set 1993: no. 1

Assisting children back into school after a long illness needs patience and care on both sides. Here are many practical measures to avoid stress and speed the return to ordinary life and ordinary teaching.

‘League Tables’ of schools’ exam results often appear in the press. These do not show how good schools are at adding value - improving their pupils’ earlier knowledge. This British article assists.

Even TAFE and Polytech classes are dominated by information- giving by ever-talking teachers. This research discovered that higher levels of thinking are encouraged and used in practical classes more than in theory classes.

In schools we do not study the social effects of gambling. We do not even study the mathematics of gambling. Perhaps we could help our pupils if we did. A research project on both topics.

Many teachers are having to join the ranks of the relief, supply, mobile, or emergency teachers. Questions to emergency teachers reveal their problems and show how schools can assist them in their stressful job.

The school asked two 13-year-olds, expert in a computer programme, to teach the skills to two 16-year-olds. The researcher watched and asked questions. The result is a lively story and good advice for peer-tutoring and computer instruction.

A famous discussion of the issues raised when a student at Harvard received an A for an examination he did, for fun, in a subject he had never studied.

Video-taping and interviews revealed a big gap between what is said to be taught and what is actually taught. The children are aware of the ‘hidden curriculum’, and that is no bad thing.

There is a lot to be learnt about how to teach a subject from what practitioners do every day. An insight into what delights mathematicians and what could delight our pupils.

Most young adults at school are satisfied with their schooling, their homes and friends. But fear of not finding a job is universal and debilitating. This survey should be absorbed by all politicians as well as teachers.