#commonhouse

This month we have two exciting events coming up...

 Grace Lee Boggs Fillm Screening and social evening

 23rd June at the Common House, which is 5e Pundersons Gardens, Bethnal Green, London E2 9QG (5 minutes from Bethnal Green tube).

We’ve been meaning to screen this film for a few months now! Here it is!

American Revolutionary follows the inspiring life and drive of Grace Lee Boggs. Boggs was a Chinese American philosopher, writer and activist who lived through some of the major social movements of the last century in the United States, including the labour movement, civil rights movement, black power, Asian-American justice movements, feminisms and the environmental justice movement. The film explores her life and philosophy, rooted in the ideas that as reality changes, the ideas which fuel us have to evolve as well, and that “to make a revolution, people must not only struggle against existing institutions; in order to change/transform the world, they must change/transform themselves”.

The Radical Education Forum is a group of people working in a wide range of educational settings who meet monthly to discuss radical pedagogical theories and techniques and contemporary issues of interest to those involved in education. 

As school children and teachers’ mental health and wellbeing reaches a critical breaking point, the world of education needs to become a revolutionary space, and the rights of children a new frontier in social justice movements as a baseline for all others. We hope that this film will inspire us as actors in our struggle and engagement.

The event will run from 6pm – 10pm giving plenty of time to meet and talk before and after. The film will be screened at 7pm. Feel free to bring food, and we’ll be joined afterwards by Ros, Dave and Les  who’ll be singing for THE NATIONAL INTEREST! For their songs, see https://niband.wordpress.com

The event is free, but we’ll be collecting donations to support the Common House.

Click here to view the film trailer.

  Radical Education Forum: Beyond the Exam Factory

 Our next Forum event will take place on 25th June, 7-9 pm at the Common House, which is 5e Pundersons Gardens, Bethnal Green, London E2 9QG (5 minutes from Bethnal Green tube).

 We are excited to invite a Terry Wrigley as a guest speaker for this evening. Terry is editor of a new book 'Beyond the Exam Factory' published by the More Than A Score coalition. The key argument is that assessment in English schools is not designed to help children learn but to police schools and teachers. It does untold damage in the process: it causes stress to children, demoralises teachers, and provides little useful information to parents. It narrows the curriculum and penalises schools in the most disadvantaged areas.

 This book was put together to open up real alternatives. It draws on a wealth of experience and expertise over many decades, in England and internationally. It presents examples of a wide range of assessment methods which have been eclipsed or forgotten due to the pressures of 'accountability'. Primary schools are a particular focus, but examples come from - and are relevant to - all age groups. 

 Copies of the book will be available at just £2 each, or can be downloaded from https://morethanascore.org.uk/beyond-the-exam-factory-free-book/