Pyne tackles 'bias' in classrooms with national curriculum review

[nero_bolt]

ABOUT TIME... The lefties and the greens will hate this and the left teachers and unions will hate it as well..... GOOD hope they do as its about time the left and labor and the unions and teachers stoped brain washing our children with their twisted left views and we got back to values and teaching our kids properly...... 

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THE Abbott government has moved to reshape school education by appointing strong critics of the national curriculum to review what children are taught, amid fears a "cultural Left" agenda is failing students.

The Education Minister, Christopher Pyne, is seeking a blueprint by mid-year to overhaul the curriculum, warning that the rise of "remedial" classes at universities proves the depths of the problem in Australian classrooms.

Vowing to restore an "orthodox" curriculum, Mr Pyne named author and former teacher Kevin Donnelly and business professor Ken Wiltshire this morning to lead the review.

The appointments clear the way for reforms that could expunge parts of the history syllabus that Tony Abbott has blasted for favouring Labor and the unions but glossing over the work of Coalition prime ministers.

Mr Donnelly is a fierce critic of the "relativism" in the teaching program, while Professor Wiltshire has rejected the emphasis on "competencies" and urged a sharper focus on knowledge and assessment.

The looming changes could spark another "culture war", given past brawls, including John Howard's criticism in 2007 of the "shameful" neglect of Australian history and the disputes over Julia Gillard's introduction of the national curriculum in 2010.

Writing in The Australian today, Mr Pyne declares that parents want a curriculum that is "free of partisan bias" and deals with real-world issues.

Concerns about the teaching program have deepened in recent years as the nation lost ground in global assessments of reading, maths and science, putting Australian students behind their counterparts in Vietnam, Poland and Estonia.  (all under Julia and labor and the billions they threw at the system only to fail) 

Canberra and the states agreed on changes to the curriculum last year but the new review throws open the debate to the public, allowing for wider consultation and possibly the holding of open hearings.

Mr Pyne said he expected the states to accept the need for change, given signs of the problems with the current curriculum

I think the fact that universities are teaching maths and English remedial courses is a symptom of an education system that isn't meeting the needs of students who go on to university, and that's something the reviewers will be taking a close look at," Mr Pyne said. "The term 'remedial' implies a remedy for a problem and one of the priorities for all governments should be removing the problem."

A key complaint about the curriculum is its emphasis on seven "general capabilities" rather than essential knowledge in fields such as maths, English and history.

Former History Teachers Association president Paul Kiem has warned that this led to a "tick a box" approach to teaching a subject. A similar view was put by NSW Board of Studies president Tom Alegounarias.

Mr Donnelly, a regular contributor to The Australian, has warned against a "subjective" view of culture that neglects the Judeo-Christian values at the core of Australian institutions.

He has also savaged a civics curriculum that teaches that "citizenship means different things to different people at different times", rather than preparing students for an understanding of their responsibilities. "The civics curriculum argues in favour of a postmodern, deconstructed definition of citizenship," he wrote last year.

"The flaws are manifest. What right do Australians have to expect migrants to accept our laws, institutions and way of life?

"Such a subjective view of citizenship allows Islamic fundamentalists to justify mistreating women and carrying out jihad against non-believers."

Mandating a "cultural left national curriculum" would fail students, he wrote.

Professor Wiltshire branded the curriculum a "failure" last January - prior to changes that were put in place last year.

"A school curriculum should be based on a set of values, yet it is almost impossible to determine what values have been explicitly used to design the proposed model," he wrote of the changes under the Gillard government.

"Curriculum should also be knowledge-based, yet we are faced with an experiment that focuses on process or competencies."

Professor Wiltshire also attacked the "astounding devaluation of the book" in modern teaching.

In his outline of the changes, Mr Pyne points to complaints that history classes are not recognising the legacy of Western civilisation and not giving enough prominence to big events in Australian history such as Anzac Day.

Mr Pyne told The Australian yesterday he "most definitely" stood by his past criticisms of the curriculum, including its neglect of business and commerce in the country's history.

"I believe the curriculum should be orthodox and should tell students about where we've come from and why we are the country we are today, so we can shape our future appropriately," he said.

He said he supported the "unvarnished truth" in the curriculum on everything from the treatment of indigenous Australians to political history. "There is little place in a curriculum for elevating relativism over the truth."

Deals with the states are a key factor in the plan after The Australian reported last month that some state education ministers had challenged Mr Pyne over his "command-and-control" approach to the teaching program.

The ministerial talks were held amid the heated debate over the government's shifting position on a $1.2 billion outlay on the Gonski education reforms.

Mr Pyne told The Australian there was a "moral suasion" to improving the teaching program.

"The states, I am sure, would want to implement the best curriculum without a financial incentive to do so," he said.

The current curriculum has three priorities across subjects - indigenous culture, Asia and sustainability - but Mr Pyne questioned their merits.

"It's difficult to see in maths and science how those three themes are necessarily relevant," he said in an interview. "Themes should not be elevated above a robust curriculum."

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/pyne-tackles-bias-in-classrooms-with-national-curri...

[*crikey*mate*]

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@am*3 wrote:

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@izabsmiling wrote:

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@am*3 wrote:

How does any one person, know what every school in Australia has or doesn't have?

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as you can see Am3 , It was Crikey*Mate who made the statement. I don't know how or what she bases her statement on ....best ask her 

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I changed that, just so it is a general question now. 

So Crikey, more Australian History and Western History only is going to fix everything? 

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I think I have said it heaps of times - I don't think thery can fix anything LOL

and the Australia Day thread kinda highlighted the inadequcy of Australian History, don't you think? Some didn't even know why we celebrate that.

[izabsmiling]

Crikey*Mate wrote:I think I have said it heaps of times - I don't think thery can fix anything LOL

I think that's very defeatest .....and on behalf of so many Australian children too

[*crikey*mate*]

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@am*3 wrote:

Are you suggesting that every child in every public school in Australia doesn't get an adequate education?

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No.

(This affects private schools too BTW, this is NOT limited to public schools)

but isn't this an Australian Curriculum?

Isn't it meant for all Australian children?

or is it for some australian children, but not others.

Doesn't every child, especially in Australia, have the right to an equal and just education?

or is that just for some children?

[freakiness]

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@crikey*mate wrote:

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@izabsmiling wrote:

Freaki, I'm at a loss to understand how any regular poster could believe that you (a strong advocate of the NBN) assume that every school has access to the internet 

imo even if all of my children went to private school ...I would be silly to think that the education of other Australian children didn't or couldn't affect me and my family.....seems as though some want to see running a Country as being like running a business only when it suits ....a concept I find incorrect anyway.Not everything a Government pays for with our money brings a return.

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Freaky is the one who posted policy documents that said they would be delivered online, and then asked why that policy was destined for failure.

not everything in business brings a visible return either Iza, So your 2nd paragraph is just ignorant and misinformed.

I don't believe we spend enopugh on education, and I believe that the money we do spend is mismanaged.

but I also accept that we can't spend money that we don't have. I am sure they sometimes do the best that they can with what they have,

If we accept that every child is entitled to an equal and just education, and that every child is ent9itled to access that education, then there is no other conclusaion to draw other than the Australian Curriculum is flawed.

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I didn't post a policy document. I posted a tiny snippet of information from the http://www.acara.edu.au/home_page.html website.

So please tell us, how exactly are you more qualified to judge than those who've been working at developing the curriculum for the past 4 years, including those who are dedicated professional educators?

[*crikey*mate*]

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@freakiness wrote:

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@crikey*mate wrote:

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@izabsmiling wrote:

Freaki, I'm at a loss to understand how any regular poster could believe that you (a strong advocate of the NBN) assume that every school has access to the internet 

imo even if all of my children went to private school ...I would be silly to think that the education of other Australian children didn't or couldn't affect me and my family.....seems as though some want to see running a Country as being like running a business only when it suits ....a concept I find incorrect anyway.Not everything a Government pays for with our money brings a return.

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Freaky is the one who posted policy documents that said they would be delivered online, and then asked why that policy was destined for failure.

not everything in business brings a visible return either Iza, So your 2nd paragraph is just ignorant and misinformed.

I don't believe we spend enopugh on education, and I believe that the money we do spend is mismanaged.

but I also accept that we can't spend money that we don't have. I am sure they sometimes do the best that they can with what they have,

If we accept that every child is entitled to an equal and just education, and that every child is ent9itled to access that education, then there is no other conclusaion to draw other than the Australian Curriculum is flawed.

---

I didn't post a policy document. I posted a tiny snippet of information from the http://www.acara.edu.au/home_page.html website.

So please tell us, how exactly are you more qualified to judge than those who've been working at developing the curriculum for the past 4 years, including those who are dedicated professional educators?

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Freaky, iof those documents are to be delivered online, and some educators/schools don't have access to the internet, then could you please explain to me how they have any chance at making this curriculum work for all Australian Children?

Did you read anything I wrote?

The $24o calculator?

The science equipment?

Access to teachers who speak English?

Computer/internet access?

[freakiness]

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I didn't post a policy document. I posted a tiny snippet of information from the http://www.acara.edu.au/home_page.html website.

So please tell us, how exactly are you more qualified to judge than those who've been working at developing the curriculum for the past 4 years, including those who are dedicated professional educators?

---

Freaky, iof those documents are to be delivered online, and some educators/schools don't have access to the internet, then could you please explain to me how they have any chance at making this curriculum work for all Australian Children?

Did you read anything I wrote?

The $24o calculator?

The science equipment?

Access to teachers who speak English?

Computer/internet access?

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I don't even know where you got the info about $240 calculators from so I'm not about to start arguing about something that may or may not be true.

I don't know of a single school that doesn't have science equipment. I do know of local schools that have got new science labs thanks to the building program. 

I don't believe there are children who don't have access to teachers who speak english.

Most have access to computer and the internet. If there are school communities without access to the internet I'm sure some other means of delivering the information would be used rather than the school community missing out.  I doubt there would be a school community in which nobody had access to the internet in some way.  DVDs can be posted by snail mail until such time as the satellites are available for remote schools.

What makes you more qualified than the professionals who have been working on the curriculum for years?

Are you suggesting we just abandon the lot because a hand full of children don't have the net yet?

It sure comes across that way.

[just_me_karen]

Which school has no Internet? The only ones I know are religious extremist schools and that's by choice to ensure their indoctrination isn't impacted.

Even the most isolated public schools have Internet afaik. Name a school please?

[cherry*135]

I don't believe there are children who don't have access to teachers who speak English.

How on earth would a teacher in Australia get a teaching job if they don't speak English?

[cherry*135]

The whole curriculum wouldn't be required to change IF there were a handful of schools in Australia without internet anyway.

[i-need-a-martini]

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@polocross58 wrote:

An overwhelming majority of Aussies are in favour of Pyne's initiative

just as an overwhelming majority of Aussies are happy with the government's tackling of numerous issues across the board

They're going great

Aussies are relieved to have the Libs at the helm again

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Are they? Well if so then they are being sucked in.

Pyne: "Oh my! We have to change the curriculum because Australian History isn't taught". Sucks everyone in. 

But of course Australian history IS taught. It's just that once he says it then everyone who doesn't have a child in high school believes it to be truth. So it makes it easier for him to slimy his changes in.

Of course, those that have watched Pyne dig holes for himself on Q&A over the last few years will know what his agenda really is - remove negative white history and focus on how great the white invasion was for this country. Ie. Don't talk about invasion, talk about how big business shaped australia. "no ancient history please cause australia is only 100+ years old..."