The implementation of a controversial new science curriculum that caused outrage for its lack of any mention of physics, chemistry or biology has come to a halt - both delighting and frustrating educators.
Consultation on the draft new science curriculum, which caused uproar when an early version was leaked, has been put on hold for a second time, with the Ministry of Education waiting to engage with the new Government before it is sent out.
The National Party waded into the education debate during the election campaign, promising to rewrite the New Zealand school curriculum, meaning the controversial proposal may never see the light of day.
Principals spoken to by the Herald said teachers were frustrated by the lack of certainty but pleased there was an opportunity to make improvements or start over.
A fast draft of the former Governments new science curriculum was sent to a few teachers for feedback in July, ahead of its wider release for consultation scheduled for August, but was leaked by concerned educators.
The draft contained no mention of physics, chemistry or biology and set out that science would be taught through four contexts - the Earth system; biodiversity; food, energy and water; and infectious diseases.
Teachers who had seen the document said they had grave concerns. It was embarrassing, and would lead to appalling declines in student achievement, they said.
One of the curriculum writers, director of the University of Waikatos Wilf Malcolm Institute of Educational Research, Cathy Buntting, defended it, saying teachers would be teaching the chemistry and the physics that you need to engage with the big issues of our time.
In August, the Ministry of Education informed the peak bodies that the draft science curriculum would instead go out for consultation in October, saying it wanted to make sure the next draft accounts for the concerns raised so far.
The ministry said it would release the draft arts and technology curriculums at the same time.
This month, the ministry told the Herald the release had again been delayed as staff waited to engage with the incoming government before releasing the updated drafts of the refreshed science, technology and the arts learning areas.
St Cuthberts College principal Justine Mahon said delaying consultation was a positive move because New Zealands education was in dire straits at the moment and the incoming Government needed to make it a priority to lift the standard.
Its actually really urgent, secondary teachers need certainty, she said.
She said it was particularly frustrating for teachers of subjects like science that needed to be taught very systematically.
An awful lot of planning needs to go into this and then you need to have time to ensure that the teachers have the training and support to implement these changes properly, Mahon said.
So its a matter of extreme urgency because you cant have cohorts of young people not being prepared to compete in the STEM world. New Zealand cannot afford to fall behind.
She said it was quite possible the new Government would decide to scrap the current proposal and believed starting over would provide the best outcome for students.
Teachers always put the needs of their students first. Theyre very good at pivoting and preparing but they want to prepare and provide a curriculum thats robust and rigorous and its very difficult for them, as professionals, to be asked or expected to teach anything thats not.
Secondary Principals of New Zealand president Vaughan Couillault, who is also Secondary Principals of New Zealand president, said he believed it would be imprudent to rush ahead with consultation now. He hoped work could continue in earnest once a Government had been formed.
He acknowledged science teachers around the country were frustrated. While getting it sorted was a pressing issue, it was not urgent given it did not have to be implemented until 2027, he said.
There are frustrations but its borne of how the process has gone up until this point in terms of whose voice is loudest. Theres discontent and so I think it is very prudent to just leave it there at the moment - wait for the Government to form, see what the direction the new minister, whoever that may be, wants to take in this regard. And it may not happen before Christmas.
As for the new Government scrapping the refreshed curriculum entirely, Couillault said it would be problematic and a waste of taxpayer money.
He believed the direction of travel would change but the current work could be built on.
A National Party spokesman said they were unable to comment while coalition negotiations were ongoing.
In July, Association of Science Educators president Doug Walker said he was shocked when he saw a copy of the draft new science curriculum.
Certainly, in its current state, I would be extremely concerned with that being our guiding document as educators in Aotearoa. The lack of physics, chemistry, Earth and space science, I was very surprised by that.
New Zealand Institute of Physics education council chairman David Housden said physics teachers were not happy either.
We were shocked. I think that physics and chemistry are fundamental sciences and we would expect to find a broad curriculum with elements of it from space all the way down to tiny particles.
Amy Wiggins is an Auckland-based reporter who covers education. She joined the Herald in 2017 and has worked as a journalist for 12 years.
Go here to see the original:
Science curriculum that 'shocked' teachers on hold ahead of new govt - New Zealand Herald
- AACR 2024 Plenary: New Insights Into Early Cancer Biology - American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) - April 15th, 2024 [April 15th, 2024]
- Students create 3 D skulls in project funded by Costello award connecting biology, computer science and art | Fredonia ... - Fredonia.edu - April 15th, 2024 [April 15th, 2024]
- Seed Health launches computational biology platform to expand pipeline beyond the gut - NutraIngredients-usa.com - April 15th, 2024 [April 15th, 2024]
- Analytics for Spatial Biology: DNA and RNA Imaging - LCGC Chromatography Online - April 15th, 2024 [April 15th, 2024]
- Here's what I teach my students about finding jobs in marine biology and conservation - Southern Fried Science - April 15th, 2024 [April 15th, 2024]
- Biology, not technology, will save the planet | Vashon-Maury Island Beachcomber - Vashon-Maury Island Beachcomber - April 15th, 2024 [April 15th, 2024]
- Bonobos are more aggressive than previously thought - EurekAlert - April 15th, 2024 [April 15th, 2024]
- Debating sex and gender: Whose 'biological reality' is it anyway? - The Boston Globe - April 15th, 2024 [April 15th, 2024]
- Why detecting the earliest biological signs of Parkinson's disease is so crucial - Scope - April 15th, 2024 [April 15th, 2024]
- Cicada experts and resources available from UWMadison - University of Wisconsin-Madison - April 15th, 2024 [April 15th, 2024]
- Iconic savanna mammals face genetic problems due to fences and roads - EurekAlert - April 15th, 2024 [April 15th, 2024]
- Advice to a Young Mathematical Biologist - University of Birmingham - April 15th, 2024 [April 15th, 2024]
- New project explores warfare in animal societies - EurekAlert - April 15th, 2024 [April 15th, 2024]
- Unheard of in Structural Biology New Research Unveils Enzymatic Keys to Immune System Regulation - SciTechDaily - April 7th, 2024 [April 7th, 2024]
- Pygmy Slow Lorises Are Born at Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute - Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology... - April 7th, 2024 [April 7th, 2024]
- VespAI: a deep learning-based system for the detection of invasive hornets | Communications Biology - Nature.com - April 7th, 2024 [April 7th, 2024]
- Inside the new Seattle Hub for Synthetic Biology, which uses DNA to 'record biology over time' - GeekWire - April 7th, 2024 [April 7th, 2024]
- The Biology of Kindness review: Living well and prospering - New Scientist - April 7th, 2024 [April 7th, 2024]
- UND biologist explains composition of dirt to kids - UND Today - UND Blogs and E-Newsletters - April 7th, 2024 [April 7th, 2024]
- In the evolution of walking, the hip bone connected to the rib bones - EurekAlert - April 7th, 2024 [April 7th, 2024]
- Synaptic ribbon dynamics after noise exposure in the hearing cochlea | Communications Biology - Nature.com - April 7th, 2024 [April 7th, 2024]
- Biologist Beth Shapiro on the 'de-extinction' of woolly mammoths - STAT - April 7th, 2024 [April 7th, 2024]
- MCC students inducted into new honor society geared toward biology - Mohave Valley News - April 7th, 2024 [April 7th, 2024]
- FRIDAY FACULTY FEATURE: Boente's Biology Background the Rock Online - The Rock Online - April 7th, 2024 [April 7th, 2024]
- Measuring the Intelligence of a Cell - University of California San Diego - April 7th, 2024 [April 7th, 2024]
- Shy sea anemones are more likely to survive heatwaves - EurekAlert - April 7th, 2024 [April 7th, 2024]
- Akoya Biosciences Showcases Spatial Biology 2.0 Solutions at AACR Annual Meeting with Case Studies ... - GlobeNewswire - April 7th, 2024 [April 7th, 2024]
- BD Increases Access to Cutting-Edge Image-Enabled, Spectral Cell Sorters - BioSpace - April 7th, 2024 [April 7th, 2024]
- We've had bird evolution all wrong - EurekAlert - April 7th, 2024 [April 7th, 2024]
- Altered brain morphology and functional connectivity in postmenopausal women - EurekAlert - April 7th, 2024 [April 7th, 2024]
- BPGbio Presents Key Advances in its Oncology Pipeline related to the NAi Interrogative Biology Platform - StreetInsider.com - April 7th, 2024 [April 7th, 2024]
- Research Technician in the Center for Genomics and Systems Biology, Dr. Kristin Gunsalus job with NEW YORK ... - Times Higher Education - April 7th, 2024 [April 7th, 2024]
- The Road to Biology 2.0 Will Pass Through Black-Box Data - Towards Data Science - March 19th, 2024 [March 19th, 2024]
- Nobel-winning biologist on the most promising ways to stop ageing - New Scientist - March 19th, 2024 [March 19th, 2024]
- How to better research the possible threats posed by AI-driven misuse of biology - Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists - March 19th, 2024 [March 19th, 2024]
- Fired Biology Professor Fights Back and Wins, Has a Message For Fellow Christians - CBN.com - March 19th, 2024 [March 19th, 2024]
- Understanding Reductionism and ID - Discovery Institute - March 19th, 2024 [March 19th, 2024]
- All creatures great and small: Sequencing the blue whale and Etruscan shrew genomes - University of Wisconsin-Madison - March 19th, 2024 [March 19th, 2024]
- Seeing Double: USU Biologist Carl Rothfels is Developing Novel Polyploid Phylogenetics Tools - Utah State University - March 19th, 2024 [March 19th, 2024]
- Department of Biology Special Seminar: Angela Hancock - The Hub at Johns Hopkins - March 19th, 2024 [March 19th, 2024]
- New Imaging Tool Advances Study of Lipid Biology - University of California San Diego - March 19th, 2024 [March 19th, 2024]
- Saving Biology With Blue Biotechnology - The Maritime Executive - March 19th, 2024 [March 19th, 2024]
- The Human Element: For Student Scientists, Learning to Place Biology in Social Context - Tufts Now - March 19th, 2024 [March 19th, 2024]
- A theoretical framework to improve the adoption of green Integrated Pest Management tactics | Communications Biology - Nature.com - March 19th, 2024 [March 19th, 2024]
- Advancing the scale of synthetic biology via cross-species transfer of cellular functions enabled by iModulon engraftment - Nature.com - March 19th, 2024 [March 19th, 2024]
- A.I. Is Learning What It Means to Be Alive - The New York Times - March 19th, 2024 [March 19th, 2024]
- This Towson University senior found her purpose in biology - Technical.ly - March 19th, 2024 [March 19th, 2024]
- W&M Experiential Courses Bring Biology to Life and Transform the Student Experience - WYDaily - March 19th, 2024 [March 19th, 2024]
- The hidden value of herbariums | On Point - WBUR News - March 19th, 2024 [March 19th, 2024]
- Professor of Biology/Zoology/Physiology (Tenure-Track) job with BLACKBURN COLLEGE | 37620424 - The Chronicle of Higher Education - March 19th, 2024 [March 19th, 2024]
- Generative AI in Biology Market Poised for Remarkable Growth, to Surpass USD 346.9 Billion by 2032, - PharmiWeb.com - March 19th, 2024 [March 19th, 2024]
- Advancements in Understanding the Immune System Biology: Research Contributions - Medriva - February 13th, 2024 [February 13th, 2024]
- Developing Cancer Therapies at the Intersection of Chemistry and Biology - American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) - February 13th, 2024 [February 13th, 2024]
- Recent Advances in the Understanding of MCL Biology - Cancer Network - February 13th, 2024 [February 13th, 2024]
- Biological Mechanism of Noise-Induced Hearing Loss Discovered - The Hearing Review - February 13th, 2024 [February 13th, 2024]
- Genomic attributes of airway commensal bacteria and mucosa | Communications Biology - Nature.com - February 13th, 2024 [February 13th, 2024]
- UCLA Receives $4.6 Million Grant from The Warren Alpert Foundation to Launch Computational Biology/AI Training ... - UCLA Health Connect - February 13th, 2024 [February 13th, 2024]
- Former Zookeeper Hopes to Share Passion for Biology as a Science Educator - Georgia State University News - February 13th, 2024 [February 13th, 2024]
- Uses BgRT Radiation Therapy to Target Tumor - City of Hope - February 13th, 2024 [February 13th, 2024]
- Renowned evolutionary biologist to speak for SFA's Darwin Day event | SFA - Stephen F. Austin State University - February 13th, 2024 [February 13th, 2024]
- State biologists want you to send them owl vomit - Bangor Daily News - February 13th, 2024 [February 13th, 2024]
- Dan Bush named a pioneer member for the American Society of Plant Biology - College of Natural Sciences - Colorado State University - February 13th, 2024 [February 13th, 2024]
- Real-time simultaneous refractive index and thickness mapping of sub-cellular biology at the diffraction limit ... - Nature.com - February 13th, 2024 [February 13th, 2024]
- Letter: Unraveling the threat of misinformation in ballot biology and mountain lion hunting - Vail Daily - February 13th, 2024 [February 13th, 2024]
- Clownfish: Studying their Complex Lives and Anemone Homes | The Brink - Boston University - February 13th, 2024 [February 13th, 2024]
- Rucaparib and its major metabolite exhibit differential biological activity and synergy - News-Medical.Net - February 13th, 2024 [February 13th, 2024]
- Beyond Nature's Limits: Ethical Dilemmas in the Age of Synthetic Biology - Medium - February 13th, 2024 [February 13th, 2024]
- Biological Research And Self-driving Labs In Deep Space Supported By Artificial Intelligence - Astrobiology - Astrobiology News - February 13th, 2024 [February 13th, 2024]
- Surprising behavior in one of the least studied mammals in the world - EurekAlert - February 13th, 2024 [February 13th, 2024]
- Exploring the Role of Non-Protein Ubiquitination in Cellular Biology - Medriva - February 13th, 2024 [February 13th, 2024]
- Researchers call for antitrust measures to safeguard innovation in spatial biology - Phys.org - February 13th, 2024 [February 13th, 2024]
- Lost Loves: USU Neuroscientists Learn About Grief From Widowed Coyotes - Utah State University - February 13th, 2024 [February 13th, 2024]
- Unraveling the Complexities of Multiple Sclerosis: A New Approach to Understanding Chronic Diseases - Medriva - February 13th, 2024 [February 13th, 2024]
- Synthetic biology aims to tackle disease and give cells superpowers - Science News Explores - January 19th, 2024 [January 19th, 2024]
- Ecological determinants of Cope's rule and its inverse | Communications Biology - Nature.com - January 19th, 2024 [January 19th, 2024]
- New Evolution Theory Explains Why Animals Shrink Over Time - SciTechDaily - January 19th, 2024 [January 19th, 2024]
- Biology major finds UWO perfect for college education and first professional job - UW Oshkosh Today - January 19th, 2024 [January 19th, 2024]
- Gustavus BMB Major Earns Prestigious Accreditation - The American Society of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology ... - Gustavus Adolphus College - January 19th, 2024 [January 19th, 2024]
- SARS-CoV-2 biology and host interactions - Nature.com - January 19th, 2024 [January 19th, 2024]
- Biology faculty member rethinks office hours with student needs first - University Times - January 19th, 2024 [January 19th, 2024]