Explicit excellence shows value of traditional ways

It was interesting to read “the principles of a maths lesson” as outlined in the article on explicit teaching (“Little school turns its fortunes around”, June 4). It could have been the exact model that I and other colleagues of my vintage have used for many years teaching maths in Sydney schools. Thus, it is not new but, thankfully, is now being recognised, as it should always have, as being the most effective method of teaching, particularly mathematics, for the vast majority of students. For too long, many teachers have been instructed to abide by the “student-centred” model which may be suitable for some of the more capable students but detrimental for most. Max Redmayne, Drummoyne

Fancy schools making the dramatic discovery that, among other things, teachers giving pupils clear instructions and breaking down information into bite-sized chunks improves learning and student engagement. Well done, Charlestown South Public. Every time I see a young shop assistant using a calculator to work out simple additions, I am reminded of the morning routine 60 plus years ago as primary school classes recited the times tables at great speed. I could still give the calculator a run for its money in speed and accuracy. But that was before teachers became facilitators of student-led discovery. The best discoveries are made by those who have mastered the basics. Irene Nemes, Rose Bay

Thank goodness the old-fashioned ideas are coming back. Explicit teaching, step-by-step understanding, is essential from the beginning. Over the years this has been lost in favour of all kinds of games and fun activities that, quite frankly, have had little to do with children’s deep learning. As a teacher from the ’70s I have watched understanding decrease as explicit developmental learning has been replaced by other methods. Children do not learn by osmosis but by specific teaching of subjects and skills from mathematics to the arts and everything else. There is simply no substitute for explicit teaching. I have commented on this previously and been a strong advocate over the years. It is good to see I am being vindicated by the return of these methods albeit with modern classrooms and material. I also note from reading and following teacher sites that so many appear to be spending inordinate amounts of time chasing up lessons. To have a structure and some prepared lessons, with the flexibility to adapt them to suit a class, saves time and effort, which can be devoted to “real” teaching! Augusta Monro, Dural

Explicit instructions and teaching, deeply embedding skills and topics before moving on, all constitute good teaching methods. However, NAPLAN is not the only test for our education system. Our children are increasingly being positioned into a narrow corridor of explicit outcomes. Co-operative learning, use of technology, small-group interaction and development of social harmony, tolerance and understanding are not easily measured. They, too, are important outcomes but are increasingly being sidelined in our schools.
Janice Creenaune, Austinmer

Congratulations to those hard-working teachers who have shown that by working together and working smart, outcomes can be achieved by a majority of students. With the attention span of children seemingly less than it once was, breaking down problems into smaller chunks is the best way to ensure students have the opportunity to achieve. This should once again highlight the importance of having dedicated teachers in our schools. Peter Miniutti, Ashbury

Rosehill protestors should get off their high horses

Recently wealthy racing identities, including Gai Waterhouse, have been lining up to save Rosehill Racecourse (The Herald’s View, June 4). This proves the adage that you shouldn’t bet against the horse called “self-interest”. However, that doesn’t make them wrong. If we replace the racetrack with 25,000 homes plus a similar number over Moore Park Golf Club and any other public space that developers can get their hands on, we will end up with people crammed into boxes having to live their life on a screen.

New homes can be built over existing infrastructure such as railway stations or decentralised to regional areas. Even though we may not follow horse racing or play golf we need to keep our open spaces and leisure facilities.
Bill Swan, Mount Riverview

According to Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, food and shelter are the highest. Perhaps those self-serving figures in the racing industry who oppose the development of Rosehill Racecourse as housing for 25,000 people could understand this and not put their own selfish monetary interests ahead of thousands of desperate people who need housing. Leo Sorbello, West Ryde

Rosehill Racecourse is too far from the city, has pollution problems, looks like a park and has limited public transport. Why not cover the Domain, Royal Sydney Golf Club, Queens Park and Centennial Park with 50-storey tower blocks, with rooftop gardens, of course, like they do in Hong Kong? Fifty thousand units, excellent views, existing public transport and no remediation of the land. Just think of the profits for developers. Everyone knows there is a housing crisis. Surely no one would object. Ted Hemmens, Cromer

There’s an insidious plot to move racing away from Rosehill Racecourse and to the city/Randwick. With no rail access to the Rosehill Racecourse and no metro station to be built, the only way to get to Rosehill will be by car or bus from Parramatta. The closest light rail stop is a 600m walk. George Zivkovic, Northmead

Methinks it’s time for the recalcitrant Rosehill Racecourse group to get off their high horses and cease protesting with a one-track mind. Surely, fairness dictates that the greater good should always prevail over self-interests.
Edward Loong, Milsons Point

If they can’t decide whether to put the extra Metro West station at Newington, Silverwater or Rosehill, put it somewhere in the middle and call it “New Rosewater”. Doug Walker, Baulkham Hills

Visa priorities are all wrong

The skilled labour shortage highlights the fact that Australia’s prosperity in the last generation has been built selling assets and outsourcing as much as possible (“Yogis pip tradies in skilled visa lists”, June 4). Our local TAFE has closed down and the land has been redeveloped as a retirement village. In its place, we have to rely on other countries to foot the bill to train the skilled workers we import, without incurring the cost of their education. We are not building public infrastructure at a rate sufficient to cater for our increasing population. I hope future governments will recognise to folly of such policies and, while continuing to welcome immigrants, build the infrastructure necessary to maintain our enviable standard of living. Gordon Stenning, Seaforth

Bringing in Yogis could be a Boo-Boo. Michael Deeth, Como West

Yoga instructors top the skilled visa list? Look out for marauding packs of downward dogs terrorising your neighbourhood soon. Jim Dewar, Davistown

Letting more yoga teachers in than tradies – that’s a bit of a stretch!
John Dinan, Cheltenham

Only in Australia! I must have missed the government announcing there must be more yoga schools instead of new homes. Robyn Lewis, Raglan

High stakes

I am a local resident who signed the petition opposing the proposal (“Locals fight back at uni plan”, June 4). I live a kilometre away. The main objection is the extreme height. Greed is the underlying factor for this proposal and our local community, and the quality of life we experience, will be adversely affected unless the height is greatly reduced. John Cotterill, Kingsford

The rents charged for purpose-built student accommodation; $900 a week for a studio and $700 for a room in shared accommodation, are mind-boggling. What I find disturbing is that the universities are prepared to support these incredibly high rents. Surely if they enter into a partnership with Iglu or one of the other PBSA developers, they should endeavour to ensure that the rents charged are reasonable. Alan Morris, Eastlakes

New order

It’s time to review the house of review (Letters, June 4). Scrap the outdated Senate and create more, smaller electorates that represent the will of the people. Works well enough in Queensland and would be better value for money both state and federally. The Senate is an anachronism of the past. It’s time for reform. Denis Suttling, Newport Beach

Not entertainment

Like most people I turn to television or streaming services in the evening, however many of the movies and series on offer feature women meeting a violent death/sexual abuse/male avenger partner or cop, and it is disturbing how normal it’s made out to be (“It’s time to flip the script on how domestic violence is represented on TV”, June 3). Whether it is a case of the medium reflecting society, or society reflecting the medium, I do not know, but I do know that I am getting weary (and wary) of this trope constantly cropping up – so more often than not, I’m giving this type of “entertainment” the flick.
Alicia Dawson, Balmain

Peace not war

China’s military strength – on land, sea and air – is now so massive that it reduces our own armed forces to relative impotence (“Time to wake ANZUS: Pezzullo”, June 4). Fretting about Australia’s “vulnerability” and how we might be protected by a few long-range missiles and diesel submarines is nonsense. In any case, China’s economic interests here and our mutual dependence on trade, puts the realistic prospect of conflict of the kind imagined by Hartcher and Pezzullo beyond the limits of probability. It might suit some politicians, defence department chiefs (and their attendant contractors) to promote fears of war but their arguments read more like provocation than dispassionate strategic analysis. It is certainly counterproductive. Hartcher quotes Pezzullo as writing that “thinking about war is distressing – the alternative is worse”. The alternative to war is peace. Surely that is a considerably less distressing goal to pursue than stoking paranoid fears of “Beijing’s dominance”. David Salter, Hunters Hill

Peter Hartcher writes with approval of Mike Pezzullo’s madness to put ANZUS on a war footing. That would make Australia a threat to China which it currently is not. Any sane person would want to ensure that we do not become a threat to China or anyone else. Mark Porter, New Lambton

Road to ruin

I loved all the letters today’s Herald discussing congestion in the eastern suburbs (Letters, June 4). At the risk of being labelled a NIMBY I suggest everyone should look at what is happening at North Sydney. Major road works are underway for the northern beaches connection. They are extensive, have wiped out any small site of greenery from Kirribilli to the Cammeray Golf course, and felled over 50,000 trees. Promises of replacement trees in the area are unrealistic as there is no land left.
Transport for NSW did not forget the cyclists though – we are about to get destruction of the parks on the western side of the railway at Milsons Point for them. We have both cars and cyclists covered. Never mind the generated ambience for the residents. As Chris O’Rourke states, this is very disheartening. Clare Sydenham, North Sydney

“Royal” welcome mat

It’s been confirmed that this year Australia will once again enjoy a royal visit. It should remind us all of the close historical ties that the royal family continues to enjoy with Australia, and how lucky we are that they take time to travel to the other side of the world to meet and forge important ties with the new generations of our political leaders, with the goal of continued prosperity. Welcome, Rupert and Elena! What? Who did you think I was talking about (“Rupert Murdoch’s new wife, Elena Zhukova, excited about Australian visit”, June 3)? Patrick McGrath, Potts Point

Given his advanced years, arum lilies for the bride may have been a more economical choice for Rupert’s recent remarriage than lilies of the valley. It’s all in the timing? Russ Couch, Woonona

Would it be facetious of me to suggest that when Rupert Murdoch was asked that question, his reply would not have been “I do” or “I will” but “Don’t I always?” Chris Keay, Castle Hill

Seasonal stretch

Your correspondent opines that the start of winter is around May 10 (Letters, June 4). As us New Englanders know, “real winter” starts at the end of June reaching mid-point throughout July, with winter still very much with us in September given the eight days of minimum temperatures under zero.
Tony Ramsay, Armidale

Talk isn’t cheap

The public are rightly shocked by Bill Shorten spending over $600,000 on a speechwriter, but on the other hand, he desperately needs one (“Shorten’s $310,000-a-year writer behind at least 170 speeches – but no zingers”, smh.com.au, June 4).
Paul Duncan, Leura

Wear it with pride

I must respond with a resounding “no” to your correspondent – it’s not a worry that he was clueless about “fashion cultural references” in that article – it’s a badge of honour (Letters, June 4). Kerrie Wehbe, Blacktown

No fans of Nigel

Farage is the perfect man to lead a revolt in the UK. He is utterly revolting.
David Harrison, Winmalee

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