Sharing my sub-200 (unedited) word discussion post on "how to improve Australian student performance" in PISA. PISA is the Programme for International Student Assessment, a global study to evaluate educational systems, measuring 15-year-old student performance on maths, science, and reading. I de-contextualised the discussion beyond PISA performance to general student performance.
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Re-inventing the wheel is difficult as Riddle (2021) acknowledges. In my humble opinion, Australia can improve student performance through a continuous attempt to balance structure vs. non-structure.
One of my favourite quotes, "for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction."
Disclaimer 1 : I don't think perfect balance does not sustainably exist.
Disclaimer 2: I'm not criticising Australian culture, I was born and raised in Sydney my whole life and am grateful for where I am.
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Let's put this discussion of improving Australian student performance (not just PISA) into the context of increasing migration and diversity and in the school context... These students will inherently be involved in making up Australian school culture/behaviour and all that it entails. Without order (structure), there will be chaos. Young minds need clear, certain and consistent guidance. I believe explicitness and order can go hand in hand.
However, order and structure alone is not enough. Particularly when Australia's past and present culture has thematically focused on individual autonomy and choice. To suddenly "ask" Australian students to line in the order of say, Eastern schools will also be disastrous.
I believe the efforts to encourage balance (taking in what works and discarding what doesn't) who the students learn from, where, how, why and what in both structure (frameworks and rules) as well as non-structure (individual choice, autonomy and curiosity) will lead to more holistic and sustainable changes from within and ultimately improved performance. Students should feel safe and willing to engage and learn through a comforting and 'North Star'-like guidance, while simultaneously pursuing their curiosity and fresh ambitions.
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I end with an Eastern concept 'Shu-Ha-Ri'. This concept portrays the 3 stages to mastery.
Follow the rules diligently, begin carefully and curiously detaching and finally, transcend by bending the rules. From my limited understanding of psychology, I feel this is similar to cognitive/associative/autonomous learning. In my humble opinion, far too many people (including myself) try to bend the learning rules and "make up their own style", confusing themselves.
You need to learn how to walk before you can run.
(AI generated image)
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