Flags Shit On
Sir Hugh Orde has caused a stir recently in deploying under cover British military on the streets of Ulster to counteract the threat of violence from Republican dissidents. In doing so the British Sir Hugh has learnt nothing or forgotten nothing about Ireland. For 800 years the British, especially the English, have employed a brute force military solution to the Irish problem. Sir Hugh continues unabated in that tradition knowing full well that the brute force British / English solution has achieved nothing in Ireland except to rouse anti- British / English sentiment and hatred among the Irish.
That is of course half of the story. The other half of the story is the use of brute force violence by Republicans to over throw the U.K. constitution, which is imposed and undemocratic. The brute force of the Republican PI.R.A. failed to achieve this and ended in a constitutionally obscene Assembly constituted as joint rule by a neo- Marxist Late Sinn Fein and by an extremist Right Wing Union Jack Unionism. A state thus constituted cannot stand.
The constitutionally obscenity of the assembly can be examined in the defilement of the flags associated with Stormont. There is the Irish Tricolour. That flag has been shit upon by P.I.R.A. in the atrocities and criminality of Enniskillen, La Môn, Omagh, the disappeared, and the unnamed who have been dumped on roadsides after being shot in the head. But the Irish Tricolour was further defiled by being urinated on by Late Sinn Fein in their political support of the atrocities and criminality of P.I.R.A. After having defiled the Irish tricolour Late Sinn Fein, having been defeated militarily in their attempt overthrow the U.K. constitution by force, now sit in government at Stormont grinning from ear to ear as they feel their wallets saying they have now wiped their arse clean and are as fresh and clean as a daisy and the defilement of the national flag can be forgotten. But since the tricolour has been shit on in one part of the island it has been shit on in the whole island and is now unclean everywhere. As this is being written the Tricolour is shit upon once again at Mazarine in Antrim in the murder of unarmed soldiers and civilians, the soldiers being shot as they lay wounded on the ground
That is only half the story. The Union Jack has also been shit upon in its history. The parachute regiment shit on the flag on Bloody Sunday in Derry when they gunned down unarmed civilians and the British Establishment colluded in the defilement of their flag by not having the soldiers who carried out the Derry atrocity court marshalled. The Union Jack was also shit upon by the R.U.C. when they battoned a legitimate Civil Rights march off the streets and into the ground in Derry. Furthermore the Union Jack was shit upon and defiled by the U.D.A./U.V.F in their murder of innocent Catholic civilians. The Right Wing Unionist Establishment also relieved themselves on the Union Jack in their silence in condemning U.D.A./U.V.F. atrocities and the criminality of the Parachute Regiment in Derry. Since the Union Jack has been defiled in one part of the U.K. it is defiled dishonoured and shit on in every part of the U.K.
While one can describe the defilement that the U.K. and the Irish constitution are now in, it begs the desperate question---What can be done about all of that? To get at a starting point it has to be realized that that an imposed unwritten undemocratic U.K. constitution is in place in the six counties and is the root cause of unrest and violence in a part of Ireland. The current U.K. constitution was imposed undemocratically on all the Irish in 1801 and despite consistent efforts to have something done about it in the 19th century it remained imposed undemocratic and in place. This situation of frustration erupted in the violence of 1916 by misguided sectarian Republican zealots. There followed a bloody feud between the I.R.A. and the Black Tans. In this feud the I.R.A. in atrocity outrage and criminality shit upon the Irish Tricolour. Ultimately Republicans shit upon the Tricolour in the murder of Michael Collins. The other half of the story was of atrocity out rage and criminality carried out by the Black and Tans and again in this campaign the Union Jack was shit upon.
Federal Unionism Early Sinn Fein points to a route out of all of this constitutional mess. Since the two existing national flags are no longer worthy to be touched by human hand. Federal Unionism- Early Sinn Fein has created a new national flag for Ireland, which is at one and the same time the national flag of Ireland and the symbol of the Federal Kingdom of the Sovereign Nation of Ireland and Great Britain. It should be called The Royal Flag of Ireland. To make that flag a reality in Ireland will require the enactment of the National Government of Ireland Act. This Act would become the written constitution of all Ireland within a Federal Kingdom context. . The Irish problem would then be resolved and the Island reunited.
Michael Gillespie Federal Unionist –Early Sinn Fein
Tuesday, 10 March 2009
Saturday, 7 March 2009
VSelection at Eleven
Explanatory Note
In this article the following terms are used: -
(1) Neo-Marxist Late Sinn Fein. This is the political party led by Gerry Adams.
(2) Right Wing Union Jack Unionism. This is an umbrella term covering The Official Unionist Party The Democratic Party and The Alliance Party.
In my reading of Irish political history the only political movement that catches my imagination and takes my fancy is Early Sinn Fein. This Sinn Fein espoused a government for Ireland with a dual monarchy. Regrettably that worthwhile idea was swept aside by the violence of Republican 1916. In my opinion if the early ideas of Griffiths had been worked upon, developed and thought through, Ireland today would be a Sovereign United Nation under the Crown a nation like Canada. For that reason I belong to, or support no Political party in Ireland but adhere to my own private personal politics of Federal Unionism – Early Sinn Fein. A development of this can be found in my novel ---THE WAY IRELAND OUGHT TO BE – Published by Authorhouse and in my blog www.solvingtheirishproblem.blogspot.com.
Selection
I first met up with selection at eleven in an official capacity during the Harold Wilson administration in the seventies when the British Government was proposing the abolition of selection at eleven. At that time I was president of the Irish National Teacher’s Organisation in Belfast and dealing with selection at eleven became part of my union remit. At that time I maintained, as I do now, that selection is a sine qua non of the educational process but what remains to be decided is, at what age should selection take place, how should selection be carried out and who should do the selecting.
The age of eleven for selection is quite arbitrary. Following the 1948 Education Act the age for selection was taken to be eleven At that time school leaving age was 14 so it was decided that the duration of education in the new secondary modern schools should be three years so the age of transfer was taken to be eleven. While this age of transfer is quite arbitrary it is now taken as sacred and is carved in stone by the backwoodsmen and women in Right Wing Union Jack Unionism. At the time of the Wilson government I maintained then as I do now, that children shouldn’t be divided into sheep and goats by the state but should be free to select themselves as pupils are capable of doing given they are being educated within an educational system which allows this freedom.
At the time of the Wilson administration there were two options on the table for the reform of education and the abolition of the eleven plus: -
(1) Neighbourhood Comprehensive Schools.
(2) A three-tier system of schools made up of Primary Schools, Middle schools and sixth Form Departments.
I backed the abolition of the eleven plus but at he same time I was sceptical of neighbourhood comprehensives and in stead I backed the introduction of a three tier system of schooling. However in Northern Ireland selection was maintained
due to the strength of a powerful grammar school lobby but even so the three tier non selective system of education was adopted in Craigavon where it still remains and works successfully.
In hindsight it is clear that the choice of neighbourhood comprehensives by Old Labour was a mistake. Old Labour was incensed by the social inequalities of the system where children from working class backgrounds fared poorly in the eleven plus and children from middle class backgrounds did well. Looked at in a shallow way by Old Labour it seemed that this educational anomaly could be resolved by having all children educated under the one roof. This shallow thinking proved false. Since some comprehensives were situated in working class districts in time these comprehensives became known as bog standard with low standards of educational attainment along with acute disciplinary problems. On the other hand comprehensives in the leafy suburbs did well the school population being middleclass and maintained high standards of academic excellence with a good disciplinary code. In those neighbourhood comprehensives where the school population is of mixed class, pupils from middleclass backgrounds carry off the prizes on prize giving day.. The reason for all of this is due to the relative value of importance which middleclass and working families give to education.
Selection at eleven is still going strong in London. I have three grandchildren growing up in London and they don’t go to the neighbourhood comprehensive as it is reputed to have syringes in the playground and condoms in the corridor along with low academic standards. Instead my grandchildren go to a school, which their parents consider to have high academic standards and a healthy moral code. But to get into these schools my grandchildren had to sit an entrance examination and a place in the school is in high demand and difficult to obtain.
I am giving this thumbnail sketch of education in England to emphasise that in my thinking the decision by Old Labour to introduce neighbourhood comprehensives was a mistake, and a disaster and has done nothing eliminate the social inequality in schooling it intended to eliminate. My impression of the thinking of Neo-Marxist Late Sinn Fein is that these backwoodsmen and women are back in the days of Old Labour and are hell-bent on introducing some thing into the six counties, which has been demonstrated to be an unmitigated disaster in England.
The problem of selection in education is complex and complicated. I cannot give an off-the-peg solution, ready made, to the problem where one size fits all which seems to be the claim coming from Neo-Marxist Late Sinn Fein. What I can do is to draw up and ideal system of education in which teachers and educationists would be in a position to tackle the attainment inequalities that exist on the ground.
I have already noted and I repeat that selection is a sine qua non of education and what remain at issue is who should do the selecting, how it should be done and at what age. In my opinion pupils should be allowed to select themselves with out the interference of the state. Margaret Thatcher took as her campaign slogan that the Tories would roll back the state. The backwoods men and women of Right Wing Union Jack Unionism should take a leaf out of Margaret’s book and roll back the state out of the lives of children and set them free to select themselves which they are perfectly capable of doing, given the are educated in a schooling system that allows such freedom.
I can attempt to give an educational system, which allows such freedom, but to do so I must return to the second option placed on the table at the time of Harold Wilson’s Government. This is a three tier system of schooling comprising a primary sector, a middle school sector and a sixth form sector. In such a system there would be no selection by the state but the primary school sector would transfer unselected to the local community middle school at eleven, which in practical terms would be the existing secondary or grammar school. In these schools the middle school; would be divided into a junior middle school for pupils under the age of 14 and a senior middle school for pupils b between the ages of 14 to16 In the junior school the management of class room learning should be the same as that which now exists in the primary school where the classes are divided into class settings to cater for slow and fast learners, the settings selection being made according to the teacher’s perceived educational needs of the individual pupil. So the same style of teaching would be practiced in both the primary and junior middle school.
Selection in the middle school would occur at the age of 14 and the school population would be selected into three streams or three houses.
(a) Pupils with strong academic potential
(b) Pupils with less academic potential.
(c) Pupils with the least academic potential.
This selection would be decided by an individual educational profile of educational attainment beginning early in primary education, the assessment being continuous up to the end of Junior Middle School. Using this criteria the individual pupil would encouraged to make a career choice assisted by the careers teaching staff in consultation with the parents and each pupil should be allotted a particular house appropriate to his/her individual needs, in the perception of the teaching staff in consultation with the parents.
It should be noted that the structure of the senior middle school is similar to the schooling structure in Germany. In Germany there is a triple school structure: -
(1) The Gymnasium leading to a university education.
(2) The Realschule leading to a technical or business education.
(3)The Hauptscule for the least academically able leading to vocational education
In Germany these three structures of education take place in separate schools. In the model under consideration for Northern Ireland, the three structures of education would take place in the same school under the one roof. The pupils would be free to select themselves in the school they attend and wouldn’t be selected into sheep and goats by the state at too early an age. In this way each pupil would get an education that is appropriate to his/her individual and career needs.
The top department in the school would be the sixth form department. Those who wish to remain at school after Senior. Middle School would do so depending upon their performance in a state examination such as the G.C.S E.
A Curriculum for the School Outlined
The aim and purpose of the curriculum should be, to have teachers teach and have pupils acquire useful knowledge. This can be achieved through the teaching of: -
(a) Know- that knowledge.
(b) Know-how knowledge
The difference between the two can be illustrated in this way. Know-that knowledge about a car would be that a car has at least three wheels, is a certain colour, needs to be taxed and insured. Know-how about a car is knowing how to drive it, or knowing how to fix it when it breaks down. Know-that learning, particularly at school, is acquired by rote learning. It is the know-that learning of the three Rs where the number facts, spelling and the rules of grammar are committed to memory. Traditionally schools have taught know-that knowledge exclusively but this form of knowledge has only limited use such as in memory recall in Pub and T.V. quizzes like Master Mind and University Challenge or The Weakest Link There was movement in education to stop the teaching of know-that knowledge completely as it was claimed it stifled creativity in the pupils. Head bangers in education expounded this. There was a reaction to this by employers who complained they were taking on new young staff that couldn’t add, read a simple note or write a simple note.
Know-how learning is acquired by being taught by person with expert knowledge and is internalized by practice. As noted learning how to drive a car is know-how knowledge and the knowledge is acquired by being taught by a person with expertise and internalized by practice. Know-how is also bound up with learning procedures. When a learner driver knows how to proceed along a highway without making mistakes then that person is educated as far as driving is concerned. When a surgeon knows how to proceed in doing an operation without making mistakes such a surgeon is educated as far as surgery is concerned. When a bricklayer knows how to proceed without mistakes in building a wall that doesn’t fall down, such a bricklayer is educated as far as building a wall is concerned.
The learning of know-how knowledge is strongly recommended by present day educationalists because this knowledge, unlike know-that, is useful. This form of knowledge should begin in the primary school and develop in an ever-widening spiral u p through the middle school to the sixth form. Know-how can begin in primary school by having the pupil investigate-- how to send an email, how to write a letter of thanks to grandmother for a birthday gift, how to do a classroom project on the old ruins of an old workhouse in the vicinity, how does a nail rust in water As noted know-how should be taught in an ever widening spiral up the school to sixth form with know-that still being taught in the middle school where this teaching is deemed necessary in the perception of the class room teacher At the end of compulsory schooling at sixteen the school should turn out a population that is literate, numerate and with sense of know-howness. At the sixth form learning should be d exclusively about know- how, the pupils learning how to proceed in the traditional disciplines of the curriculum under expert tuition and with an abundance of practice. Sport is a curricular underlier in that this discipline should be enjoyed and shared by all and played collectively, irrespective of academic talent.
All of this may sound somewhat up in the air so I will try to bring this matter to bring this matter to earth by looking schooling in Belfast. When I was president of the I.N.T.O. in Belfast at the time of Harold Wilson when the abolition of the eleven plus was first muted I was doing research at the Faculty of Education in Queen’s into numeracy level in the Belfast Inner city schools at the end of Primary schooling. To do that pupils were set a test of know-that knowledge and know-how knowledge in Mathematics which was completed by a ll final year pupils in the following schools: -
(a) The Shankill controlled schools
(b)The Lower Falls maintained schools
(c)The Donegall Pass controlled schools.
(d)The Markets maintained schools
The pupils were evaluated for
(1) Basic numeracy
(2) Overall numeracy
The criteria for evaluating basic numeracy was pupil ability to do very simple know-that in addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. It was found that over one third of the final year school population could not do these basic mathematical operations and were rated innumerate. When these findings were rigorously tested for statistical significance it was found there was no significant difference between the four school populations. I have heard Neo-Marxist Late Sinn Fein make the nonsensical claim on the T.V that the poor educational standards on the Shankill can be improved by the introduction of Comprehensives but why single out the Shankill when the standards of education are equally poor in both the Controlled and Maintained sector? In singling out the Shankill Neo-Marxist Late Sinn Fein is blatantly sectarian.
The finding for overall numeracy in this research demonstrated that in a test of overall numeracy know-how, pupils in the Inner City attending Controlled Schools significantly out performed pupils in the Inner City attending Maintained Schools. There is other research at The Faculty of Education Q.U.B, which supports that. How ever there are swings and roundabouts in all of this. There is other research at Queen’s, which demonstrates that pupils in Maintained Schools out perform pupils in Controlled Schools in verbal ability.
Had this research had been carried out in the leafy suburbs of Malone in Belfast it would have been found that the pupils there would have outperformed the pupils in the Inner-City in attainment in mathematical knowledge. This is not unique to Belfast. This educational anomaly is found in every city in Ireland, in Great Britain, in European Cities and in the cities of North America. This problem faced Old Labour and they opted for Neighbourhood Comprehensives as a solution but the Comprehensive option has failed in Great Britain. This educational problem is now being faced in the Assembly at Stormont and now the cowboys and cowgirls of Neo-Marxist Late Sinn Fein are propounding a failed Old Labour solution to the problem while the cowboys and cowgirls of right Wing Union Jack Unionism are hell bent in retaining the anomaly by the use of the obsolete philosophy of Old Toryism. Tony Blair recognised the defective nature of education in Great Britain in his slogan Education, Education, Education and New Labour tried to rectify the matter by having the state invade the classroom by telling the teachers what to teach and how to teach it and by over testing pupils throughout their school career. This has backfired and made matters worse In recent survey of Primary Schooling in England carried out by Cambridge, the effects of New Labour reforms is to drive the primary schools back to the teaching of the three Rs i.e. know-that, to the exclusion of know-how.
Know-how, Economic Growth and the Creation of Wealth
In the 20th century Milton Freidman the American Laizze Faire economist put forward the philosophy that wealth can be created by freeing up the money market and let it rip without restraint; in this way wealth will grow forever. Ronald Regan in the Reaganomics of a trickle down economy adopted this philosophy. This influenced the free marketer Margaret Thatcher --- (You can’t buck the market) and the Friedman philosophy was taken up in turn by Tony Blair’s New Labour ---- New Labour is the best party the Conservatives have ever had--- (Margaret Thatcher). Finally Friedman’s philosophy influenced Fianna Fail and a free money market was let rip in the Celtic Tiger. Friedman’s monetarism has proved to be a tragic disaster worldwide. With the collapse of Friedman economic philosophy the right wing in America has collapsed and now there are dark mutterings in Republican circles about the introduction of European socialism into America by Barack Obama
In my understanding of economics there are four conditions necessary for a state to enjoy economic growth and create wealth: -
(a) The state should be stable with a written constitution, which has the overwhelming support on the vast majority of the people.
(b) The people should be highly literate.
(c) The people should be highly numerate.
(d) The people should have a high degree of Know-howfulness.
Know-how in America is highly rated. Americans are proud of and boastful of American know-how. American know-how put a man on the moon and in the 20th century American know-how pushed the American economy to the top of the economic heap in world terms and made America the richest state in the world. But the importance of Know-how in economic growth and wealth creation can be illustrated closer to home in Ulster. In thelate19th/ early20th century Eastern Ulster enjoyed economic growth and wealth in the Know-how of linen production and shipbuilding. Indigenous know- how made Ulster a world leader in linen and ship production. This know-how is regrettably now obsolete due to a world slump in demand for linen and in shipping, due to the cost of supply and a change in demand for ships.
In my under standing of economics a state should specialise in that aspect of its economy in which it holds a relative advantage. The Irish economy holds a relative advantage in agriculture and food production This aspect of the economy requires specialist Know-how and Irish know-how in this economic specialisation can be developed by having Know- how taught in schools from an early age and into the universities in the faculties of food science, of business science, veterinary science agricultural science and the science of forestry. These faculties are related to a specialist Irish economy in food production and efforts should be made to attract the best talent from around Ireland and around the world to teach and do research. These faculties should concentrate in turning out a graduate population that is know-how driven in food science, in business science, in the science of forestry and agriculture and in veterinary science. There should also be established local business and agricultural colleges to develop the know-how of those who work at the coalface of farming and food production
In my understanding of economics, the true dynamic of economic growth and wealth is the indigenous know-how of the population, which can be nurtured and developed through education. The Irish economy will never put a man on the moon or a space probe on Mars or will it ever be top of the economic heap in world terms. What is a feasible economic goal for the Irish is to put a plate of high quality wholesome competitively priced food on every table on planet earth. In the past the indigenous know-how of the Ulster people made linen and ships world market leaders. Why not in the future make Irish food a world market leader driven by Irish with indigenous know-how nurtured and developed through education?
There is the belief afloat that an Irish economy can be built with international capital such as computers and pharmaceuticals. The problem with international capital is that it is foot loose and fancy free and will pack its bags and fly by night to any spot on the planet where profit can be maximized e.g. Dell’s flight from Limerick. To develop a stable economy in Ireland an indigenous base will have to be found. The only international capital the government should encourage is capital that is in Ireland for the long haul. Short-term international capital is economically destabilizing
Equality in Schooling
In equality in schooling a fundamental question has to be asked--- How best to school a future dustman? The grammar schools know how best to school a future doctor and have that down to a fine art. When it comes to the schooling of a future dustman the grammar schools don’t want to know. This question remains unanswered in education but if schooling is to be universal and equal the intellectual resources of the Faculties of Education, of the Colleges of Education and of the teachers themselves, must be brought to bear on this fundamental question and an answer found. But if schooling is to be universal and equal both the financial and psychic resources of the school must be distributed equally among the school population in general and especially among the three houses of varying academic ability in the senior middle school. By psychic resources I mean the talent, the care, the attention, the commitment, interest, dedication and affection of the teaching staff. The equal distribution of psychic resources in the school is especially important to the pupils who belong in the house of the least academically able. If this is done the psychic resources of the school should ensure that these pupils leave school with feeling of high self-esteem and of social worth and with high hopes. This could prove to be a corrective to antisocial and outlandish behaviour, teenage drunkenness drug abuse and suicide. However if pupils leave school to join a dole or emigrate schooling is wasted. In the distribution of state resources to schools, the state should positively discriminate in favour of those schools situated in deprived areas, especially in favour of primary schools in deprived areas The schooling of children with special needs is best done in special schools by teachers with specialized teaching skills and dedication. In the allocation of state resources to such schools positive discrimination in favour of these should operate. When a system of schooling as is envisaged in this paper is in place, then schooling will be universal, equal and sociably acceptable.
Note to the Bishops
The Bishops may feel that a moral; and spiritual dimension to the curriculum is missing. This isn’t so. A moral and spiritual dimension may be developed in the school and in the individual by the teaching of the curricular discipline Christianity. Like all other curricular disciplines, the curricular discipline Christianity should be taught as know –that and know-how. While this aspect of the curriculum is not a strength of mine, what comes to mind is the know-that of internalizing prayers by rote the know–that of the Trinity, the internalizing of the know-that of the bible by listening to or reading stories from the bible. Know- how could be taught by exploring such questions as -----How to be a good / son / daughter/ pupil/ worker / mother/ father/ citizen / girl friend/ boyfriend. How does one worship God? How does one follow Jesus? How was the world created? How should I live my life? The Churches are in a better position than I am to elaborate how Christianity can be best taught as Know-that and Know-how.
Michael Gillespie B Ed. BSc (Econ) Dip Ed D.A.S.E. M.A.(Ed)
Explanatory Note
In this article the following terms are used: -
(1) Neo-Marxist Late Sinn Fein. This is the political party led by Gerry Adams.
(2) Right Wing Union Jack Unionism. This is an umbrella term covering The Official Unionist Party The Democratic Party and The Alliance Party.
In my reading of Irish political history the only political movement that catches my imagination and takes my fancy is Early Sinn Fein. This Sinn Fein espoused a government for Ireland with a dual monarchy. Regrettably that worthwhile idea was swept aside by the violence of Republican 1916. In my opinion if the early ideas of Griffiths had been worked upon, developed and thought through, Ireland today would be a Sovereign United Nation under the Crown a nation like Canada. For that reason I belong to, or support no Political party in Ireland but adhere to my own private personal politics of Federal Unionism – Early Sinn Fein. A development of this can be found in my novel ---THE WAY IRELAND OUGHT TO BE – Published by Authorhouse and in my blog www.solvingtheirishproblem.blogspot.com.
Selection
I first met up with selection at eleven in an official capacity during the Harold Wilson administration in the seventies when the British Government was proposing the abolition of selection at eleven. At that time I was president of the Irish National Teacher’s Organisation in Belfast and dealing with selection at eleven became part of my union remit. At that time I maintained, as I do now, that selection is a sine qua non of the educational process but what remains to be decided is, at what age should selection take place, how should selection be carried out and who should do the selecting.
The age of eleven for selection is quite arbitrary. Following the 1948 Education Act the age for selection was taken to be eleven At that time school leaving age was 14 so it was decided that the duration of education in the new secondary modern schools should be three years so the age of transfer was taken to be eleven. While this age of transfer is quite arbitrary it is now taken as sacred and is carved in stone by the backwoodsmen and women in Right Wing Union Jack Unionism. At the time of the Wilson government I maintained then as I do now, that children shouldn’t be divided into sheep and goats by the state but should be free to select themselves as pupils are capable of doing given they are being educated within an educational system which allows this freedom.
At the time of the Wilson administration there were two options on the table for the reform of education and the abolition of the eleven plus: -
(1) Neighbourhood Comprehensive Schools.
(2) A three-tier system of schools made up of Primary Schools, Middle schools and sixth Form Departments.
I backed the abolition of the eleven plus but at he same time I was sceptical of neighbourhood comprehensives and in stead I backed the introduction of a three tier system of schooling. However in Northern Ireland selection was maintained
due to the strength of a powerful grammar school lobby but even so the three tier non selective system of education was adopted in Craigavon where it still remains and works successfully.
In hindsight it is clear that the choice of neighbourhood comprehensives by Old Labour was a mistake. Old Labour was incensed by the social inequalities of the system where children from working class backgrounds fared poorly in the eleven plus and children from middle class backgrounds did well. Looked at in a shallow way by Old Labour it seemed that this educational anomaly could be resolved by having all children educated under the one roof. This shallow thinking proved false. Since some comprehensives were situated in working class districts in time these comprehensives became known as bog standard with low standards of educational attainment along with acute disciplinary problems. On the other hand comprehensives in the leafy suburbs did well the school population being middleclass and maintained high standards of academic excellence with a good disciplinary code. In those neighbourhood comprehensives where the school population is of mixed class, pupils from middleclass backgrounds carry off the prizes on prize giving day.. The reason for all of this is due to the relative value of importance which middleclass and working families give to education.
Selection at eleven is still going strong in London. I have three grandchildren growing up in London and they don’t go to the neighbourhood comprehensive as it is reputed to have syringes in the playground and condoms in the corridor along with low academic standards. Instead my grandchildren go to a school, which their parents consider to have high academic standards and a healthy moral code. But to get into these schools my grandchildren had to sit an entrance examination and a place in the school is in high demand and difficult to obtain.
I am giving this thumbnail sketch of education in England to emphasise that in my thinking the decision by Old Labour to introduce neighbourhood comprehensives was a mistake, and a disaster and has done nothing eliminate the social inequality in schooling it intended to eliminate. My impression of the thinking of Neo-Marxist Late Sinn Fein is that these backwoodsmen and women are back in the days of Old Labour and are hell-bent on introducing some thing into the six counties, which has been demonstrated to be an unmitigated disaster in England.
The problem of selection in education is complex and complicated. I cannot give an off-the-peg solution, ready made, to the problem where one size fits all which seems to be the claim coming from Neo-Marxist Late Sinn Fein. What I can do is to draw up and ideal system of education in which teachers and educationists would be in a position to tackle the attainment inequalities that exist on the ground.
I have already noted and I repeat that selection is a sine qua non of education and what remain at issue is who should do the selecting, how it should be done and at what age. In my opinion pupils should be allowed to select themselves with out the interference of the state. Margaret Thatcher took as her campaign slogan that the Tories would roll back the state. The backwoods men and women of Right Wing Union Jack Unionism should take a leaf out of Margaret’s book and roll back the state out of the lives of children and set them free to select themselves which they are perfectly capable of doing, given the are educated in a schooling system that allows such freedom.
I can attempt to give an educational system, which allows such freedom, but to do so I must return to the second option placed on the table at the time of Harold Wilson’s Government. This is a three tier system of schooling comprising a primary sector, a middle school sector and a sixth form sector. In such a system there would be no selection by the state but the primary school sector would transfer unselected to the local community middle school at eleven, which in practical terms would be the existing secondary or grammar school. In these schools the middle school; would be divided into a junior middle school for pupils under the age of 14 and a senior middle school for pupils b between the ages of 14 to16 In the junior school the management of class room learning should be the same as that which now exists in the primary school where the classes are divided into class settings to cater for slow and fast learners, the settings selection being made according to the teacher’s perceived educational needs of the individual pupil. So the same style of teaching would be practiced in both the primary and junior middle school.
Selection in the middle school would occur at the age of 14 and the school population would be selected into three streams or three houses.
(a) Pupils with strong academic potential
(b) Pupils with less academic potential.
(c) Pupils with the least academic potential.
This selection would be decided by an individual educational profile of educational attainment beginning early in primary education, the assessment being continuous up to the end of Junior Middle School. Using this criteria the individual pupil would encouraged to make a career choice assisted by the careers teaching staff in consultation with the parents and each pupil should be allotted a particular house appropriate to his/her individual needs, in the perception of the teaching staff in consultation with the parents.
It should be noted that the structure of the senior middle school is similar to the schooling structure in Germany. In Germany there is a triple school structure: -
(1) The Gymnasium leading to a university education.
(2) The Realschule leading to a technical or business education.
(3)The Hauptscule for the least academically able leading to vocational education
In Germany these three structures of education take place in separate schools. In the model under consideration for Northern Ireland, the three structures of education would take place in the same school under the one roof. The pupils would be free to select themselves in the school they attend and wouldn’t be selected into sheep and goats by the state at too early an age. In this way each pupil would get an education that is appropriate to his/her individual and career needs.
The top department in the school would be the sixth form department. Those who wish to remain at school after Senior. Middle School would do so depending upon their performance in a state examination such as the G.C.S E.
A Curriculum for the School Outlined
The aim and purpose of the curriculum should be, to have teachers teach and have pupils acquire useful knowledge. This can be achieved through the teaching of: -
(a) Know- that knowledge.
(b) Know-how knowledge
The difference between the two can be illustrated in this way. Know-that knowledge about a car would be that a car has at least three wheels, is a certain colour, needs to be taxed and insured. Know-how about a car is knowing how to drive it, or knowing how to fix it when it breaks down. Know-that learning, particularly at school, is acquired by rote learning. It is the know-that learning of the three Rs where the number facts, spelling and the rules of grammar are committed to memory. Traditionally schools have taught know-that knowledge exclusively but this form of knowledge has only limited use such as in memory recall in Pub and T.V. quizzes like Master Mind and University Challenge or The Weakest Link There was movement in education to stop the teaching of know-that knowledge completely as it was claimed it stifled creativity in the pupils. Head bangers in education expounded this. There was a reaction to this by employers who complained they were taking on new young staff that couldn’t add, read a simple note or write a simple note.
Know-how learning is acquired by being taught by person with expert knowledge and is internalized by practice. As noted learning how to drive a car is know-how knowledge and the knowledge is acquired by being taught by a person with expertise and internalized by practice. Know-how is also bound up with learning procedures. When a learner driver knows how to proceed along a highway without making mistakes then that person is educated as far as driving is concerned. When a surgeon knows how to proceed in doing an operation without making mistakes such a surgeon is educated as far as surgery is concerned. When a bricklayer knows how to proceed without mistakes in building a wall that doesn’t fall down, such a bricklayer is educated as far as building a wall is concerned.
The learning of know-how knowledge is strongly recommended by present day educationalists because this knowledge, unlike know-that, is useful. This form of knowledge should begin in the primary school and develop in an ever-widening spiral u p through the middle school to the sixth form. Know-how can begin in primary school by having the pupil investigate-- how to send an email, how to write a letter of thanks to grandmother for a birthday gift, how to do a classroom project on the old ruins of an old workhouse in the vicinity, how does a nail rust in water As noted know-how should be taught in an ever widening spiral up the school to sixth form with know-that still being taught in the middle school where this teaching is deemed necessary in the perception of the class room teacher At the end of compulsory schooling at sixteen the school should turn out a population that is literate, numerate and with sense of know-howness. At the sixth form learning should be d exclusively about know- how, the pupils learning how to proceed in the traditional disciplines of the curriculum under expert tuition and with an abundance of practice. Sport is a curricular underlier in that this discipline should be enjoyed and shared by all and played collectively, irrespective of academic talent.
All of this may sound somewhat up in the air so I will try to bring this matter to bring this matter to earth by looking schooling in Belfast. When I was president of the I.N.T.O. in Belfast at the time of Harold Wilson when the abolition of the eleven plus was first muted I was doing research at the Faculty of Education in Queen’s into numeracy level in the Belfast Inner city schools at the end of Primary schooling. To do that pupils were set a test of know-that knowledge and know-how knowledge in Mathematics which was completed by a ll final year pupils in the following schools: -
(a) The Shankill controlled schools
(b)The Lower Falls maintained schools
(c)The Donegall Pass controlled schools.
(d)The Markets maintained schools
The pupils were evaluated for
(1) Basic numeracy
(2) Overall numeracy
The criteria for evaluating basic numeracy was pupil ability to do very simple know-that in addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. It was found that over one third of the final year school population could not do these basic mathematical operations and were rated innumerate. When these findings were rigorously tested for statistical significance it was found there was no significant difference between the four school populations. I have heard Neo-Marxist Late Sinn Fein make the nonsensical claim on the T.V that the poor educational standards on the Shankill can be improved by the introduction of Comprehensives but why single out the Shankill when the standards of education are equally poor in both the Controlled and Maintained sector? In singling out the Shankill Neo-Marxist Late Sinn Fein is blatantly sectarian.
The finding for overall numeracy in this research demonstrated that in a test of overall numeracy know-how, pupils in the Inner City attending Controlled Schools significantly out performed pupils in the Inner City attending Maintained Schools. There is other research at The Faculty of Education Q.U.B, which supports that. How ever there are swings and roundabouts in all of this. There is other research at Queen’s, which demonstrates that pupils in Maintained Schools out perform pupils in Controlled Schools in verbal ability.
Had this research had been carried out in the leafy suburbs of Malone in Belfast it would have been found that the pupils there would have outperformed the pupils in the Inner-City in attainment in mathematical knowledge. This is not unique to Belfast. This educational anomaly is found in every city in Ireland, in Great Britain, in European Cities and in the cities of North America. This problem faced Old Labour and they opted for Neighbourhood Comprehensives as a solution but the Comprehensive option has failed in Great Britain. This educational problem is now being faced in the Assembly at Stormont and now the cowboys and cowgirls of Neo-Marxist Late Sinn Fein are propounding a failed Old Labour solution to the problem while the cowboys and cowgirls of right Wing Union Jack Unionism are hell bent in retaining the anomaly by the use of the obsolete philosophy of Old Toryism. Tony Blair recognised the defective nature of education in Great Britain in his slogan Education, Education, Education and New Labour tried to rectify the matter by having the state invade the classroom by telling the teachers what to teach and how to teach it and by over testing pupils throughout their school career. This has backfired and made matters worse In recent survey of Primary Schooling in England carried out by Cambridge, the effects of New Labour reforms is to drive the primary schools back to the teaching of the three Rs i.e. know-that, to the exclusion of know-how.
Know-how, Economic Growth and the Creation of Wealth
In the 20th century Milton Freidman the American Laizze Faire economist put forward the philosophy that wealth can be created by freeing up the money market and let it rip without restraint; in this way wealth will grow forever. Ronald Regan in the Reaganomics of a trickle down economy adopted this philosophy. This influenced the free marketer Margaret Thatcher --- (You can’t buck the market) and the Friedman philosophy was taken up in turn by Tony Blair’s New Labour ---- New Labour is the best party the Conservatives have ever had--- (Margaret Thatcher). Finally Friedman’s philosophy influenced Fianna Fail and a free money market was let rip in the Celtic Tiger. Friedman’s monetarism has proved to be a tragic disaster worldwide. With the collapse of Friedman economic philosophy the right wing in America has collapsed and now there are dark mutterings in Republican circles about the introduction of European socialism into America by Barack Obama
In my understanding of economics there are four conditions necessary for a state to enjoy economic growth and create wealth: -
(a) The state should be stable with a written constitution, which has the overwhelming support on the vast majority of the people.
(b) The people should be highly literate.
(c) The people should be highly numerate.
(d) The people should have a high degree of Know-howfulness.
Know-how in America is highly rated. Americans are proud of and boastful of American know-how. American know-how put a man on the moon and in the 20th century American know-how pushed the American economy to the top of the economic heap in world terms and made America the richest state in the world. But the importance of Know-how in economic growth and wealth creation can be illustrated closer to home in Ulster. In thelate19th/ early20th century Eastern Ulster enjoyed economic growth and wealth in the Know-how of linen production and shipbuilding. Indigenous know- how made Ulster a world leader in linen and ship production. This know-how is regrettably now obsolete due to a world slump in demand for linen and in shipping, due to the cost of supply and a change in demand for ships.
In my under standing of economics a state should specialise in that aspect of its economy in which it holds a relative advantage. The Irish economy holds a relative advantage in agriculture and food production This aspect of the economy requires specialist Know-how and Irish know-how in this economic specialisation can be developed by having Know- how taught in schools from an early age and into the universities in the faculties of food science, of business science, veterinary science agricultural science and the science of forestry. These faculties are related to a specialist Irish economy in food production and efforts should be made to attract the best talent from around Ireland and around the world to teach and do research. These faculties should concentrate in turning out a graduate population that is know-how driven in food science, in business science, in the science of forestry and agriculture and in veterinary science. There should also be established local business and agricultural colleges to develop the know-how of those who work at the coalface of farming and food production
In my understanding of economics, the true dynamic of economic growth and wealth is the indigenous know-how of the population, which can be nurtured and developed through education. The Irish economy will never put a man on the moon or a space probe on Mars or will it ever be top of the economic heap in world terms. What is a feasible economic goal for the Irish is to put a plate of high quality wholesome competitively priced food on every table on planet earth. In the past the indigenous know-how of the Ulster people made linen and ships world market leaders. Why not in the future make Irish food a world market leader driven by Irish with indigenous know-how nurtured and developed through education?
There is the belief afloat that an Irish economy can be built with international capital such as computers and pharmaceuticals. The problem with international capital is that it is foot loose and fancy free and will pack its bags and fly by night to any spot on the planet where profit can be maximized e.g. Dell’s flight from Limerick. To develop a stable economy in Ireland an indigenous base will have to be found. The only international capital the government should encourage is capital that is in Ireland for the long haul. Short-term international capital is economically destabilizing
Equality in Schooling
In equality in schooling a fundamental question has to be asked--- How best to school a future dustman? The grammar schools know how best to school a future doctor and have that down to a fine art. When it comes to the schooling of a future dustman the grammar schools don’t want to know. This question remains unanswered in education but if schooling is to be universal and equal the intellectual resources of the Faculties of Education, of the Colleges of Education and of the teachers themselves, must be brought to bear on this fundamental question and an answer found. But if schooling is to be universal and equal both the financial and psychic resources of the school must be distributed equally among the school population in general and especially among the three houses of varying academic ability in the senior middle school. By psychic resources I mean the talent, the care, the attention, the commitment, interest, dedication and affection of the teaching staff. The equal distribution of psychic resources in the school is especially important to the pupils who belong in the house of the least academically able. If this is done the psychic resources of the school should ensure that these pupils leave school with feeling of high self-esteem and of social worth and with high hopes. This could prove to be a corrective to antisocial and outlandish behaviour, teenage drunkenness drug abuse and suicide. However if pupils leave school to join a dole or emigrate schooling is wasted. In the distribution of state resources to schools, the state should positively discriminate in favour of those schools situated in deprived areas, especially in favour of primary schools in deprived areas The schooling of children with special needs is best done in special schools by teachers with specialized teaching skills and dedication. In the allocation of state resources to such schools positive discrimination in favour of these should operate. When a system of schooling as is envisaged in this paper is in place, then schooling will be universal, equal and sociably acceptable.
Note to the Bishops
The Bishops may feel that a moral; and spiritual dimension to the curriculum is missing. This isn’t so. A moral and spiritual dimension may be developed in the school and in the individual by the teaching of the curricular discipline Christianity. Like all other curricular disciplines, the curricular discipline Christianity should be taught as know –that and know-how. While this aspect of the curriculum is not a strength of mine, what comes to mind is the know-that of internalizing prayers by rote the know–that of the Trinity, the internalizing of the know-that of the bible by listening to or reading stories from the bible. Know- how could be taught by exploring such questions as -----How to be a good / son / daughter/ pupil/ worker / mother/ father/ citizen / girl friend/ boyfriend. How does one worship God? How does one follow Jesus? How was the world created? How should I live my life? The Churches are in a better position than I am to elaborate how Christianity can be best taught as Know-that and Know-how.
Michael Gillespie B Ed. BSc (Econ) Dip Ed D.A.S.E. M.A.(Ed)
Monday, 2 March 2009
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