Aboriginal leader Noel Pearson has called for all schools to adopt direct instruction in classrooms after demonstrated success in the Catholic education sector. Source: The Australian.
Mr Pearson said it was “bittersweet‘’ to see – after he lobbied for two decades to have it mandated in public schools.
Drawing the link between school failure and rising rates of youth crime, the prominent Aboriginal lawyer and activist said would help First Nations students catch up with kids living in cities.
“What do you think is driving the youth justice problem with Indigenous kids? Failure to read,” he said.
Mr Pearson said it was “bittersweet” for him to see Catholic schools improve literacy results after they embraced direct instruction just four years ago.
“You just add water and the kids come good – the plant grows,” he said of the old-school, teacher-led, step-by-step teaching method.
“Of course, in remote schools you’ve got to fix all the other problems like teacher retention, teacher accommodation, training of teachers.
“But if you don’t get the instruction right, you’re going to fail anyway.”
The Cape York Institute leader’s call came as both the Albanese Government and the Opposition called for explicit teaching in every classroom.
But Mr Pearson said the political support for explicit instruction has “come 20 years too late”.
Federal Education Minister Jason Clare has included explicit instruction methods in his 10-year Better and Fairer Schooling Agreement.
But NSW, Victoria, Queensland and South Australia are refusing to sign up unless he doubles the Commonwealth’s offer of $16 billion in extra funding.
Mr Pearson praised outgoing Catholic Education Canberra-Goulburn director Ross Fox for mandating explicit instruction in 56 schools through the Catalyst reform program in 2020.
“He is the one system leader who has carried this instructional reform and that’s what’s missing across the country,” Mr Pearson said.
“Where are the system leaders who are carrying the banner of effective instruction?”
FULL STORY
Roll out direct instruction to all classrooms, says Indigenous leader Noel Pearson (By Geoff Chambers and Sarah Ison, The Australian)
