Hong Kong Baptist University
EDUC 1080
“To Sir, with Love”
Group 2
Keyman Ada Daisy Sandy Carlos Ben Issac
Agenda
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Role play (introduction of the main characters)
Brief introduction of the movie
Highlights in the movie
Scenario and underlying philosophy discussion
Related education issue discussion
Messages from the film
Limitations
Feelings and conclusion
Role Play (1)
Character - Mark Thackeray
 comes from British Guiana
 holds a degree in Communication Engineering
 no prior teaching experience
Role Play (2)
Character - Bert Denham
 student of Thackeray’s class
 troublemaker
 against Thackeray
Role Play (3)
Character - Pamela Dare
 Student of Thackeray’s class
 has a crush on Thackeray
Role Play (4)
Character - Theo Weston
 looks down on the students in North Quay
 doesn’t care about students at all
 discourages Thackeray from being a teacher at North
Quay
Role Play (5)
Character - Gillian Blanchard
 is scared by the students
 supports Thackeray on outings
Brief Introduction of the Movie
It’s about…
 Mark Thackeray’s teaching experience
 Classifying teacher as a temporary job
 Using different teaching methods to teach his
students
 Building trust-relationship between his students
 Abandoning his engineer offer and deciding to be a
teacher
Highlights – Minority under
Education
 Racially discriminated teacher
 Racial discrimination was still existing in UK during 1960s
 A student racially discriminated against Mr. Thackeray unintentionally
 Unprivileged background students
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Came from unprivileged family
Rejected from other schools
Bad discipline and making troubles
Ignoring rules and instructions
Challenging teachers’ authority
Not mature or ripe
 Should they get more support from the society?
Highlights – Teaching Methods
Which one is
better?
At beginnings
After adjustments
Methods
Lectures (traditional and oneway)
Discussions (interactive)
Curriculum
Stick with Curriculum
(topics are restricted)
Free Curriculum
(topics are free)
Materials
Textbooks (limited in classroom) Life experience (field trips)
Focus
Knowledge delivery only
Mutual respect and moral
standard development
Teacher-student
relationship
Strange
Close
Highlights – Curriculum
 Every student was studying under the same
curriculum in the movie.
 They all experienced the same despite their different
interests and abilities.
 The curriculum was not suitable to all students!
(e.g. A fat student was forced to do some exercise which was
unachievable for him! Finally he was injured because of it!)
 Both Pragmatism and Post-modernism reject all students
studying under same curriculum!
Highlights – Learning Experiences
What can students get from their educational experiences?
(Aren’t they similar to pragmatist ideas?)
Learning experiences
Learning outcomes
Attitude
Discussion and Q & A
section in class
Rational
Objective
Calm
Skills
Cooking class
Cooking skills
Knowledge
Visiting Museum
Life-related knowledge
Highlights – Comparison among
Different Teachers
Mr. Thackeray
Mr. Theo
Weston
Miss
Blanchard
Mr. Bell
Respect students
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Effective
organization
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Enthusiastic
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Not mature but
can be changed
Rubbish
Naughty
Students’ nature
Rebellious
Scenario and underlying philosophy
discussion
Let’s watch some video clips and
discuss!!
You will have one minute for each
question to discuss and we will
pick one student to share his/her
group’s opinion within 30 seconds
Scenario 1
 Which Teacher do you agree with?
 Why?
Theo Weston V.S. Mark Thackeray
Idealists:
 Mark Thackeray had high expectations and set high
standards of achievement for their students.
 Theo Weston just regarded them as incorrigible. “They’ll
happily be part of the great London unwashed.”
Realists:
 Mark Thackeray believed all students participant in a
general human nature. He just thought they were naughty
and not good at study.
 Theo Weston showed his bias on those students by using
the word “bastard”.
Theo Weston V.S. Mark Thackeray
Pragmatics:
 Mark Thackeray did not give up teaching the students and
solved the problem positively.
 Theo Weston just complained about the education’s
disadvantage but did not really think about the solution.
Post-modernists:
 Mark Thackeray avoided to use the contumelious words to
refer to the students.
 Theo Weston held the prejudice on students and held the
old canons on these disadvantaged students.
Scenario 2
 Do you support this teaching approach?
 Why?
Yes or No?
Their point
of view
Idealists
Realists
Pragamatists
Postmodernists
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×
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Reasons
Idealists:
 Mr. Thackeray asked his students to perform as adults
by tell them the perfect example of addressing girls
and coming into the classroom.
Realists:
 They believe that subject matter knowledge and
liberal education are for all people regardless of
ethnicity, race, gender, or socioeconomics class. But
Mr. Thackeray taught them things totally different
from the subject matter knowledge.
Reasons
Pragmatics:
 Mr. Thackeray started not to just present and change
the mode of class into interaction. Pragmatics believed
that human intelligence comes through a process of
interaction.
Post-modernists:
 Mr. Thackeray had the courage to break the norm and
used a brand-new method to teaching students. And
tried to give them equal opportunities to speak
themselves out.
Scenario 3
- Student – oriented or teacher
oriented?
 What was/ were the reasons for the teacher
forcing the student to do the exercise which
beyond his ability?
 Was the teacher justified?
Scenario 3
Should the teacher force the student to do the exercise
which is beyond his ability?
Idealism :
Realism :
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Striving for perfection is a desirable
goal.
Decisions should be determined
rationally.
Pragmatism :
Post-modernism :
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People should judge by the
consequence of an action.
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There is no universal truth.
Scenario 4
Creating new curriculum
 What do you think about the lesson? Do
you agree with the importance of life
skills teaching?
Scenario 4
What do you think about the lesson?
Idealism :
Realism :
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Teaching of truths.
Students will have to cook someday
in reality.
Pragmatism :
Post-modernism :
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We should not be afraid of
experiments.
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Deconstruction of the old way of
teaching.
Scenario 5
The moral development
 How do you assess Mr. Thackeray by
watching the video?
Scenario 5
How would you assess Mr. Thackeray after watching the
video?
Idealism :
Realism :
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Inspires students as a role model by
not being angry when injured.
Pragmatism :
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Understand more about the outside
world (going for outings).
Post-modernism :
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To grow means to have more
activities.
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Deconstruction of the old way of
teaching.
Issue-based Discussion
 Let’s discuss some relevant education
issue implied by the movie!!
 You will have one minute for each
question to discuss and we will pick one
student to share his/her group’s
opinion within 30 seconds
Issue-based Discussion (1)
 If education is not for achieving high
grades and going on to University, what
is it for then?
 Attitude? Skills? Knowledge? Any others?
 What do you think?
Different Answers Provided by
Philosophy
 If education is not for achieving high grades and going on to
University, what is it for then?
Idealism :
- Develops the mind and self of
the learners
Realism :
- Prepares practical men and
women of the world
Pragmatism :
- Helps students become more
effective members of the
democratic society (Growth)
Post-modernism :
- Provides equality of
opportuniies, thus encouraging
social and economic mobility
- Produces citizens with critical
thinking abilities
Issue-based Discussion (2)
 Which is the most important role that
teachers should play in education?
 A constructor? A trainer? Knowledge deliverer? A
mentor?
 Or any other role?
 What do you think?
Different Answers Provided by
Philosophy
 Which is the most important role that teachers should play
in education?
Idealism :
- A role model for students to
emulate
- A moral calling
- Skillful questioner who encourages
students to think and ask more
questions facilitating learning
Realism :
- Presents materials systematically
- Encourages the use of objective
criteria
- Be effective and accountable
Pragmatism :
- Identifies the needs of learners and
to serve as a person providing
resources
Post – modernism :
- Inclusive constructer
- Curriculum creator
- Without traditional authority
Issue-based Discussion (3)
 What are reasons accounting for the
misbehavior of students?
 We may take reference from “To Sir, with Love”!
 What do you think?
Different Answers Provided by
Philosophy
 What are reasons accounting for the misbehavior of students?
Idealism :
Realism :
-Poor moral development -Lacking observable role
model
Pragmatism :
-Rebellious nature of
human without
appropriate control
Post – modernism :
-Challenging the cannons
and authorities
Issue-based Discussion (4)
 Should every student study under the
same curriculum?
 We may take reference from “To sir with love”!
 What do you think?
Different Answers Provided by
Philosophy
 Should every student study under the same curriculum?
Idealism :

Realism :
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Pragmatism :
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Post-modernism :

Issue based discussion (5)
(The most open-ended one!)
 Which one do you think is more
important in education? Equity or
Equality?
 We may think about the situation in Hong Kong nowadays!
 What do you think?
Messages from the Movie (1)
Introduction of Holistic education!
 Aim of education is Holistic Education!
 Holistic education/ Whole person education
 The suggestion of “To Sir, with Love” on the
aim of education is similar to that of HKBU!!
Holistic Education
 Finding identity, meaning, and purpose in life (as Mr.
Thackeray explained the meaning of studying in school to his
students)
 Emphasizing experiential learning (field trip to museum)
 Direct engagement with the environment (society)
 Using real-life experiences
 Teacher is not a person of authority, but a friend, a
mentor, a facilitator (Mr. Thackeray as a good example)
 Cooperative learning instead of competitive
 Do you support holistic education?
Holistic Education
 Not about teaching academic knowledge only
 Learn to be a whole person with body, mind,
emotions and spirit (e.g. Adult approach by Mr.
Thackeray)
 Includes a wide range of students of different
learning abilities (e.g. cooking skills)
 A variety of learning approaches to meet their
diverse learning needs (e.g. Q&A and discussion)
Messages from the Movie (2)
Should Meritocracy and Tracking be used?
 The movie reveals the poor situation of the minorities
(both teachers and students) under meritocracy and
tracking
 It is unfair and unjustified that the students with poor
academic performance receive less resources and
opportunities in learning compared with the students
who perform better (Such as the students in the movie
could only study in a school with poor environment)
 Do you agree with the movie producers?
Messages from the Movie (3)
Teaching should be student-oriented!
 Teachers should choose suitable and different teaching
approaches according to the abilities and characteristics
of their students
 “Adult approach” by Mr. Thackeray
 He used student-oriented approach instead of the
traditional teacher-oriented approach (chalk-and-talk
approach)
 (It is similar to both Pragmatism and Post-Modernism!)
 Do you accept these views?
Messages from the Movie (4)
Discovering students’ potentials rather than
instilling knowledge!
 Teachers are responsible for excavating students’
innate abilities rather than instilling skills and
knowledge only
 “The majority of our children could be generally
classified as difficult” Mr. Thackeray
 (It is similar to Post – Modernism!)
 Do you agree with the above messages?
Limitations of the Movie
 Although “To Sir, with Love” can reveal the beliefs
of idealism, realism, pragmatism and postmodernism to a certain extent, it only covers the
western philosophy of education.
 Other important philosophies of education are
absent.
 Traditional Chinese philosophy of education is not
mentioned.
 The Confucian educational theories are important
philosophical theories that we should not neglect
in teaching.
Our feelings(1)
 “ To Sir, with Love is classical and legendary! It
includes plenty of educational issues which worth our
deep discussions and reflections. Although it was
produced in the 1960s, we can still learn much from
the story. I wish to be a teacher as successful as Mr.
Thackeray some day! ” Keyman
Our feelings(2)
 “A teacher should know the students’ situation, what
students really want to know or really want to learn as well
as what is really useful to their future. Teaching students in
accordance with their aptitude practically is important. In
this movie, the teacher Mark Thackeray let the students
learn more practical skills rather than the traditional
knowledge taught in school, which really reminds me of
the original aim of education. In my point of view, the aim
is to let students equip with ability to survive and live a
better life.” Daisy
Our feelings(3)
 “To Sir, with Love is quite interesting and instructive. I
suggest people who want to be a good teacher
should watch this movie. I hope all of us can learn
from Mr. Thackeray.” Isaac
Our feelings(4)
 “To Sir, with Love demonstrates the importance of
learning real-life skills apart from academic
knowledge. It is also surprising how Mr. Thackeray
could change the behavior of his students as
someone without teaching experience and who
initially took teaching only as a temporary job. I think
he is a role model for we prospective teachers.” Ada
Our feelings(5)
 “As a teacher, we should be patient. We cannot lose
our temper because it will put bad influence on
students. Mark Thackeray is a good example. He
shows that we can build trust-relationship between
students if we put more effort on students with
patient.’’ Carlos
Our feelings(6)
 “To sir with love” is really meaningful for us! As a
teacher in future, I think we should learn from Mr.
Thackeray, especially his attitude in education. Mr.
Thackeray let the students ask him everything if they
want. Students can be more interactive and
interested in the classroom. Therefore, I recommend
this movie to all of us!” Sandy
Our feelings(7)
 “This is one of my favorite movies of all time. I can
honestly say that it helped to inspire me to become a
school teacher, because of the influence that one can
have on the lives of young students. In this sense, this
movie is probably the one that had the most
profound effect on my life” Ben
Conclusion
 Variety of philosophical ideas could be found in the
movie! ( Pragmatism, Post – modernism, realism,
idealism)
 Touching story!
 A great role model for us as a teacher!
 A master piece that every teacher should not miss!
References
 http://www.articlesbase.com/educationarticles/realism-in-education-1319851.html
 http://www.parvez-video.com/idealism_theory.asp
 http://www.conti-creations.com/PHIL.htm
 http://oregonstate.edu/instruct/ed416/PP2.html
 http://research.kcg.gov.tw/Upload/EpaperFile/634637
955450822413.pdf
The End
Thank You ~
To you with love!