Teachers should stop calling bright pupils "clever" for fear they might not be considered "cool" by classmates, a union has been told.

Instead they should refer to academic high-achievers as "successful", the Professional Association of Teachers' conference in Oxford heard.

 

Simon Smith, a teacher from Essex, said it was important to avoid a culture which "mocks being clever".

 

A government spokesman said it was "not the brightest idea we have heard".

 

'Semantic debates'

 

He added: "The education system is about ensuring that every child is supported and also challenged to achieve the very best that they can. Semantic debates will not achieve this."

 

Last year, the union voted to replace the word "failure" with "deferred success".

 

Mr Smith said: "Change the language we use; change something.

 

"If we were to use the word 'successful' rather than 'clever' we could all achieve it at our own level and in our own way.

 

"With a few exceptions, including sport, academic prowess is in many eyes not 'cool'."

 

Shadow schools minister Nick Gibb said: "In this information age, where an increasing number of jobs are in the creative industries, it is vital that all children aspire to academic excellence, whatever their background or ability."

 

Last month, an "excellent" student revealed she had had a mark taken away in a mock GCSE exam for giving an answer which a teacher deemed "too sophisticated".

 

Katie Merchant, 16, of Brighton College, missed a "key word" in a Latin test, although she showed more than enough knowledge for a full mark.

 

Headmaster Richard Cairns said the OCR exam board's assessment scheme, which the school used, was "too mechanistic".

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk

Whatever next, you won't be able to pass your test papers to another pupil incase your dumb/smart.

 

GCSE's are worthless these days, for all the jobs I have applied to, in the first interview you have to do a test which the employer sets to test your basic understanding, where it's a case of pass or fail, the answer is right or wrong.

I learned nothing at school. well learned how to read and write obviously, but the teachers are far more concerned that you learn complex trigornomatry(?) than be able to fend for yourself in the real world.

 

I was 21 before i knew how to change a lightbulb.

 

Everything i know now is because i read alot. Encyclopeidas, newspaper articles, websites. You can really learn a ton of stuff. Useful stuff, and also loads of pointless trivial knowledge that will impress when used at the right moment.

All together now: "We don't need no eduKation......................we don't need no thought control!!:rolleyes:

I learned nothing at school. well learned how to read and write obviously, but the teachers are far more concerned that you learn complex trigornomatry(?) than be able to fend for yourself in the real world.

 

I was 21 before i knew how to change a lightbulb.

 

Everything i know now is because i read alot. Encyclopeidas, newspaper articles, websites. You can really learn a ton of stuff. Useful stuff, and also loads of pointless trivial knowledge that will impress when used at the right moment.

 

 

we got taught some useful things in school. wiring a plug was part of one of our science lessons, and we had a question on it in our end of year exam. at the beginning of secondary school we did home ec which was split half the year into cookery and half into textiles. so I can make vegetable soup and cherry scones, and can knit reasonable squares for blankets.

 

there are huge gaps in the curriculum though. Take history, I know about the Spanish Armada, Henry Viii, my local area, the Russian Revolution, Hitler and World War II. That's all I was ever taught in school. Anything else I've learnt from holidays my Dad took us on, and stuf I've read. I definitely couldn't name you the Kings & Queens of england because I still won't have heard of many of them. There are such huge gaps in teaching british history.