse of those lectures has never left me. (This image is not my copyright but comes from: http://www.kip.uni-heidelberg.de/~coulon/Lectures/SM/ where it is credited to’ Fermilab Visual Media Services’)
If only our poor teachers were given time and space (sorry, bad pun) in the curriculum to be able to spend a little time just enthusing students and describing what was happening at the coal face of research.
Right, back to my stacks of photos. Be back soon.
How lucky he is to have you. Many times this is only identified as a behavior problem rather than the school’s limitations. I had to fight for our daughter, who was reading several grade levels ahead of her peers. The school’s only suggestion was to advance her another grade level. She was not mature enough for that. Finally they began an advanced reading program for her. Suddenly they identified a few others who also would benefit from that program as well. Keep up the fight! He will truly benefit.
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What kind, supportive words, thank you. Often emotional maturity is different from academic prowess and putting the child in a higher class can just exacerbate the problem.
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As an ex primary teacher I at one time had 39 pupils in my small classroom with hardly room to move, Lack of personal space often meant the children became disruptive hardly having space to work at a table being shared by three children but having been designed for just two. A third of them were considered to have learning difficulties. The difference it would have made if the class had been much smaller.
Then there was the reluctance to stream children so all levels of ability were taught together.
The curriculum moved towards a more academic slant meaning that the self confidence and self esteem of the less academic pupils couldn’t be bolstered by success in the more practical side of education. arts/crafts./taking part in plays/cooking etc. Things kept going full circle at the whim of successive governments, teach spelling/grammar/tables do not teach spelling/grammar/tables.
At times it was like being part of an undercover movement as more experienced teachers tried to teach the things that experience told then were important but adjusting things when the inspector called.
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Interesting to hear from the coal face. I feel so much for teachers with all the extra paperwork, rules and regulations: it appears that there is not much recognition of the expertise of the teacher him/herself. After all, if the teacher’s knowledge and experience is not the most important part of teaching, which I believe it normally is, why not just use computers and books? Ridiculous, a good teacher transforms lives. When I was at a village primary school the teacher would give each of us work suited to our individual ability to go and work in a corner by ourselves if necessary. And although I went to an extremely academic all-girls secondary school there was equal emphasis on physical prowess, cooking and nutritional theory and sewing. Also, in maths we were taught economy and budgeting, and in domestic science we were taught how to make the most nutritious meals for the least money. I was very lucky!
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I echo chlost, Theo is fortunate to have you as an advocate. Your recognition of the ability of children and non-scientists to understand concepts behind scientific research is important to the future of science.
Through the years I had to repeatedly hammer home to researchers I worked with the value of articulating the basic concepts of their work in non-technical terms. Most learned and made a sincere attempts with varying degrees of success, some were natural communicators, but a few responded with arrogant disdain.
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Thank you, how kind. Well done you for spreading the word – it is dangerous to have a lack of communication between scientists and non-scientists. Come back Renaissance wo/man:)
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