Senate Education and Employment Legislation Committee, , 1:31:07 to 1:38:11
Examination of recent PISA results in math and reading, alongside strategies to address classroom disruption through teacher training and mobile phone restrictions to reduce digital distraction.
Topics: Education
Speakers: Mr. Tony Cook, Ms. Meg Brighton, Senator Matt O'Sullivan, Unknown Speaker, Senator Marielle Smith
>> Thank you. That was actually technically two blocks. It's quite hard for me to interrupt via video. So, if I could just remind all to keep an eye on their own time, I'd appreciate it. I'm coming back to the opposition now and to Senator O. Sullivan.
>> Thank you, Chair. I'm sure you'll keep me in my time because I'm right here in the room with you, but
>> feel my eyes upon you.
>> Okay. I want to go back to those questions I was asking about the preschool reform agreement. That's why I thought I'd start there. Thank you. So, I want to ask about New South Wales. How much does New South Wales receive under the preschool reform agreement?
>> Oh, sorry. No, that's early childhood, not schools.
>> Oh, the Oh,
>> so early childhood after schools. I
>> No,
>> So, early childhood.
>> We'll come back with those questions later then. All right. I'll flick over
completion people are here if you want to ask those questions you asked in corporate about the fact that year 12 sorry I don't mean to tell you how to ask questions but I'm let you know those people are here >> actually I've got a list Senator if that's okay
>> sure sure um I well where I'll start I want to go to Pisa let's start with that secretary or or or anyone else uh on the panel, were you at all surprised by the most recent PISA results in maths and
>> So, Senator, as you know, we've seen a trend in relation to um the performance of Australian students. We've also seen that trend internationally. Uh the actual thing that did surprise me to some degree was the fact that um the impact on PISA data internationally that the international internationally the data had actually decreased in terms of student performance. Um, I'm pleased that Australia's, even though I'm disappointed obviously that we declined, I'm pleased actually that we held our ground in a number of the areas and in fact our decline wasn't as significant certainly from what was happening around the rest of the world. Uh, in science particularly, our performance continued to be strong. Um, literacy is some of the areas that we need to focus on when the better fair schools agreement is focused on that. But if you want any more detail, I can I can ask Mr. Bright to provide any more detail. I
>> I was particularly interested. Uh, as you know, I chaired an inquiry into classroom disruption behavior. Y >> in the previous parliament and um, you know, still a very serious issue and disappointed to see that uh, that it continues to persist as an issue for Australian schools. >> Australian schools continue to be incredibly problematic. Um, does that surprise you and and what's the government doing? What's this federal government doing to address it?
>> Um, thank you, Senator. Um, obviously being a classroom teacher myself, uh, student behavior is something that does impact on learning, not just of the student themselves, but the students around them. And so, um, there's a number of things, um, that we want to focus on. I think we've developed some training materials for teachers around classroom behavior. We've um enhanced and strengthened some of the initial teacher education requirements around classroom behavior as well, but Miss Brighton can give you the detail about specifically what we're doing in that space.
>> Yeah. Uh so, Senator, the um just to follow from Secretary Cook's comments, we're looking at this from a variety of different ways. We're looking at through the lens of needing to have a workforce that is well equipped not only for what they do at unis but then the ongoing professional development about how they build strong cultures in classrooms and how they tackle how students behave in classrooms. Then there's an element of um we did see a slight improvement in the digital distraction in the PISA results. It is still pretty poor and we recognize that. Uh but you would have also seen um Minister Clare is talking to his colleagues about the impact of screens in schools and in classrooms. Not only the impact that that's had on learning outcomes, but also the impact that has had on um distractions. And a couple of years ago, all education ministers made a decision to um restrict mobile phones in schools or ban mobile phones from schools. Th those different strategies are coming together as well as equipping teachers and the expectations in states and territories that schools are having a whole school approach to behavior and expectations and management. All of those elements combined should reduce distraction and enable students to focus on their learning when they're in classrooms.
This committee recommended in its report a couple of years ago to have classroom um to have behavior included in the curriculum. Has there been any progress on that front >> which explicitly it providing guidance and teach uh for teachers on on particularly in those early years in
school? So the Australian curriculum is a curriculum that's focused on content and achievement standards. But sitting under the curriculum, there's a whole range of supports for teachers uh that um a combination of the Australian government as well as states and territories put in place to help establish strong behaviors uh in schools and in classrooms. So under the better and fer schools agreement, we've got a whole pillar um that of reform that is expressly designed to improve and strengthen school culture. Um so it's not the curriculum per se that goes to that, but it's the support mechanisms that sit under the curriculum. When the UK talk about their behavior curriculum in Australian language, it's talking really about the supports, the scaffolds to establish that culture in a school.
>> So we have developed training programs on behavior. Senator of Comwalth has actually funded. >> Uh so they've been in place for a little while now. We've also had ERO develop some resources around classroom behavior and classroom management as well. Uh and as I indicated the initial teacher education um requirements. We have enhanced also to ensure that we've called out behavior in what we would want our teachers to be trained in before they graduate.
>> The initial teacher education. Yeah.
>> I think you I think you sorry I think your committee recommended that particularly and the government fasttracked that as part of the work that um uh uh universities were required
>> Yes. My committee.
>> Thank you. Sorry.
>> I'm sure the chair would agree. Um the pizza results show sorry at the at a time when we're paying more than ever uh before in uh more than ever before in school funding. Why why are we continuing to see Pisa results decline?