003 - PCET: What’s wrong with our sector?

This post forms part of something larger that I've been scribbling away at over the last few months..


To the powers that be,

Before you read and ultimately consign the following article to the cylindrical ‘filing cabinet’ under your desk, consider that this is (albeit granted an opinion), an opinion garnered from months of careful consideration and much conversation with various other teachers of both little and much experience alike from a variety of teaching institutions.

Allow me first to introduce myself. I am a trainee teacher of 22 years of age. My subject specialism is Psychology (which has been significantly valuable in assisting my teaching methods and approach to students, given that I look younger than some of them..) I am now fast approaching the end of my PGCE in Post-Compulsory Education and Training, and figured that at such a concluding point of the academic year now would be a valuable opportunity to commit to writing one of the long running debates I have grappled with over the duration of what has been one of the most eye-opening years of my somewhat short existence.

It would be hardly a sweeping or controversial statement to say that our sector is at least to some extent led and ruled by the influence, targets and fear-inducing power that is OfSTED. The inspection results from each of their reports can massively influence the next few years of an institution’s existence, from funding to reputation, to marketing and curriculum design, and ultimately staff and student numbers. Though it isn’t to say that OfSTED are single-handedly to blame, such an environment has almost inevitably born out a culture of Quality Assurance and Quality Improvement, which leads me to the main point of my argument. As a sector, we define our success or failure in these areas by the reams of forest-munching paperwork that aims to tick all the relevant boxes to provide adequate proof that we have done all in our almighty power available to ensure that our job has been completed to its best. The main focus of my main argument, is that do we now concentrate so heavily on the statistics and marketing and QA/QI due to the pressures of our organisations and ultimately wider pressures that the paperwork begins to detract from the teaching itself, putting our students ultimately at greater risk of becoming one of the aforementioned statistics?

Now I have no qualms about admitting that such bureaucracy has to some extent at least played a pivotal role in improving the quality of my teaching. For instance had I not planned all my lessons on lesson plans, written schemes of work and involved myself in the deeper runnings of the institution in which I am placed, I have little doubt that I would have shown little if any progress from the moment I began my PCET course in September last year. Completing the necessary evil that is the ever growing mountain of paperwork has undoubtedly provided me with both the time and space to consider all elements of my teaching practice such as variation of methods and teaching strategies, safeguarding procedures, differentiated and personalised learning and so forth. This coupled with the mandatory lesson observations I have undertaken have significantly aided my development. However I also have equal as little doubt as to the issue that such quality assurance and quality improvement paperwork (which requires alterations per different group of students taught), along with other ever-growing tick-box strategies now lie in such a great volume that they are beginning to cause harm to the teaching quality that they set out to protect. I find myself perched in the staffroom of my institution not only debating how to separate the fast dwindling amount of time I have to work on my teaching strategies and create a solid and interesting lesson whilst completing all the necessary admin, but hearing such an argument being played out by my colleagues around me as if it were a perfect echo. I can only repeatedly feel a sense of disappointment to see the majority (myself included) as a result of the previously mentioned pressures eventually consign themselves to the paperwork as opposed to the Teaching and Learning strategies that would ultimately improve the Quality such forms place great importance on. It isn't helping either that the University teacher training courses like the one I am currently undertaking are doing little more than 'adhering to the rules' and perpetuating this issue by reinforcing the importance of a heavily tick-box orientated approach (bar one or two honest moments from lecturers and members of staff when such a debate as this arises). Our observations for example can only score highly if we take the time to clearly highlight various issues which may have been recorded elsewhere, but not on University paperwork. This isn't to say that I view my university or college institutions personally in a negative light, more that I'm more and more beginning to recognise the pressure they feel in turn from powers of higher being to 'prove their worth'.

I don't know where I'm going with this.. Chances are this argument could diverge down several paths highlighting several areas I've ever become disillusioned, confused or surprised by whilst undertaking my PGCE, though I stand by my points. Our sector needs to take a good look at itself, before the measures and snowballing bureaucracy we employ to ensure quality actually end up causing us more harm than good.

'Despondent yet with a vision of clarity'
Sandlefish


EDIT: I'm also promising something non-teaching related for my next post..