Latest / Early Edition with Ryan Bridge / Martyn Weatherill: Laingholm Primary School doubtful the Government's new maths-based scheme will solve educational issues

Transcript

Martyn Weatherill: Laingholm Primary School doubtful the Government's new maths-based scheme will solve educational issues · Early Edition with Ryan Bridge

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: A new math curriculum is on the way for our
• 0:01
  Speaker 1: primary and intermediate school students and new structured maths will
• 0:05
  Speaker 1: be based on curriculums from Singapore and Australia, altered for
• 0:09
  Speaker 1: Kiwi students and it comes into the classroom from term
• 0:13
  Speaker 1: one next year, so it is soon. Twenty million dollars
• 0:16
  Speaker 1: will be spent on teacher training ahead of the introduction
• 0:19
  Speaker 1: and the Teaching Council will raise the math's entry requirement
• 0:22
  Speaker 1: for new teachers so they will have to be at
• 0:25
  Speaker 1: least competent in NCAA Level two. The Langholm School Principal,
• 0:31
  Speaker 1: Martin weather Well, it's a primary school in Auckland, is
• 0:33
  Speaker 1: with us this morning. Martin, thank you for being on
• 0:35
  Speaker 1: the show. Good morning, good to have you on. What
• 0:39
  Speaker 1: do you make of this announcement.
• 0:43
  Speaker 2: It's an announcement that was not unexpected. We are obviously
• 0:47
  Speaker 2: concerned about the workload that it's going to create the teachers,
• 0:51
  Speaker 2: I mean, the proposals are going to add incredibly to
• 0:54
  Speaker 2: teachers and principles workload. With the short turnaround it's five
• 0:58
  Speaker 2: months that we continue to meet all the government's other
• 1:02
  Speaker 2: expectations and requirements and of course this is the second
• 1:07
  Speaker 2: curriculum that has been announced. We are currently under undergoing
• 1:11
  Speaker 2: to training for the literacy program announced earlier in the year.
• 1:15
  Speaker 1: It's a lot of work. But when twenty two percent
• 1:18
  Speaker 1: of year eights on are at benchmark level four maths,
• 1:22
  Speaker 1: we've got to do something, don't we.
• 1:25
  Speaker 2: Oh don't disagree with that. No teacher, no parent is
• 1:28
  Speaker 2: going to disagree with that. But let's address the fundamental issue.
• 1:32
  Speaker 2: Thirty years of chronic and systemic underfunding of the primary
• 1:36
  Speaker 2: education system cannot be solved by throwing twenty million dollars
• 1:42
  Speaker 2: and five months at the program. The issue that we
• 1:46
  Speaker 2: have right the way through this is that political interference
• 1:50
  Speaker 2: in the teaching practice has caused the problem. Now politicians
• 1:55
  Speaker 2: are saying political interference in teaching practice will solve the problem.
• 1:59
  Speaker 2: I don't see how that's possible.
• 2:01
  Speaker 1: Do your teachers know basic maths?
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  Speaker 2: My teachers do. My teachers actually teach one of the
• 2:08
  Speaker 2: Singapore structured maths programs. The issue is not teacher competence.
• 2:13
  Speaker 2: The issue is I physically do not have the money
• 2:16
  Speaker 2: to buy the resources that I need to teach maths.
• 2:20
  Speaker 2: This is a resourcing is So it's not an.
• 2:22
  Speaker 1: Education this year, right, But the government has said that
• 2:25
  Speaker 1: those resources are coming.
• 2:28
  Speaker 2: I am old enough to remember BSM maths, and we
• 2:31
  Speaker 2: will promise the resources were coming. Thirty five years later,
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  Speaker 2: we've never seen them. I'm old enough to remember the
• 2:37
  Speaker 2: Numeracy Project and we will promised resources and we've never
• 2:41
  Speaker 2: seen them. With all due respect to the current minister,
• 2:44
  Speaker 2: I'll believe that statement when I see it in fruition.
• 2:46
  Speaker 1: If Erica Stanford produces these these resources at the start
• 2:51
  Speaker 1: of next year, while you eat your hat.
• 2:54
  Speaker 2: If those resources are available and they are adequate, and
• 2:58
  Speaker 2: those resources are available to meet the needs of my
• 3:01
  Speaker 2: diverse range of needs. Now remember my children are not
• 3:05
  Speaker 2: one size fits al. This approach is one size fits all.
• 3:09
  Speaker 2: Those resources must meet the needs of neurodiverse students. They
• 3:14
  Speaker 2: must meet the needs of students who's English is not
• 3:17
  Speaker 2: their first language. They must meet the needs of our
• 3:20
  Speaker 2: indigenous learners. They must need the needs of all of
• 3:23
  Speaker 2: our learners. You cannot supply a resource for a single
• 3:27
  Speaker 2: cohort of people and say your job is done, as Minister.
• 3:31
  Speaker 1: Lang Holmeschool Principal Martin wither Or reacting to It's an
• 3:34
  Speaker 1: Auckland primary school reacting to the governments announcement at the weekend.
• 3:38
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• 3:41
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• 3:42
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• 3:45
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