Schools
John White: Multiple intelligence? It's a flaky theory
Published: 08 December 2005
'How many of your intelligences have you used today?' This notice at the entrance to an Australian school refers to Howard Gardner's multiple intelligence (MI) theory, which is big in school improvement in Britain and across the world. Gardner claims that there are eight or more intelligences - not just one - including musical, spatial and bodily-kinaesthetic as well as the linguistic and mathematical sorts found in intelligence tests. There is only one problem: the intelligences don't exist.
Education Quandary
Published: 08 December 2005
Could a new reading scheme turn Britain's children into bookworms?
Published: 08 December 2005
Leading article: Getting the reading habit
Published: 08 December 2005
Today we report on a new reading system that has crossed the Atlantic and is being piloted in a number of schools in London. It is not about teaching children to read. That is best done by a method such as synthetic phonics, recommended by Jim Rose, the former Ofsted inspector. The American scheme is concerned with persuading children to read more, and to read more fluently, once they have learnt the business of decoding the words and letters on a page.
Leading article: A muddle that needs sorting
Published: 01 December 2005
Signs of muddle and panic are emerging at the heart of government thinking over the future of schools. The White Paper and its policies - more academies and closure within a year for weaker schools - are not consistent with the previous policy of using the Private Finance Initiative (PFI) for the refurbishment of most schools.
Martin Johnson: Why parent power will only increase tension
Published: 01 December 2005
When you read the small print, "parent power" hardly describes the new arrangements outlined in the Education White Paper, and neither does Parents Driving Improvement - the title of the relevant chapter. But an unavoidable question arises from the White Paper: who is the parent Ruth Kelly is talking about?
An autistic boy's fight against exclusion
Published: 01 December 2005
Education Quandary
Published: 01 December 2005
Literary classics digitally remastered
Published: 24 November 2005
Education Quandary
Published: 24 November 2005
Christopher Price: The Government is obsessed with elitism
Published: 24 November 2005
When the Tomlinson report was publis- hed, the Government rejected the thrust of it. The proposal for a universal framework of qualifications was too radical, with a general election looming and Daily Mail leader writers lurking. But the Government and the Opposition did like post-qualification admissions (PQA), whereby students could apply to university once they knew their A-level grades. It was designed to simplify admissions, free teachers from predicting grades, and allow admissions officers to perform wider, more useful tasks. It has been shelvedbecause admissions officers and their flaccid managers, the vice-chancellors, object. The Secondary Heads Association has called the decision tragic.
Learning To Type: Lessons in one of life's key skills
Published: 24 November 2005
Bullying: Sticks, stones and web chat
Published: 24 November 2005
Maths: Add ICT into the equation
Published: 24 November 2005
Leading article: Teacher will know
Published: 24 November 2005
Ruth Kelly, the Education Secretary, is right to order a subject-by-subject review of the amount of coursework to be used in GCSE. However, it remains to be seen whether the special adviser appointed by the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority to help schools and exam boards detect plagiarism in coursework will be successful in her task. We think that teachers are best placed to spot cheating because they can compare the coursework submitted with pupils' classroom work.
Bridging the digital divide
Published: 24 November 2005
Management information systems: Systems of survival
Published: 24 November 2005
Children's coursework: We're all at it
Published: 23 November 2005
Can you charm your way into Oxbridge?
Published: 17 November 2005
Leading article: Why toddlers need a curriculum
Published: 17 November 2005
There was a predictable outcry last week when the Government announced that it was extending the principle of a compulsory curriculum to babies and toddlers, the nought- to five-year-olds. But the detractors really should wait to see what is proposed before rushing into print with their objections.
John Rae: You get what you pay for - but not at public school
Published: 17 November 2005
Education Quandary: My children seem to be doing a lot of topic work. Wouldn't they learn better by studying separate subjects?
Published: 17 November 2005
Thirty years ago, topic work was hugely popular in primary schools. For weeks, children would study "France" or "deserts", colouring in pictures of the Eiffel Tower, and coming to school dressed as gendarmes or Bedouin.
Education Quandary
Published: 10 November 2005
Why Britain is getting its first Hindu state school
Published: 10 November 2005
Leading article: Where's the cash for childcare?
Published: 10 November 2005
The Childcare Bill - published by the Government this week - attempts to enshrine in law for the first time parents' right to expect high quality childcare for their offspring. The legislation aims to provide a lifeline for working parents by ending the lottery that sees plentiful high quality childcare offered in some areas and very little elsewhere. The new law will also enable the Government to steam ahead with its plans for extended schools that will open from 8am until 6pm by providing childcare and activities for children before and after the normal schoolday. Local authorities will be given the vital role of shaping the future provision of childcare for children up to the age of 14 as well as delivering of services to pre-school children.
