[LINK] Reading Blitz Proposal Needs Update for Gen WiFi
Tom Worthington
tom.worthington at tomw.net.au
Mon Feb 25 08:43:08 AEDT 2013
The Prime Minister and the Minister for School Education announced a
"National 'Reading Blitz' for All Young Australians":
http://www.pm.gov.au/press-office/national-reading-blitz-all-young-australians
From 2014, the Federal Government will ask schools to sign up to a
three-year program for Foundation to Year 3 students, to help with the
basics of reading. The program would emphasize teaching methods with a
reading plan for each school, specialist teacher skills and records of
student progress. These elements also appear in US President George W.
Bush's "No Child Left Behind Act" (NCLB) and it appears the Australian
announcement is based on the US policy from a decade ago:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No_Child_Left_Behind_Act
Unfortunately, the Australian government proposals do not appear to take
into account recent research and experience on what makes for effective
education. More training for teachers has been found to be effective, as
is student centered learning with on-line and classroom support.
The RAND Corporation has carried out several studies of the US NCLB,
with the latest commentary stating: "While NCLB has produced some
positive effects, the bill has not produced enough improvement to reach
its goal of all students meeting proficiency standards by 2014 and has
numerous flaws that policymakers should address." (Brian M. Stecher,
January 14, 2013): http://www.rand.org/commentary/2013/01/14/PI.html
A study of implementation of NCLB in Florida (Zeig J. L., 2007) found
that the Act was implemented, with changed teaching practice and
reporting of results. However, that study did not determine if NCLB
improved student outcomes: http://purl.fcla.edu/fcla/etd/UFE0021432
Before implementing the US policy, it would be prudent for the
Australian Government to assess the US experience and correct any flaws
found. The cost of the policy implementation for Australia and the
estimated benefits would then need to be detailed, before a decision was
made.
In "Educating Gen Wi-Fi: How We Can Make Schools Relevant for 21st
Century Learners" (ABC Books, 2013) Australian educator Greg Whitby
provides a practical prescription for better education. Whitby suggests
teachers need to be "... supported in the ongoing professional learning
by close and regular collaboration with their colleagues". His proposals
are based on practical experience in the Australian school system:
http://blog.tomw.net.au/2013/02/making-schools-relevant-for-next.html
James Barber Vice-Chancellor of the University of New England
In "E-learning: Supplementary or disruptive?" (Telecommunications
Journal of Australia, February 2013), James Barber Vice-Chancellor of
the University of New England, reviews progress with electronic learning
over the last two decades and its effectiveness:
http://tja.org.au/index.php/tja/article/view/421/844
He concludes that blended learning, combining the classroom and on-line
is most effective and that mobile devices will have a large impact. It
seem likely this will not be confided to the tertiary sector and the
Australian Government need to take this into account in its reading policy.
More in my blog at:
http://blog.tomw.net.au/2013/02/australian-government-proposes-bush.html
--
Tom Worthington FACS CP, TomW Communications Pty Ltd. t: 0419496150
PO Box 13, Belconnen ACT 2617, Australia http://www.tomw.net.au
Liability limited by a scheme approved under Professional Standards
Legislation
Adjunct Senior Lecturer, Research School of Computer Science,
Australian National University http://cs.anu.edu.au/courses/COMP7310/
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