A Balkan Journey: Walking through Europe's forgotten region

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While it’s great to have an idea you love, societies are about sharing with other people, so it will have to be inclusive for others to join. “It’s not all about you – think about what others will be able to get out of it,” says Bianca Athanasiou, a philosophy student who started the University of Bristol’s TV station. She suggests giving your society wide appeal. At UBTV, for example, you don’t have to be interested in the media to take part, there are roles for people who want to do marketing as well. He took a three-month sabbatical from January to March 2014 (leaving Wellington to be run in the interim by his second master, Robin Dyer, who as acting master, stated it would be "business as usual"). [14] Seldon announced on 23 April 2014 that he would be leaving Wellington College in the summer of 2015, after nearly ten years as the 13th master. [15] Seldon, Anthony (1999). 10 Downing Street: The Illustrated History. HarperCollins Illustrated. p.232. ISBN 0004140737. Additionally, we’re asking staff to display posters on their door, inspired by the anti-bullying alliance, pledging to do something to help prevent bullying behaviour. In non-COVID times, we normally mark this week with an ‘acts of kindness’ board in our library, where students can select a random act of kindness with the aim of making someone’s day.

Ofsted, Spielman says, is “absolutely in favour” of extracurricular activities to “complement” the curriculum. “That’s part of why the pupil premiums were brought in, to make sure that the overall experience was there. Where the extracurricular side and the behaviour side both broadly sit, they’re being pulled together into a holistic judgment.” We are on the fourth education secretary of 2022, but one feature of our schools persists: the narrow education schools provide students. The impoverished conception of education is not primarily the fault of schools but the wider societal context in which they operate. Michael Sandel in the Tyranny of Merit, a compelling critique of meritocracy, charts how James Conant of Harvard created the SAT test in the mid-twentieth century to select those most appropriate for higher education. The system spread throughout the USA. Our equivalent in the UK are GCSEs and then A-Level. As Sandel describes, the civic purpose of schools became secondary to their sorting function. This is useful for universities and employers. But what about the kids? How far are they really prepared to be citizens and the adults of tomorrow? So what policy context could a new government set for schools beyond endorsing ‘no excuses’ and ‘silent corridors’?These are the mantras that the class of 2020 - students who were due to take their GCSEs this May and June - have heard for the past few years in schools up and down the country. All is built up to prepare for a feeling of success in that defining moment in August when results are opened. Adams, Tim (30 April 2023). "Anthony Seldon on Boris Johnson: 'At his heart, he is extraordinarily empty' ". The Observer . Retrieved 30 April 2023. Unlike A-levels or degrees, they are the qualification that all teenagers take and that are most likely to appear on every CV.

Often in the media, organisations or esteemed individuals demand “schools teach X to solve problem Y”. Just recently, I heard a guest on the Today programme calling for bereavement lessons. Worthy no doubt, but where to fit this in? Schools cannot be the repository to resolve all our social ills. To be sure of finding a committee to take the society over when you leave, Seldon suggests you start mentoring people throughout the year. Prepare in advance for handing on the baton – and make arrangements to stay in touch if the new team have any questions. Kurt Lewin, considered the founder of social psychology, ran an experiment involving two classrooms of teenagers run under different teaching philosophies. The ‘democratic’ style was co-operative and less aggressive. The ‘authoritarian’ style achieved more work, but when the teacher left the room students exploited the freedom and chaos ensued. The aspiration to get them inspired by learning is admirable. A teacher, a school, that can get students to value education as one of life’s gifts is one that has done their students the greatest of services. Get them to appreciate that, and the rest will follow. Schools could do more to nurture virtues in children that will serve both themselves and society well in the future, such as kindness, gratitude and compassion. I saw a sad stat recently saying 3/4 of young people want to be ‘influencers’ when they grow up. Whatever this means, it does not suggest schools are cultivating citizens of tomorrow. No other global figure in history has received such international mourning than the Queen. Descriptions of her focus on qualities such as service and dedication to others. Schemes like the Duke of Edinburgh, which involve volunteering, have value in part for how they nurture a sense of duty and commitment. Schools might also want to inculcate the value of democracy, given the young are the age group who have the least faith in democracy according to the Future of Democracy project at the University of Cambridge.I taught in a rough inner city state school for 14 of my 20+ years as a science teacher and middle leader. In all my classes, students understood clearly my expectations of them, how they are to comport themselves in class and around the school. I had full confidence to leave my classes for extended periods of time without any fear of misbehaviour of any sort. Even the most recalcitrant students were impeccably behaved in my class. I had trust, belief, respect for and extremely high expectations of them, and I made them have same for themselves. It is about showing students that there is a better way, that they can do much better. This is education. Eventually, the group finds Hari Seldon in a makeshift library. Why did Hari Seldon summon Hober Mallow? Use your slot at the freshers fair to spread the word. Think of ways to grab the attention of students, whether that’s dressing up as a gladiator for a Classics soc or filming freshers for the TV station. It was only then, after days of denial, that I began to accept that their confidence was likely to soon become redundant. Staff started to know, too, smiling with students as they went to their final session of the day. A Year 11 student, who had been a particular challenge all year, observed: “They are only being nice to us because we are about to die.”

Spielman says the perceived quality of outcomes should depend on how capable students are to “use” what they’ve learned, rather than “their ability to answer a particular type of question”. She stresses a need for “skills” and the “long-term” application of learning. Cumulatively, cognitive science’s application has undoubtedly improved teaching and learning in schools. There’s now a firmer basis to influence the teacher’s craft and much of it is highly accessible. Educational myths are gradually being slayed, from learning styles to the belief that skills don’t rely on knowledge. Like many, I only wish the research revolution would inform teacher training more. I once came across a paper that spoke to my disenchantment with politics academia. It argued that academics discuss a narrow range of topics among themselves without much external input. Now I find myself feeling a similar disenchantment with the narrow and insular debates of my profession.Perhaps in the schools’ budget squeeze all this might seem an indulgence. But much of the above depends on effort and delivery, not excessive cost. With growing exam pressures from a more challenging GCSE we are in danger of losing sight of the broader purpose of education. It is all the more important that schools nurture fondness of school, to help students see their school exists for more than getting them grades. The more research-informed approach adopted by many schools has heralded many positive impacts, but the cost is a restricted Overton window. The grip of cognitive science means that if contributions do not have some alleged grounding in research or linkage to sacred texts like Teach Like a Champion or Rosenshine’s Principles of Instruction, it is harder to get a hearing.

Butter, Susannah (27 January 2017). "Sir Anthony Seldon on his late wife: 'She was spectacular, ferociously intelligent - I was in awe of her' ". Evening Standard . Retrieved 9 February 2018. While they get better acquainted, a deadly hurricane heads their way. The duo needs to escape before this storm takes them out. They swim down to Salvor’s sunken ship and manage to reboot it, although they nearly drown in the process. Where is Hari Seldon? Mandarin language centre opens at Wellington College". BBC News. 2 June 2012 . Retrieved 5 September 2013.A student's daily experience at school is one of the most formative influences on their individual identity and character.