A Wagga teacher is backing the Federal Education Minister’s push to declutter the curriculum and put a primary focus on literacy and numeracy.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Education Minister Dan Tehan flagged a revamp of the national curriculum, arguing going “back to basics” with reading, writing and maths before worrying about “soft skills”, like teamwork and critical thinking.
Retiring Year 2 teacher at Henschke Primary School Carol Ingram argued for less crowding of the education system was needed.
“It was interesting to hear the Education Minister flagging the curriculum about going ‘back to basics’, because I think what he is saying has a lot of truth to it,” Ms Ingram said.
“He’s talking about emphasis on literacy and numeracy and less crowding of the curriculum.
“Things like coding, while you don’t resist progress, and I’ve tried to embrace change, you do wonder about the value of some of those things, when the child needs to learn how to read and write.
“These basic skills really do need to be consolidated in the early years and it can be difficult with an increasingly busy timetable,” she said.
Mr Tehan used a speech at an education conference last week to lodge an emphasis on a more “simplified” approach in classrooms.
“Teachers tell me there is too much being taught and we should be concentrating on developing a deeper understanding of essential content,” he said.
“It is the view of the Morrison government that our education system must ensure that every child gets the basics right.
“If you can't read, and you can't write and you can't count, then you can't continue to learn.”