Think about the context of the team you are working in and the system of education you are a part of. What are the things that once made sense but no longer do?
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Think about the context of the team you are working in and the system of education you are a part of. What are the things that once made sense but no longer do?
We are a team that is constantly changing, however sometimes it makes no sense to change it to the extent that we do. Sometimes it feels like we are constantly evolving with what needs to change, however, we do it so quickly, so often, that we just make busy work. We forget what did work, why we need to change it, and what we did in the past. Too often the new way of doing it now, was the original way we did it many years ago. What was old is now new again. So, it made sense to change it because there was a need to respond to feedback requesting change was needed, however, there never seems to be enough thought, time, feedback, consultation and/ or training opportunities for the changes to be meaningful.
Covid has taught us a lot about how we can now do things differently.
Meetings, they can be online with more flexibility and occasionally in person. Rather than always in person.
Working on site, 9-5 all the time, flexibility and opportunities to have individuals work more flexibly.
Being only new I have asked a lot of questions about how we do things and it has brought about a lot of discussion. I think its been great (as there are few of us that are new) and we are generating new ideas and ways to do things! Fresh sets eyes really helps!
I think a lot of areas can not make sense quickly however it is a juggling act to be innovative within your means (if that makes sense!) e.g. don’t change something for the sake of changing it however always be looking for new innovative ideas to help progression
We have cover sheets and feedback forms that ask questions which are already ticked off by getting into the online assessment. We can’t seem to keep up with updating things. Our slides all need redoing, but most casuals don’t have the time for it as we all have several jobs and it is not really paid either.
Doing things because they have always been done like this is an issue in many companies and it needs to change if we want to look innovative and professional.
Hi Irina, very good point – we do a lot of things for the sake of it but finding the time to update is challenging. Also fresh eyes and thoughts is also so important!
Rules about no use of mobile phones. I often ask students to search for content on their phones.
assessments based on memory as opposed to project based assessment that assess knowledge across different context.
Our initial interview questionnaire asked questions no longer relevant to this era. It needs revamping.
Time constraint again come into play ad inhibit change for the better. Who has the time to look at these ‘sacred cows’? Institutions are not willing to expend any $$ towards these types of improvements
Agree and agree more!
At Tafe NSW so much paperwork. recording details, making inane comments on students. It takes so much time but we can’t ignore it incase we get audited
Absoltely Lyn. There is no time for innovative change or revisiting the ‘sacred cows’ that exist. Most of us are completing courses like this in our own time as over 70% of us are employed casually.
Assessment coversheets. The amount of paper wasted in the printing of coversheets is just unfathomable. It is time consuming and in most cases absolutely unnecessary.
Someone paid a lot more money than teachers spends their time designing these forms and coversheets
Curiosity is crucial for a teacher to dive deep into hypothesis and assumptions behind the rules
100% this is so true!
Printing out and posting learning material when all things are available online just cause one is comfortable with the old style of learning. One must gradually adapt to changing times unless there is a specific reason.
The TAFE has numerous sacred cows however the one that comes to mind is asking students to sign paperwork for every assessment when one paper to cover all 29 units would have been more efficient
At least a lot has gone online and students are now taught how to sign online, so a few things have improved, but more needs to be done.
Standardised tests and levels of bureaucracy
Developing assessments without speaking to teachers who deliver the materials is paramount. They have the under-pinning knowledge. Its driven by compliance not questioning the reasons of why we are setting assessments . So who benefits?
True, but that require system change
The assessments that have been developed I have seen are totally miss the point of what the assessment aims to achieve. One assessment asked for 3 page essay from certificate 3 student (ESL) students
I am constantly amazed by the systems in the organisation that I work in. So many levels! My question is always…..so what is his/her role?
I can relate to your observation
Probably there is a clear role definition and value created by the role in the value chain, the question is how the role supports the required change
Talking in the class with an extreme monologue style or constant distribution of the worksheets without getting the students involved in the relevant activities can be used as examples of sacred cows in education.
True, the more we get them to speak, the better; but often we have to cover content and it does not leave as much time for interactions as we would like.
Paperless – all learning content, activities and assessments delivered by LMS. Access to e-books and databases for research.
Too many pieces of paper all basically saying and achieving the same thing over and over.
An exact correct example of sacred cows.
I can relate as the same at the TAFE
Using paper and electronic systems to record the exact same data!
I can relate to this one! It can be so confusing & time consuming &…..how do the students benefit from this?
Duplication is needed, however to the extent that we have at times is crazy. This is starting to change. Our systems are starting to talk more to each other. Finally.
In my context some of the curriculum needs to be updated to be more in tune with today`s industry needs
This is a very good statement but it would be much better if you could add some examples to make the facts clearer.
yes Ian and also the infrastructure that supports many of our trades need updating as well. It needs to be made easier for teachers to return to the workplace to ensure they are constantly being exposed to the latest trends
In my context it would be outdated work spaces and classroom set-up. Some staff are so tied to desks in rows and quiet classrooms – things need to change.
A game changer.
Staff meetings that could have been an email. It seems ridiculous to me that we attend hours worth of staff meetings where the speaker recognises how busy we are and how valuable our time is, while subsequently wasting this time. I 100% recognise the value of meetings and collaborative practise, but unfortunately this is not often the goal of these meetings and I think that often this time could have been spent much more effectively elsewhere.
I agree Tayce. This is an outdated practice that can be converted into valuable collaboration time and an email will suffice for all the other stuff we need to know, but don’t need to discuss
Emails are often sooo much more time efficient.
Very true. But then when we are too busy to have meetings, we are rarely together in a team and can lose touch with the value of joining together, reconnecting and collaborating. It is a really tricky balance to achieve,
Meetings for the sake of meetings – I feel like many managers feel the need to have meetings to keep everyone informed, but so many lack this purpose and outcome.
Emails are faster and easier
We do this because this is the way we have always done it does often bring that challenge as to why. Hence for me one of the things that has made me enjoy teaching in the vocational world is having those come from outside of industry and ask the why question. It does make you stop and think what is the real reason for this.
The sheer amount of assessment / volume of learning for both practical and theoretical components that students need to complete to gain their qualifications , endorsed by external bodies, often impractical and quickly outdated
So true and we see it time and time again. Compliance auditors who do not necessarily know the industry always are difficult to convince that we need to know what the person is actually doing and doing the job well rather than meeting all of the criteria that has been established.
I agree, Fiona. As educators, our hands are tied when it comes to the volume of learning, but we are also able to see how irrelevant much of this is in the real world.
Particularly when this is not actually meeting industry need.
This is an issue at our school too. The needless desire to summatively assess everything. It leads to disengaged students and staff and a lack of capability building
I agree. The volume of marking/ assessments/ recording of data is overwhelming at times, not only for teachers but students.
Definitely difficult trying to ‘fit’ all into the time provided.
Yes-these assessments are a nightmare for both students and teachers/assessors. But beautifully mapped to the obsolete natioanl units!
In my experience, in adult education, assessments are the biggest barrier to teaching.