'New Age' Education

A new report released yesterday has, basically, condemned the current model of education for primary school students. The report's author, Dr Kevin Donnelly, has criticised what he sees as "outcome based education". From the Minister's media release: The report concluded that Australian curricula have largely been influenced by an outcomes based education approach, leading to curriculum documents that are vague, lack academic content, offer limited guidance to teachers about what to teach, and work against the acquisition of essential knowledge.

I've known for some time that the education system borders on the criminal in it's teaching of children. An example: my niece was severely pissed off at being taught about 'Australia's oppression of the indigenous population' rather than how Captain Cook discovered Australia and how it was settled; how Macarthur was a cruel racist invader, rather than the man who began the Merino wool industry in this country; how our explorers were slavers and thieves who stole land. Her complaint was that there was nothing positive in Australia's history and that political correctness had changed the view of the past.

Let's face it: there are some aspects of our history that are ugly, that need exploring and explaining. History, however, should not be apologised for. It happened, get over it! Discuss it if you must, but you cannot change it. Nor should history be warped by one person's attitude. We are not Japan trying to suggest that they were the attacked in WWII; we are not certain members of the international community suggesting the death camps of Belsen, Auchwitz and others never happened.

Our history is our history: the good, the bad and the unfortunate. No amount of new ageism is going to change that.

But history isn't the only subject under siege. English, too, has come under attack. As the Minister says: Every child deserves the opportunity to fulfil their potential through learning the fundamental skills of reading, writing, counting and communicating with one another.

Our teachers, unfortunately, are not giving our children that opportunity. Too many educators lack the skills and knowledge to teach. So what the hell are they doing training our kids if they don't know the bloody topic? Why are we letting students into teaching degrees who don't have the ability to acquire knowledge?

With the publication of this report, we are seeing what many parents have already known: their kids are leaving school without the ability to further themselves because they have been taught the wrong protocols. Reading, writing and arithmatic used to be the catch-phrase of all teachers. Now it's interpret the pictures, self-expression without correction and... who cares about numbers anyway?

The three Rs were a part of our education system for very good reason. It is the basis from which ability to acquire knowledge springs.

I'd like to find that touchy-feelie-political-correct-hippie-wannabe-who-just-wants-to-be-liked-and-everyone-to-love-each-other and kick his silly, self-serving, amoral, ignorant ass for what he's done to the education system.

With this new report, maybe now we can get back to what education really means: teaching our children the ability to acquire knowledge and be prepared for the future they will encounter.