http://www.pontydysgu.org/2008/02/this-isnt-the-way-to-support-teachers/ Pontydysgu.org Fri, 09 Jan 2009 13:40:32 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=abc hourly 1 http://www.pontydysgu.org/2008/02/this-isnt-the-way-to-support-teachers/comment-page-1/#comment-1246 Graham Attwell Tue, 05 Feb 2008 11:51:01 +0000 http://www.pontydysgu.org/2008/02/this-isnt-the-way-to-support-teachers/#comment-1246 Thanks Joachim - of course you are right - and i think this is often the problem encountered by young teachers in the UK. They come full of ideas but those ideas are stifled at birth. One thing which annoys me is that teachers are getting so much of the blame for the obvious failings of our existing educational systems - no-one blames the systems. Thanks Joachim - of course you are right - and i think this is often the problem encountered by young teachers in the UK. They come full of ideas but those ideas are stifled at birth. One thing which annoys me is that teachers are getting so much of the blame for the obvious failings of our existing educational systems - no-one blames the systems.

]]> http://www.pontydysgu.org/2008/02/this-isnt-the-way-to-support-teachers/comment-page-1/#comment-1216 Joachim Dittrich Mon, 04 Feb 2008 01:41:11 +0000 http://www.pontydysgu.org/2008/02/this-isnt-the-way-to-support-teachers/#comment-1216 Graham, I agree with all what you wrote. However, I would like to add one aspect. Here in Germany sometimes it looks like that not those teachers who are considered "substandard" need retraining, but that their environment needs retraining. We see that joung teachers enter service highly motivated, with innovative ideas which they learnt during their professional education and/or are due to their enthusiasm of making things better than their own teachers. Then they often are confronted with concrete-type structures in the institutions: older colleagues who promote "approved" methods, inert school management, that does not support innovation. How can you manage not to get frustrated? School management that is targeting innovation, and that reintegrates the frustrated "substandard" actors in the developments might help, and would also give staff training on "overall school management" a meaning. Graham, I agree with all what you wrote. However, I would like to add one aspect.
Here in Germany sometimes it looks like that not those teachers who are considered “substandard” need retraining, but that their environment needs retraining. We see that joung teachers enter service highly motivated, with innovative ideas which they learnt during their professional education and/or are due to their enthusiasm of making things better than their own teachers. Then they often are confronted with concrete-type structures in the institutions: older colleagues who promote “approved” methods, inert school management, that does not support innovation. How can you manage not to get frustrated?
School management that is targeting innovation, and that reintegrates the frustrated “substandard” actors in the developments might help, and would also give staff training on “overall school management” a meaning.

]]>