Language Is Power - Education Jargon

In education there is no denying that the use of pointless and confusing education jargon is being increasingly forced upon schools and colleges by the government every day. These sets of phrases and buzzwords given by the ‘big man’ are made to make schools seem more professional and ‘on track’ as such with their tasks and learning. It is often ordered that all teachers and students must use this jargon and it also tends to cover up and overlook many real issues in schools. And by this I mean that to parents and communities it may look as though a school is perfect and has no major problems, yet all they see are a few buzzwords printed on an Ofsted report, and really the school’s students are facing real problems and struggling to learn. Many of the phrases used are vague and frequently changed to please the parents and the media, which makes it very hard for teachers and students to understand what is required of them by Ofsted and the government.

Some examples of education jargon that are:

-         “Critical thinking” – which refers to a person who has the ability to analyse something. This phrase can be seen as unnecessary education jargon because it would be much more understandable for both teachers and students to use a phrase such as ‘analytical thinking’ or ‘ability to analyse’, as it is immediately clear what is meant from the phrase when it is read.

-         “Disruptive technology” – which you would think refers to technology such as mobile phones and mp3 players which disrupts a child’s learning. But in fact it refers to technology which revolutionises the way students learn!

-         Acronyms such as “WILF” and “WALT” – I completely support and understand the idea of having a learning objective so all the students and any inspectors know exactly what they will be learning in a lesson. But what I don’t support are acronyms such as the ones stated above which stand for “What I’m Looking For” and “We Are Learning To”. These acronyms are forced upon schools to make it more “clear” what they students will be learning, but in reality there are so many of these different acronyms these days that it’s hard to remember what they all mean, let alone use them to explain something in a classroom!

These are just a few of the annoying jargon placed on schools in order to impress parents and media, but with the list growing faster every day, students and teachers in schools everywhere are finding it harder and harder to keep up and understand what they mean. One of the only ways to get past these confusing buzzwords is to use them when it’s necessary but, for the sake of students, when in the classroom only use phrases if they are easy to understand. It’s inevitable and unavoidable that at some point in everyone’s lives they will come across education jargon, whether it’s as a student or in a profession working in schools. And so the easiest way to protect ourselves from it is let the these new phrases be put in, but carry on using what’s understandable and comfortable for you unless you are in a position where you absolutely have to use buzzwords, because in the end the most important thing is that children and young adults and taught in a way that allows them to be successful.

JCQ Examinations Notice Analysis

Above is a notice written by the JCQ (Joint Council for Qualifications) explaining the rules and regulations that students and exams officers must follow in an exam. This notice is required to be put up inside and outside exam rooms. The purpose of the text its to make sure the students know the rules so that the exam boards, schools and the JCQ are all protected if a students breaks a rule and tries to blame it on the fact that they weren't told the rules and regulations.

At the top of the notice is the JCQ logo, which makes the document official and shows power and authority, suggesting to the people reading it that they must follow the rules. Underneath the logo are all of the exam boards, which also assert authority, as it reminds the students that their exam boards also expect them to follow  the rules. Underneath the exam boards is a message saying 'Warning to Candidates', which suggests that the topic of the notice is serious and reminds the readers to pay attention.

Throughout the notice many modal verbs are used such as 'must and must not', which makes the  message that they are getting across clear and precise, and also shows the power that the JCQ have as they are giving orders. These modal verbs are also in BOLD, which reinforces their message.

Near the bottom of the notice are repeated pictures of phones and bags with crosses over them, which are a visual aid to reinforce the message that students must not take their bags and phones into the exam. Throughout the text lots of information is repeated in order to reinforce the messages and make sure that the students definitely know the rules.

Lastly, the layout of the text also reinforces the formality of the text. For example, the information is bullet-pointed and organised into sub-sections, which suggests that they are trying to convey the information as best as they can rather than hide it.

Tesco Coupon Analysis

Above is the back of a Tesco Clubcard coupon, which displays the terms and conditions for users when using a Tesco Clubcard. The purpose of the text is to prevent liability and protect Tesco from customer complaints etc. In the text is lots of legal jargon, meaning that all the information on the coupon is clear and unambiguous in order to avoid any confusion with customers.

At the top of the coupon you can see the Tesco logo repeated three times. By putting their well-known logo at the top of the coupon Tesco is showing their authority and by repeating the logo they make it clear that it is a Tesco coupon, as it is one of the first things people see when they look at it. The coupon also uses a lot of modal verbs, such as 'are, shall and will not'. These modal verbs make the text assertive and factual, so that the customer knows exactly what they can and can't do with the coupons. There are also orders in the text such as 'Hand this coupon', and 'See online', which are very precise and make sure that the reader knows exactly what to do. There are also words representing exclusion and restraint in the text, such as 'only', which shows Tesco's power and authority over the customers.

Lastly, the presentation of the text also contributes to how the coupon is read. For example, the information in the text is bullet-pointed but in a paragraph, which means that it takes up less space, and so Tesco have protected themselves from customer complaints without having to spend lots of money on printing. But presenting the information in this way also means that people are less likely to read it because information displayed in this way seems like a lot more to read than if it was set out in a normal bullet-pointed list.

Passport Leaflet Analysis

Above is a copy of the leaflet that in the past was posted to people along with their new passports. The leaflet informs the reader about things they need to know before they go on holiday and particularly focuses on travel insurance and how important it is to make sure the travel insurance policies provide certain things (such as medical bills, bringing bodies home in the event of a death and bringing family home in the case of an illness/injury).

In the leaflet, many language levels and graphology features are used to enforce the idea that the leaflet is important, official, and that the office that made it have power. 

Firstly, on the front page of the leaflet (the middle section of the photo above), a large, zoomed-in photo of a passport is displayed to highlight what the text is about. And there is also a bold title ('CHECKLIST FOR TRAVELLERS') which is in capitals and in a different font to the rest of the text on that page. This draws the readers attention to the front cover and makes them read the title so they know exactly what the leaflet is about and that it is trying to help the reader. On the front cover there is also a logo for the 'Foreign & Commonwealth Office' which is the office that sent and produced the the leaflet. The font used for this logo inserts the idea of the authority and that the office is official. The logo itself includes a lion, unicorn and a crown, which enforces the idea that it is British and that they are powerful. This logo is also repeated on the back cover of the leaflet (the left section of the leaflet), which enforced even further that they are powerful and can assert authority. The repetition of the logo also reminds the reader of the formality and important of the text.

Next, on the right hand section of the leaflet, there is a 'checklist for travellers', with a sub-heading of 'KNOW BEFORE YOU GO'. This phrase rhymes and so is easy to remember and light-hearted, which makes the the text a bit more personal. Underneath the sub-heading is a bullet-pointed list. Listing the information in bullet-points breaks the text down and makes it easier for the reader to read as it looks like less writing than if the text was written in one big bulky paragraph. The beginning of every point in the list starts with either 'check, get, or tell', which are all imperative verbs which means that they give orders, these make the reader realise the importance of the orders and information that are given. In one of the points, there is a website address which included '.gov.uk'. This implies that the website given is government run, official and trustworthy, which makes the reader think that they should follow the information given by the website and leaflet. 

Finally, on the back page of the leaflet (the left side of the photo above), there is an advertisement advertising travel insurance from Halifax.This is a carefully placed advertisement because the leaflet focuses a lot on travel insurance, and then features an advertisement guiding you in the direction to get travel insurance, making it easier  for the reader and more likely that the reader will get travel insurance. On the advert is the question 'Want to save money on your travel insurance?' which implies that Halifax assumes that the reader is going to get travel insurance anyway, so they will help them get it for a cheaper amount. Also, having a Halifax advertisement on the leaflet suggests to the reader that the government approve of the company and it seems like they are almost recommending Halifax (even though in reality Halifax's advert probably got picked over other company's adverts because Halifax offered to pay the government the most money).