2015 PISA results place emphasis on good teaching
The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) have published the results of the 2015 Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) survey.
The results show that students in the UK continue to score above the OECD average in science. Overall performance, however, has not improved since 2006, meaning that there are still opportunities for development and improvement.
Based on an analysis of the results the OECD are recommending several key policy directions to support nations to improve their performance. One of these is to build a skilled and dedicated teacher workforce.
Transformative teaching
Our president, Professor Sir John Holman says:
"One of the key findings of this year’s PISA survey is the importance of good science teachers in schools.
"Great teaching can be transformative. A great teacher inspires, brings out the best in students whatever their level of ability, and helps the most disadvantaged student to shine.
"To this end the Royal Society of Chemistry is committed to supporting chemistry teachers to deliver to the best of their ability."
Support for teachers
Last week also saw the publication of the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS), by the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA), which showed that two-thirds of head teachers in England found their year 9 science vacancies somewhat or very hard to fill. This is also in line with findings from PISA, which showed that headteachers in England are more likely to report teacher shortages, compared to the OECD average.
"Teachers in England report relatively challenging teaching conditions," says Professor Holman, "but we are here to help, through our professional development courses, our online resources including Learn Chemistry, our magazine Education in Chemistry, and our network of contacts and education coordinators across the UK."
"Through providing teachers with the support they need, we aim to improve both job satisfaction and teaching excellence, leading to higher retention and recruitment rates for teachers, and even greater engagement and achievement from students, no matter what their background."
We also support the Department for Education’s Teacher Training Scholarships, providing scholars with mentoring, continuing professional development, and membership of the Royal Society of Chemistry.
PISA
The Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) is a triennial international survey which aims to evaluate education systems worldwide by testing the skills and knowledge of 15-year-old students.
In 2015 over half a million students, representing 28 million 15-year-olds in 72 countries and economies, took the internationally agreed two-hour test. Students were assessed in science, mathematics, reading, collaborative problem solving and financial literacy.
The results of the 2015 assessment were published on 6th December 2016.
Resources for teachers
To benefit from some of the support we provide for teachers, please explore the links below:
- Professional development courses – both online and face-to-face courses are available
- Learn Chemistry, an online resource
- Our magazine for educators, EiC
- Education coordinators across the UK
- The Learn Chemistry partnership