The Importance of Learning English

I think secondary education authorities walked into a cult. There crime? They had declared “Wake up the English exam is coming!” pioneering modern methods of psychological torture for the young Russians.

Their aim is to build a new national English speaking identity here in Russia similar to cheap English speaking African or Indian labour under the British Empire. And this is not so very surprising since at every opportunity particularly through the presentation of the notorious Federal State Educations Standard as the only method of school teaching, efforts are made to indoctrinate the spiritual and cultural descendants of Saint Kirill and Methodius into thinking this is the case.

The national education system has been most effectively shaped and moulded to teach children the English language. Ordinary people may have seen this as a noble objective, but the global elite was clear its concern was to fight to hold on to as much as possible of the massive chunk of the global labour market they already owned and controlled by destroying national identities and cultures. Yet, so successfully have ESL teachers been indoctrinated into the mythology of the Federal State Educations Standard that most of them refuse to entertain any alternative possibilities.

Following this approach clear economic and personnel decisions are being made to disregard the explicit use of the Russian language. There is instead informal English which is relaxed and friendly without being restricted by rules – just enough to organise the workforce at their foreign masters’ commands. Technically, it is achieved by bringing to English classes the so-called Communicative Approach – an influential idea dominating 21st –century linguistics in this country and notorious universal educational activities.

On a brighter note, it is possible that most Russians will speak English when travelling abroad in the nearest future. (Fr: Eh bien, chapeau bas à vos compagnes, mais je ne vais pas construire ça!)

Following USE Requirements

For the most part Unified State Exams (USE) in this country are extremely formalised discouraging good pupils, smart ones from language learning. Also of note, ESL language proficiency in Smolensk is significantly affected by schlocky bachelor and master courses.

These are some points that may be discussed later in greater detail.

1. Here in Russia, to know how to fulfil all the requirements of the assessment policy with the bureaux of the parent bodies is of major importance. It seems to be more important than teaching itself. Following this approach, the teacher should not correct identical grammar errors. But, everything must be done to ensure that the address in a letter, for example, should be written on the right side because this requirement was once spelled out in the guidance document.

2. USE experts recruited lack a common understanding of the ways of measuring the pupils oral answers. It is not allowed, for example, for a pupil to describe a given photo by saying something like “I took this picture... / This photo was taken by me...” because such a claim might lead to a factual mistake. Instead a decent pupil should have come up with something neutral like “ The photo in this picture shows ...etc”.

3. Security during the school USE is heightened with metal detector searches, police presence, and ID checks humiliating both teachers and students as though they were thieves or petty criminals.

On a brighter note, the Department of Education is examining ways to further reduce the time taken to mark the examinations and to provide administrative support for the examination process. Okay, ha ha, very funny! But, this is just a rough sketch.

My Teacher's Guide to Blogging

Blogs are increasingly popular source of information and communication tool for teachers to communicate with staff and students. Said another way, I enjoy reading about blogs. I think you will too. Just read it... "Blog Matters!"

Post-16 Education and the new GCSE Grades

Good news for students but another example of DfE incompetence in the introduction of new GCSEs. https://www.tes.com/news/school-news...5-4-dfe-u-turn

They had the same tweaking the first year GCSE's replaced O-levels. It's kind of inevitable I guess. 

I have taught English as a foreign language in comprehensive schools, Russia, for three years. Here are a few of my thoughts...

Grading in education can be a touching subject. The stringent structure is much more liable to subjectivity of the teacher, which makes it more difficult to directly compare pupil performance.

Schools in Scotland, for instance, are now moving away from the Standard Grade system. The four-point system is one of the most recognised grading scaling in the United States, 0 being the lowest and 4 being the highest possible score. In Russia, pupils are mainly exposed to one system, the five-point system. Although any mark from 5 to 1 is officially accepted, the latter is used less commonly. 

The E-S-N-U System can be found sometimes in lower grades of state secondaries, introducing a more 'playful' approach to younger children, but not much beyond third grade usually.

Don't forget about the eleven-point system with letter grading or even a 12-point grading scale, adding A+ at the top. This is tedious but it does provide an absolute calibration for me, 'cream skimming' the brightest kids when they join year nine or higher.

Please note that marking is best seen as a dialogue between you and the pupil. Grade descriptors or comment-based marking provide you with this dialogue and can help to enthuse them. Even more, comment-based marking helps you to formulate your positive response.

Also of note, English teacher's red-pen response can spoil everything!

 

Blog Matters

     As the number of media resources grew, I began to find new ways to serve that segment of our school department by starting our series on blogging placing them in my blog (thus blogging on the blog!).

     In my notes, I list the blogs I find useful professionally, give tips for  finding blogs  as well as keeping up with them once you find them. Next, I describe the joys of blogging to help readers get started and give ideas for what to focus on and how to keep the ball rolling. One of the really exiting things about blogs is that you can get nearly instant feedback on issues you need help with, and you can quickly share new techniques as well. Also, you have complete control over the finished product, and you can get published immediately crafting effective school material. Say you need an advice on to handle a particular problem with a pupil. You can post that on your blog and have advice from your colleges, educators, or just friends withing a several days.

Real School Essays (Humour)

Using a heat lamp to help my goats handle the cold during Russian winter nites at my granddad's. If I have kids when it's below freezing, I need to be there to make sure they're dried off as soon as possible, or their ears can freeze. Older animals may also have hoof and mouth related problems.

Misha, 16

Never forget the first day I went to secondary... A lass came up to me and said 'oi, u heard you want a fight with me'... bare it in mind I was the quiet one who never spoke to anyone. 

I said 'No' and the lass threatened to leave my face print in the concrete if I showed into school. Later she became my best friend. Great experience, you know.

Kolya, 9

School Science Day in 37 Smolensk Comp

     Now, sadly enough, when the world has become one global village due to high travelling speeds and Internet connection, we face the problem of choosing the right route. Having found myself in the blind alleys of virtual sightseeing at my English lessons, I decided to find out what pupils of my school were really interested to see in London.

     London+4+kids+2014-2015
     British Bulldog Certificate
 
     Irish+Traditions+2014-2015

     London+4+kids+2015-2016