Alternative Teaching?

In a move that could have every teacher in Britain reaching for the Valium, the Department for Education and Science (DfES) plans to encourage children to email their teachers out of school hours, to help with last-minute revision and homework queries in the evenings and at weekends.

The idea sounds fine at first. Some anxious parents may see it as the solution to their nightmares. No more having to help with GCSE maths or English coursework: a quick email to Sir or Miss will do nicely instead. But anyone who's ever been stuck in a classroom with teenagers for hours on end will know that it's essential to get a break from them sometimes.

In fact, the sure knowledge that you'll be free of 4C at the end of the school day can be the only thing that keeps a teacher sane. If this new scheme is successful, teachers will no longer be able to escape their charges so easily. Picking up emails at home may only take a few minutes, but it will inevitably take teachers straight back to the mind-set of “school”.

Teenagers being what they are, the system will be open to all sorts of abuse, whether unintentional or not. An out-of-hours “safety net” could, for example, encourage pupils not to concentrate in class: because they will be able to clear up queries later. In fact, they can now have the best of all possible worlds: mess around in school and still catch up on their work when it suits them. Knowing how reluctant boys in particular can be to seem “keen” by asking questions in front of their peers, this seems likely to happen.

And here’s a sample of some of the student emails I hope never to get, but no doubt will soon be picking up once the new system starts:

“Hi, Sir! Remember me? U taught me two years ago, before I left – and I’m now retaking my GCSEs (if u remember, I only got a D grade!). Anyway, I need a quick bit of revision on The Mayor of Casterbridge and wondered if u could spare me a few hours to go thru it with me next week some time??? (PS I'm free Monday.) Don’t worry – I’ve actually read the book this time! Cheers, Dave X.”

“Hi, Sir! I know it’s New Year’s Day, so I know you’ll be very impressed with me thinking about work. I wrote three essays for AS coursework on Jane Austen over the holidays and have now attached them for u to mark. Any chance of a quick look by return? You’ll have to print them off yourself, but they’re only about 1,500 words each. All the best, Sophie Y.”

Of course, new technology has its part to play in improving examination results, but we need to draw the line somewhere. That’s why the prospect of out-of-hours emails from pupils doesn’t even bear thinking about.

The writer is an English teacher at Charterhouse School.

Vocabulary Exercises

Ex. 1. Match the words in the left column with the correct definition in the right column. Then complete the sentences below with words from the left column.

1) grade a) paper awarded by college or by U.S. high school

2) to learn smth by heart b) smth officially received on completion of training

3) diploma c) mark of A, B, C, etc.

4) edutainment d) grade out of 10 or 20, etc.

5) mark e) to learn smth for a test or exam

6) certificate f) smb studying for first university degree

7) undergraduate g) to know smth very well

8) to revise h) television programmes, videos, software etc. that

entertain you while they teach you smth

1. On graduation day, all the high school graduates received their … .

2. I can’t come out tonight as I’m … for tomorrow’s test.

3. Ten out of ten is the best … anyone can get.

4. He didn’t need notes as he had learned the speech … .

5. We will need to see photocopies of your G.C.S.E. … .

6. Is this video series really … , or is it just a gimmick?

7. Although Eric got a D … in the exam, it was a narrow fail.

8. In the USA, first-year … are called freshmen.

Ex. 2. Match the words with a suitable definition.

1) classmate a) someone who teaches at a university

2) examiner b) someone who studies at primary or secondary school

3) learner c) someone who trains a sports team

4) principal d) the most important teacher in a university department

5) pupil e) someone who has a college degree

6) coach f) someone who teaches one student or a very small class

7) graduate g) someone in the same class as yourself

8) lecturer h) the head of a school

9) professor i) someone who writes the question papers of an examination

10)tutor j) someone who drives but has not yet passed a driving test.