In 1886, a guide book for the teaching of elementary (Primary) English, was published in New York. Beginning with the basic learning symbols – the English alphabet – and ending with proofreading marks – the symbols used to edit manuscripts – the publication included 100 lessons on prepositions, conjugations, particles, interjections, adverbs and clauses, to name a few.
For those reading it today, it is an interesting example of how the fundamentals of English were taught in logical progression, as pupils mastered one skill and moved on to the next.
There are no similar publications used in Australian schools today. Instead, teachers navigate a vague national curriculum – or its amended equivalent – and source potential content from a myriad websites, products and recommendations. They oversee learning goals set by the students themselves as part of a popular self-directed approach to learning and teaching.
The logical process of skill development and the expectation that all children – other than those genuinely identified with learning difficulties – will achieve a required level of mastery have essentially been removed from Australian schools.
High-frequency words are those regularly used, regardless of the content being explored. Examples include: of, and, was, I, then, because, the, have, know and would. The NSW Department of Education states: ‘Knowing 100 of these frequently used words gives a beginning reader about half of the words they (sic) need for reading’.
Here’s an example from the Australian Curriculum (AC) of expected outcomes for students in relation to what are known as high-frequency words:
· Foundation: Know how to read and write some high-frequency words.
· Year 1: Use visual memory to read and write high-frequency words.
· Year 2: Use knowledge of letter patterns and morphemes to read and write high-frequency words.
· Year 3: Recognise and know how to write most high-frequency words.
· Year 4: Read and write a core of high-frequency words.
How many high-frequency words does the Australian Curriculum understand there to be?
Which high-frequency words are to be read and written, and in what time frame? How many words are implied in ‘some’ in Foundation, ‘most’ in Year 3 and ‘a core’ in Year 4?
The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) states that primary education usually begins at ages five, six or seven and lasts for four to six years. In Australia, primary education lasts for 7 years and, as can be seen, students have five years to read and write a core of high-frequency words – possibly a minimum of 100.
But why isn’t this stated clearly? If our children are encouraged to sing songs and chant rhymes by practising, memorising and learning by rote, surely the same strategies, or similar persistence, can be applied with regard to a specific number of specific essential words from our English language – right from the very first year of primary school.
It turns out the OECD also states that ‘programmes at the primary level generally require no previous formal education’. Could we interpret this to mean children can progress through the primary years with no pre-requisites from the previous year? Is the Australian Curriculum (AC) conforming to OECD standards? Has Australia’s investment in primary education been made with the stark ultimate goal of passing our children on to secondary schools, regardless of their ability?
In 1886 a guide for the teaching of English was published. Its purpose was to provide a logical pathway to competency for those teaching and learning the English language. It’s a fine example of what basic education in the English language was and, indeed what it could be again.
To achieve it, we might have to stand outside the shadow of the OECD and create our own definition of ‘primary education’. First, however, we must determine what we already know, what we don’t yet know, and exactly what knowledge we expect future generations to acquire.
Copyright © 2018 Cheryl Lacey All rights reserved.
Parent, educationist and advocate of agitating change in Australian education. By raising the bar we can face any global challenges facing Australia and Australians.
Contact me at cheryl@cheryllacey.com to learn how we can work together.
