tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3019828684971971203.post5309399615074410708..comments2024-03-14T02:53:31.171+00:00Comments on Tom Bennett's School Report: Bad Girls, Bad Girls- What You Gonna Do? Tips for Teaching in a Women's PrisonTom Bennetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03211959016018081924noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3019828684971971203.post-90049634520473093982012-03-11T09:03:53.150+00:002012-03-11T09:03:53.150+00:00Read your excellent comment a few times to absorb ...Read your excellent comment a few times to absorb it properly. Really interesting, thanks. Glad to see that clear boundaries and high expectations appears to be a universal prerequisite to good teaching wherever you go. I think bribery comes in many forms, and many/ most teachers use it in SOME form or another, even if it's just bargaining in specific cases, or promising rewards for good work. Depends on the context, I imagine.<br /><br />Thanks again. I promise to pinch your ideas in future discussions about young offender education. :)Tom Bennetthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03211959016018081924noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3019828684971971203.post-38562154341827672222012-03-11T08:58:34.387+00:002012-03-11T08:58:34.387+00:00If prisons were held to account like schools, they...If prisons were held to account like schools, they'd be empty and shut...Tom Bennetthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03211959016018081924noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3019828684971971203.post-1832238712332281162012-03-11T08:57:29.917+00:002012-03-11T08:57:29.917+00:00You have had quite a career, AG. And 'a stunni...You have had quite a career, AG. And 'a stunningly beautiful Pagan Chaplain' sounds like a character from an Anne Rice novel.Tom Bennetthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03211959016018081924noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3019828684971971203.post-75026618908925704382012-03-04T14:54:30.789+00:002012-03-04T14:54:30.789+00:00I have previously taught adult and young offenders...I have previously taught adult and young offenders and now teach in a young person's prison. Although I agree with some of the points raised a few of the comments and approaches concerned me. These would be my top tips:<br />1. Consistency is key. These young people need to know immediately what is expected of them & what they will be expected to do. Consistency in approach, manner and delivery is vital to building up rapport and trust (with the learners changing classes and teachers on a very regular basis, we're talking every two weeks ish, you've got to do all you can to make this as quick as possible).<br />2. Have high expectations: lay out your expectations at the start and you'll be astonished at what the young people will do. Never let these drop.<br />3. Focus on the learner journey: Where I am education is compulsory for every young person (15 hours a week). This doesn't often go down well so being able to explain why they are in class, what qualifications they are going to achieve and where these might take them is important. Teachers in the offender learning segment must not forget that the learners are on a journey that might completely turn their lives around; our course is just one element of that trip. Focusing hard as a team (teacher and learner) on getting qualifications (Fucntional Skills, Adult Basic Skills, GCSEs plus all the vocational qualifications) gives education a purpose and offers learners hope. Prison teachers are not simply there to the give prisoners something to do each day, we are there to further their learning & help them achieve.<br />4. Keep them engaged: be busy busy busy! Short, sharp tasks are vital, although issuing magazines out to those that aren't really feeling up to it one day isn't the best way forward. Being engaging, relevant and furthering learning is the best approach. We have the daily struggles with learners who are on medication/had some bad news last night/are feeling angry or violent etc but that's the challenge: finding ways around the barriers and breaking them down; getting the learners engaged on a relevant task that will further learning even if they don't realise it. They may even enjoy it too!<br />5. Be human: being normal and sometimes showing your faults really doesn't do any harm. Sometimes the young people feel as though they are treated differently so pointing out the similarities between us all really helps with class dynamics. We, as teachers, also have to remember to not assume our learner is going to be of a particular sort just because he is a prisoner: like all other learners, every one is different.<br />6. Be calm, cool and collected: You need to show who is boss but being militant isn't the best way forward for classroom management. From experience I've found that the best way to deal with challenging behaviour is to be calm, consistent and firm. There's no point raising your voice, arguing or getting stroppy; tempers will flare quickly and that's the last thing we want. Being laid back, addressing negative behaviour quietly and being an approachable, interesting teacher works best. Sometimes things happen that require further action and following prison procedures IS the best way to deal with it. It is time consuming in terms of the paperwork element but we have to show learners that we are not a soft touch. Again, the word consistency springs to mind.<br />Although I found the article interesting to read, the content that advised prison teachers to use bribery & a naughty list did not settle well. We wouldn't do that sort of thing in a school or college so why do it in a prison? The learners are there to go through a rehabilitation process and we have to hope and aim for them all to (one day) move forward into either employment or further training. There will be no bribery or singling people out there so why should we use those tactics in prison? Those tactics might make our job a little easier but they certainly won't do anything to help the people in our care.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3019828684971971203.post-1956619965407995042012-03-03T19:51:42.311+00:002012-03-03T19:51:42.311+00:00Very interesting article. I'm assuming from t...Very interesting article. I'm assuming from the reference to getting rid of anyone just coming in for a chat that the lessons are voluntary. If all of this careful management is still necessary, I can only begin to imagine the tension there must be in the average prison. I'll raise a glass with you! <br /><br />As regards your controversial approach of consulting someone who has actual experience of what they're talking about, I'd love to see the modern education strategies applied in prison. Red, Amber and Green paper cups on every desk, and forget being able to make cards for their loved ones as a reward - take that time away from them and stick in some AFL! <br /><br />Also, I hope that somewhere there's a prison education manager who has taken no account of the personal choices and circumstances that have got the inmates into prison, and is STILL demanding that they achieve the targets that their KS2 levels require that they achieve.Neilnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3019828684971971203.post-15723063053195596042012-03-03T19:25:29.074+00:002012-03-03T19:25:29.074+00:00I used to work in a male prison, first as a librar...I used to work in a male prison, first as a library assistant, then as a Chaplain. I agree with all the above. I ran courses in the Chaplaincy and quite a few men would sign up just to get off the wings. The best way to deal with that was to give tough 'homework' to be completed before next meeting - no homework meant no meeting. This was also used by the stunningly beautiful Pagan chaplain. She could quell a rowdy room with one look! I must say the experience as Chaplain means I deal with my tiny bad boys with confidence.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15726540916578169593noreply@blogger.com