Greg Whitby, the Executive Director of Schools for the Catholic Diocese of Parramatta had an interesting article in the Wentworth Courier, 31 August 2016, p25. Greg noted the rise of students being stressed and unhappy due to school pressures. Alarmingly he sees this as not a local issue but "...fast becoming a global one." He indicated the views of many experts who "...cite the overemphasis on testing, ranking students by test performance and the one size fits-all approach to schooling as key reasons for unnecessary strain on students, which eventually kills young people's love of learning." Even more alarming Greg points out that "...Students are expected to be at a certain level by a certain age." We who have been in the game for many years know this extant pressure. He cites some schools that are "...replacing external exams with more flexible assessment tasks in an attempt to get students to think critically about their own learning and the steps they need to to take to improve." He sees this approach as matching learning to the needs of the learner rather than wanting "...learners to conform to one standard at a given time."
Good on you Greg I couldn't agree more. I have worried for a long time about the pressure as students move on to a new year largely based on their age yet with a worrying proportion having gaps in the prerequisites for the new learning for that new year. In my experience all competent teachers also worry about this but find it very difficult when there are many pressures to grade students A, B, C, D and E. Then across Australian schooling NAPLAN was born and more pressure became a reality. There is another way and with all due modesty I am currently setting this out in my small practical book on what makes an effective school : not quite ready, but in near final draft form. I have moments when I lose heart with the book but at this stage am determined to finish it and get it out there probably in digital form.
Then on the flight home from my holiday I came across an article by Kelsey Munro, "Less homework, shorter days: the Finnish touches," The Sydney Morning Herald, 2 September 2016, p14. So much has been written lately about the Finnish schools which I learned from this article are mostly public schools with few private school offerings. In fact Munro reported that they don't fund independent schools with the local public schools receiving everything that they need. Munro cites Chris Presland President of the NSW Secondary Principals' Council, the peak body for public high school principals, as being critical of the recently reported "'political interest and gnashing of teeth' around the recently reported plateauing of NAPLAN results. He was very critical of federal Education Minister Simon Birmingham's "...criticism of Australian schools' plateauing NAPLAN results. Mr Birmingham said the results were 'not good enough'." Mr Presland is then quoted as follows: "I think anyone serious in the game knows that's a silly comment. It's a politically driven statement attempting to justify the non implementation of the Gonski reforms,..." Mr Presland is cited as noting that Australia ranks in the top 20 and Finland consistently in the top 5 in international PISA rankings. He further indicates that Finland seemingly doesn't give much credence to their PISA rankings, having minimal focus on external test data.
Munro indicates that the NSW Secondary Principals' Council argues that along with NAPLAN results the following "...non-cognitive measures of school success.." should be published:
- Parent or student satisfaction; and
- Attendance rates.
Such measures are seen as "...an indication if students are engaged and enjoying school," ......"...which is far more important in terms of what schools are trying to do overall."
Again I agree, especially with the indicator of student satisfaction. Such an indicator is available from the trend of Australian schools applying a focus on student wellbeing as well as academic performance. In broad terms the vital indicators of academic performance are the daily assessment of student performance on the prescribed curriculum whatever that may be. Hopefully within Australia the evolving Australian National Curriculum (ANC) is receiving strong running as the preferred curriculum. In some states this will be the ANC with local state adjustments as is the constitutional right of Australian states and territories, who have the responsibility for compulsory education of the young within their borders.
At primary school level I do not hold to ratings like Above satisfactory, Satisfactory and Below satisfactory as in the work samples of the ANC, but acknowledge that these are important for teachers as guides to performance standards. Typical school reports have rated A, B, C, D and E and again I do not hold to this. Parents need to know that the syllabuses are being covered and that in the normal course of the student learning experiences teachers are probing to ascertain the depth of knowing, understanding and doing that is being achieved. The more detailed assessment ratings will come alive at secondary school level. I have much more to say about all of this in my small book.
I would add to the regular school reports a separate statement on how each student is doing in achieving basic literacy and numeracy rather than this only being embedded in the report sections of English and mathematics. I suspect that parents would welcome this separate information being reassured that their children will be able to cope with the English language and mathematical requirements needed to function as adults in society by the time they leave school. No more illiterate and innumerate high school graduates. Digital literacy might be included here.
On the matter of less homework I am an unashamed advocate of no homework at primary school level except for reading practice in the early childhood years. The French have banned homework at primary level in their state (public) schools. I am ambivalent about shorter days but am strong on the view that effective high school teachers show their students the value of maximum effort during school hours thus reducing homework loads. Study is another matter and should take up most of the home time school work at secondary school level.
Enough already!
GD
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