Basic skills
Encyclopedia
Basic skills can be compared to higher order thinking skills
. Facts and methods are highly valued under the back-to-basics approach to education.
Teaching methods that emphasize basic skills tend to be compatible with traditional education
rather than student-centered standards based education reform. Materials that are primarily marketed to homeschoolers such as Saxon math and Modern Curriculum Press
are based on emphasis on basic skills. Such curricula typically require much less teacher training, less expensive and smaller books, and do not require purchasing expensive expendable materials such as scissors, paste, paint, beads as is required by reform mathematics
curricula such as Investigations in Number, Data, and Space.
Most local, state and federal education agencies are committed to standards based education reform, which is based on beliefs which conflict with the outcomes of traditional education. The goal is that all students will succeed at one high world-class level of what students know and are able to do, rather than different students learning different amounts on different tracks, producing some failures and some successes. Higher order thinking skills
are emphasized by the new standards. A widely cited paper by Constance Kamii
even suggests that teaching of basic arithmetic methods is harmful to learning, and guided the thinking behind many of today's commonly used mathematics teaching curricula.
, basic skills education is literacy
and numeracy
education for adults who for some reason did not acquire these skills to a level sufficient for everyday adult life when they were at school. It is therefore often referred to as "adult basic skills". Skills for life
is a basic skills programme running in further education
colleges, taken by young people over 16 and by older adults. Students on vocational
courses and apprentices are often required to take "key skills" units in communication, application of number and information and communication technology (ICT)....
and numeracy
testing, undertaken in Years 3
, 5
, 7
& 9
. The Literacy and Numeracy test has been replaced by a standard Australia wide test called the NAPLAN test.
Higher order thinking skills
The concept of higher order thinking skills became a major educational agenda item with the 1956 publication of Bloom's taxonomy of educational objectives....
. Facts and methods are highly valued under the back-to-basics approach to education.
- Facts are learned one at a time, in isolation, as compared to an integrated curriculum which combines fields of learning.
- They are learned from a book or teacher as compared to constructivismConstructivism (learning theory)Constructivism is a theory of knowledge that argues that humans generate knowledge and meaning from an interaction between their experiences and their ideas. During infancy, it was an interaction between human experiences and their reflexes or behavior-patterns. Piaget called these systems of...
or student-centered learning where the learner constructs his or her own knowledge.
- Direct InstructionDirect instructionDirect Instruction is an instructional method that is focused on systematic curriculum design and skillful implementation of a prescribed behavioral script....
is based on teaching basic skills.
- They are learned for academics sake rather than in context or "real life" as compared to project-based learningProject-based learningProject-based learning, or PBL, is the use of in-depth and rigorous classroom projects to facilitate learning and assess student competence . Students use technology and inquiry to respond to a complex issue, problem or challenge...
. Critics who dismissed some mathematics as "Rainforest algebra" find pages filled with information about rainforests, the environment, or even shoe companies like Nike but very little information on how to actually solve the mathematics exercises.
- A basic skills test is generally a multiple choiceMultiple choiceMultiple choice is a form of assessment in which respondents are asked to select the best possible answer out of the choices from a list. The multiple choice format is most frequently used in educational testing, in market research, and in elections-- when a person chooses between multiple...
which tests for one area of knowledge, as compared to a standards based assessment which requires an open response that requires integrating many different areas of knowledge such as communication, problem solvingProblem solvingProblem solving is a mental process and is part of the larger problem process that includes problem finding and problem shaping. Consideredthe most complex of all intellectual functions, problem solving has been defined as higher-order cognitive process that requires the modulation and control of...
, mathematics and science on a science item.
- Mathematical skills such as borrowing or long division are learned without adding cultural context such as multiculturalism or ethnic heritage or issues of social justice.
- Facts are learned in sequence, rather than spiraling. Some curriculum frameworks specify that students in all grade levels as early as Kindergarten will learn elements of number sense, algebra, geometry, statistics, mathematical communication, problem solving in nearly identical wording between grade levels.
Teaching methods that emphasize basic skills tend to be compatible with traditional education
Traditional education
Traditional education or back-to-basics refers to long-established customs found in schools that society has traditionally deemed appropriate. Some forms of education reform promote the adoption of progressive education practices, a more holistic approach which focuses on individual students'...
rather than student-centered standards based education reform. Materials that are primarily marketed to homeschoolers such as Saxon math and Modern Curriculum Press
Modern Curriculum Press
Modern Curriculum Press is one of the Pearson Learning Group publishers, specializing in direct skill instruction style curriculum materials.-Modern Curriculum Press Mathematics:...
are based on emphasis on basic skills. Such curricula typically require much less teacher training, less expensive and smaller books, and do not require purchasing expensive expendable materials such as scissors, paste, paint, beads as is required by reform mathematics
Reform mathematics
Reform mathematics is an approach to mathematics education, particularly in North America. It is based on principles explained in 1989 by the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics . The NCTM document, Curriculum and Evaluation Standards for School Mathematics, attempted to set forth a vision...
curricula such as Investigations in Number, Data, and Space.
Most local, state and federal education agencies are committed to standards based education reform, which is based on beliefs which conflict with the outcomes of traditional education. The goal is that all students will succeed at one high world-class level of what students know and are able to do, rather than different students learning different amounts on different tracks, producing some failures and some successes. Higher order thinking skills
Higher order thinking skills
The concept of higher order thinking skills became a major educational agenda item with the 1956 publication of Bloom's taxonomy of educational objectives....
are emphasized by the new standards. A widely cited paper by Constance Kamii
Constance Kamii
Dr. Constance Kamii is a Professor, Early Childhood Education ProgramDepartment of Curriculum and Instruction at the University of Alabama at Birmingham.-Overview:...
even suggests that teaching of basic arithmetic methods is harmful to learning, and guided the thinking behind many of today's commonly used mathematics teaching curricula.
United Kingdom usage
In the United KingdomUnited Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, basic skills education is literacy
Literacy
Literacy has traditionally been described as the ability to read for knowledge, write coherently and think critically about printed material.Literacy represents the lifelong, intellectual process of gaining meaning from print...
and numeracy
Numeracy
Numeracy is the ability to reason with numbers and other mathematical concepts. A numerically literate person can manage and respond to the mathematical demands of life...
education for adults who for some reason did not acquire these skills to a level sufficient for everyday adult life when they were at school. It is therefore often referred to as "adult basic skills". Skills for life
Skills for life
Skills for Life is the national strategy in England for improving adult literacy, language and numeracy skills. The strategy was launched by the Prime Minister, Tony Blair, in March 2001....
is a basic skills programme running in further education
Further education
Further education is a term mainly used in connection with education in the United Kingdom and Ireland. It is post-compulsory education , that is distinct from the education offered in universities...
colleges, taken by young people over 16 and by older adults. Students on vocational
Vocational education
Vocational education or vocational education and training is an education that prepares trainees for jobs that are based on manual or practical activities, traditionally non-academic, and totally related to a specific trade, occupation, or vocation...
courses and apprentices are often required to take "key skills" units in communication, application of number and information and communication technology (ICT)....
Australia usage
Common name for the previous standard literacyLiteracy
Literacy has traditionally been described as the ability to read for knowledge, write coherently and think critically about printed material.Literacy represents the lifelong, intellectual process of gaining meaning from print...
and numeracy
Numeracy
Numeracy is the ability to reason with numbers and other mathematical concepts. A numerically literate person can manage and respond to the mathematical demands of life...
testing, undertaken in Years 3
Year Three
Year Three is an educational year group in schools in many countries including England, Wales, Australia and New Zealand. It is usually the third year of compulsory education and incorporates students aged between seven and nine.-Australia:...
, 5
Year Five
Year Five is an educational year group in schools in many countries including England, Wales, Australia and New Zealand. It is usually the fifth year of compulsory education and incorporates students aged between nine and eleven.-Australia:...
, 7
Year Seven
Year Seven is an educational year group in schools in many countries including England, Wales, Australia and New Zealand. It is usually the seventh year of compulsory education and incorporates students aged between eleven and thirteen.-Australia:...
& 9
Year Nine
Year Nine is an educational year group in schools in many countries including England, Wales, Northern Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. It is usually the ninth year of compulsory education and incorporates students aged between thirteen and fourteen....
. The Literacy and Numeracy test has been replaced by a standard Australia wide test called the NAPLAN test.
See also
- List of abandoned education methods
- Mathematically CorrectMathematically CorrectMathematically Correct is a website created by educators, parents, mathematicians, and scientists who were concerned about the direction of reform mathematics curricula based on NCTM standards...
Advocates for teaching basic skills - NCTM Math standards organization which recently switched back to emphasis on basic skills.
- Standards based education reform
- Traditional educationTraditional educationTraditional education or back-to-basics refers to long-established customs found in schools that society has traditionally deemed appropriate. Some forms of education reform promote the adoption of progressive education practices, a more holistic approach which focuses on individual students'...