michael gove

hucks

hucks

Your Message Here
Two main bits of Gove news this week. Firstly, his speech to Social Market Foundation where he says Gramsci is one of his heroes

http://www.smf.co.uk/media/news/michael-gove-speaks-smf/

I thought the speech was very interesting from a political perspective as he takes on Labour on what ought to be their own territory. He does it much more effectively than IDS or Pickles and it's worth thinking about why. I think it's because he talks entirely about systems and structures and blames them, rather than IDS's approach of apportioning blame to the individual. And Pickles's approach of being a fat buffoon.

The second one is the "embarrassing U turn" on the EBacc.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/blog/2013/feb/07/michael-gove-gcse-ebacc-politics-live

It does look like one at first glance, but I can't believe that's the case. I think he's surrendering something he doesn't care about (one exam board per subject) in order to get something he does (changing the curriculum). Is that right?
 
C

crackerjack

Well-known member
hucks said:
Two main bits of Gove news this week. Firstly, his speech to Social Market Foundation where he says Gramsci is one of his heroes

http://www.smf.co.uk/media/news/michael-gove-speaks-smf/

I thought the speech was very interesting from a political perspective as he takes on Labour on what ought to be their own territory. He does it much more effectively than IDS or Pickles and it's worth thinking about why. I think it's because he talks entirely about systems and structures and blames them, rather than IDS's approach of apportioning blame to the individual. And Pickles's approach of being a fat buffoon.

The second one is the "embarrassing U turn" on the EBacc.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/blog/2013/feb/07/michael-gove-gcse-ebacc-politics-live

It does look like one at first glance, but I can't believe that's the case. I think he's surrendering something he doesn't care about (one exam board per subject) in order to get something he does (changing the curriculum). Is that right?
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But he's losing the the Baccalaureate, right? He'll still make the syllabus focus more on exams and less on course assessment, but even there it seems he's giving some ground.

Don't overestimate the man. I know the right-wing parts of the press see him as their prince in waiting, but it's not easy governing in coalition. And never forget he is a goldfish-faced cunt.
 
B

baboon2004

Darned cockwombles.
I wonder what Gramsci would have thought of Gove.

That he's a goldfish-faced cunt, probably.

it is interesting to read that SMF speech. As far as I can work out, what he wants is a return to the halcyon days where you could depend upon a servant having a good grasp of Dickens, while throwing around the key words 'social mobility' with no indication of how this will happen in the real world for any more than a very small minority.

"The lack of ambition evident in those figures was reinforced for me recently when we launched an initiative - open to every state school in the country - to enable their students to visit a top university, see for themselves how welcoming and exciting such places could be - and tempt them to apply." Now what happened recently that might make these top universities 'less tempting'...?

"There is no skill more central to employability than literacy. Whether it’s reading the instructions accompanying a deep fat fryer, running through the health and safety drill on an oil rig or processing an application for citizenship, literacy is the absolute precondition for holding down any job today."

Now that's a paragraph you'd struggle to make up.
 
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dd528

dd528

Well-known member
The man remains an idiot. It is not entirely clear what he is giving up in this supposed u-turn, because it was never entirely clear what his proposals involved in the first place. The EBacc was a vague, ill-conceived suggestion for legislation, and all that has happened is that it has been removed and a kind of brooding uncertainty left in its place.

I would not for a second imagine that Gove is done with mashing his fingers in school assessment and curriculum policy.

He seems to exist in some kind of fever dream where wild, ideologically-driven ideas can be dreamed up in a few weeks and brought to the table with a straight face. He cannot even take cover behind the idea that his suggestions are mandated by party manifesto.

If today was carte blanche for education policy then what I would suggest to the Secretary is that he launches a broad inquiry, taking in teachers (individually, and not merely as represented by their head-teachers or unions), pupils, parents, exam boards, and institutes of further and higher education to assess what they feel might work better than the status quo based upon their experience.

But today is not that day. Gove cares no more now about the education of your child than he did when he was appointed to his post. The only lesson he has learned is that the EBacc won't wash, so now he will set about some new plan that sates his political impulses but can have a more positive spin put on it. Maybe slip it into law through the backdoor whilst everyone's distracted with some kind of major crisis of economics or Europe or both.
 
jenks

jenks

thread death
Pretty much agree with the above. Still launching his new National Curriculum, changing exams and getting rid of any coursework, controlled assessment, getting rid of tiers for exams. Still 3hrs in an exam hall. Still looking back to some golden age where we could all find the Raj on a map and name its Lord Lieutenants whilst reciting Kipling.

I think he has walked away from the EBC to keep the EBacc League tables which will be the measure of all schools - 8 subjects, the original EBC ones plus 3 others. The only difference is you don't get a certificate at the end of it and you can get all those annoying celeb actors (and the CBI and Ofqual and...and...) off your back saying you are ruining arts education in the country.

Gove is an ideologue but has just that right amount of pragmatism to walk away from the truly toxic elements of his programme - education will have his grubby thumbprints on it for at least a generation. And he's a fish lipped cunt.
 
Mr. Tea

Mr. Tea

Let's Talk About Ceps
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e/y

e/y

Well-known member
Louise Mensch ‏@LouiseMensch
Gove is simply the cleverest and ablest member of the Government (a high bar). It's like watching Ali box.

lol "a high bar"
 
Mr. Tea

Mr. Tea

Let's Talk About Ceps
e/y said:
Louise Mensch ‏@LouiseMensch
Gove is simply the cleverest and ablest member of the Government (a high bar). It's like watching Ali box.

lol "a high bar"
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@LouiseMensch I *bleeeeuuuuurrrghhh* *bleeeaaaarrgh* *blllllllaaaaaaaaaaaarrgh* I'm so sorry I *blllleeeeuuugh* Sorry, did that splash you?
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pfffft
 
Mr. Tea

Mr. Tea

Let's Talk About Ceps
Dear Department for Education,

In the Mail on Sunday, 23 March 2013, the Secretary of State,
Michael Gove, wrote:

"Survey after survey has revealed disturbing historical ignorance,
with one teenager in five believing Winston Churchill was a
fictional character while 58 per cent think Sherlock Holmes was
real."

I should be grateful if you could give me details of these surveys:
who ran them, what questions were asked, when the surveys took
place,and size and make-up of samples.

I look forward to your reply.

Yours faithfully,

Janet Downs
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Dear Ms Downs
Thank you for your email of 26 March, requesting details of a survey about
teenagers’ lack of historical knowledge.

Unfortunately, I am not able to provide you with the details of the survey
as it was commissioned and conducted by UKTV Gold. I would advise that
you contact UKTV Gold direct, as they should be able to assist you on this
matter.
Your correspondence has been allocated reference number 2013/0022443. If
you need to respond to us, please visit:
[1]www.education.gov.uk/contactus, and quote your reference number.

Yours sincerely

Emma Seymour
Curriculum Policy Division
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Dear Department for Education,

Thank you for your reply saying that one survey about teenagers'
lack of historical knowledge was done by UKGold.

I should be grateful if you could let me know when the survey was
undertaken.

Michael Gove referred to "survey after survey". This indicates that
there was more than just one. But you have given me the name of
only one.

Would it be fair to say that there was actually only one survey and
not several as Mr Gove said?

Yours faithfully,

J Downs

Link to this
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Dear Ms Downs
Thank you for your further email of 15 April, requesting details of the survey’s the Secretary of State referred to in his article in the Mail on Sunday,
about teenagers’ lack of historical knowledge.

As advised previously, you would need to contact UKTV Gold to find out details of their survey, including when it was undertaken.

The other survey’s the Secretary of State referred to include:

· a survey of 2000 11 to 16 year olds by Premier Inn;

· a study commissioned by Lord Ashcroft of 1000 children aged 11 to 18 to mark the unveiling of the Bomber Command Memorial in London;

· a report by Professor Robert Tombs for think-tank Politeia;

· an article by London Mums Magazine
[1]http://londonmumsmagazine.com/2013/with-...

· research carried out by the Sea Cadets to mark the anniversary of the Battle of Trafalgar
[2]http://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/edu...


Your correspondence has been allocated reference number 2013/0025074. If you need to respond to us, please visit: [3]www.education.gov.uk/contactus, and
quote your reference number.

As part of our commitment to improving the service we provide to our customers, we are interested in hearing your views and would welcome your comments via
our website at: [4]www.education.gov.uk/pcusurvey.

Yours sincerely

Francess Quinn
Ministerial and Public Communications Division
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Dear Department for Education,

Thank you for your reply giving me details of the "survey's" (sic)
used to underpin Michael Gove's assertion that British teenagers
are ignorant of history......
Click to expand...

:D

https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/details_of_surveys_underpinning
 
C

crackerjack

Well-known member
I'd like to be shocked by this, but when you've got a supportive press and a neutered BBC there's really no disincentive to peddling this kind of noxious shite.
 
Mr. Tea

Mr. Tea

Let's Talk About Ceps
I spect a few of you will have read this already:

Good (and worrying piece) about how bad it is and how much worse it's going to get: http://www.theguardian.com/education/2014/mar/14/teachers-life-inside-the-exam-factory

(although the Gruan doesn't do itself too many favours by quoting an English teacher who uses "was like" to mean "said"...)

The first comment:

I am an English teacher in a secondary school and have taught Mice and Men by Steinbeck for many years. A book that kids, and particularly boys, enjoy. This week I was told that I should not teach the whole book and we certainly shouldn't read it all together as a class. We should simply read the parts that are relevant to the exam, and then watch the film to get the story. I quote:

"The book is merely a resource to use for passing the exam. "

Absolutely and utterly an exam factory. The ONLY thing that matters in education now.
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It doesn't give the actual source for the line in bold, but I presume it's from some official DfE curriculum material. It's nothing we didn't know already years ago, i.e. that the purpose of schools has shifted entirely from educating children to merely training them to pass exams, but it's still (a little) shocking to hear it spelled out so clearly by the government.
 
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C

comelately

Wild Horses
Mr. Tea said:
Good (and worrying piece) about how bad it is and how much worse it's going to get: http://www.theguardian.com/education/2014/mar/14/teachers-life-inside-the-exam-factory

(although the Gruan doesn't do itself too many favours by quoting an English teacher who says "was like" to mean "said"...)

The first comment:



It doesn't give the actual source for the line in bold, but I presume it's from some official DfE curriculum material. It's nothing we didn't know already years ago, i.e. that the purpose of schools has shifted entirely from educating children to merely training them to pass exams, but it's still (a little) shocking to hear it spelled out so clearly by the government.
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This may sound bad, but as a student we did a similar thing with Great Expectations for KS3 - that was over 20 years ago. I'm just saying.
 
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