Schools; American College making Radical Changes to improve standards!

bigOz


Joined: 29/09/2010
Posts: 1244

Message Posted:
15/10/2011 11:02

I have recently discovered that the American College - Girne, has been busy making some radical changes in improving the quality of their teachers and support for high school education. This can only be good news for the young people studying there, as well as the parents who would appreciate a little more detail in attention to their children's studies.

I am assured that special measures are being taken to make sure everyone has the necessary textbooks to work with, and teachers are encouraged to find ways of increasing students' interest in science subjects.

Clearly, with around 300 high school students currently attending the establishment, increased competition in the market is definitely helping things improve

Good luck American College Girne!

Ed1957


Joined: 03/09/2011
Posts: 377

Message Posted:
15/10/2011 20:47

sounds like good PR. textbooks are always useful

Goonerboy


Joined: 01/04/2009
Posts: 723

Message Posted:
16/10/2011 07:24

to add, they have tables and chairs too, pity about all the other major issues that are being brushed under the carpet.

Ed1957


Joined: 03/09/2011
Posts: 377

Message Posted:
16/10/2011 10:10

Carpets too? really impressive

bigOz


Joined: 29/09/2010
Posts: 1244

Message Posted:
16/10/2011 10:29

Someone must be impressed to have 300 high school students attending - erm... how many did the mighty British Academy had on last weeks registry? (desperately advertising above these topics! - like a bl**dy spider's web!)

bigOz


Joined: 29/09/2010
Posts: 1244

Message Posted:
16/10/2011 10:37

ADDENDUM:

Just in case you did not know; one of the major problems with all three (AC, ESK & BA) until this year had been the lack of text books that were issued more towards the end of the year rather than the beginning (some never!). Teaching privately to many attending these schools, I know that the problem still exists with some of them.

As for "major issues being swept under the carpet" - I do not have enough information or knowledge to agree or disagree with you! All I can say is; it is good that some have started making genuine efforts to get rid of those "major issues". AND we all know such issues cannot be solved overnight - lets wait and see what happens with all these establishments by the end of this year

HildySmith


Joined: 02/07/2009
Posts: 1708

Message Posted:
16/10/2011 11:05

Why talk in 'code'

what are the issues????

bigOz


Joined: 29/09/2010
Posts: 1244

Message Posted:
16/10/2011 12:14

Hildysmith;

I assume you are addressing the question to Goonerboy. "The issues swept under the carpet" was his comment in message 3 above and I was responding to that (hence, the quotes) - Just like your kind self, I have no clue as to what issues were addressed.

Then again, many in cyprus44 seem to take pleasure in using cryptic language

spud50


Joined: 02/05/2008
Posts: 213

Message Posted:
16/10/2011 12:40

Why this fascination with text books. As a teacher with 40 years experience of teaching maths, text books often encourage teachers to move from one page to the next without attempting to engage students in their learning.

If teaching, particularly in mathematics, is to improve then activities that do not rely on textbooks need to be encouraged.

A text book can have a place but it is not the be-all-and-end-all.

Thank God they are in short supply.

bigOz


Joined: 29/09/2010
Posts: 1244

Message Posted:
16/10/2011 13:16

What a silly remark by a teacher who claims to have been teaching Maths for 40 years! And is this the sort of attitude that has resulted in most people in UK ending up mathematically illiterate?

Most teachers lately do not have (or spare) the time to give homeworks and MARK THEM! Resulting in poor or misleading feedback on the level of students knowledge. The main source of exercises are the text books - how on earth do you think children will learn maths unless they do exercises? Maths is an exact science and many solutions follow set rules that can only be learned by repetitive solving of similar equations (and "yes", I do have a UK University Diploma in Maths, and "yes" I have been teaching maths)

What activities would you suggest I should encourage my students when learning "integration", calculating "roots", remembering the formula for the "circumference" of a circle or the "surface area" of a sphere, or learning what the internal angles of various shapes add to? Pleeease!

Crumpy



Joined: 05/06/2010
Posts: 419

Message Posted:
16/10/2011 17:30

Re : Messages 9 and 10



Hi Spud50,

Although it is probably true that a teacher shouldn't rely on one sıngle text book for exercıses (ie. he or she should indeed choose the most appropriate exercises from two or three books) "thanking God the text books are in short supply" is, as Big Oz states, rather a "silly remark".

stubbs1


Joined: 07/08/2011
Posts: 174

Message Posted:
16/10/2011 20:08

Innumerate, is the correct expression Oz not mathematically illiterate, unless you are American!

Ed1957


Joined: 03/09/2011
Posts: 377

Message Posted:
17/10/2011 21:30

Good to hear that you are still here and active Crumpy, missed your posts recently

spud50


Joined: 02/05/2008
Posts: 213

Message Posted:
18/10/2011 10:51

Not a silly remark at all! As you don't know me or my experience, I find your remarks insulting. Just because a student can complete 20 or more of the same questions does not necessarily mean that they have an understanding of the topic in question. What happens when the questions are worded differently, or aren't in a form that the student recognises. Students need to be able to talk about their learning not just in mathematics but in all subjects. Activities such as jigsaws, matching, sorting chopped up answers into the correct order and many other activities are becoming more popular as learning tools. There are many resources available on maths websites. Some students do like to work through exercises but not all are like that.

As for the comment about mathematically illiterate (innumerate) students in the UK, I have met the same type of student in TRNC and am frequently asked to tutor students from schools here who are struggling with their mathematics, although I wouldn'

spud50


Joined: 02/05/2008
Posts: 213

Message Posted:
18/10/2011 10:52

Cont.

I wouldn't dream of making a cover-all comment about the quality of teaching or teachers here.

ilovecyprus


Joined: 08/05/2007
Posts: 2880

Message Posted:
18/10/2011 11:21

Seems to me that students learn in different ways. A teacher should have as many tricks and tools in their armoury as possible. A workbook is one of these.

I do lots of trainings and have often taught without a workbook. The key is to get the learning in to the full system of the individual. This would be to use all of Howard Gardeners learning styles, the format system and all of the sensory systems.

I agree with spud50 in what he is generally saying. There is a world of difference between just knowing pythagorus theorem and being able to apply it in the real world.

The goal of the teacher is to take explicit knowledge and make it tacit for the student and to find creative ways to achieve this.

elko2



Joined: 24/07/2007
Posts: 4400

Message Posted:
18/10/2011 11:45

I have never been a "teacher" myself but in my life I helped many students at secondary and university level. Books are useful specially in mathematics if they contain many sample solutions but this should be backed up with a rich library with lots of similar books. Here in Cyprus we had set books at secondary level but at university level in UK, no set books which I found difficult to start with but later appreciated it. At university level one should be encouraged to do some research and not be confined to one author. Unfortunately in Turkey the university education is a continuation of the secondary education and the student who does some research and does not agree with the teacher is punished. Some staff even insist that their own book should be used as a reference book.

I am glad I studied in UK or I would have never managed to graduate from a Turkish University.

ismet

TUTOR4U


Joined: 05/06/2007
Posts: 80

Message Posted:
22/10/2011 21:00

I must agree with Spud50, Good teachers rarely use a text book, they use knowledge which I must say appears to be in short supply here, in particular national curriculum (British) whilst I personally might recommend a text book for the core the bulk of my input/teaching is from my own knowledge.

Ed1957


Joined: 03/09/2011
Posts: 377

Message Posted:
22/10/2011 22:13

But maybe it is about students, some students need the structure and support that they get from a textbook, they may have missed something in the class and want to do some consolidation at home.