Better lessons would improve behaviour

Oh dear now the Guardian's doing it; writing misleading headlines. Take the one here; it gives the impression that some authority or government minister has basically said that most bad behaviour in schools is down to bad lessons and, well, teachers. Well, that was bound to get my goat on the basis of what I have been observing in classrooms where creative and interesting lessons may be well received by one class and not by another. But then we read what is actually being said.

In secondary schools where bad behaviour was an isolated issue, the cause was often pupils' frustration with the poor quality of teaching they received, said an Ofsted report published today.

Not the first bit; it means in schools where behaviour is generally reasonable, a contributory factor to bad behaviour may be uninspiring lessons. So actually nothing new there; that's what we trainee teachers are told more or less from the off in our behaviour management stuff. So, puhlease, let's not use it as an implied dig at teachers. Unfortunately, a headline like that gets read without the article being read sometimes and the impression it leaves is malign and lasting.

That said, I do feel that the knee-jerk reaction by the NUT is helpful either as they appear to have read only the headline and not the content. The report doesn't say anything we don't already know, honestly.

Better lessons would improve behaviour, says Ofsted | Special Reports | EducationGuardian.co.uk
Filed in: education, UK, schools, behaviour