The media, games and society is so negative and influential that teachers at the chalkface, yes I still use chalk for sketching and drawing, are up against it. Although some teachers do engage in dialogue, the systems and culture cosntraints sometimes disengage this. It is a lonely job with many demands that, at times, seems impossible. As the previous comment states, time is a major issue.

Especially after the McCrone changes to Depts into Faculties and loss of ownership of the curriculum by some PTs. Not all Councils have embraced the Capacites and development such as GLOW. Some councils have no ACE policy. It will indeed be an interesting few years ahead. The first few HMI reports under the new system will be an interesting and concise read.

Back to prelim marking………

I also wonder about teachers creating learning environments FOR young people. What is now required is for teachers to adopt a more participative approach and work WITH young people. This may be what you have in mind when you say the curriculum is co-created between professionals and learning communities. I think we are moving in this direction but a fundamental change of approach is still required amongst us teachers that stops us doing for young folk.

Finally, whereas all teachers embrace practical discussions about teaching, there is a pretty strong resistance amongst many teachers to developing intellectual understanding about their craft. This is another challenge to overcome. For some, they’ve got by without it and there is a belief that academics/researchers/ thinkers are disconnected from the classroom and therefore what they have to say holds little validity. For others, there is a reluctance to engage in intellectual discussion when it’s hard enough to just get through the daily requirements of the job.

Interestingly, the same teachers who said, “Stop the prescribed curriculum, it’s killing learning,” are the teachers who are now saying, “Why can’t somebody just do this for us and tell us what we’re to do? Why are we all ‘re-inventing’ the wheel?’” I don’t exclude myself from that tempting though lazy thinking at times.

Basic attitudinal changes are required amongst us as teachers at this early stage of the thinking about a radical change of curriculum. And serious answers to freeing TIME for us to create this new learning environment are required by the Government, ADES and others.