Australian Students Slipping Behind

[icyfroth]

A new report comparing Australian high school students with 65 other countries shows the nation is slipping further behind in maths and reading skills.

The 2012 Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) measures the mathematics, reading and science skills of half a million 15-year-olds from around the world.

It found Australian teens placed equal 17th in maths, equal 10th in reading and equal 8th in science.

Asian countries like China, Singapore, Korea and Japan are pulling ahead of Australian students in maths and reading.

The results show Australian students are slipping in maths performance by about a half a year of schooling compared to 10 years ago.

ACER's director of educational monitoring and research, Dr Sue Thomson, says gender, Indigenous status and socio-economic status still divide student outcomes.

"Australia has slipped backwards to the type of gender disparity that was seen decades ago, and the performance scores of girls coupled with a number of particularly negative motivational attitudes puts Australia further away from providing all students with the same educational opportunities," Dr Thomson said.

Results back Government's plan to focus on teachers, says Pyne

Education Minister Christopher Pyne says Labor's education policies have been in place for most of the decade and they have now been shown as a spectacular failure.

"Today's report card shows that for all the billions spent on laptops and school halls, there is still no evidence of a lift in outcomes for students."

"Despite spending 44 per cent more on education funding over the past decade, results are still in decline.

"This clearly shows that more funding does not equate to better outcomes."

The Federal Government will go ahead with Labor's Gonski plan from next year but will only commit to four years of funding.

Mr Shorten says it needs to get on board for the full six years.

"It's time to implement Gonski in full. It's time to stop the political games and bandaid solutions and get on board giving the next generation of Australians the best start in life."

However:

Kevin Donnelly from the Education Standards Institute says he is not surprised by the results.

"We have in fact been in trouble, if you like, for many, many years.

"We have trouble with disruptive classrooms...[and] we don't allow our teachers to mentor one another and to help one another. In places like Singapore, they actually respect teachers, children respect teachers, they are well-resourced.

"They have a lot more time to learn from one another and to improve classroom practice."

He says the debate is not only about funding.

"Money is important, but it gets back to a rigorous curriculum, effective teaching practice, good teacher training - so there are a few things we can look at there."

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Good Old Labor, think if they throw enough (of the taxpayers) money at a problem, it will go away.

...

[polksaladallie]

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@lakeland27 wrote:

i'd be surprised if they didn't give in. the pressure would wear most people down. much easier to say 'yes yes whatever you say mrs mfp''

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The report card would make interesting reading.  

[*crikey*mate*]

Yes. Yes it does.

When you count on your fingers you slow down your brain.

If you form the habit of counting on your fingers, it is a very difficult habit to break (you can throw blocks and rods or bottle tops away, but you can't really cut off a kids fingers) and this reliance on fingers results in slower processing speed than is required to do higher level math.

[*crikey*mate*]

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@lakeland27 wrote:

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@my*favourite*poster wrote:

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@lakeland27 wrote:

i'd be surprised if they didn't give in. the pressure would wear most people down. much easier to say 'yes yes whatever you say mrs mfp''

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so you condone teaching a child to count on their fingers? Learn their multipication tables on their fingers? And to rely on a calculator for functions that can be performed with greater speed and equal accuracy with their brain?

You believe that a kid cannot do calculus and beyond without a calculator?

I suppose you also think it ok for a teacher to put the word "guage" on the spelling list and then mark the child wrong because they spelled it correctly.

Or for a teacher to keep a child in at lunch time to show the teacher how to do the math for the next math class.

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i didn't say that crikey. i was merely commenting on what a terrier you can be, not necessarily a bad thing.

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ok, my apologies.

[cherples]

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@my*favourite*poster wrote:

Yes. Yes it does.

When you count on your fingers you slow down your brain.

If you form the habit of counting on your fingers, it is a very difficult habit to break (you can throw blocks and rods or bottle tops away, but you can't really cut off a kids fingers) and this reliance on fingers results in slower processing speed than is required to do higher level math.

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Who counts on fingers?

In all my years I've never seen a single teacher encourage anyone to count on fingers.   😄

You seem to have all the luck with finding those in the public systems who are lousy at their jobs and don't care about your kids.  

[*crikey*mate*]

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@polksaladallie wrote:

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@lakeland27 wrote:

i'd be surprised if they didn't give in. the pressure would wear most people down. much easier to say 'yes yes whatever you say mrs mfp''

---

The report card would make interesting reading.  

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The only report card that matters is the grade 9 and 10 ones, as these determine what subjects you are allowed to take in grades 10. and then from grade 10 into senior.

as long as your kid can do the work, it is irrelevant what the report card says they can do.

[fourandsixpants]

ref. fav "...Paints, what methods did you apply to get success with your students for Math and Literacy?"

......................................................................................................................................................................................................................

ref. maths when teaching lower to middle primary.........I went against departmental policy (tsk tsk!) and regularly got 'ticked off' by the principal for this but WITH enthusiastic parental support I regularly handed out times tables every fortnight from memory, to be learnt ROTE style - at home every night(either after doing their reading or some parents blu tac'd to children's bed head.....), we sang them in the morning, often again before lunch and before going home. Only took a few minutes every day. Kids love singing and LOVE learning their times tables.

I was a horrific tyrant!

The key to maths is knowing ones times tables 'off by heart'....the understanding comes.

re. literacy......read, read, read everything and anything..........if a child refuses to do their reading from prescribed 'reader' at home get smart!

Buy different cereal packs for breakfast. Make a habit of sitting down for breakfast or any/all meals (be rude!) and take turns reading cereal boxes out aloud. Read out TV guide.....comic books .....fashion mags......fishing books......JUNK MAIL esp toy brochures=BRILLIANT for this and cost nothing.

For school time reading I used to find out interests of each child esp those with reading issues then 'tempt' them with juicy material, stuff they are busting to read:)....it is important to hear a child read EVERY day. Parent helpers and retired folk volunteered to spend time in the class. Most were given the task of listening to the students read. Not just the poor readers but ALL the students.

Even when I did relief teaching I used to do the tables and the oral reading bit. Old habits die hard I guess.

....but the most important thing, at home and at school is 'TIME' given by parent/s care givers and teachers to the children/students to listen to the reading and listen/correct the t/tables.... as they cannot learn skills on their own . The smaller the classes the more time a teacher can devote to each student.

[*crikey*mate*]

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@cherples wrote:

---

@my*favourite*poster wrote:

Yes. Yes it does.

When you count on your fingers you slow down your brain.

If you form the habit of counting on your fingers, it is a very difficult habit to break (you can throw blocks and rods or bottle tops away, but you can't really cut off a kids fingers) and this reliance on fingers results in slower processing speed than is required to do higher level math.

---

Who counts on fingers?

In all my years I've never seen a single teacher encourage anyone to count on fingers.   😄

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oh.

ok, it mustn't happen then, my mistake.

apologies.

[izabsmiling]

MFP wrote : because, often by highschool, the gaps are too large to fill in 6 weeks.

that is the first sentence of your post after paints back there . what are you referring to ...'because' what ?

[*crikey*mate*]

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@paintsew007 wrote:

ref. fav "...Paints, what methods did you apply to get success with your students for Math and Literacy?"

......................................................................................................................................................................................................................

ref. maths when teaching lower to middle primary.........I went against departmental policy (tsk tsk!) and regularly got 'ticked off' by the principal for this but WITH enthusiastic parental support I regularly handed out times tables every fortnight from memory, to be learnt ROTE style - at home every night(either after doing their reading or some parents blu tac'd to children's bed head.....), we sang them in the morning, often again before lunch and before going home. Only took a few minutes every day. Kids love singing and LOVE learning their times tables.

I was a horrific tyrant!

The key to maths is knowing ones times tables 'off by heart'....the understanding comes.

re. literacy......read, read, read everything and anything..........if a child refuses to do their reading from prescribed 'reader' at home get smart!

Buy different cereal packs for breakfast. Make a habit of sitting down for breakfast or any/all meals (be rude!) and take turns reading cereal boxes out aloud. Read out TV guide.....comic books .....fashion mags......fishing books......JUNK MAIL esp toy brochures=BRILLIANT for this and cost nothing.

For school time reading I used to find out interests of each child esp those with reading issues then 'tempt' them with juicy material, stuff they are busting to read:)....it is important to hear a child read EVERY day. Parent helpers and retired folk volunteered to spend time in the class. Most were given the task of listening to the students read. Not just the poor readers but ALL the students.

Even when I did relief teaching I used to do the tables and the oral reading bit. Old habits die hard I guess.

....but the most important thing, at home and at school is 'TIME' given by parent/s care givers and teachers to the children/students to listen to the reading and listen/correct the t/tables.... as they cannot learn skills on their own . The smaller the classes the more time a teacher can devote to each student.

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I just want to add one thing - we can teach them how to be independent learners though. That skill is priceless. Because then they can learn skills on their own, at their pace and interest/ability level, and not be dependent on someone "feeding them" the information. This allows them to work at their "just right" level, rather than being restricted to the curriculum schedule and would also relieve tremendous pressure on the teachers. Because, when shown how, and given appropriate framework, a child can learn skills on their own.

meant to add - love your approach. are you still teaching?

[izabsmiling]

Paints wrote: 

Get rid of the Westminster system and the American systems .....get curriculi (?) that produces great results and are relevant to our children's needs for their futures......

Get phonics learning back into early childhood classes.

would it  be correct to say..... have 'a curriculum' ?

which produces