Were you at Berridge?

[Jill Sparrow 9,678]

Yes, CT. It is being organized by someone who was in the year above me. I've already been this year, with a group of former pupils. I know we're being invited back next year as part of the school's annual history topic. We're an historical resource!!

[philmayfield 5,530]

Euphemism for relic. 

[Cliff Ton 10,011]

@Jill Sparrow At least your school is still there.

 

My secondary was built in the late 1950s and demolished in the early 2000s, less than half the lifespan of Berridge.

It means I can't be an historical resource - at least not on the ground. I have to resort to the internet - where I've been in contact with many people who I've not seen for 50-ish years.

[Jill Sparrow 9,678]

Berridge has been reroofed in recent years and looks likely to continue as a school for the foreseeable future. I don't see why not. Although there are those who think educational standards cannot be met unless children are being educated in a recently constructed breeze block box which won't last five minutes, the building is really of little importance. It's the quality of teaching and, even more vital, the parental inspiration to enquire into knowledge that really matters...in my humble opinion as a former teacher.

 

I'm quite proud to be an historical resource, even if that cheeky sod, Mayfield, terms me a relic. Of course, I'm not as superannuated as he and when I am, I'll be a holy relic! 

[philmayfield 5,530]

It seemed appropriate as I was sitting in a cafe at Hemswell Antiques surrounded by old things. I bought a couple as well. I love antique shops - feel quite at home there.

 

[siddha 804]

Both of you need to think about the children and what and how they should learn.

 

 

[Jill Sparrow 9,678]

As a former teacher, what the children learned or, to be more accurate, the topics they studied and the specific learning aims and outcomes, was determined by the National Curriculum, not by the teaching staff. How they learned was, or should have been, tailored to their individual optimum mode of learning. It is a teacher's job to discover what that is and differentiate accordingly.  Teaching is not an easy task, although it is the easiest thing in the world to tell those whose profession it is, glibly, how it should be undertaken!

[siddha 804]

Jill you are right it remains one of the most difficult jobs to do effectively. I taught and encouraged learning for many years. Your use of the magic word differentiation has bought many memories of turbulent staff meetings when colleagues wrestled with the requirement to differentiate. Grouping achieved some but to differentiate for individuals in classes of 30+ that was demanding and in the minds of some impossible.

[Jill Sparrow 9,678]

At teacher training college, there was one particular lecturer (as big as a pennorth of coppers would describe her perfectly) with an outsize ego. Her mantra was, "I hear and I forget, I see and I remember, I do and I understand," which is actually a quote from Confucius.  We were told to keep this in mind at all times.

 

It may be true of some people but by no means all, myself included. Hence the need for differentiation.

 

Of the lecturer concerned, it may be said that there was more of confusion than Confucius about her lectures. As that other sage (my father) was often heard to say, "Those who can, do. Those who can't....teach!"  

[philmayfield 5,530]

In my extensive experience ‘those who can, do. Those who can’t become plumbers.

[Beekay 4,422]

A similar adage......"Definition of a doctor=is a failed St.Johns ambulance man".

[philmayfield 5,530]

I always thought they were wannabe doctors. SJAB seems to attract some weird people. Apologies to those on here who are members!

[siddha 804]

8 hours ago, Jill Sparrow said:

At teacher training college, there was one particular lecturer (as big as a pennorth of coppers would describe her perfectly) with an outsize ego. Her mantra was, "I hear and I forget, I see and I remember, I do and I understand," which is actually a quote from Confucius.  We were told to keep this in mind at all times.

Cripes I remember little from Training College Days the mantra you cite is  good and it resonates with the work done by Sugata Mitra in New Dehli in the 90s they did extensive research in self-directed learning, in many places and through many cultures. Each time, the children were able to develop deep learning by teaching themselves. It was called Minimally Invasive Education (MIE) or the Hole in the Wall. 

I think the lecturer was right the best learning is through doing but our classrooms provide limited opportunities for doing many things.

I look back on teaching and children learning with pleasure but am pleased not to be doing it now.

 

 

 

[Jill Sparrow 9,678]

There can be no gainsaying that the most effective learning is that which we do for ourselves. This cannot take place unless we discover the optimum means of achieving it, the motivation to achieve it and the opportunity to achieve it. Vital, as part of this process, is learning how to think, as opposed to what to think (indoctrination).  Sadly, not every child on this planet has these means available.

[Marrowman 14]

I found this picture of Berridge Road infants in 1960. I hope that you can see it as I found it very difficult to load as the maximum size for a file on this website is only 50kb which is really small. (Sorry to gripe!). Anyway, I was 5 years old at the time of this picture. I lived on Middlothian Terrace which was behind Gregory Boulevard. The street is long gone. I was only at Berridge Road for a few months as Mam and Dad managed to get a brand new council house at Bestwood. It was quite an upheaval moving as all the rest of the family lived in and around Hyson Green. Grandma and Grandad lived on Pleasant Row and I remember they had a well in the back garden. Grandad had a garden (they weren't called allotments) on Wilkinson Street to which I absolutely loved going, to help Grandad out. We didn't stay at Bestwood long as Mam and Dad didn't like it there so they managed to get an exchange to Aspley. Me and my brother didn't want to move as we liked playing on the building site where all the new council houses were going up!

I have some pictures of William Crane school but I will see if this message gets through Ok before I post them.

Thanks for letting me join the website.

 

"C:\Users\user\Pictures\Berridge Road Infants 1960.jpg"

[letsavagoo 844]

Welcome to the forum. I was at Berridge and would have been there the same time as you but probably not the same year. You cannot post an image directly on this forum as the file limit makes it impractical. It’s down to cost and paying for facility to host images here.  What you need to do is use one of the image hosting sites to upload your image and then post the link to your picture on here. I use postimage.org which is free and easy to use. If you can’t or don’t want to do that message me and I’ll post it for you. 

[Beekay 4,422]

Welcome to the Twilight zone Marrowman. Hope you are able to share some memories and pick up a few from others. Alas, couldn't  see your picture but there different apps that you can use. I use 'Postimage which I have found more than satisfactory and I would be more than happy to talk you through it. Regards, Beekay.

[Marrowman 14]

Thanks for the advice guys, I will try it in the next day or so. Thanks also for the welcome. 

[MRS B 332]

I can thoroughly recommend Beekay as a tutor in the use of ‘postimage ’. My mentor.

[Cliff Ton 10,011]

12 hours ago, Marrowman said:

Grandma and Grandad lived on Pleasant Row and I remember they had a well in the back garden.

 

This, apparently, is Pleasant Row; obviously named by someone with a sense of humour. I assume these are the fronts of the houses, but it's not obvious.

 

[Jill Sparrow 9,678]

Welcome @MarrowmanFrom another former Berridge pupil.  I would love to see the photo although I didn't darken the doors of Berridge until the beginning of 1962. My sister was still there in 1960.  As to Pleasant Row, my father as an apprentice worked for a man who was born there: Alfred Sheen. It may have overlooked what was still a very rural area when first built and, therefore, been considered pleasant.

[Marrowman 14]

I'll try to post the Berridge Road photo later, looking after the granddaughter at the moment! Re Pleasant Row, I don't remember what the street looked like apart from the church on the corner which is still there. I notice that the terrace has some lace makers windows at the top. I think that they've all gone now, replaced by 1960s style housing. 

[Marrowman 14]

Hello, I have installed postimage on my computer now but I still can't attach the image as it says the file is too big. So I'm back to square one! Has anyone  got any ideas?

 

[Beekay 4,422]

Mm., what device are you using? I'll try and talk you through it. B.

[Cliff Ton 10,011]

Are you looking at the text at the bottom of the reply box..........where you see a paper clip and "Drag files here to attach....."  ?

 

Ignore that. If you're using Postimage you don't use the paper clip at all.