Tuesday 6 September 2016

Comments on the "Teachers need to be Industry Specialists, they don't need to be a Qualified Teacher....."

And the battle now is on....

In one corner the PGCE QTS Degree Qualified Teacher, the other an "Industrial Specialist"

Firstly lets get down to facts.

  • Being a "teacher" is not all subject knowledge. Teaching is about progression, diversification and being able to project knowledge to students, all of whom are individuals with different learning styles, abilities and motivation.
  • Teaching is also being a designer of lessons and schemes of work which although sounds like the re-invention of the wheel, means that every time a syllabus is changed, your lessons need to reflect that.
  • A teacher needs to understand how to mark and give appropriate feedback.
  • A teacher needs to be technologically savvy to understand and use technology in a useful appropriate way.
  • Many teachers have come from Industrial backgrounds and have experience of the "big wide world".
And....
  • A teacher needs to provide a safe forum for the students in his/her care
  • A teacher needs to understand child protection and safeguarding
  • A teacher needs basic first aid skills
  • A teacher needs to have the patience of more than a saint.
  • A teacher needs to have some understanding of physical and mental disabilities of those individual students.
And of course....
  • That teacher needs to jump through hoops depending on the Senior Management of the school
  • That teacher needs to attend meetings with curriculum, pastoral and parents. Mainly after school, with some meetings being meetings about meetings
  • That teacher needs to keep up with the changes of the subject matter
  • That teacher may have to use holiday times taking students away on UK or even Global trips.
So you see its more than just having the knowledge. I am a great believer in using "Industrial Specialists" to give talks or presentations to a class, but to suggest that they are as good as, or even sometimes better than a Qualified Teacher is just plain stupid.

As I have always stated:

"Think its easy being a teacher? 

Walk in a teachers shoes for an Academic Year and you will soon see!

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