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From the Principal I was fortunate to spend six years working with Professor John Hattie, and his most memorable advice to me was, “Don’t give me your anecdotes, Jayne-Ann. Give me the evidence.” It is advice that I have held dearly ever since. I make no apologies for referring to the best research available when looking at what’s happening in the world. Research is exactly that – re-searching for new information. It's how we use that information that matters. Over the past few months, there has been a lot of commentary around the declining performance of New Zealand students. Headlines such as these are fuelling the discussion: • Why is NZ sliding in international maths surveys TIMSS* and PISA*? – NZ Herald • New Zealand students record worst results in maths and science – stuff.co.nz The graphs on the next page illustrate what these reports show for the trends in reading, mathematics and science. FOREWORD Don’t give me your anecdotes, give me the evidence. “ John Hattie So, what are the educationalists telling us? So far, there is agreement that there is a problem; yes, our students have slipped and yes, we need to do something about it. As for actions, I have heard little. Suggestions that increasing the level of teacher training for speciality mathematics in the junior years is a start. I do, however, question who is going to train the trainers. This is what I know: • We all need to have reasonable expectations of what students should know and be able to do at various ages. • Our teachers need to use reliable data and evidence and share their experiences to enhance the learning outcomes for students. • We need to ensure that students are equipped with the foundations for learning. Inquiry and problem-solving are the desired outcomes, but getting there means understanding the basics. What is foundational learning? In Mathematics, it is having memorised times tables and basic functions. In literacy, it is understanding basic sentence structure and grammatical rules. Every subject, at every age and stage, has its own foundational learning. It is not about just learning facts; learners must be able to transfer what they have learned into new learning, and this is the transfer stage or deep understanding. Andreas Schleicher heads the OECD’s PISA programme. His insight into world trends is possibly greater than most. Schleicher says: “Teacher-directed instructional practices tend to better predict student achievement than student- oriented learning. Some consider this a statistical fluke; but it has been a consistent finding. Others suggest that teacher-directed instruction only prepares well for tests predicated on recall and memorisation. But that’s not what PISA is about; to do well in PISA, students have to be able to extrapolate from what they know, think across the boundaries of subject-matter disciplines, apply their knowledge creatively in novel situations and demonstrate effective learning strategies.” *TIMSS (Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study), *PISA (Programme for International Student Assessment). QM Calling | Issue 67 4