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The Toxic Classroom offers a wide-ranging look at education today and explores in detail the pressures children experience as a result of constant change, digital technology and political interference. Beginning with what it is like to be a child in the classroom, the book goes on to provide a detailed analysis of the curriculum, assessment and accountability, school structures, educating for global citizenship and the plethora of social issues schools are now expected to solve.
Written from the perspective of a successful headteacher with over 30 years' teaching experience, the book considers what needs to be done to put things right and outlines a more equitable and effective school system. Each chapter outlines the steps schools can implement immediately and the longer-term policy changes that are needed de-toxify the classroom and facilitate a genuine love of learning.
Offering a challenging yet compelling argument for putting education back into the hands of teachers, this book will be of great interest both to the general reader and to those working within education such as teachers and professionals who wish to improve the ways in which children learn and develop.
List of contents
Introduction
- What is it like to be a child in school today?
An early start
Working with others
Parents
Poverty and neglect
Fear of failure
Social media
Mental health
Boredom
Schools are the answer
Toxic schooling
What can schools do now to put things right?
What should policymakers do to put thing right?
- The curriculum
The background
Where are we now? The foundation stage
Where are we now? Primary education
Where are we now? Secondary education
Where are we now? Post-16 education
Destination university
What should children be learning in school?
What can schools do now to put things right?
What should policymakers do to put thing right?
- The core subjects
English
Mathematics
Science
Computing
Languages
The humanities
Conclusion
What can schools do now to put things right?
What should policymakers do to put thing right?
- Beyond the core
The arts
Design technology
Physical education
PSHE/citizenship
Studies and 'ologies'
Vocational subjects
Extra-curricular
Conclusion
What can schools do now to put things right?
What should policymakers do to put thing right?
- Assessment and accountability
Early years testing
Primary testing
Secondary assessment
Assessment post-16
Ofsted - a new hope?
What can schools do now to put things right?
What should policymakers do to put thing right?
- Structures
Academies
Free schools
Multi-academy trusts
Grammar schools
Independent schools
Faith schools
Beyond the mainstream
Admissions
Departures
A final thought on age
What can schools do now to put things right?
What should policymakers do to put thing right?
- A wider view
What happened to the learning culture?
Education, childcare or social service?
Educating for global citizenship
What can schools do now to put things right?
What should policymakers do to put thing right?
- A vision for the future
Independent, grammar and faith schools
Structural confusion
Age and stage
Governance
What can schools do now to put things right?
What should policymakers do to put thing right?
- A 21st century curriculum
The curriculum
A modest proposal
Summary: a curriculum model for the future
- Conclusion: detoxifying the classroom
What are children learning for?
Putting things right
Painting in oils
Appendix
Index
About the author
Richard Steward is an educational consultant with extensive experience as a teacher and headteacher. He has taught in a variety of schools in a 30-year career and has worked as a part-time lecturer with The Open University. He has worked with the National College for Teaching and Learning and been involved in a wide range of national educational research projects. His previous book is titled,
The Gradual Art of School Improvement, and he can be found on twitter @StewardRichard.
Summary
The Toxic Classroom is a wide-ranging look at education today and the impact of political, cultural, pedagogical and technological change on children.
