We were tasked with making recommendations for English and mathematics in the primary and intermediate school years. This focus was to ensure that deep problems in the teaching of early-years literacy and mathematics are addressed swiftly. As Minister Stanford is well aware, each year that passes without reform sees another cohort of young people sold short. Later we were asked also to consider the first two secondary years.
Minister Stanford made it clear that she wants a knowledge-rich curriculum, informed by the science of learning.
Perhaps the most general educational principle from the science of learning is that knowledge that is essential to later learning must be reliably consolidated in long-term memory before attempting to build on it. Failure to do that risks overwhelming students’ short-term ‘working’ memory, leading to feelings of confusion, frustration and, eventually, demotivation.
This principle guided many of the MAG’s recommendations.
One recommendation was for a carefully sequenced curriculum, specifying rich, but carefully selected knowledge. Teachers cannot teach everything. The curriculum must therefore be selective. It must ensure that truly foundational knowledge is emphasised. Careful sequencing ensures that knowledge is learned in an appropriate order and in sufficient depth to support further learning.
We also recommended merging the curriculum and common practice model in one document. That will ensure close correspondence between the knowledge to be taught and effective ways of teaching it. The teaching of early literacy, especially, will benefit from this approach.
The MAG’s report was made public early last week, and the Minister has approved most of its recommendations. Writing of the English and mathematics curricula is now well underway.
Wider curriculum reform is also in train. Last week, the Ministry of Education called for nominations to write the science curriculum. Other subjects will follow. The principles the MAG recommended will guide the writers in each subject.
There is much water to go under the bridge before our school system is restored to its world-beating heights of the mid-twentieth century. Many devils will lurk in the detail of implementation. Nonetheless, for the first time in two decades, we are rowing in the right direction.
Dr Michael Johnston has held academic positions at Victoria University of Wellington for the past ten years. He holds a PhD in Cognitive Psychology from the University of Melbourne. This article was published HERE
Minister Stanford made it clear that she wants a knowledge-rich curriculum, informed by the science of learning.
Perhaps the most general educational principle from the science of learning is that knowledge that is essential to later learning must be reliably consolidated in long-term memory before attempting to build on it. Failure to do that risks overwhelming students’ short-term ‘working’ memory, leading to feelings of confusion, frustration and, eventually, demotivation.
This principle guided many of the MAG’s recommendations.
One recommendation was for a carefully sequenced curriculum, specifying rich, but carefully selected knowledge. Teachers cannot teach everything. The curriculum must therefore be selective. It must ensure that truly foundational knowledge is emphasised. Careful sequencing ensures that knowledge is learned in an appropriate order and in sufficient depth to support further learning.
We also recommended merging the curriculum and common practice model in one document. That will ensure close correspondence between the knowledge to be taught and effective ways of teaching it. The teaching of early literacy, especially, will benefit from this approach.
The MAG’s report was made public early last week, and the Minister has approved most of its recommendations. Writing of the English and mathematics curricula is now well underway.
Wider curriculum reform is also in train. Last week, the Ministry of Education called for nominations to write the science curriculum. Other subjects will follow. The principles the MAG recommended will guide the writers in each subject.
There is much water to go under the bridge before our school system is restored to its world-beating heights of the mid-twentieth century. Many devils will lurk in the detail of implementation. Nonetheless, for the first time in two decades, we are rowing in the right direction.
Dr Michael Johnston has held academic positions at Victoria University of Wellington for the past ten years. He holds a PhD in Cognitive Psychology from the University of Melbourne. This article was published HERE
7 comments:
This all sounds like positive, restorative work to get our children educated as we used to be. As for all moving forward together though, I suspect there will be far too many in the Ministry of Education who will stall, dilute and obstruct any real change.
A thorough clean out of the ideologues in the MoE needs to happen in parallel with any curriculum changes.
Methods of and to the mid 20th century and somewaht beyond were genrally successful. Are detailed syllabus and teaching guides still available? A huge complication today is behaviour and the hugely limited ability to deal with, including absenteesism. The very pervasive imagine colonisation theme provides justification for many to not effectively particpateRreducing the preoccupation with matters maori will increase the attraction of the profession to the objective type of teacher better suited to effective teaching of essential fact.
It strikes me that this committee looked at basic education viz the first 10 years of compulsory schooling. Curricular commonality and basic skills tend to predominate (and so they should). These are what those of us who apply the Human Capital model refer to as 'internal efficiency' issues. 'External efficiency' refers to the outcomes of education in the world outside the classroom or lecture theatre. Could we please at some stage move on to a reappraisal of upper secondary schooling where we find specialised curricula and the gateway to tertiary education and career-specific pathways. This exercise will have to involve inputs from tertiary education providers, labour market analyses, and tracer studies.
I get emails from customers, who have no idea how to format a sentence. The emails are mainly in pidgin or text language. This shows how well our education system is working.
My perspective is involving parents which was part of NZ's rich educational heritage. Literacy is the quintessential element of all schooling and far too important to be monopolized by any group or institution. In NZ, in the the 1930s to 50s before Progressive Education, the phonic methods and reading books were owned by parents and home based. Everyone involved with children at the infant level (ages 4-7years) was actively encouraged to participate in the reading process. Consequently many children arrived at school being able to read and also those children who were less able had the school coupled with the home resources to help them achieve. This included extended family and friends.
It was academia of the the 1950s who destroyed this lovely synergy by insisting parents couldn't be teachers and to leave teaching of infant reading up to the 'professionals' who unfortunately forced the ineffective 'whole word' method onto beginner readers along with the school owning the books and using educabble technical terms to assert their superiority.
My mother, in teaching thousands, of remedial, beginner and extension reading students taught the parents ,including semi literate parents how to teach their own children as she had done in the 1930s and 40s. She used structured workbooks and readers which were also used in NZ state schools in the 1950s and 60s.
Most pf the books of NZ's golden age of literacy and general education were purged from schools, into landfills by the education Department. Many were in mint condition. Progressivism ,with all the fervour of religious fanaticism is a toxic movement which determined its ideology was to be the only true way forward.
This ideology included the foolish and sentimental child centered idea from Rousseau of the 18th century that dictates children are mostly to determine what and how they learn. This has destroyed sensible discipline as well as our previously high academic standards at all levels.
Easiest solution - make school optional. Those who aspire to pre colonialism are then free to live sad miserable lives. No welfare though as that is a colonial concept and is not available to those who opt out.
Good stuff and all the best with the delivery. I also agree with "Valid Point", for a draining of the swamp is, indeed, needed if we really want to succeed.
As for Anon@1.28pm, I have to admit that such is very tempting and perhaps an appropriate response to the likes of that cowboy hatted clown, Waititi.
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