Achieving Full Potential Within The Entire Education System - Part 2

A post from Tedious Tantrums

A few weeks ago I identified the following aims, which could be considered as potential starting points, for improvements to the education system as it stands at the moment.

1. EVERY pupil/student should achieve their full potential;
2. EVERY student teacher should achieve their full potential;
3. There is NO PLACE for politicisation within education;
4. There is No PLACE for religion in any area of education;
5. REDUCE the size and influence of local education department to the lowest possible level required to support schools.
6. EVERY pupil should be treated as an individual and not be subject to a dress code.
7. Successful methodologies and best practice should be adopted in order to provide the BEST learning experience possible for pupils/students.

I finished off by posing the question – “how many pupils could a teacher genuinely teach to ensure each pupil received the individual attention necessary to satisfy aim number one?”

Having given it some thought, discussed it on-line and discussed it with a teacher I’ve come to the conclusion that the ratio of teacher to pupil would be around 6:1, that’s six pupils/students to one teacher not the other way around. 10:1 is too many 5/6 probably just about right. So I’ll immediately update the aims list as follows –

1. EVERY pupil/student should achieve their full potential;
2. EVERY student teacher should achieve their full potential;
3. There is NO PLACE for politicisation within education;
4. There is No PLACE for religion in any area of education;
5. REDUCE the size and influence of local education department to the lowest possible level required to support schools.
6. EVERY pupil should be treated as an individual and not be subject to a dress code.
7. Successful methodologies and best practice should be adopted in order to provide the BEST learning experience possible for pupils/students.
8. The student/pupil teacher ratio should be around 6:1.

The first thought is cost. If the current system is straining to pay for 20:1 then 6:1 would be budget busting, bank account bursting and overdraft drowningly expensive. Ah but you may have forgotten about the removal of as much of the local council Education Departmentas possible and then some. The savings from reducing the number of employees, administration and regulation should adequately pay for the 6:1 ratio.

This ratio would open up teaching as a real career with more layers which teachers could work through to enhance their salary and their standing as the years pass by. However, the advancement of teachers would be based on achievement and experience. There would be far more room for teachers to experiment, build resources, share those resources but advancement would only be measured on single criteria – that all students/pupils have achieved. No other criteria would be used. Back to the list.

1. EVERY pupil/student should achieve their full potential;
2. EVERY student teacher should achieve their full potential;
3. There is NO PLACE for politicisation within education;
4. There is No PLACE for religion in any area of education;
5. REDUCE the size and influence of local education department to the lowest possible level required to support schools.
6. EVERY pupil should be treated as an individual and not be subject to a dress code.
7. Successful methodologies and best practice should be adopted in order to provide the BEST learning experience possible for pupils/students.
8. The student/pupil teacher ratio should be around 6:1.
9. Teacher advancement would be measured solely on successful pupils/students achievement.

And how would achievement be measured? That’ll be next week's instalment then.

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