Page 4756 - Week 15 - Tuesday, 13 December 2005
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than 80 per cent of students achieving at or above level 5, which is within or above the skill range appropriate to their year level.
Literacy and numeracy are the most important skills a student can acquire at school. These results underscore the excellent state of education in the territory and affirm the ACT government’s commitment to ensuring that all students have the opportunities and support to achieve their best.
Our students are performing well at an international level also. As a reminder, 15-year-old students in the ACT equal the performance of the highest achieving nation, Finland, in reading. Also in mathematics, scientific literacy and problem solving, the performance of ACT students equalled that of students in Finland, Hong Kong and Japan—and Japan, of course, scored the highest average performance in international testing in 2003. We have every reason to celebrate the success of our students and teachers based on these figures.
I would like to turn briefly, in the time I have left, to the issue of teaching and learning in the middle years. This has been the subject of some critique—I must say ill-informed—on the part of Mrs Dunne. She has again, in this MPI, taken her typical approach in criticising the recently released ACT study about teaching and learning in the middle years. But it was not a considered critique; rather, it was a rambling diatribe, with nonsensical references to Dante’s Inferno and the Da Vinci Code, selective and contorted misquotes and inflammatory language. In short, it was nothing short of crass political theatre, not aimed at improving educational outcomes but aimed at the dedicated professionals who are doing an outstanding job.
Let us set a few things straight. The document on teaching and learning in the middle years which was launched on 29 November is a response to research that indicates that traditional approaches to learning have not successfully engaged all students in achieving optimal outcomes in their education in the middle years of schooling. The study provides teachers with clear direction and guidelines on how best to meet the needs of young adolescent students. The literature review, which is part of the study, cites a substantial body of research indicating traditional models of educational delivery in the middle years are not adequately meeting the learning needs of students. This is not an issue isolated to the ACT; it is a challenge across the country and across the world.
The study identifies a culture of learning and a culture of relationships as key elements of successful learning for all students in the middle years. Students in this age group need to have a say in their learning, and the study makes clear that this does not mean an abandoning of curriculum essentials or a lowering of academic standards or strong teaching practices. This approach leads to much higher levels of student accountability for their learning, develops a deeper understanding, and brings academic rigour into each student’s learning. Learning becomes more challenging and relevant to young people, and produces higher levels of engagement.
The study does not endorse students, whether they are 11 or 14, having free rein to do whatever they want, contrary to Mrs Dunne’s claims. Students need to be immersed in interactive experiences that are rich, complex and real. It is commonsense that one task given to a class of 25 students will not challenge them all to the same extent; it will be too easy for some; it will be too hard for others. Each one of our children needs
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