It's the System

Monday 30^th April 2012

Year 6 students learning prepositions in a fun way

I have just tested all the students in Maka’s year 6 class.  I have just recorded how many of the “Fry’s 100 Picture nouns” they recognise and how many of the words they can read.  This set of words is a basic vocabulary and I think is a quick way to assess the level of the student’s language even if it is just serves as a comparison between the students themselves.  These words are very common and students should be able to sight read them to ensure that reading is fluent as it will save them time and make reading less painful.

These children have been studying English for 4 years but are not at the same level, in fact there is a wide range of ability.  The system here is that teachers present information to students by working through a text book with exercises and the teaching methods used are translation and rote learning.  Parents also pay for students to have private lessons after school, often with the same teachers as they have at school. 

So based on this I have split the year classes into 3 groups; those who can work with the teacher and follow the text book; those who have very limited English and don’t confidently know numbers, colours and sentence structure and those who cannot read and do not have basic understanding of letter.  I will teach them.  The teachers are happy with this.  IN a way it is business as usual for them as they ignore those who are in my groups. I have had a few lessons and it is going well.  One of my lads is obviously dyslexic and I have gone to great pains to let him know that he is clever but just has a problem with writing and reading.  He is working well with me and I intend to make sure he can at least read before I leave.  I also am aiming to increase vocabulary and get them to be more confident speakers and listeners.  Well there is so much you can do really it is just a matter of what time is available.  They are hard work too as they do not focus well and don’t have the learning habit so to speak which means they stop doing what I am asking them to do as soon as I turn to give attention to another group.

The system is so frustrating.  Teach and Learn with Georgia (TLG) are not part of the educational system and does not have any authority as such, they are responsible for the volunteers and making sure we are ok and interacting with the schools and families on our behalf.  The Georgian government may well have a view on how they expect the volunteers to work with teachers to demonstrate new working methods and ways of teaching.  However the schools still work to the old system and usually see volunteers as teaching assistants who should work in the old ways.  All the volunteers are amazed and frustrated at this and don not see what their role should be as they are actively discouraged to really participate in the lesson.  I guess a combination of my experiences of teaching challenging students in the UK and the kind of personality that can sometimes feel like railroading has made it different for me most of the time.  I do a lot of teaching using modern methods and two out of the three co-teachers have taken some of this on board.

"How to make Beans on Toast"  The most important lesson in life!

However, Maka, the most experienced of my co-teachers went from “training” about the MacMillan books (the new text books).  She came back somewhat distressed by this as she has been told that only the first years can continue with the 1^st book (Red Book) next year.  The remaining classes can continue until Christmas if they haven’t finished but must all be moved up to the 2^nd book in January.  This is the complete opposite of what we have been told in meetings where the Minister of Education has been present.  This is a complete disaster.  As I have said before, the culture here is that you have to say what you think is the right response rather than what is the right response.  Students are given marks based on what their position is relative to the other students; no real assessment of ability.  This follows through into University where degrees are handed out effectively based on attendance rather than assessment where students have met previously agreed criteria.  Without this culture of assessment then yes, it is acceptable to move onto the next book even if most of the students have not met the criteria for finishing the previous book.  What a depressing state of affairs!

The educational system cannot be based on a text book that has not been produced specifically for the Georgian Education System.  The lessons in the book are not differentiated – does not allow for different abilities and assumes that lessons are 1 hour.  MacMillan say and indeed common sense has to tell you that the text book is a guide and as a teacher you have to adapt it to your students.  As each book builds on the previous book it is only logical that when you start a particular book you make sure that the students have been taught (not  just gone through in class but actually taught) to make sure they have the prior knowledge to start this level book.  This of course does not happen.  Teachers are in the unenviable position of looking bad if their students are not at the level they are “meant to be at” as based on the number of years they have been studying English.  The teacher doesn’t want to look bad, the School Director doesn’t want to look bad and therefore the boxes are ticked and it “looks” like the students are on the level that they claim to be on other than the “lazy students who don’t want to do anything”.  The further you go up the years the more students are left behind and then they wonder why at Year 12 they cannot pass the exams, even when they have been told the answers.

At some point or the other all the volunteers ask themselves whether they are making a difference here and if so what it is.  The answer that you tell yourself depends on how long you have been here and how many setbacks you have had.  I know the students have made a lot of progress in the time I have been here and I know that the teachers have seen new techniques but my feeling is that they will go back to the old ways when I leave.  I get a standing ovation when I walk into the class, literally.  It isn’t a joke, they are not yanking my chain, they really are thrilled to be having decent lessons delivered in a fun and interesting way.  Poor kids – I hope my replacement volunteer if they get one will be interactive as well.