PISA RESULTS AND WORLD CLASS SKILLS!!

Our kids are no different from kids all over the world and I have been looking at the latest PISA results and it is interesting to read. The UK has achieved "positive" results in an international school rankings based on tests taken by 15-year-olds in 79 countries and territories. A test by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development showed that the UK's performance in reading, mathematics and science has improved. But we are behind top players like China, Singapore and Estonia, as well as Finland, Canada, Ireland, Sweden and Poland.

Unfortunately, British teenagers also have the lowest levels of "life satisfaction" and happiness, which is not surprising in a country where we test, question and monitor our children more than most. Andreas Schleicher, director of education for the OECD, said there were "positive signs" in the UK test results she took in 2018, which he said showed "modest improvements". There is also good news:

• England finished 14th in the Test, far from 22nd in the previous Test three years ago.
• In science, the UK ranks 14th out of 15.
• In mathematics, England ranks 18th out of 27.

The next PISA test will also focus on Creative Thinking in 2021 and Digital Learning in 2024, although the UK is unlikely to participate! This is sad in a world where things that are easy to learn and test are also easy to digitize and automate. And especially when the skills needed to be successful in school, work and life in general are at the core of the arts, culture and sport ... teamwork, communication, planning, creativity, problem solving, organization, imagination, awareness , and responsibility .. The skills our children need to embrace the 21st century and change our world for the better.

For our children to thrive and succeed, the school of tomorrow must help them think for themselves and work together as a team with empathy and understanding. What do schools need to do this? Andreas Schleicher, Founder of the OECD Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) and International Education Policy Authority, has accompanied education leaders in more than 70 countries in their efforts to develop and implement forward-looking policies and practices. Although improvements in education are much easier to announce than to achieve, in this book Schleicher explores many of the successes from which we can learn. This does not mean copying and pasting solutions from other schools or countries, but rather a serious and unbiased review of best practices in our country and elsewhere to understand what works!