Mark Potter: NZEI president responds to Ministerial Advisory Group recommending checkpoint tests and a stronger focus on handwriting

One teachers' union is concerned abut the recommended changes to teaching standards in a new report.

The Ministerial Advisory Group reviewing English and maths learning has recommended annual 'checkpoint' tests for students.

It also recommends children be encouraged to write by hand as much as possible for their first three years at school - and cursive lessons in years four to six.

NZEI president Mark Potter says children in society are facing all sorts of issues, but how teachers teach isn't one.

"Things aren't going well for children in our society right now, but just focusing on what teachers do in the classroom all the time, especially by political groups and political figures, is not going to help children at all."

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Meantime back here. Is it just me or does a
report from the Ministerial Advisory Group to the Education Minister
recommending changes to the curriculum for English and Maths, including
implementing annual checkpoints to see where the kids are at
c modd are the n ZEI president Mark Potters with
us on this, Marke, very good morning to you. Do
we not check where kids are at anyway?

Speaker 2 (00:23):
Yes, we do. The difference is that we check them
at the point of which sty are really because children
don't all progress at exceptly the same time in the
same way, and.

Speaker 1 (00:32):
So when they're ready, so you think they're ready and
then you check them. Is that what you say?

Speaker 2 (00:37):
No, what the teachers do is they use assessments to
see where the child is at and then they make
decisions accordingly from that point.

Speaker 1 (00:44):
Okay, So is the change recommended in this new report
the way to go or not?

Speaker 2 (00:49):
We don't think it's looking like to like kind of
pedagogy that teachers would need to use. It seems to
be going as a high stakes testing, which we have
concerns about credit anxieties and problems for children in the school.
You don't like testing, well, we've great for heads were
assessing children. But we don't think we should be assessing

(01:10):
too much, and if we are going to assis, it
needs to be assessment that actually suits where the children
are at and how they actually learn.

Speaker 1 (01:16):
Is that not part of the problem. The reason so
many kids are failing in school is because presumably they're
not checked out earlier on, and if they do need help,
they don't get it.

Speaker 2 (01:24):
From the moment children into school, Teachers actually looking at
them and how they learn and what their progress is like.
What they don't do is have an arbitrary point in
the year and say, right, everyone should be a same
standard at this point in the year, because it's just
not how humans operate.

Speaker 1 (01:44):
Would you argue at least agree that things in the
education system, with the kids, the way they leave school,
the qualifications they have, they don't have the number of
kids that turn up all the things we've been talking
about for the last year or so, that's a problem.
Things aren't going well, and we might be able to
do something a bit differently.

Speaker 2 (02:01):
Well, certainly the things are going well for children in
our society right now, but just focusing on what teachers
do in the classroom all the time, especially by political
groups and political figures. Is not actually help children at all.
Children in society are facing all sorts of pressures and issues,
and just how the teachers are teaching the classroom is
not one of them.

Speaker 1 (02:21):
Okay, what about this curse of writing? Is that important
or not?

Speaker 2 (02:25):
The curse of writing is you know, it's an interesting skill,
but I don't think it's something that the employers in
the twenty first century you're looking for.

Speaker 1 (02:33):
No and handwriting. You all your handwriting in the early years.
Is that a modern skill that we should be having
or should we're spending our time on something else?

Speaker 2 (02:42):
Well, there's many things that help children with their development
and manopulative skills with their hands, drawing as as important
as leading to how to do handwriting. So it's got
to be more than just something simple, an old fashion
looking like just doing handwriting lessons.

Speaker 1 (02:57):
It's interesting, all right. Make appreciate your time as always.
Make Potter, who's the nzed EI president. For more from
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