Teachers matter?

Can teachers make an equal difference to all pupils learning and to their eventual educational outcomes? Or is this an impossible challenge? In this assignment we will look at the role of a teacher in the education system. We will explore what key factors they use when faced with the complexities of teaching to different socio-economic groups. Also we will consider what benefits a teacher may bring to a childs achievement and if a childs enjoyment of this is a key factor to their learning. One of the factors affecting the quality of learning in education today, is that of the discrepancy in the way children learn in relation to their socio-economic class. The meaning of class used in todays society is widely open to debate. Wendy Bottero describes it as Class is about unequal resources and status, and the social hierarchies to which they give rise (2009: 8). She goes on to say that Class means different things to different people, but the common consensus is that it results in inequality (2009: 8). It is this inequality that affects students in todays education system. In the state of the nation report on educational failure (2006) it was highlighted that Children from white working-class backgrounds are the most underachieving ethnic group (2006: 16). When we examine why these children from white working class backgrounds are failing to achieve, despite all the effort given in previous years to raise the educational standards in schools, we see an underlying problem relating to the class of the child emerging. Evans argues that young peoples expectations and therefore their ability to succeed in employment, is governed by their parents achievements (2006: 2). When you take into account that a child raised by parents who themselves failed to achieve partly due to their parents also failing, we begin to form a picture of a cycle of problems straddling across generations. This puts a barrier to a childs learning and therefore a teachers effectiveness before that child even reaches school. Evans reports that a childs development score at 22 months is an accurate indicator to predict their educational qualifications by the time they reach 26 years (2006: 3). This he argues shows a failure by education to reverse the development trends of pre-school children (2006: 3). Research has been undertaken that reports that by the age of three, children raised in impoverished families are already a year behind their counterparts from more affluent households (Wyness, 2008). In response to this we may ascertain that the teachers role is therefore

paramount to turning around this inequality within the educational system. This is not a straight forward option though. Therefore working class children, as we have discussed, are facing a myriad of challenges; before, during, and after formal education due to varying factors. This is contrasted by middle class children, who are reported to be more attuned to the intellectual requirements of the school curriculum due to their exterior influences, in their lives outside of school (Wyness, 2008). A teacher then needs to address this discrepancy between their pupils alongside other factors that may be a barrier to learning. When faced with this issue their needs to be an indicator used to determine the children who may face this barrier to learning. One of the main indicators used is access to Free School Meals (FSM). Free School Meals are given to children whose family income is low, it is therefore used as an indicator of poverty, and although not solely indicative of class it is used as a proxy for social class in academic research (DCSF 2009). Having ascertained the socio-economic background of a child the teacher may then tailor the learning appropriately. This for all teachers may not be easy, for example; a teacher raised in an affluent neighbourhood, of well educated parents may find empathising with these poverty stricken children challenging. This then leads, as Evans states, to a mentality that schools by default require children to learn how to be middle class (2006: 11). This may be as far away from what some of these working class children want, they want to remain to be working class, with their own ideologies and mentality (Evans 2006: 11). Because of this difficulty facing teachers, who themselves are middle class, of empathising and understanding how working class children think and work, a greater majority of teachers migrate to working in schools with a majority of middle class children to whom they can relate to. This is especially noticeable in the leadership of inner city schools, where the majority are full of working class children. These schools start to fail through lack of good quality leaders willing to work in these neighbourhoods (State of nation report 2006: 41). In the Oxford review of education one interviewee stated that it was up to a teacher regardless of the childs background to motivate the child because if the child failed to be motivated then it would not learn (Thrupp et al 2003). This is highlighted by a students comments in the state of the nation report when they said, I don't believe I ever read a book or studied for anything because I saw it as pointless (2006: 38). So these children lack both motivation and a view that whatever they achieve will be worthless.

This then leads to the need for teachers to do more than just teach and expect the pupils to learn. We need to explore how we learn and what it entails. It is a process of social interaction, working together in groups whilst retaining a positive image of self worth (Bord 2004: 92). This learner centred approach correlates together the intellectual and emotional nourishment that will match their growing and developing powers (Bord 2004:93). The formal educational setting is one of the areas where, as learners, we learn about the values of society, what is expected of us, and how to interact with others (Bord 2004: 93). Bord argues, that it is this self conceptualisation that defines both learner and how they learn, and teacher and how they teach (2004: 93). It is a persons positive belief in themselves, which strengthens us as we grow up. How we create this self esteem is controversial. One methodology of instilling this in children is Circle Time. Lynn Revell describes Circle time as sharing issues and discussing ideas whilst sat in a circle (2004: 1). This method of encouraging the students to resolve issues or deal with problems by talking about them in a circle is recommended by the Department for Education and Skills DfES (Revell 2004). One of the key supporters of Circle time is Jenny Mosley. She promotes it as a way for teachers and in turn a school, to promote and encourage a caring ethos, create positive relationships, and help children to gain self esteem (2009). This gathering in a circle to discuss ideas and problems, is seen by supporters among teachers and educationalists, as a way to get students to talk openly about controversial subjects affecting their lives. This they believe means it is a valuable resource to combat behavioural and social problems within a school (Revell 2004). Supporters of circle time describe it as a way to voluntarily share your emotions and feelings with others (Revell 2004: 57). This is contested though as Revell reports what may seem voluntary may descend into what some describe as a coercive psychological tool (2004: 57). This sharing may not suit everyone; to some it may seem more of an intrusion into their space (Revell 2004: 58). When talking to students at a primary school in rural Lincolnshire about their views on circle time, they informed me that rather than raise their self esteem it made them more anxious and embarrassed to talk out about problems in front of their friends. One of these pupils, who for the purpose of confidentiality in this paper we will call Sarah, stated that when they had done circle time in Key Stage 1 it wasnt so intimidating but as they progressed through the year groups in the school, it got boring and she felt more embarrassed to speak out. This shows that rather than create

well adjusted children, as is the aim of circle time, in this school and for these pupils it became counter-productive. It created in this case a barrier to learning rather than an opportunity to enhance the experience of learning for the children. This difficulty may unfortunately bode true for the teachers just as much as it does for the pupils. In using circle time a teacher, by becoming facilitator of the circle, changes the teacher pupil tenant that the teacher knows more than the pupil and pretends to be equal to encourage the children to talk (Revell 2004: 58). This changes the roles of a teacher to teach and a student to learn, to one of creating a common consensus with the teacher abdicating from portraying their morale views to teach (Revell 2004: 58). The teacher as Revell states is therefore transformed from a teacher to class therapist (2004: 57). This is not something that they may be trained or indeed comfortable with doing. This creation of a sharing circle time, although formulating beneficial practices amongst the children, encouraging them to take responsibility for the actions and that of others, does also create difficulties in the implementation and teacher pupil relationship. This role change for the teacher may be counter productive to their relationship with the children they teach, unless they are careful to maintain a balance between empathic confidant and authoritative teacher. One of the key points to the debate as raised by Kohn in his article The Truth about Self Esteem is we need to treat children with respect rather than shower them with praise (1994). He goes on to comment that we as educators need to work with students rather than doing things to them (1994). If a teachers aim is truly a students intellectual development, rather than scores on a test, then they must focus on the childs learning rather than become blinkered by their performance, and help them to focus on effort rather than ability (Kohn 1994). Kohn suggests introducing the three Cs of motivation: collaboration, choice, and content (1994). Collaboration involves creating an environment in the classroom where the children feel supported and safe amongst their peers and not a place where they feel they must compete against each other. Choice means granting the children a voice in how and why they are learning. Finally content; using work that engages them and is meaningful and relevant to their learning (Kohn 1994). These three Cs make sense, collaboration in a classroom stimulates learning as confirmed by Bord, who stipulates, Why might teachers wish to encourage children to learn collaboratively? Because it helps children to learn (2004). In conclusion a teacher is vital to creating a learning environment suitable for an individual and groups successful learning. In the case of teaching a child from a less

prosperous socio-economic background, the teaching must be tailored to the child. This may be by using Kohns three Cs (1994) to promote a positive learning environment where all may feel respected no matter what background they come from. By creating an inclusive and collaborative environment, children would be allowed to respond to the varying stimuli accorded them. This could then be designed to bring out the best of the child in a format suitable for the child. For when a child is intrinsically motivated they learn more because they are more involved in their learning (Carlton 2003). Teachers therefore by considering the strategies described in this paper may successfully motivate a child that they may learn.

References.

Bord, A. (2004) 'The Effective Teacher' In: Ward, S. (ed) Education Studies, a student's guide. London. RoutledgeFalmer. Bottero, W. (2009) Class in the 21st Century: Enduring Class. Who Cares about the White Working Class? [online] Chichester: St Richards Press Ltd. Available from: http://www.runnymedetrust.org [Accessed 2nd November 2009].

Carlton, M. (2003) Motivating Learning in Young Children. [online] Available from: http://www.nasponline.org/resources/home_school/earlychildmotiv_ho.aspx [Accessed 4th November 2009].

Department for Children, Schools and Families. (2009) Breaking the link between disadvantage and low attainment, Everyones Business Nottingham: DCSF Publications.

Duncan Smith, I et al. (2006) The state of the nation report: Education failure. London: Centre for Social Justice.

Evans, G. (2006) Educational failure and working class white children in Britain. London. Palgrave Macmillan.

Kohn, A. (1994) The Truth About Self Esteem. Phi Delta Kappa [online] Available from: http://www.alfiekohn.org/teaching/tase.htm [Accessed 4th November 2009].

Mosley, J. (2009) Welcome to the Jenny Mosley & Positive Press Limited Quality Circle Time web site [online] Available from: http://www.circle-time.co.uk/site/home [accessed 3rd November 2009].

Wyness, M. (2008) Schooling and social class. in Matheson, D. (2008) Third Edition. An introduction to the study of Education. Routledge. London.