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Thinking Allowed: On Schooling
Professor Mick Waters, former director of the curriculum at the Qualifications and Curriculum Agency, where he gained a heroic reputation, is now the president of the Curriculum Foundation. He's the down-to-earth voice in the increasingly complex world of education and has endeared himself to school communities in the UK and overseas by talking the sort of sense they need to hear.
One of the UK’s most influential education figures tells it how it is
Is the school system fit for the purpose of helping the pupils of today achieve their potential?
How has schooling developed over time and where might it be going in the future?
Do national politicians improve or stifle schools?
What matters in teaching, learning and leadership?
Mick Waters uses the experience he has gained from a career in which he has both worked in schools and had major roles in shaping education policy at local and national level to offer a unique that of someone close to the classroom, but with an ability to see through innovation, policy and practice. Mick tells it how it is, explains his beliefs and sheds light on progress and problems in the school system.
Mick Waters is a calm, seasoned voice in the rising clamour of debate on the future of education. Drawing on his long experience in classrooms and in national policy, Thinking Allowed on Schooling offers a wise, well-informed and practical perspective on the challenges that face education and how to meet them. Unlike many passing politicians, Mick Waters has spent his life in education. This insightful, compassionate book distils the essence of what he has learnt and what we can learn from him. An essential read.
Sir Ken Robinson
Mick Waters has produced the right book for the right time. He penetrates to the heart of the many open discussions we are having about education today. We may not agree with all he says, but we cannot help but be stimulated to think at a deeper level by reading this book.
Dr Anthony Seldon, Master, Wellington College
If you have ever heard Mick Waters talk and been inspired and influenced by what he has to say then this is the book you have hoped he would one day write.
Iain M Erskine, Head of The Fulbridge Academy in Peterborough
In this highly readable book, Mick gives a brilliant review of the good, the bad, and the plain old ugly of the current educational landscape.
Andrew Chubb, Principal, Archbishop Sentamu Academy
One of the UK’s most influential education figures tells it how it is
Is the school system fit for the purpose of helping the pupils of today achieve their potential?
How has schooling developed over time and where might it be going in the future?
Do national politicians improve or stifle schools?
What matters in teaching, learning and leadership?
Mick Waters uses the experience he has gained from a career in which he has both worked in schools and had major roles in shaping education policy at local and national level to offer a unique that of someone close to the classroom, but with an ability to see through innovation, policy and practice. Mick tells it how it is, explains his beliefs and sheds light on progress and problems in the school system.
Mick Waters is a calm, seasoned voice in the rising clamour of debate on the future of education. Drawing on his long experience in classrooms and in national policy, Thinking Allowed on Schooling offers a wise, well-informed and practical perspective on the challenges that face education and how to meet them. Unlike many passing politicians, Mick Waters has spent his life in education. This insightful, compassionate book distils the essence of what he has learnt and what we can learn from him. An essential read.
Sir Ken Robinson
Mick Waters has produced the right book for the right time. He penetrates to the heart of the many open discussions we are having about education today. We may not agree with all he says, but we cannot help but be stimulated to think at a deeper level by reading this book.
Dr Anthony Seldon, Master, Wellington College
If you have ever heard Mick Waters talk and been inspired and influenced by what he has to say then this is the book you have hoped he would one day write.
Iain M Erskine, Head of The Fulbridge Academy in Peterborough
In this highly readable book, Mick gives a brilliant review of the good, the bad, and the plain old ugly of the current educational landscape.
Andrew Chubb, Principal, Archbishop Sentamu Academy
352 pages, Paperback
First published December 11, 2012
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
April 2, 2016
In Thinking Allowed, Mick Waters, former Headteacher, Government advisor and Director of Curriculum at the QCA, offers a biting critique of the present state of schooling in the Maintained Sector. Indeed there is more than a little "Emperor's new clothes" about the way in which Waters "tells it as it is" exposing the way in which school leaders have been forced to pander to the whim of Secretaries of State during the past twenty years. Waters does not pull punches in criticising successive Governments for meddling with the English school system - and is damning in his indictment of the present Secretary of State, Michael Gove:
"He has messed up school sport, and physical education, the arts, culture, design and technology, indeed most things he touches" (p.278).
But this is not ill-informed mud-slinging by a disaffected member of the profession. Waters is a deep thinker who has a considered vision for education, which extends beyond the experiences that children and young people have in schools. Waters has numerous positive suggestions as how to improve what goes on in our schools, but his solutions do not suit the short-term agenda of politicians in a hurry to impress and win another term. One of Waters' central proposals is the creation of a National Council for Schooling that is independent of party political influence and which can be at the centre of a much needed National debate.
Waters is hugely critical the present system where inspection and departmental dictat has forced headteachers into play games to meet targets rather than doing what is in the best interest of pupils. The chapter 'on professional integrity and game theory' (p.101ff) no doubt will strike a chord with many Headteachers in the maintained sector who feel that they have been forced to abandon many of the principles which brought them into the profession in order to secure sufficient funding to enable to do the best for the pupils in their care.
The chapter 'On the search for Equality' (p.21ff) gets to the heart of the issue, which is that children have significantly different starting points in the educational race of life. Waters uses the powerful analogy of running a 400m race with the wealthy in the inside lane and the poorest in the outside - but in this race there is no staggered start. In this race, it is possible to win from the outside lanes, but chances are stacked against you.
The stongest parts of the book is found in the chapters 'on Teachers, Learning and Classrooms' (p.139ff) and 'on Curriculum' (p.267ff). In the former Waters draws on his extensive experience to share some outstanding strategies that are truly effective in improving learning outcomes, whereas in the latter he outlines a vision for education that extends beyond schooling to the home and community, and beyond the narrow confines of the measurable defined by Ofsted and the Department.
"Good Schools get on and do things: dance, drama, music, art, using the outdoors, speaking in other languages, finding out about the past and other places, growing things, cooking, going places, using ICT and paint brushes, making things, experimenting, learning about their own bodies, working out how to get on with others in the real world. Above all, they use all these experiences as vehicles to do amazing English and Mathematics to support the structured literacy and numeracy programmes at the same time bring purpose to learning for pupils." (p.288)
As I read this book, I could not help thinking how different our lot is in the independent sector. We truly do have the freedom and autonomy to determine what goes on in our school. Government influence is minimal. Heads and Governing Bodies can make a genuine choice as to the importance that is placed on ISI Inspection judgements and League Table positions. Ultimately independent schools are accountable via Governing Bodies to the community who chooses to send their children to be educated in our schools The independent sector has operated in a market place for decades and has gone through the inevitable processes of developing a hierarchy, specialisation and, sadly in some cases, school failure. There are many lessons from these chapters of history for the Academy sector of secondary education and for Universities.
I would encourage anyone who is interested in education to read Thinking Allowed - and to do so soon. It is a book about the present state of English education - and, although there are many longstanding truths here, Waters' political comments and analysis has a shelf-life.
"He has messed up school sport, and physical education, the arts, culture, design and technology, indeed most things he touches" (p.278).
But this is not ill-informed mud-slinging by a disaffected member of the profession. Waters is a deep thinker who has a considered vision for education, which extends beyond the experiences that children and young people have in schools. Waters has numerous positive suggestions as how to improve what goes on in our schools, but his solutions do not suit the short-term agenda of politicians in a hurry to impress and win another term. One of Waters' central proposals is the creation of a National Council for Schooling that is independent of party political influence and which can be at the centre of a much needed National debate.
Waters is hugely critical the present system where inspection and departmental dictat has forced headteachers into play games to meet targets rather than doing what is in the best interest of pupils. The chapter 'on professional integrity and game theory' (p.101ff) no doubt will strike a chord with many Headteachers in the maintained sector who feel that they have been forced to abandon many of the principles which brought them into the profession in order to secure sufficient funding to enable to do the best for the pupils in their care.
The chapter 'On the search for Equality' (p.21ff) gets to the heart of the issue, which is that children have significantly different starting points in the educational race of life. Waters uses the powerful analogy of running a 400m race with the wealthy in the inside lane and the poorest in the outside - but in this race there is no staggered start. In this race, it is possible to win from the outside lanes, but chances are stacked against you.
The stongest parts of the book is found in the chapters 'on Teachers, Learning and Classrooms' (p.139ff) and 'on Curriculum' (p.267ff). In the former Waters draws on his extensive experience to share some outstanding strategies that are truly effective in improving learning outcomes, whereas in the latter he outlines a vision for education that extends beyond schooling to the home and community, and beyond the narrow confines of the measurable defined by Ofsted and the Department.
"Good Schools get on and do things: dance, drama, music, art, using the outdoors, speaking in other languages, finding out about the past and other places, growing things, cooking, going places, using ICT and paint brushes, making things, experimenting, learning about their own bodies, working out how to get on with others in the real world. Above all, they use all these experiences as vehicles to do amazing English and Mathematics to support the structured literacy and numeracy programmes at the same time bring purpose to learning for pupils." (p.288)
As I read this book, I could not help thinking how different our lot is in the independent sector. We truly do have the freedom and autonomy to determine what goes on in our school. Government influence is minimal. Heads and Governing Bodies can make a genuine choice as to the importance that is placed on ISI Inspection judgements and League Table positions. Ultimately independent schools are accountable via Governing Bodies to the community who chooses to send their children to be educated in our schools The independent sector has operated in a market place for decades and has gone through the inevitable processes of developing a hierarchy, specialisation and, sadly in some cases, school failure. There are many lessons from these chapters of history for the Academy sector of secondary education and for Universities.
I would encourage anyone who is interested in education to read Thinking Allowed - and to do so soon. It is a book about the present state of English education - and, although there are many longstanding truths here, Waters' political comments and analysis has a shelf-life.
January 13, 2016
I like the play on words in the title, not least because I get the impression that quite often "thinking aloud is not allowed or encouraged – far better to keep one's head down and try to get through the week without being too adversely affected by the latest mad idea hatched by someone whose only educational credentials is that they went to school once.
Mick Waters' is the voice of common sense, but based on a career in education that has taken him from working in schools to the top leadership levels both locally and nationally.
This is one of those books that you can dip into rather than reading from the first chapter to the last. I found the chapter in assessment and the one on inspection especially illuminating, with the former explaining how it all went wrong, and the latter making the very sensible suggestion that schools should be judged simply as being either good enough or not good enough (for an explanation of why anything else is so confusing as to be pretty much worthless in my opinion, see Levels in Computing? I thought they'd gone!).
The book is well-structured, setting out the issue, saying what has happened and why, and drawing on a range of educational research. Each chapter ends with a bullet-pointed section on what should be done.
This is an excellent book, and I highly recommend it for any teacher who wants to know more about what the research says and about what has gone wrong in certain areas, and why.
Mick Waters' is the voice of common sense, but based on a career in education that has taken him from working in schools to the top leadership levels both locally and nationally.
This is one of those books that you can dip into rather than reading from the first chapter to the last. I found the chapter in assessment and the one on inspection especially illuminating, with the former explaining how it all went wrong, and the latter making the very sensible suggestion that schools should be judged simply as being either good enough or not good enough (for an explanation of why anything else is so confusing as to be pretty much worthless in my opinion, see Levels in Computing? I thought they'd gone!).
The book is well-structured, setting out the issue, saying what has happened and why, and drawing on a range of educational research. Each chapter ends with a bullet-pointed section on what should be done.
This is an excellent book, and I highly recommend it for any teacher who wants to know more about what the research says and about what has gone wrong in certain areas, and why.
June 25, 2014
I knew the book was written in the context of schooling in the UK, but I was hoping the book would focus more on teaching and learning. There is less than here than I had hoped that is relevant to teaching and learning in the US.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews