tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14184878.post3781692908694264503..comments2023-10-15T10:29:12.991+01:00Comments on Karyn's erratic learning journey: Parent teacher meetingsThe upsychohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06345558899662051670noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14184878.post-48977435225963940612007-06-22T09:35:00.000+01:002007-06-22T09:35:00.000+01:00This school doesn't do setting, Doug - so the grou...This school doesn't do setting, Doug - so the groups are very mixed ability... and mixed gender since it's a coed school. <BR/><BR/>Like most South Africans - both male and female - I am by nature <B>very</B> competitive. My son is not... at all. If he thinks he's being put under pressure to compete, he will simply opt not to participate. <BR/><BR/>In my view, there are some circumstances under which it's inappropriate to foster competition, and this is one of them. With kids in the group for whom it is a major achievement to score a level 4, having the bar set at level 6 and 7 by the kids in the front row just puts the whole thing out of their reach. While my son is one of those scoring regular level 6's, when he has to move down a seat or two, instead of getting his dander up (as I'm sure the teacher intends) he just feels demotivated and less inclined to try next time. I can't help wonder what the impact is on the kid who bust his/her butt to get a level 4 and still languishes in bottom spot...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14184878.post-36277100921872237772007-06-22T08:41:00.000+01:002007-06-22T08:41:00.000+01:00Karyn, is your son setted in Science? If so, the s...Karyn, is your son setted in Science? If so, the situation isn't perhaps as bad as you think. Boys (usually) respond well to competition and it's usually girls who don't like it.<BR/><BR/>I know of a couple of people who teach in boys-only schools who put the most recent test results on their website! Whilst I'm not saying it would work for everyone, and I certainly wouldn't do it in a mixed-ability situation, it's not <I>necessarily</I> a bad thing.<BR/><BR/>However, when put into context about how your son doesn't seem to be enjoying school, perhaps this teacher is in fact stuck in the 1950s...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com