Hmm, going to try putting together a big post here…
Firstly, Technodreamer. It annoys me no end when I can hear the scratchy sound of earphones. I don’t care whether it helps you concentrate, reduces stress, or whatever. I hate it. The same goes for chewing gum. It does actually help you learn. There was a scientific study where some gum-chewers learnt while chewing gum, some “wannabes” learnt while pretending to chew gum, and a control group learnt without chewing gum. The gum-chewers came out first, then the wannabes, then the control. But imagine that you’re a teacher - can you stand 10-30 jaws moving robotically while you speak? I would hate it, and so would the researchers (or so they said).
The laws in England or maybe the UK say a lunch has to be provided regardless of any detention and that students can only be kept in 15-20 minutes (varies by age) after school without parent’s prior permission. Apart from that they have pretty much a free rein with punishments.
OK, next rant - standardized tests.
ARGH!
England* is full of standardized tests to the brim. I will outline:
Standard Aptitude Tests (Key Stage 1) (Year 2, ages 6-7) - you go out of the classroom one by one, name the months, days and stuff, do some sums, and for Science you have to guess how oil and water will mix, among other stuff. I can’t remember these very much. Graded 1-3, 2 average, 4 extension.
Standard Aptitude Tests (Key Stage 2) (Year 6, ages 10-11) - proper tests begin. Calculator, non-calculator and mental math tests. Writing, reading, Science etc. Generally a shcool starts to stream you in year 6. The whole year practically revolves around the SATs. Graded 3-5, 4 average, 6 extension.
Secondary School Entry Tests - at the same time you have to go to about 10 schools and finish the damned Nelson tests where you have to mark box after box after tiny little box. Eventually you get some offers for which schools you can enter.
Standard Aptitude Tests (Key Stage 3) (Year 9, ages 13-14) - yet more tests! Very little seems to be learned in Key Stage 3 at all (I think they could actually cut a whole damn year with a bit of effort). Math, Science, English and soon Information Technology too. Graded 5-7, 6 average, 8 entension.
I was amazed to see how much fluctuation there seems to be in how difficult the tests are. The 6-8 calculator paper in math was horrendously difficult. There were 2 pages left when I finished of questions left totally unanswered, and I’m one of the best in math in the whole year. They overcompensated and about 75% of the top set class got level 8. They really need to sort that out.
School is now voluntary at this point.
General Certificate for Secondary Education (Key Stage 4) (Years 10-11, ages 14-16) - Now the coursework starts. English, Math and Science compulsory. Most schools also make you do a technology (IT, Food, Child Dev, Music, Art), a humanity and a foreign language. You are totally overloaded with coursework from almost every subject (main exceptions are some foreign languages and jewish education). Your tests tend to be spread out through two years but oh my god, there are so many of them.
A Levels (Years 12-13, ages 16-18) - You choose 4 or 5 topics and do 1 of them only to halfway. More coursework, far more complicated stuff, a general challenge. You choose a university course about now. Some people basically have their whole lives decided by doing Mathematics, Further Mathematics, Biology, Chemistry and Physics. They then run off to university and have very little choice on what they can do and a hugely unbalanced education.
Oh, and another thing is the Module 1 for Mathematics. Nothing is new in it. Nothing. It just wastes two terms so that we can repeat the stuff we did in key stage 3…
I didn’t mention the numerous tests schools set their pupils and have marked by the *** at Nelson. I hate that company.
*Scotland at least has a slightly different education system.