I'm posting this again because the original topic by Samsamuel disappeared - and I'd like to feature it in the forum newsletter.
Here's the original post:
samsamuel:
My child teacher recently did a venture based around a maths activity. The children, Year 2, were given 20 minutes to complete a maths task. The teacher explained the concept, and said they all seemed happy. She went round checking they were all working and understood what to do, which she said all said they did. They are 6 years old! At the end of the time she collated the work, and while some children had completed 30 questions, some had only done one, which she said is not acceptable. She then had two carrier bags she labelled good and bad, and those who she felt had not tried hard enough had their work placed in the 'bad' bag. The good work was for her to take home and place stickers on, the bad bag was for her to follow up with the child concerned. The placing of the work was done in full view of the rest of the class and so humilated those with work in the bad bag!
Your thoughts would be gratefully received.
And the replies so far:
ElectronBlue
Hello and welcome
I think 'bad' is a very emotive term and I would be reluctant to label any child's work 'bad' if I merely meant 'they don't understand'. The bad bag seems a little unnecessary.
I do think though that sometimes children can fall into a rut, as a class, I mean, and just bumble along happily doing not very good work, and that then giving them a quick rocket can do them all the good in the world. And even six year olds need the occasional rocket from time to time.
davelisa
I don't like the sound of this at all. If the children who's work was put in the bad bag didn't understand the work then chances are they won't say anything at the beginning but go along with everyone else & hope they get the questions.
she should of taken all the work home & yes reward the ones that have done well & follow up with the ones that have done 'bad' but not to embarrass them in front of the rest of the class like she did.
JacquiL
She doesn't sound like the sort of teacher who should be teaching in primary school
Fredd
If she was walking round the class, then surely she should have noticed that some of the chidlren weren't getting on very well. If a child spent all the session working but only managed one question, then that child needs more help, not humiliating. No, I don't like this.
jacqx
I agree Fredd. Why when she was doing her walk about didnt she notice those children that were strugglin? Why didnt she ask again if they'd any problems?
Ummbintaini
It's really bad practice that she didn't notice or do anything about the fact that so many students hadn't done the first question until the end of the class!! When that happens it's because the kids didn't understand what to do and/or how to do it, and needed help, or they were allowed to just play around for the whole lesson. If she knew what was going on but wanted to wait until the end of the class to humiliate those who were struggling, that's even worse. But in any case a teacher should be vigilant about what the kids are doing and help those who are not working. Even if some kids were just playing and not even trying, the teacher should be using strategies to get them engaged in the work. Kids who don't get the work and don't get help will start to play around, because that's what kids do. Even teenagers are like that (well maybe chatting more than playing), never mind 6 yr olds!
IMO this whole thing sounds really shoddy, and that's before you even get onto the issue of "good bag, bad bag" and public humiliation which is going to have a negative psychological impact on the kids, especially those who really tried but didn't understand the work.
If kids are being lazy and playing around (but you can't so easily determine that as kids who don't understand will play around as a coping strategy!) then there does need to be a strategy in place to encourage them to work, targets to meet etc, but it needs to be done in a very positive way, and as a general rule in any classroom there should be five times as much praise as criticism, and any reward/discipline system used needs to reflect that.
Brandie
I woukld want to speak to theHead and discusds whether this was the norm for the school; If it was I would be loooking for a different school.
Corris
There was a psychological experiment in the sixties - it's very famous. Where a teacher split the class I think from memory on eye colour - one colour was 'good', one 'bad'. And then they swapped.
It led to terrible bullying amongst the children, and is now put forward in all psychology teaching as classic, but classically unethical and something that would never be allowed again.
She's just replicated that division, and creating those problems, on a different criteria.
I personally would be going in all guns blazing.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jane_Elliott
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/divided/etc/view.html
It's worth a look.
Christiesgal
Oh yes I remember that! I doubt this one instance will lead to such extreme consequences but if she's happy to use the method once, what's to say she won't do something similar in future?!
I would defnitely voice your concerns, welcome to the forum as well.
ursh x
I think the teacher's behavour s appaling (please excuse the spelling I went dyslexic after a stroke).
If so many children didn't understand then it is down to the teaching method employed by the teacher. She was obviously walking around with her eyes shut or maybe she was too busy on facebook on her iphone/blackberry.
I think you should take this up with both the teacher and the head at the first opportunity, telephone and request a joint meeting and make your thoughts clear.
IYou would obviously have to say that it is immaterial whether or not your childs work was placed in the good or bad bag it is unacceptable and not inclusive but devisive which is frowned on these days.
If the teacher had stopped the class part way through and explained what was required again to the class with a couple of examples and then asked them to try again that would have been different but to single out a child or children that may have some form of learning difficulty that hasn't yet been pickjed up y the school is totally immoral and demeaning.
Good luck sorting it out
Reminds me of my early school days - you know the ones where we had the Dunces Hat. Being humiliated like that at a very young age is never good. I would be taking the matter up with the head teacher if I was the parent.