At some time during the last decade - I’m not sure how, but it probably had something to do with that Woodhead man - the activity known as “colouring in” became the shorthand for everything bad in education. The antithesis of good practice. Diametrically opposed to standards-driven, objectives-based teaching.
Personally, I’ve always liked a bit of colouring in, and so did my classes. Not enormous amounts - moderation in all things - but 15 minutes with the crayons now and then never seemed to do any harm. Perhaps it even did some good.
For a start, it’s an effective way of keeping a child or group quietly engaged while you’re busy with the others. I know there are more educationally valid ways of keeping children busy, but organising them takes ages - especially in infant classes. Colouring in involves a minimum of instruction. It can also be motivating: a modicum of effort usually results in a satisfactory “finished product”, of which the child feels proud.
It’s mindless, of course, but then sometimes it’s good to do mindless things. They provide time for quiet reflection, during which newly-acquired ideas can seep into one’s brain. I’m sure the current craze for chasing targets and objectives every living minute of the day isn’t healthy.
That’s not to say objectives aren’t a good thing. Indeed, there are a number of objectives for which I’d prescribe a spot of colouring in. It develops children’s hand-eye coordination and fine motor control. It also develops their self-control.
I think it’s time colouring in was rehabilitated. It would do us all good to sit quietly for 10 minutes, scratching away with our crayons, keeping inside the lines, and mulling over what we should have learned from the past few years: that too much emphasis on structure, standards, objectives and pace can be just as damaging as too little.
