Cut-down Summer Holidays = A Better Future For Britain?

So the Education Minister, the Right Honourable Mr Gove has announced that Schools will soon be able to set their own term and holiday dates.  The main focus being that perhaps the summer holidays are too long.  He even stated that the current system was based on an antiquated one in which young people were required to work on the farms.  I'm afraid this historical argument based on children being available to work is not accurate.  It seems that Mr Gove can't get the facts right . . . Which is a concern in itself.

There also seems to be an unhealthy fixation on longer hours spent in school for pupils.  Britons are traditional at knee-jerk reactions when there is a national-social issue.  E.g. Other countries are out performing the UK economically so let's make our school pupils work for longer (including weekends) and that will help us produce more intelligent and productive market leaders.  Nonsense!  We have men and women up and down this country working so many hours that they are like absent parents - and we are still not leading the world in productivity and progress.

There is an almost poisonous obsession with work (or over-working) in this country.  As a teacher I put a heck of a lot of hours into my job.  I enjoy my work.  However, I have many friends who work so much that their family time is almost nil.  This has led to major relationship issues in the household.  It seems that the length of time a man (or a woman) works in this country is seen as some sort of badge to be proud of.  

Now this mentality seems to be filtering down to the education system.  This is a major concern of mine.  

We need to realise that a major re-thinking of the traditional work ethic is required.  We need to learn to work smarter, multi-task a little less often and not be blinkered into putting in more hours.  This just doesn't solve the problem. 

Robert Louis Stevenson once wrote: 'Extreme busyness, whether at school or college, kirk or market, is a symptom of deficient vitality.'

Why the Egyptians were Concerned about Farting

Making students laugh during a lesson is integral to my methodology as a teacher.  Humour may not be the natural ingredient for others but it works on several levels.  The title of this Blog refers to a theme in one of the History of Medicine lessons taught in the S3 History class.  Students were learning the several ideas the ancient Egyptians had regarding the functions of the human body.  The lesson required 'Personal Selective Note-taking' or 'Taking your own notes'.  Humour becomes a very useful mnemonic tool when gathering facts  There is a physiological process at play when students and teachers engage in a bit of a laugh.  Dopamine is produced which acts as a natural de-stressing agent.  I wonder why any educator would not want to have this affect upon students.  It really works, and the proof is in pedagogical and scientific articles.

There have been several studies which propose the necessity of humour in teaching contexts.  They often refer to teacher driven approaches, however there are opportunities to bring the students into the joke also.  Young people say the strangest and funniest things.  They often say or do things which can be unintentional.  If the students are able to take it then use sarcasm to lighten the mood in the classroom.  There is always a caution in using this kind of humour.  Be careful that no-one becomes upset or embarrassed by its use and gauge the mood.  Off course there is a time to bring out the jokes  and under certain circumstances when the lesson material is more sensitive humour can be left to another time.