Teachers say no-one should 'fail'
Failure in tests can damage enthusiasm for school, say teachers
"Deferred success" should replace the idea of failure for low-achieving pupils, a teachers' organisation will hear at its annual conference.
The Professional Association of Teachers will be told next week the label of failure could undermine children's enthusiasm for school.
Delegates will also hear a condemnation of the phrase "happy slapping" for bullying recorded on phone cameras.
There will also be calls for better diction in children's television.
Liz Beattie, a retired teacher, will call on the association's annual gathering in Buxton, Derbyshire, to "delete the word 'fail' from the educational vocabulary to be replaced with the concept of 'deferred success'".
Demolish
She argues that repeated failure, such as in exams, can damage pupils' interest in learning.
Wesley Paxton, a member of the association's council, is supporting the motion - as he argues for a system that "tops up" rather than fails.
"If you engage a builder to build a 5-foot wall and he only does it 4' 9", you fetch him back.
"You don't demolish it and make him start all over again - he simply lays another course of bricks to 'top it up'.
"But failing an exam - especially if it involves repeating an entire year - does demolish and make you start again," said Mr Paxton.
"There is no virtue in doing anything twice in the pursuit of 'academic rigour'," he said.
"Elsewhere we applaud those who persevere, like marathon contestants who take days to complete. It's time we made the word 'fail' redundant and replaced it with 'please do a bit more'."
The association, one of the smaller organisations for teachers, will also hear a call to block the use of the term "happy slapping" - when the attacks recorded on phones should be labelled as either an assault or bullying.
And there will be a call for "the producers of children's programmes to consider and address the presentation, language and diction of those programmes".
--
That's a bit of a joke
Failure in tests can damage enthusiasm for school, say teachers
"Deferred success" should replace the idea of failure for low-achieving pupils, a teachers' organisation will hear at its annual conference.
The Professional Association of Teachers will be told next week the label of failure could undermine children's enthusiasm for school.
Delegates will also hear a condemnation of the phrase "happy slapping" for bullying recorded on phone cameras.
There will also be calls for better diction in children's television.
Liz Beattie, a retired teacher, will call on the association's annual gathering in Buxton, Derbyshire, to "delete the word 'fail' from the educational vocabulary to be replaced with the concept of 'deferred success'".
Demolish
She argues that repeated failure, such as in exams, can damage pupils' interest in learning.
Wesley Paxton, a member of the association's council, is supporting the motion - as he argues for a system that "tops up" rather than fails.
"If you engage a builder to build a 5-foot wall and he only does it 4' 9", you fetch him back.
"You don't demolish it and make him start all over again - he simply lays another course of bricks to 'top it up'.
"But failing an exam - especially if it involves repeating an entire year - does demolish and make you start again," said Mr Paxton.
"There is no virtue in doing anything twice in the pursuit of 'academic rigour'," he said.
"Elsewhere we applaud those who persevere, like marathon contestants who take days to complete. It's time we made the word 'fail' redundant and replaced it with 'please do a bit more'."
The association, one of the smaller organisations for teachers, will also hear a call to block the use of the term "happy slapping" - when the attacks recorded on phones should be labelled as either an assault or bullying.
And there will be a call for "the producers of children's programmes to consider and address the presentation, language and diction of those programmes".
--
That's a bit of a joke
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