Large successful businesses do not make these basic mistakes. (Which of course is why they are successful). They have a set way of doing things in every branch or shop, based on what has been shown to work in the past. Procedures are laid out in great detail and followed rigourously. Problems can be analysed and solutions worked out based on what has happened elsewhere. I've heard the argument many times that 'every school is different' but to be honest they aren't really. They are all trying to do the same thing, but most could be so much better with a bit of guidance. As I've said before- run them like Tesco and see the improvement.
Wednesday, September 08, 2010
Reinventing the Wheel
Unlike me, teachers work very hard. Unfortunately, as I've said before; most of what they do is a complete waste of time. Across the country, thousands of them are busy duplicating each others' efforts, all producing plans for teaching the same lesson, or some weird and wonderful new method of teaching which was probably tried out and abandoned last year at another school half an hour's drive away. The number of teacher hours spent each year repeating somebody else's work is absolutely staggering and extremely depressing.
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2 comments:
"Procedures are laid out in great detail and followed rigourously. Problems can be analysed and solutions worked out based on what has happened elsewhere."
And which teacher training courses do this? Probably the same ones which explain how to deal with young Shaznee and De'Lorean when they're on a strop.
i.e. none.
FrankC: slightly wrong focus there.
I was educated at university, and work in industry.
It was not at university that I learned the value of standardised procedures. It was in the workplace.
Similarly, teacher training courses should train teachers to teach. It is when they reach a school that they should be inducted into the standards and methods of the workplace.
It is notable, however, that standards and procedures are only ever successful when
(1) sanctioned and backed up from the very, very top
(2) universally applied
(3) audited regularly with penalties for non-conformance.
The minimum size of organisation that could realistically apply the standards Mr. Chalk recommends would be a local education authority. No individual school is really large enough, in my experience. Furthermore, if Mr. Chalk's postings are accurate, no leadership team is strong OR continuous enough to introduce such a system, and no method of punishing non-conformance exists.
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