NSW offers other states its slimmed-down school syllabus

NSW has offered to share its back-to-basics syllabus with other states after education experts criticised the ‘bizarre’ national curriculum.

Emeritus professor of educational psychology at the University of NSW, John Sweller, warns that the school curriculum is overly complicated. Picture: Nikki Short

You can now listen to The Australian's articles. Give us your feedback.

You can now listen to The Australian's articles.

NSW has offered to share its back-to-basics school syllabus with other states and territories, after education experts criticised the “bizarre’’ national curriculum for its complexity.

The father of the theory of “cognitive load’’, emeritus professor John Sweller of the University of NSW School of Education, warned that the existing national curriculum was too confusing and often failed to teach subject knowledge explicitly.

He said it was “bizarre’’ that the curriculum combined mathematics with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander history and culture. “Teaching Aboriginal culture is fine, but teaching it as part of a mathematics course is ­bizarre,’’ he said. “The ultimate effect is that students end up learning nothing of traditional mathematics and probably very little about Aboriginal culture.’’

The Australian revealed on Monday that maths teachers were expected to incorporate Indigenous dance, storytelling, reconciliation plans and basket weaving into lessons.

Federal opposition education spokeswoman Sarah Henderson used data analytics to reveal the national curriculum contains 2452 lesson suggestions – known as “elaborations’’ – across every subject area to embed the three cross-curriculum priority themes of Aboriginal and Torres Strait ­Islander history and culture, Australia’s engagement with Asia, and sustainability.

Professor Sweller is renowned for his theory of “cognitive load’’ – that students learn best when their working memory is not swamped with too much information. He said teachers needed to teach “core knowledge’’ using step-by-step instruction and examples, repetition and practice.

He said the NSW syllabus for English and maths had “fixed some of them more obvious problems’’. “So many people lose sight of what the core syllabus ought to be, and start putting in a whole lot of other stuff which they expect students to simultaneously assimilate,’’ he said.

“If you give students too much unnecessary information simultaneously, nothing happens at all – they just don’t learn anything.’’

He criticised the “disastrous’’ fad of “discovery learning’’ or “problem-based learning’’, which expects children to discover information on their own.

“People came along and said, ‘Get the kids to figure these things out for themselves, and they’ll learn much better’,’’ he said. “But some never figure it out for themselves and they just give up.’’

Professor Sweller also warned against reliance on artificial intelligence, in place of teaching children essential concepts of maths, science and English. “AI is just as silly as we humans,’’ he said. “It will make terrible mistakes, and you have no idea that it’s making a mistake if you don’t know anything yourself.”

“We can’t simply rely on AI to do everything for us.’’

Former chief scientist Alan Finkel said primary schools should focus on teaching English, maths, sport and music – all skills harder to master later in life. “It’s not equitable to not teach the times tables,’’ Dr Finkel said.

“It’s not right to say that some kids can’t learn the times tables, so let’s not teach them to anybody.’’

Former chief scientist Alan Finkel wants more focus on English and maths in primary school.

NSW Education Minister Prue Car said her state’s new curriculum – developed over seven years after a review commissioned by the former Liberal government – ensured that children were ­explicitly taught knowledge.

“The new NSW curriculum is detailed and clear so teachers understand exactly what they need to teach and how to do it, taking away the guesswork and streamlining workload,’’ she said.

“While this is clearly helpful for teachers, importantly it also provides equity for students.

“By taking away the guesswork and being explicit, this curriculum ensures all students have the same access to the essential knowledge and skills they need.

“I would be happy to share the NSW curriculum with other states and territories.’’

NSW Education Minister Prue Car is happy to share her new school syllabus, which has been embraced by teachers. Picture: Newswire / Gaye Gerard

NSW Education Standards Authority chief executive Paul Martin said the NSW syllabus was “leaner’’ than the national curriculum developed by the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority, of which he is a board member. “The syllabuses provide a clear set of priorities that should make teachers’ lives easier and also fit within what is achievable in a school year,’’ he said.

He said teachers in NSW “love the clarity’’ of their new syllabus.

A Victorian Education Department spokesman said Victorian public and Catholic schools were implementing a revised version of the English and maths curriculum this year, based on the “nationally agreed Australian curriculum’’.

Queensland is introducing the latest 2022 version of the national curriculum this year, with full implementation by 2027. Queensland Education Minister John-Paul Langbroek said that under the former Labor state government, students were “lagging behind other state and failing to meet national standards’’.

“The Crisafulli Government is committed to shifting the focus back to the basics such as mathematics and English to unleash every student’s full potential, as well as reducing red tape to free up teachers to spend more time in the classroom,’’ he said.

South Australian Education Minister Blair Boyer said his state had “led the nation with our focus on phonics and now we’re leading the nation with a focus on maths improvement’’.