Leadership

Remapping The Cognitive And Neural Profiles Of Children Who Struggle At School

This research by the Medical Research Council has used machine learning to identify clusters of children who struggle at school of having learning difficulties, which did not match the previous diagnosis the children had been given.

The researchers from the Medical Research Council (MRC) Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit at the University of Cambridge say the research reinforces the need for children to receive detailed assessments of their cognitive skills to identify the best type of support.

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      string(5816) "96 Vol 3.4/5 n www.teachingtimes.comPrimary File AssessmentSchool Leadership TodayWhat are wetesting for?British children are theunhappiest in Europe – andmuch of this is down to ouroutmoded and damagingsystem of testing, says AileenBrindleyIbelieve that schooling should contribute to theattainment of happiness for our pupils. Unfortunately,in the most recent assessment of children’s well-being,the UK came bottom of the league tables (UNICEF, 2007).Something is going wrong if this international, independentreport judges our children to be the unhappiest in Europe.I also believe that one of the most powerful andunspoken obstacles to happiness for both teachers andpupils in primary schools is how children are assessed andthe impact this has on the curriculum. The measuring ofliteracy and numeracy for external accountability privilegesactivities that many children find boring and pointless. Thissets up a natural reluctance to engage, as children will bedistracted from activities unless they are interested.In such circumstances the responsibility to ‘makechildren do it’ lies almost solely with the teacher, and it isdifficult to do this respectfully and happily. Teachers andchildren struggle to find the contentment that comes whenchildren are motivated and happily engaged.97www.teachingtimes.com n Vol 3.4/5Primary FileAssessmentOn the surface, legislation, guidance and even statutoryrequirements in terms of the curriculum promise a full andmeaningful learning experience. However, the key factor thatactually determines what children do is not the orders forfoundation subjects like geography, history, art, music or PE(subjects children told the Cambridge Primary Review theyliked best). It is what their teachers are assessed on: numeracy,literacy and science. Criteria for assessment are set by externalmeans and both teachers and children are measured by it– level 3 in the core subjects is the holy grail at key stage 1 (theFoundation phase in Wales) and level 5 at KS2.Everyone wants those levels. Or at least almost everyhead does, and so do most of the teachers. They are thebenchmarks of excellence by which we are judged, andthose levels are revered and coveted. The only peoplewho don’t want them are many of the children, becausethe associated testing forces them to endure a curriculumprimarily centred around showing what they know on paper.The teacher’s central role, with the best will in the world, isto make them do tasks that ensure they will achieve highlyin the tests.This unhappy situation promotes mistrust,disappointment and reluctance to learn. Respect is hard tonurture in such a context. And the way schools are measuredin terms of success – comparing teacher against teacher,school against school, local authority against local authority– further distorts experiences of school life.In Wales schools are compared to each other by age-related teacher assessment based on levels and alsostandardised tests. At the end of each key stage in literacy,numeracy and science, this data is sent into the localauthority and from it schools are then compared. Those inthe lowest quartile in their group cannot expect to do wellin inspection, as the school data from these tests and levelsaffects the judgement of school performance.These judgements take little account of baseline data– the progress made from start to finish – which, as anyteacher knows, makes a profound difference. This meansthat in practice, teachers experience considerable pressureto achieve certain standards in literacy, numeracy andscience by a specific age, regardless of the significant effectsof socio-economic influences, and individual differences inboth the cognitive and affective learning profiles of pupils.Outdated and damagingThere is much in the literature to support my concerns; ourpresent system is seen as outdated and damaging by manyof our leading educators (Claxton 2008; Cullingford 2006;Egan 2005; Noddings 2003). They call for a curriculum that isrich in exciting learning experiences, which inspires children,takes into account what they would like to learn, and alsoprepares them more relevantly for life in the 21st century.The arguments against say that we shouldn’t expectall children to enjoy learning, claiming that children do notknow what is good for them, that children must becomeliterate, numerate and develop scientific thinking processesand be prepared for life, whether they like it or not; that ateacher’s job is to make them do it.I don’t argue with the fact that we do need to preparechildren for life and much of what we ask them to doshould be useful. We need to be able to use money, writeletters, read for pleasure, argue a point, understand basicscientific concepts so we can understand the world we livein and take care of ourselves and others. These are essentialskills for managing a happy life. The problem I have is thequantity, the timescale we do it in, the sacrifice of ‘now’ andthe damage we do in the process. Children form opinionsbased on their experience, and for many children the word‘learning’ has become synonymous with boredom, difficultyand often stress – certainly not a source of happiness.Where is it written, what worthy individual or groupdecreed, that it is really important that a six- or seven-year-old has to be able to “recognise negative numbers in thecontext of temperature” (DCELLS, 2008:49)? Why? Whatpossible need does a six-year-old have for this? Are theylikely to need to measure the temperature? The scenario thatthe use of this fact conjures up is laughable, and"
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Leadership

What are we testing for?

23 Dec 2011

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Applications and Software

How To Motivate Children To Read At School And At Home

28 Mar 2021

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Creative Teaching & Learning

What Motivates Children To Read. Or Not?

12 Apr 2021

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      string(5700) "www.teachingtimes.comReports Summaries – a weeklyservice of essential summaries,in-depth reports and criticalanalysis that’s new and relevantto education, linked to originalsource documents.Detailed notes from teachers and teaching assistants and incident forms can be persuasiveevidence, as can reports from healthcare professionals instructed on a private basis if parentalfunds permit ie educational psychologist, occupational therapist, speech and language therapistand physiotherapist.Communication and the sharing of informationFrom the outset, observation and the constant sharing of information about the child byeveryone involved in his life is key. This will reveal patterns in behaviour which can inform theapproach to be adopted. For example, sharing information about how and when ‘meltdowns’occur may help to identify the potential triggers to meltdown and pre-emptive strategies canthen be introduced. Parents may notice how a child may present or behave when anxious, egsome children may laugh, others may lash out. Sharing this information with school will ensurestaff are alert that if the child laughs in a situation where this is out of context or begins to lashout, he may be anxious rather than being cheeky or deliberately disruptive and steps can betaken to reassure the child, rather than to punish him.To ensure excellent lines of communication are established not only between school staff butalso between school staff and parents, it is helpful to timetable regular communication andinformation sharing sessions, with key points being recorded and information being regularlyreviewed. Often, a home link book may assist, where staff can make notes about the schoolday for the parents’ consideration and parents can also provide feedback for school to consider.For more sensitive information, establishing lines of communication via email is quick andeffective.EnvironmentThe school environment can present so many challenges. Picture how a child with a brain injurymight struggle to cope with:• Too many children in close proximity to him• A noisy environment• The harsh sounding of a klaxon or school bell• Buildings that are hard to negotiate, particularly in older schools where buildings may havebeen extended and added to over the years• Changes in routine with no warning ie a supply teacher because a subject teacher isabsent or a change in the layout of the classroom or a change in the wall displays• At the secondary stage, interpreting a timetable, coping with the organisational nightmareof having to move to different classrooms with different teachers and possibly differentchildren for each lesson, or the multi-tasking demands of break times, where there is ashort period of time to go to the toilet, have a drink and snack and then visit the locker toput away any equipment and materials used in the last lesson and collect what is neededfor the next lesson• Trying to fit in socially, when processing speed is slower than before or it is difficult to followLegal BriefingLeadership Briefing – www.teachingtimes.comReports Summaries – a weeklyservice of essential summaries,in-depth reports and criticalanalysis that’s new and relevantto education, linked to originalsource documents.conversation in a group of peers• Coping in sports lessons and clubs when coordination and balance may be impacted• Struggling to keep up in lessons and forgetting what has been covered and what isexpected for homework• Where possible, steps should be taken to either remove some of the above difficulties,but where that is not possible, to manage them, for example:• Allowing the brain-injured child to leave lessons five minutes earlier and encouragingthem to arrive 5 minutes earlier to avoid crowded corridors and stairwells• Allowing the child to uses a quieter side entrance to enter the school in the morning andto exit in the afternoon• Providing ear defenders where the child struggles to cope with noise• Ensuring the child has a quiet and safe space to retreat to when they are overwhelmedand anxious• Giving the child good and regular notice of any changes in routine can help them bettercope with change• Ensuring there is a calm and more structured lunchtime/break-time activity on offer if thechild is struggling to cope with the hustle and bustle and also the unstructured nature ofbreak-times• Providing additional assistance with organisation and planning• Ensuring extra-curricular clubs are available that meet the child’s interests• Organising small groups set around a particular activity where the child can developsocial skills on the advice of the local speech and language therapist eg Lego club whichcan involve Lego therapy• Giving some consideration as to whether lessons and lesson materials need to bedifferentiated for the child. Usually, specialist educational psychology advice can assistwith this. Some children may need information to be broken down into smaller chunksand may benefit from a member of staff going through what will be covered in a lessonbeforehand and/or reinforcing what was covered afterwards. Some children may not beable to cope with the entire lesson• Staff members may need to assist the child to note down homework and ensure thechild has a full understanding of what is required of him, perhaps communicating this toparents too. Homework requirements may need to be moderated where a child fatigueseasily• Staff should consider whether offering to scribe for the child or providing an IPad oflaptop may aid communication• It might also be"
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Leadership

Supporting a brain-injured child on the return to school

26 Sep 2017

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