Donnelly on mathematics and falling standards

http://theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,20867,21476027-28737,00.html?from=public_rss

I'll be back ... and I am.

Donnelly continues his attack on OBE in this article by simplifying it as being a "feel-good approach to education", and bases his claims on an apparent lack of teachers' use of the word 'failure' and unwillingness to focus on mastery of topics within mathematics. Donnelly has AGAIN used his own oversimplified and over-emotional view of OBE to attack it. Mastery of knowledge and understanding is actually central to OBE.

This is totally unrelated to the rest of the article in which … Donnelly says "In order to strengthen mathematics teaching, the report suggests teacher training must be improved. Although it does not go as far as to argue that all teachers should complete an undergraduate degree in their specialist discipline, followed by a diploma of education, thus ensuring that graduates have a firm foundation in their subject, the report suggests that mathematical science departments should have a greater involvement in teacher preparation … Research shows that one of the key determinants of successful learning is a teacher's mastery of a subject. There is increasing concern that the type of general bachelor of education degree designed and taught by schools of education fails to provide such grounding. As Guttmann points out: "The training of teachers can be improved by making sure that mathematics teachers have a mathematics degree, followed by a diploma of education or equivalent. Their mathematical education should not be provided by education faculties, but by discipline experts." ”

Here Donnelly uses someone else’s words to perpetuate his own agenda, yet evidently knows nothing about teacher education itself. A one-year teaching degree does not necessrily a good teacher make, Kevin, despite content knowledge. Besides, a specialist degree does not, for the most part, address concepts to be taught at school at the level that they should be taught.