Computers displacing specialist teachers – Curriculum is Union business
A Catholic primary school in Adelaide is proposing to change their language program from Indonesian to Chinese – not a completely uncommon occurrence however is was the mode of delivery that concerned us.
The proposed change will see the school implement the program My Chinese Teacher, where the classroom teacher will be responsible for delivering the language lesson with 25 minutes of online support from a tutor based in China.
We sought advice from a local languages lecturer as well as a Melbourne based languages expert. Both were unequivocal in their concern for such a program. Stating ‘The Chinese language is very difficult to teach and to learn’ and My Chinese Teacher ‘is a flawed product, particularly for primary settings where a generalist teacher takes the class’.
The programs are ‘generally non-interactive, other than to heap praise lavishly on a one-word right answer’. Children will not learn a language through mimicking, they require a lot of interaction ‘that level of interaction just can’t take place’.
Language experts also raised concerns that the tutors are not educators and have no knowledge of educational philosophies or policies. These types of programs have ‘few teaching techniques as far as developing learners’ language’. They also ‘tend to be highly unresponsive to students’ errors, they just correct the error, but do not investigate the source of the learner’s error’
Melbourne based language expert stated that ‘the initial excitement from students (about the unique delivery) falls away sharply in my experience’ and they are ‘not sure of a school who would think that an online delivery of language would be the best mode of delivery’.
Despite the erroneous view of some senior CEO staff that the union had no role in professional matters, discussions with the IEU continued. The IEU’s values are unashamedly based on striving with members for better schools, better jobs and a better society.
We see this type of change as being a real threat not only to the professionalism of members, but also towards the profession in general. We would not want to look back on this and see it as the first step towards a mode of teaching which moves away from the teacher being the centre of the learning.
Can we see a time when similar modes of delivery are proposed for Science? Or Maths?
Curriculum is Union business. If you know of a similar program, or your school is discussing such a change, get in contact with us.
We see a trend globally by Pearson and others to deliver curriculum which is highly prescriptive and largely delivered by non-teachers who have minimal educational background.
To read about this more:
The case against Pearson — and its response
Pearson’s quest to cover the planet in company-run schools
Pearson Set to Sell K-12 Curriculum Business, But Not Assessment
Interesting in that it states that Pearson are looking to sell their Curriculum business. It also discusses Virtual Education and links to the following article:
Map: Cyber Charters Have a New Champion in Betsy DeVos, But Struggles Continue
