scholarly journals Dangerous Education: The Occupational Hazards of Teaching Transgender

Sociology ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 53 (1) ◽  
pp. 19-35 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ellis Morgan ◽  
Yvette Taylor
Keyword(s):  
Primary School ◽  
Primary Schools ◽  
Occupational Hazards ◽  
Specific Nature ◽  
Head Teachers ◽  
Uk Government ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Education Initiative ◽  
Controversial Nature ◽  
Public Criticism

This article sets out the ways in which primary schools have come to bear significant risks in making decisions over whether, how and when to reflect transgender issues. We examine press reporting that arose in relation to a recent incident in the UK in which a primary school in East Sussex was widely criticised for instigating a ‘transgender education’ initiative. We argue that despite tacit indications that UK Government supports ‘transgender education’ as a learning area for children as young as five years old, there is an ongoing risk to primary schools who implement such initiatives. The nature of this risk is located within the usage of equalities terminology in governmental discussions and official guidance that effectively acts to gloss over the enduringly controversial nature of transgender issues. The vague and non-specific nature of equalities terminology allows for both heteronormative and transgressive interpretation, thereby locating the risk of public criticism with primary schools, and head teachers in particular.

scholarly journals Teacher Retention in a London primary school

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ahmed Mahfoodh
Keyword(s):  
Teacher Retention ◽  
Primary School ◽  
Primary Schools ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
The Uk

Teacher retention in the UK has reached crisis level according to many resources. The paper attempts to provide an overview of the extent of the problem and its impacts, the factors that make a teacher wanting to leave especially in state-funded London primary schools and how some schools manage to keep a high teacher retention. Then it explores the same issues again but from the point of view of the headteacher and teachers of the author’s school. The results show that the efforts of the management, which are based on an understanding of the factors that could drive teachers away, play an important role in retaining the teachers. They also reveal that there are other independent (i.e. not directly resulting from the management’s efforts) factors, that influence high retention within the school such as royalty and ethics.<br>

scholarly journals Teacher Preparedness and Implementation of the Competency Based Curriculum in Public Pre-Primary Schools in Nairobi City County, Kenya

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (3) ◽  
pp. 32-53
Author(s):  
Harriet Isaboke ◽  
Maureen Mweru ◽  
Gladwell Wambiri
Keyword(s):  
Primary School ◽  
Primary Schools ◽  
Target Population ◽  
Learning Approaches ◽  
School Teachers ◽  
Chi Square ◽  
Head Teachers ◽  
Primary School Teachers ◽  
Service Training ◽  
Competency Based

Globalization and demand for twenty first century skills has led countries to adapt Competency Based Curriculum (CBC). Kenya embarked on curriculum reforms from content based to CBC in 2018. Studies have reported minimal use of CBC teaching-learning approaches in pre-primary schools in Nairobi City County. Teachers are the key implementers of the Curriculum, yet their preparedness to implement the Curriculum in public pre-primary schools remains unknown. Therefore, this study purposed to establish the preparedness of pre-primary school teachers in implementing the CBC in public pre-primary schools in the County. The Concern-Based Adoption Model by Hall, Hord and Rutherford (2006) was used in this study.  The study targeted a population of 900 comprising of 450 pre-primary school teachers, 225 ECD Center Managers and 225 head teachers in all the 225 public pre-primary schools in Nairobi City County. Twenty percent of the target population was sampled to participate in the study; therefore the study had a sample size of 180, which comprised of 45 head teachers, 45 center managers and 90 pre-primary school teachers. A Questionnaire, interview schedules, observation checklist and a document analysis guide were used to collect data. Pilot study was conducted in two public pre-primary schools in the County, validity of the research instruments was determined through expert judgment whereas reliability of the questionnaires was determined through split-half method and a Cronbach’s alpha coefficient of 0.799 was obtained. Qualitative data was analyzed thematically whereas quantitative data was summarized using percentages and frequencies and Chi-square test was used to test the hypotheses. This was facilitated by the Statistical Package for Social Sciences Version 21. Findings showed that majority (65.9%) of the teachers had not received any training on CBC, whereas 34.1% of the teachers were trained. The study established a significant relationship between the teachers’ extent of training in CBC and their ability to implement the curriculum with a significance value of p=0.000<0.05. The study concluded that the teachers were not adequately prepared to implement the Curriculum. Thus, recommended that the Ministry of Education in collaboration with the Nairobi City County Government should adequately create a regular in-service training program to equip teachers with necessary knowledge and skills that will help them implement the curriculum effectively.

scholarly journals Knowledge and Innovations for farmers from Teaching Agriculture in Ugandan Primary Schools: A Study of Kumi Communities in the Teso Sub-Region

2016 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 56
Author(s):  
William Faustine Epeju
Keyword(s):  
Primary School ◽  
Primary Schools ◽  
Market Access ◽  
Rank Order ◽  
Population Increase ◽  
Group Discussions ◽  
Head Teachers ◽  
Open Coding ◽  
Axial Coding ◽  
Implementation Problems

Kumi communities consist of Bukedea, Kumi and Ngora districts whose agriculture is increasingly complex with declining productivity because of population increase, climate change, low yielding technologies used &amp; poor market access impacting negatively on yields and environment. More knowledge &amp; innovations are needed by farmers. Teaching agriculture in primary schools raised hopes, hence the study. The design was exploratory. In-depth interviews, focus group discussions, questionnaires, documents and observations were used to collect data from 40 primary schools randomly selected. Of 2,069 respondents, 1,951 were head teachers, teachers and primary seven students &amp; 118 were farmers including extension workers purposively selected.  Qualitative data were analysed using open coding &amp; axial coding based on objectives and research questions. Agricultural productivity and its growth rate were found low caused by many factors. Education quality and innovations attained by farmers were not assuring for successful farming and rural living. Primary school agriculture was poorly conducted encountering implementation problems such as limited land, no funds, unfavourable weather and lack of improved inputs. Forty five percent (45%) of the students preferred farming as an occupation. The key innovations attained were literacy and numeracy important in the use of improved inputs; knowledge and skills for several farm operations including environmental management and good family living.   On ranking school completion rates and farm output of 16 sub-counties, Spearman Rank Order coefficient computed was positive (r = 0.421 with r<sup>2</sup> = 0.1772, 18% at 0.05 α). Increased farm output was explained by 18% through completed primary education by farmers. Smallholder farms in Kumi for years may only be run commercially through intelligent and differentiated policies, addressing market access, jobs in non-farm economy and social transfers to improve welfare of the poor. Primary school agriculture through innovations attained by farmers enhances production thus the need for more investment in it.

scholarly journals INFLUENCE OF TEACHERS’ TEACHING EXPERIENCE ON TEACHING OF LITERACY SKILLS AMONG GRADE ONE PUPILS IN MOMBASA, KENYA

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (11) ◽  
Author(s):  
Emelda Juma Olando ◽  
Margaret Mwangi
Keyword(s):  
Early Childhood ◽  
Primary School ◽  
Primary Schools ◽  
Basic Education ◽  
Teaching Experience ◽  
Literacy Skills ◽  
Extensive Experience ◽  
Head Teachers ◽  
Experience Teaching ◽  
Grade One

<p>Early childhood years are crucial in children’s literacy development since the development of language and literacy begins at birth and is a lifelong process. For early childhood education to be a success, teacher experience is imperative for teaching literacy. The teachers’ experience informs the necessary literacy skills for the child which include writing, reading, speaking, listening and drawing. Policies governing basic education in Kenya do emphasize the importance of skilled, experienced teachers in the classroom, including early childhood settings. However, such requirements have not been adhered to and therefore numerous early childhood teachers lack experience in children literacy issues. This study sought to determine how teacher’s experience influences the teaching of literacy skills in primary school in Mbaraki Zone, Mombasa County, Kenya. Descriptive survey design was adopted in the study. The target population for the study comprised of 20 head teachers, 800 Grade one pupils and 40 Grade one teachers of all the twenty primary schools in Mbaraki Zone, Mombasa County, Kenya. Purposive sampling approach was used to obtain the sample for the primary school head teachers and Grade one teachers because they are relatively small. Three learners were sampled randomly from each class that had a participating teacher. The study findings revealed that majority of teachers had more than five years of experience teaching literacy skills. The inferential analysis revealed that the teaching experience had a statistically significant influence on reading (p 0.014), speaking (p 0.021), listening skills (p 0.038) as well as basic skills (p 0.019). The study calls on the ministry of education and the schools to ensure that teachers assigned to grade one should have extensive experience teaching literacy skills to promote teaching of literacy skills in the classes.</p><p> </p><p><strong> Article visualizations:</strong></p><p><img src="/-counters-/edu_01/0975/a.php" alt="Hit counter" /></p>

scholarly journals Teacher Retention in a London primary school

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ahmed Mahfoodh
Keyword(s):  
Teacher Retention ◽  
Primary School ◽  
Primary Schools ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
The Uk

Teacher retention in the UK has reached crisis level according to many resources. The paper attempts to provide an overview of the extent of the problem and its impacts, the factors that make a teacher wanting to leave especially in state-funded London primary schools and how some schools manage to keep a high teacher retention. Then it explores the same issues again but from the point of view of the headteacher and teachers of the author’s school. The results show that the efforts of the management, which are based on an understanding of the factors that could drive teachers away, play an important role in retaining the teachers. They also reveal that there are other independent (i.e. not directly resulting from the management’s efforts) factors, that influence high retention within the school such as royalty and ethics.<br>

scholarly journals How two English Primary Schools Promote Wellbeing

Pedagogika ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 70 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jane Jones
Keyword(s):  
School Culture ◽  
Primary Schools ◽  
Research Question ◽  
Mental Wellbeing ◽  
Head Teachers ◽  
Health And Wellbeing ◽  
Whole School ◽  
Primary Curriculum ◽  
The One ◽  
The Uk

This article is about how two English primary schools promote the wellbeing of primary-aged children and their teachers. No longer a privileged space for adults, wellbeing is increasingly a concern for children who, today, are subject to considerable stress. We currently inhabit a landscape of worry and pressure, often emanating from messages from news and social media that impact on children’s lives. Schools in the UK have excellent pastoral arrangements and have embraced the challenge of ensuring the wellbeing of their pupils and teachers as a fundamental right. The Personal, Social, Health, and Economic (PSHE) national arrangements for schools in England that I describe give details of the requirements for promoting the physical and mental wellbeing of pupils. Against this policy backdrop, I undertook to observe life in each of two schools and to interview their head teachers and the class teachers of 6-7-year-olds to understand how each school enacted wellbeing measures. The research question was simply “How do these schools understand and enact wellbeing for the children, and their teachers?” The schools were chosen as they were contextually very different but well-known in the community for the excellence of their pastoral and PSHE provision. I matched my data to the core theme of ‘Health and Wellbeing’ in the PSHE programme of study. The findings show how wellbeing is both readily identifiable as a “subject” in the primary curriculum and also embedded into the school culture and across the curriculum. The findings also emphasise the importance of the teacher as the one with daily contact and in prime position to observe and come to know and understand each child. The teachers emphasised the need to help children to build resilience and confidence to enable them to take advantage of opportunities and cope constructively with challenges in their exercise of life choices. I conclude that it is the whole school culture of wellbeing that foregrounds the conditions in which children can learn and develop their wellbeing in school and in the wider community. Keywords: wellbeing, mental health, primary curriculum, pupil voice, school culture

scholarly journals Teacher Retention in a London primary school

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ahmed Mahfoodh
Keyword(s):  
Teacher Retention ◽  
Primary School ◽  
Primary Schools ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
The Uk

Teacher retention in the UK has reached crisis level according to many resources. The paper attempts to provide an overview of the extent of the problem and its impacts, the factors that make a teacher wanting to leave especially in state-funded London primary schools and how some schools manage to keep a high teacher retention. Then it explores the same issues again but from the point of view of the headteacher and teachers of the author’s school. The results show that the efforts of the management, which are based on an understanding of the factors that could drive teachers away, play an important role in retaining the teachers. They also reveal that there are other independent (i.e. not directly resulting from the management’s efforts) factors, that influence high retention within the school such as royalty and ethics.<br>

scholarly journals The Importance of British Teaching Experience (Late 20th – Early 21st Century) for Modern Training of Ukrainian Primary School Teachers in Rural Areas

2017 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 81-86
Author(s):  
Olha Berladyn
Keyword(s):  
Great Britain ◽  
Primary School ◽  
European Integration ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Primary Schools ◽  
Professional Training ◽  
School Teachers ◽  
Primary School Teachers ◽  
European Education ◽  
The Uk

AbstractThe article deals with peculiarities of primary schools teachers’ professional training in the UK (late 20th – early 21st century) in terms of European integration, analyses development priorities, substantiates the possibilities to use the ideas of the British experience in the training of local primary schools teachers in rural areas. The ideas which have been determined as leading are: development of unified system of standards and teachers training in the context of general integrated requirements for its competence; teachers’ skills to manage their teaching and training activities; modernizing the content of professional training; ensuring continuity of professional training for primary school teachers and their close cooperation with universities, schools and local education system, etc. The results of theoretical research confirm that the development of primary schools in Great Britain has always being and remains a leading factor in the modernization of teacher training. Teacher Education in UK has considerable experience in combining traditional and modern innovation in the time of reforms in that sector, updating the organizational and semantic principles taking into account the European dimension of education. The experience of Great Britain as an active member of formation processes in common European education space, with a rich history, cultural traditions and innovative achievements in terms of professional training of primary school teachers will provide an opportunity to identify and use positive ideas to upgrade the pedagogical education in Ukraine and present its achievements in the European education space. The UK has implemented its own national approach to the modernization of primary school teachers’ professional training on the basis of common European integration processes and changes.

scholarly journals Experiencing Transformation of Professional Identity: From Teaching to Leadership in a Small Rural Primary School in Cyprus

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. p158
Author(s):  
Pavlina Hadjitheodoulou Loizidou ◽  
Marianna Fokaidou
Keyword(s):  
Primary School ◽  
Professional Identity ◽  
Professional Learning ◽  
Primary Schools ◽  
Professional Growth ◽  
Previous Experience ◽  
Head Teacher ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Learning Program ◽  
Head Teachers

The study used the Clarke and Hollingsworth (2002) model on teacher professional growth to investigate the changes and the transition of professional identity when a deputy head teacher was appointed as an acting head teacher in a small rural primary school in Cyprus. The head teacher had no previous experience in headship, and did not receive any training or followed an induction course to the job. The goal of the study was to identify ways to support novice acting head teachers for effective leadership in the complexities of small primary schools. Data was collected through diary notes and semi-structured interviews using thematic analysis of qualitative data. The analysis revealed the importance of the interaction between the external stimuli and information through informal professional learning in the role set and the personal knowledge and previous experience. Feelings of isolation as the main outcome of this experience enabled changes in leadership practice through enactment and reflection. The teacher’s suggestions for a professional learning program could be the contribution of her personal experience on the educational context.

scholarly journals E-Readiness Status of Primary Schools Implementing Digital Devices in Kisii County

2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 24
Author(s):  
Edwin Obwoge Makworo ◽  
Abuya Teresa Kwamboka ◽  
Nyakoe George Morara
Keyword(s):  
Primary School ◽  
Digital Literacy ◽  
Primary Schools ◽  
Simple Random Sampling ◽  
Global Changes ◽  
Literacy Programme ◽  
Head Teachers ◽  
Digital Devices ◽  
School Head ◽  
The Government

<p>Delivery of education content to learners in many learning environments has greatly been enhanced by the deployment and implementation of Information Communication Technologies (ICTs) in the world today. Many developing countries are putting in place strategies to ensure their education systems use ICT to improve and diversify learning to meet the global changes in technology. In Kenya, ICT Integration in Primary Education is one of the key flagship programmes that has received keen attention by the government in the past few years through the primary schools Digital Literacy Programme (DLP). This research endeavoured to establish the e-readiness of primary schools implementing use of digital devices in Kisii County. Survey research design was applied in the study. The population of the study constituted of 710 primary school head teachers, 1,420 standard one and two teachers and 71,000 standard one and two pupils. Sample size was determined using the fisher formula and the sample consisted of 249 primary school head teachers, 302 standard one and two teachers and 381 standard one and two pupils. Purposive sampling was used to select schools, head teachers and teachers. Simple random sampling was used to select the specific schools to include in the study and proportionate sampling was used to determine the number of respondents from each school. The research instruments applied in the research included self-administered questionnaires for teachers and head teachers and interview schedules for pupils. To ascertain the reliability of the research instruments, a pilot test was carried out and a Cronbach’s alpha coefficient of 0.76 was realized. Data was analysed qualitatively and quantitatively using descriptive statistics in SPSS.The research established that the main impediment to implementation of the DLP was the psychological and financial readiness within the schools. There should be a well planned training schedule for teachers and a budget be put in place for the primary schools for the DLP.</p>

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