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Productivity and participation: a national perspective

Productivity and participation: a national perspective. Barry McGaw Chair, National Curriculum Board Director, University of Melbourne Education Research Institute Former Director for Education, OECD. C21st Learning: Acting (Inter)Nationally.

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Productivity and participation: a national perspective

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  1. Productivity and participation:a national perspective Barry McGawChair, National Curriculum Board Director, University of Melbourne Education Research InstituteFormer Director for Education, OECD C21st Learning: Acting (Inter)Nationally Curriculum Corporation Conference 2008Melbourne, 10 November 2008

  2. Australian education in a shifting international context.

  3. Mean reading results (PISA 2000) Australia tied for 2nd with 8 othersamong 42 countries. OECD (2003), Literacy skills for the world of tomorrow: Further results from PISA 2000, Fig. 2.5, p.76.

  4. PISA 2003 PISA 2000 PISA 2006 Finland Finland Ahead of Australia KoreaCanadaNZHong Kong KoreaCanadaNZ Same as Australia Behind Australia Hong Kong Australia’s ranking in OECD/PISA Reading • Reading ranks • PISA 2000: 4th but tied for 2nd • PISA 2003: 4th but tied for 2nd • PISA 2006: 7th but tied for 6th FinlandKoreaCanadaNZHong Kong

  5. Trends in reading performance Higher performers in Korea improved. Korea Finland Lower performers in HK improved. Hong KongChina Canada New Zealand Australia Changes forFinland,Canada&New Zealandare not significant. OECD (2007), PISA 2006: science competencies for tomorrow’s world, Vol. 1 - analysis, Fig. 6.21, p.319.

  6. Trends in Australian reading performances 95th %ile 90th %ile 75th %ile Mean 25th %ile 10th %ile 5th %ile OECD (2007), PISA 2006: science competencies fortomorrow’s world, Vol. 1 - analysis, Fig. 6.21, p.319.

  7. Trends in Australian mathematics performances 95th %ile 90th %ile 75th %ile Mean 25th %ile 10th %ile 5th %ile OECD (2007), PISA 2006: science competencies for tomorrow’s world, Vol. 1 - analysis, Fig. 6.21, p.319.

  8. 1st 10th 19th 4th 3rd 1st 6th 10th 18th 23rd Percent of age group with upper secondary education 25-34 year olds(1990s) 55-64 year olds(1960s) OECD (2007) Education at Glance 2007. Table A1.2a, p.37.

  9. Labour market disadvantage of low-qualified (2002) Unemployment to population ratio: 24 year-olds without upper secondary compared to those with upper secondary Incidence of unemployment among those young people in Australia who have not completed Year 12 or equivalent is more than double that of young people who have. Sweet, R. (2006) Education, training and employment inan international perspective. (richard@sweetgroup.org)

  10. National Curriculum Board’s view of a national curriculum.

  11. Principles and specifications • 10 in The Shape of the National Curriculum: A Proposal for Discussion • Including claims that the curriculum should: • Make clear what has to be taught and learned • Set high standards for all assuming all can learn • Build firm foundational skills and basis for expertise • Be feasible for teachers: • In terms of time and resources available • Written with beginning teachers as primary audience • Value teachers’ professional knowledge • Reflect local contexts • Use a strong evidence base of what works

  12. View of understanding, knowledge and skills • Expertise is domain specific • Foundations in literacy and numeracy are essential • Content is important • BUT selection of content is crucial • General capabilities are also important • They may be C21 • Many were defined in C20 • Some are overstated

  13. General capabilities Precision Consultancy (2006) Employability skills: from framework to practice, Canberra: DEST.

  14. NCB’s current view of general capabilities • Foundational • Literacy, Numeracy, ICT competence – emphasis on I, C & T • Domain specific (or at least partly so) • Problem solving • Creativity (in part) as breaking out of constraints • Genuinely general • Working with others • Managing own learning • Perspectives • Cultural sensitivity • Engaged citizenship • Commitment to sustainable patterns of living

  15. Decluttering the curriculum • General need across whole curriculum • Need within learning areas • Mathematics • Allocate time according to importance • Extend with more complex problems on current content not introductory work on more advanced content • Science • Extent of current content promotes memorisation of content • Students become disengaged and turn from science • History • Students complain of repetition of (Australian) content • Organise and sequence but in a world context

  16. Equity.

  17. Equity • Curriculum contribution limited but important • Setting high expectations for all • Limiting differentiation that excludes students • Other actors have key roles • Those allocating funds and staff • Schools and teachers • Particularly in building strong foundational skills • Continuing to address weaknesses as students progress

  18. Use of evidence base.

  19. Out with idiosyncracy • Professional not equivalent to idiosyncratic practice • A mathematics example • Four key bases for learning subtraction • backwards counting • modelling situations in which one part of the whole is unknown • number strategies that are useful for subtraction • solving subtraction word problems • Sequence in learning them not crucial • Value • comprehensive and succinct • give teachers clear indication of experiences for students

  20. Assessment.

  21. Assessment • National Curriculum Board’s role and view • Achievement standards central to curriculum specification • Curriculum should drive national assessment • ACARA’s possibilities • Having curriculum shape NAPLAN framework • Examples of changes • Numeracy testing understanding, fluency, problem solving and reasoning and not predominantly fluency • Literacy using range of texts and not predominantly narrative

  22. Being realistic.

  23. Look to us and but also to others • National Curriculum Board • Shape of National Curriculum – on website for comment • Framing Papers on English, Mathematics, Science, History • First advice discussed in Forums in week of 13 October • Revised draft soon on website for comment • National Goals of Education for Young Australians • Painting on a broader canvas • Associated national action plans • Pedagogy and resource beyond the curriculum • Curriculum documents delivered electronically • Connected via links to: • Relevant resources • Ideas for practice

  24. Thank you. Contact barry.mcgaw@ncb.org.aubmcgaw@unimelb.edu.aubarry.mcgaw@mcgawgroup.org

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