Want to improve NAPLAN scores? Teach children philosophy
Latest figures show that student scores in reading, writing, language and numeracy have failed to improve despite schools receiving record funding over the past few years.
The National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) is an annual assessment designed to check whether students are developing the basic skills necessary to progress in school and life.
The most recent report reveals that nationally, these skills have largely stagnated since 2008.
The government response was swift, with the opposition claiming this stagnation provided evidence that more funding is needed, specifically by committing to the full measures proposed by the Gonski report.
The current Australian government instead took this as an indication that rather than providing more money, the focus should be on finding better “evidence-based measures”.
While some have argued these results are not concerning because NAPLAN scores are not comparable across years, our education outcomes have been stagnant or dropping for quite some time across a range of different measures.
So what can be done?
As it turns out, teaching children philosophy can dramatically increase student learning outcomes in literacy and numeracy. Continue reading →
Philosopher’s Zone