The final question lobbed at deputy premier Ben Carroll was: do we have a problem with toxic masculinity with boys in Victorian schools?I was at the book launch of Rosie Batty a couple of weeks ago, and she highlighted what’s happening in our schools as … just about the best investment that the government has made through its family violence royal commission.
We’ve now moved to a Q&A session with the education minister, where we’ve learnt schools will have three years to fully establish their new phonics programs, which will start being rolled out next year.Carroll’s response was, in essence, that was yet to be worked out. Carroll said that’s because he didn’t want the new system to simply be tacked onto the current model, making it more difficult for students and teachers.Deputy Premier Ben Carroll goes on to say he’s read studies that suggest students given explicit phonics instruction can be up to two years ahead of their peers.
That’s why for this reason, I’m personally committed to ensuring that teaching reading in Victorian classrooms is evidence-based and backed by the science, not ideology. We want to ensure that every student in a Victorian government school is taught to read using the evidence base that fosters the strongest outcomes.
Port Melbourne Primary School prep students Brooklyn, Chloe, Felix and Gonzalo use an explicit instruction approach to learning to read with principal Tom Cain.Experts say Carroll’s announcement is significant, but needs to come with the correct assessments, accountability, professional learning and compliance to ensure returns.