Sunday, January 09, 2011

We've Trashed Our Education - Now We'll Trash Yours

VSO - Primary Teacher Roles

We’re looking for primary teachers to work alongside teachers in the classroom and go overseas in roles as soon as possible in countries such as Thailand, Nepal, China and Ghana, Rwanda and Ethiopia. You’ll work with serving teachers in a cluster of primary schools, introducing them to more participatory, child centred methodology.
Lo, Nice White Lady descends from her flying machine to change the seating from those stuffy old rows into small groups of desks - after all, the children learn more from each other than from any teacher, don't they?

I can see the strategic goal driving this attempt to dumb down the remarkably successful Chinese education system, although I can't see the famously test-and-rote-heavy Chinese falling for it - they'll probably send them all to Tibet. But what have the poor Ghanaians, Rwandans and Nepalese done to deserve this?

9 comments:

JuliaM said...

I know what's going to be the first thing they kick into touch, if the Uganda example is any clue...

Sgt Troy said...

We should have taken over VW in 1945, we would have screwed it up

moriarty said...

VW, the car makers Sgt?

We did, but didn't. But then, that was the British army and not a bunch of political types.

Eddie Willers said...

Pah!
Interfering Liberal do-gooders!

We have the British Council to contend with here in Mexico, who are also attempting to introduce 'child-centered' methodologies by going to the source - the policy makers and teacher training establishments.

Meanwhile, 'Old-school' expats like myself teach in the more traditional (and proven) way...

Mark said...

The spirit of Plowden marches ever onward & upward- at least until the Chinese get wind of what the flawed 'methodology' entails.

Sgt Troy 11th Dragoons said...

"moriarty said...
VW, the car makers Sgt?

We did, but didn't. But then, that was the British army and not a bunch of political types."

Like the Bridge on the fucking River Kwai then

"Eddie Willers said...
Pah!
Interfering Liberal do-gooders!"

I remember you as a City stooge on GUT a few years ago.

You were rightly described as "odious"

There was that vile little creep you used to toss off who was in corporate advertising and went under a number of usernames; a staunch defender of banksterism

So how come you abandoned Oxfordshire and ended up in Mexico?

Sgt Troy said...

To E Willers

Apologies for the unpleasant and completely uncalled for personal attack that I made on you last evening

Anonymous said...

Well done Sarge.

An unrequested apology shows true character

Eddie Willers said...

Sergeant Troy

The apology is noted and appreciated. Nevertheless, I think you are confusing me with someone else.

I'm and expat businessman/teacher - been here and blogging since 2003 (for example, google "Adventures of a Third World Shopkeeper"