Germany

Posted on July 4, 2012 by | Leave a comment
Back to G9 (in German)
Sadigh, P. & Polke-Majewski, K.  Zeit Online (22 June 2012)

The abbreviation of the German high school diploma from 13 to 12 school years has brought dilemmas since its implementation.  Although some Germans point to other nations in the world having 12 years of public school programs as the reason for the switch in policy, others believe having 13 years of public education provides a realistic timeframe for learning the curricula.  Despite the debate between the two sides, starting in 2013 pupils in some German states will be able to choose if they want to complete their diploma in 12 or 13 years.

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The Netherlands

Posted on July 2, 2012 by | Leave a comment
Netherlands increase minimum number of lesson hours (in Dutch)
Besturenraad (Council of Dutch School Boards) (27 June 2012)

The Dutch Department of Education is increasing the minimum number of teaching hours for secondary education.  Schools will be required to provide at least 1,040 teaching hours a year, an increase from the former minimum of 1,000 teaching hours.  This policy change is not without criticism, though: “The outcome of today means that the quantity of hours prevails over quality [of hours].”

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Austria

Posted on July 2, 2012 by | Leave a comment
Multilingualism as a resource at school (in German)
Leonhartsberger, S.  Orf  (28 June 2012)

24 percent of Austrian students in primary school have a first language other than German.  In Vienna, an even greater number (53 percent) have a first language other than German.  Most of these students speak Bosnian, Serbian, Croatian, Turkish, Albanian, Chechen, Russian, or Arabic.  Despite the increase in German as a second language students, a recent study reveals that teachers still consider the German language as their main focus in class.  According to Barbara Buchholz, author of the study, only 42 percent of the teachers said that they think that multilingual education is reasonable and necessary. However, teachers are left alone with the multilingual challenge in class and they have never learned how to deal with 15 languages in one classroom, says linguist Hans-Jürgen Krumm.  “The majority [of teachers] cannot cope,” according to Krumm.  In addition, others criticize the short period in which students learn in their native language, with the primary focus instead being on German as a second language.

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China

Posted on July 2, 2012 by | Leave a comment
The Education System That Pulled China Up May Now Be Holding It Back
Gao, H.  The Atlantic (25 June 2012)

Although gaokao, the annual nationwide college entrance exam in China that seated 9.33 million students in early June, “has been great at imparting math and engineering, as well as the rigorous work ethic that has been so integral to China’s rise so far…state economists know they need to encourage entrepreneurship and creativity, neither of which is tested for on this life-determining exam.”  Students have mixed feelings about the test, although many seem acclimated to the concreteness that a test result provides.  A problem arises, though, with extracurricular activities as well as fostering innovative thinking.  Instead of being seen as intangibles that help students with college acceptances, as in the U.S., many Chinese students see extracurricular activities, which have little-to-no value for the Chinese college admissions process, as “distractions.”  As for innovation and creativity: “Whatever your formula for innovation — diversity of thought, collaboration, risk-taking — you’re not likely to find it in abundance in Chinese schools, where high-stake tests pit students against one [another] in a zero-sum competition that can feel a little more Hunger Games than think tank.”

The following video highlights the stress involved in taking the high-stakes examination:

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Australia

Posted on June 28, 2012 by | Leave a comment
Baillieu plan to get rid of bad teachers
Topsfield, J.  The Age (21 June 2012)

Under a plan to be released for consultation entitled “New directions for school leadership and the teaching profession,” the Victorian State government plans to amongst other things, sack the worst 5 percent of teachers.  According to the plan, principals often view the process of firing teachers as burdensome:  ”This [current] process [of firing teachers] seldom results in the departure of the teacher and there is a strong perception among principals that it is cumbersome, lengthy and overly complex.”  The plan’s other controversial suggestions include “teachers doing extra days of professional development during school holidays, teachers of hard-to-staff subjects such as maths and science earning more money and principals coming from professions other than teaching.”  The intent behind the plans is to enable Victorian students to match the performance of students in places like Finland and Shanghai on international assessment tests, like PISA, in a decade.

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Austria

Posted on June 28, 2012 by | Leave a comment
Low qualified people are the pariahs of the knowledge society (in German)
Ziegler, E.  Science.Orf (11 June 2012)

According to Manfred Krenn, researcher at the Working Life Research Center in Vienna, people who are deemed unemployable stay on the lowest step of a new caste system that builds on education titles and grades. His recent study argues that competition on the job market and pressure for further education and advanced training lead to a downward spiral for people “low qualified people.”  Furthermore, he found that less educated people have less access to education programs and their employers do not encourage them to pursue further education.  (In 2009, for example, 5.6% of less educated individuals attended an educational program, whereas 42% of academics participated in further education programs).  Krenn finds fault in middle- and upper-class notions of knowledge determining what’s tested.  To remedy this, according to Krenn, education programs should refer more to the socio-economic criteria of the people concerned.  Additionally, schools should be aware that students from underprivileged families start their school career under different conditions than their wealthier peers and that a need for cultural accommodation exists.

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England

Posted on June 27, 2012 by | Leave a comment
Return of the O-Level: Gove announces radical plan to scrap GCSEs ‘to ensure UK has a world-class education system’ but  lack of consultation angers Lib Dems  
Shipman, T.  The Daily Mail (21 June 2012)

A leaked document from the Ministry of Education indicates that Education Minister Michael Gove wants to reform the examination system to return to a two tiered approach that Margaret Thatcher’s conservative government abolished over 30 years ago.  The so-called right wing media has depicted the British education system as failing, although criticism about the state of the education system has surfaced from all sides in light of the leaked document — from within the Conservative Party as well as from Liberal Democrat Nick Clegg, the Deputy Prime Minister of the Coalition.  (Clegg said Gove’s proposal would “turn the clock back” to the 1950s.)  Those opposed to the two tiered examination system argue that this system would contribute further to educational inequality, halting social mobility amongst the nation’s poorest children.

The following video summarizes Clegg’s opposition to Gove’s proposal:

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New Zealand

Posted on June 27, 2012 by | Leave a comment
Parata keen to avoid another fight with teachers
Young, A.  New Zealand Herald (20 June 2012)

While Minister of Education Hekia Parata is keen to avoid another fight with teachers, her Ministry will be compiling and releasing some “useful” information based on the National Standards that is meaningful for learners, schools, and parents.  Earlier, Prime Minister John Key opened debate about league tables when he expressed support for them.  (League tables compare data from different academic institutions.)  The teacher union believes league tables “would have a severely damaging effect on children’s education and would unfairly label schools and students as failing.”  Professor Martin Thrupp, an expert on school league tables says, “introducing the system here would lead to schools narrowing their teaching focus, competing for the ‘best’ students and rejecting those who fall behind in order to reach national targets.”

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Austria

Posted on June 27, 2012 by | Leave a comment
Catching up on compulsory school graduation will be made easier for adults (in German)
Der Standard (12 June 2012)

Almost 280,000 Austrians between 15 and 64 years old have not graduated from compulsory school, and every year 3,500 to 5,000 adolescents leave school without graduating. The council of ministers therefore will enact a law that provides €54.6 million (maximum €6,600 per person) to open new possibilities on the job market for these individuals. Courses will prepare people for exams in the subjects German, English, mathematics and vocational knowledge. Additionally, people will have to take two exams from the following fields for their compulsory school equivalencies: “creativity and design,” “health and social work,” “nature and technics,” and an additional language.

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Japan

Posted on June 20, 2012 by | Leave a comment
Distributing Tablets in All Schools in Osaka (in Japanese)
Asai Shinbun (1 June 2012)

The Osaka City School Board announced a plan to buy tablets for all elementary and middle schools in the city by 2015.  The plan also involves connecting individual tablets with an interactive whiteboard in classrooms.  It will cost more than $10 million to invest in the tablets and to develop the interactive classroom system.

To see an example of how one Japanese classroom utilized iPads during a lesson, see the following video:

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