21.3.14 Green Is The New Red

For as long as anyone can remember, there have been (for very good reasons) connotations with the use of red, amber/yellow and green.  Red is a colour that can be associated with 'danger', and so is adopted for many warning signs, and is also linked with 'hot', 'stop', wrong, and a general highlighting of a problem. Green, on the other hand, is linked with 'go', 'good', 'all clear', 'pass', and has a general 'no problem' association.  This very simple arrangement serves us all rather well, most obviously when we approach traffic lights, but in other areas as well.  When I see a red flag, I know I ought not to swim.  If I get a bill that's red, I pay it rather quickly.

I have heard a long long time ago the view that green ink is considered kinder to those having their work marked, especially in school, but there is a severe danger that this will simply lessen the message that is passed on to those whose work is below standard.

Teachers at a school in Penzance have been told not to use red ink when marking work, because red is a 'negative' colour.  Instead, they are expected to use green ink, with the pupils making any comments in purple.  Now, as colour schemes go, I can't really say I endorse any use of purple ink when blue and black have always been used for the writing and red has always been the colour used for corrections and marking.  In Penzance (and probably in many other areas of the country as well) there are pupils who are confused.

The headteacher has come out with the rather wet rambling of:

"Students make more progress if it is a dialogue and the new system is designed to help that."

How wonderful, that there can be a multi-coloured dialogue for pupils to engage in.  She goes on:

"A lot of primary schools are already using a similar system amazingly well and I think it was felt that red ink was a very negative colour."

I am struggling with Ms Davey's use of tenses, because if red was a negative colour, then surely it still is?  Anyway, the sentence construction is fucked, because "red ink" is not a colour; "red" is a colour, and "ink" is a liquid that can be any one of various colours, one option being red.  Thus, I think the better construction would have been and one of:

. . . it was felt that red is a very negative colour
. . . it was felt that the use of red ink is very negative
. . . it was felt that red ink has very negative connotations
. . . it was felt-tipped pens that signalled the end of school standards

Sorry, I made the last one up on the spur of the moment.  What is without dispute is that green is associated with 'good' and 'positive', so using it instead of red to highlight something that is incorrect and negative is hardly helpful. Would any twat ever design signs at a level crossing as follows?

  STOP                GO  

I think not.  Fortunately we have Professor Michael Reiss from the Univerity of London's Institute of Education to help us all out, with the wonderful confirmation that:

"If schools start using green ink to criticise students' work, green may become the new red."

Thanks, prof. - that's so helpful.

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