2023-12-04 19:12:00
The PISA studies, the next of which will be revealed this Tuesday, help to establish this idea.
According to a survey carried out by APED (Appeal for a Democratic School) among 1,458 teachers, three out of four teachers believe that the level of our teaching is declining.
“The survey does not focus on the level of the students as such but on the feelings of the teachers. But this is the sign of a real drop in level which requires an urgent response,” warns Nico Hirtt, founder of APED.
According to the survey, 72% of teachers said they “totally agree” or “rather agree” with the statement that the level of education is falling.
In Flanders, this percentage rises to 81% and in the Wallonia-Brussels Federation, to 65%. The observation is even more unanimous among teachers who teach students from very disadvantaged backgrounds.
The majority of teachers estimate that a third of their students do not reach a sufficient level of mastery or knowledge. Many believe class size contributes to the problem.
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The high concentration of students in difficulty in the same class or the same school is also cited as a structural factor in this drop in level. 14% of teachers also believe that a deficit in intellectual abilities would be a frequent cause of academic difficulties.
“This drop in level is something that I also felt in my career,” confides Nico Hirtt, who taught mathematics and physics in secondary schools for a long time.
“The requirements of the programs have diminished enormously over the years. When I compare the content of the physics courses when I was a secondary school student with the content that I was responsible for teaching, I estimate that the level, both qualitative and quantitative, has been halved. All in all, we can say that the level is four times lower,” he estimates.
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“In mathematics too, the requirements have become lower. For example, in my classes, I might no longer teach the laws of physics through mathematics. Under these conditions, it is no longer possible to demonstrate anything. The teaching of physics becomes rote and a lot of chatter.”, he continues.
According to Nico Hirtt, however, students are quite capable of learning much more than what is found in the curricula. “It is considered that students are no longer capable of learning a whole series of things but this is false. They are infantilized and considered incapable. It’s contempt for children and their intelligence,” he laments.
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