'Kids, en masse, don't enjoy studying harder subjects” (The Weekend Sun, 27 July). Why? Don't kids find learning satisfying any more?
In blaming ‘'the liberalisation of the school system under Labour'' for the drift to soft NCEA subjects, Professor Jacqueline Rowarth, Waikato University, is way off the mark. She should have consulted research on the process of learning. In it she'd have found learning in classrooms to be an 'inherently inefficient”, in many ways toxic process that wastes half the learning capacity of the nation's young.
But she likely doesn't know anything of this as the entire education sector ignores the effi cacy research of the late Professor Graham Nuthall, Canterbury University.
Academics making public statements like she's done, need to be abreast of all the facts. Continually ignoring information of such pertinence means individual students and the whole country go on being short changed.
Underlining this is another finding of that same research – almost all students share a 'remarkably similar” capacity to learn.
It means we should be expecting high-ended, even academic outcomes from almost all. As a nation, we must be active about arresting this drift from learning – a world trend by all accounts. What more simple way to put some real satisfaction back into it than by making use of the existing research.
Laurie Loper, Pyes Pa.
3 comments
NEED
Posted on 10-08-2012 13:24 | By TERMITE
That will rank the schools on the results achieved (the same concept as in teh private sector), I also read that NZ is slipping in the international rankings of our universities, this results from a weakening in the expectations and standards that are aspired to. Kids must be taught first that "Learning" is essential for a good future, this starts at home and is reinforced throughout the schooling years, otherwise we all fail by fact that we are only as strong as our weakest link..
WEAKEST LINK?
Posted on 11-08-2012 11:29 | By TERMITE
Does that have anything to do with the Immersion schools or perhaps the new charter School concept, both would seemt to be directed at upping the standards from the present, by addressign the non performing lowest ranking students, schools and teachers.
They are NOT governments children they are YOURS
Posted on 13-08-2012 22:17 | By The Tomahawk Kid
The first step is to rid the nation of the child molesters of the Mind "government" and their monopoly on the education of OUR children. Remove them from the education sector completely. until that happens our ratings will continue to plummet. The government TRAIN our teachers (who were taught in a government controlled system) to teach MORE of the same. There is no such thing as a true private school in NZ. They are all overseen by the govt, who say what and how they will be taught, and by whom. Many of them funded and held to ransom in lieu of funding if they do not comply. There is NO incentive to teachers to excel or achieve either. Tired, bored, uninspired teachers get paid the same as passionate and dedicated ones. Somebody please explain how THAT is a good thing! I want my children to get the best education possible, NOT the best education the government choses to RATION them! I want then taught things I value, not what the government says they must learn. They are MY children - not the governments children. As it happens, I am very fortunate. My childrens teachers and schools are EXCELLENT, but some are not so fortunate. I would however prefer to chose a school that taught things I value as opposed to chosing from schools the government say I must chose from.
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