Posts Tagged punishment
Don’t legislate from the hip
Posted by Nick Cowen in Civil Liberty, Crime on 18/08/2011
Everyone is keen emphasise how the English riots change everything. But one of the worst things that the Government and policy-makers could do in reaction to the riots is overreact.
It does matter if you’re black or white….if you’re a school kid, that is
Posted by James Gubb in Education, Multiculturalism, Race and Equality on 13/04/2007
The DfES ought to be proud: they’ve cracked the child psyche and come up with the best way to encourage good behaviour in formerly wayward and wild pupils, namely, for schools and teachers to offer ‘prizes’ and increase their use of ‘encouraging language and gestures’. This is some of the guidance offered by the Elton Report (something commissioned 18 years ago – which, incidentally, is a longer time than I’ve been alive!), that the government has just brought in.
The guidance also states that ‘a rewards/sanctions ratio of at least 5:1 is an indication of a school with an effective rewards and sanctions system’ – which makes me wonder exactly what constitutes an ‘effective system’ in today’s society. Though I’m all for teachers being encouraging and supportive, I’d like to point out that whilst we may be children, we’re not ‘dense’. It is painfully obvious when a teacher is being genuine in their praise and when false praise is used. Words may be cheap, but they are more ‘effective’ when used sparingly.