PISA 2015 : resultados clave

Singapur supera en ciencias al resto de países/economías participantes. Japón, Estonia, Finlandia y Canadá son, por este orden, los cuatro países de la OCDE que mejores resultados obtienen. Cerca del 8% de los estudiantes de los países de la OCDE (y el 24% de los estudiantes de Singapur) obtienen resultados excelentes en ciencias, es decir, alcanzan los niveles 5 o 6. En estos niveles, los estudiantes poseen las habilidades y conocimientos científicos suficientes como para aplicar lo que saben de manera creativa y autónoma en muy diversas situaciones, aunque les resulten desconocidas. Cerca del 20% de los estudiantes de los países de la OCDE rinde por debajo del nivel 2, considerado el umbral básico de competencias científicos. En el nivel 2, los estudiantes pueden recurrir a contenidos y procedimientos científicos básicos que conocen para identificar una explicación apropiada, interpretar datos y reconocer la cuestión que trata un experimento simple. Todos los estudiantes deberían alcanzar el nivel 2 de competencias al concluir la educación obligatoria. En la mayoría de los países para los que se dispone de datos comparables, el rendimiento medio de los estudiantes en ciencias se ha mantenido prácticamente inalterado desde 2006. Sin embargo, los resultados medios en ciencias mejoraron entre 2006 y 2015 en Colombia, Israel, Macao (China), Portugal, Catar y Rumanía. Durante este periodo, en Macao (China), Portugal y Catar incrementó la proporción de estudiantes con resultados iguales o superiores al nivel 5, a la vez que se redujo la proporción de estudiantes con rendimientos inferiores al nivel de competencias básicas (nivel 2). • Aunque las diferencias por género en ciencias suelen ser pequeñas de media, en 33 países y economías hay un mayor porcentaje de alumnos que de alumnas con un nivel excelente. Finlandia es el único país en el que las chicas tienen más probabilidades de alcanzar un nivel excelente que los chicos. De media, en los países de la OCDE, el 25% de los chicos y el 24% de las chicas declaró querer dedicarse a una profesión relacionada con las ciencias. Pero chicos y chicas suelen pensar en trabajar en distintos ámbitos de la ciencia: con más frecuencia que los chicos, las chicas se ven como profesionales de la salud; y prácticamente en todos los países, estos aspiran a ser informáticos, científicos o ingenieros más a menudo que las chicas. Cerca del 20% de los estudiantes de los países de la OCDE no obtiene, de media, las competencias lectoras básicas. Esta proporción se ha mantenido estable desde 2009. De media, en los países de la OCDE, la diferencia en lectura a favor de las niñas disminuyó 12 puntos en la prueba PISA entre 2009 y 2015: el rendimiento de los chicos mejoró, particularmente entre aquellos con mejores resultados, mientras que el de las chicas empeoró, sobre todo entre aquellas con peores resultados. • Más de uno de cada cuatro estudiantes en Pekín-Shanghái-Jiangsu-Guangdong (China), Hong Kong (China), Singapur y China Taipéi logra un nivel excelente en matemáticas, lo que significa que pueden enfrentarse a tareas que les exijan formular situaciones complejas de manera matemática mediante representaciones simbólicas

Teaching beliefs and practice

Most teachers participating in the Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS) report that they see themselves as facilitators to students’ own enquiry (94%) and that students should think of their own solutions to practical problems before teachers show them the solution (93%). These answers indicate that most teachers hold constructivist beliefs, i.e., they see learning as an active process that aims to foster critical and independent thinking. At the same time, teachers report using passive teaching practices, such as presenting a summary of recently learned work, more frequently than active teaching practices. Less than a third of teachers ask students to work on a project that requires at least a week to complete (an active teaching practice). Engagement in professional development and a positive classroom climate are among the factors associated with a more frequent use of active teaching

How does PISA assess science literacy?

Every three years, in December, it’s PISA time around the world. The education community in participating economies eagerly awaits the latest results from the OECD Programme for International Student Assessment (coming out on 6 December this year) to see how their school systems compare with others across the globe. The most recent round of the assessment, PISA 2015, focused on 15-year-olds’ science literacy, defined as “the ability to engage with science-related issues, and with the ideas of science, as a reflective citizen”. To succeed on the PISA science test, students had to display their mastery of three skills: explaining phenomena scientifically (based on knowledge of scientific facts and ideas), evaluating and designing scientific enquiry, and interpreting data and evidence scientifically. As this definition makes clear, remembering that a free-falling object on Earth has an acceleration of 9.8m/s2, or what the difference between bacteria and viruses is, will not necessarily be rewarded with a high score in PISA (although it might be important to know those facts too). Rather, PISA emphasises that a science-literate person is one who uses that knowledge to navigate through today’s world; and that all of us sometimes need to “think like a scientist” – to weigh evidence and come to a conclusion, and to understand that scientific “truth” may change over time, as new discoveries are made – particularly when we engage with science-related issues. And science-related issues are ubiquitous. Every day, the public is bombarded with new messages based on science – from the advertising claims that a toothpaste kills “99% of bacteria” to the nutritional information on packaged food or the report about the latest Mars mission in the evening news. An understanding of science, and of science-based technology, is necessary not only for those whose careers depend on it directly, but also for any citizen who wishes to make informed decisions related to the many controversial issues under debate today – from more personal concerns, such as maintaining a healthy diet, to local dilemmas, such as how to manage waste in big cities, to more global and far-reaching considerations, such as the costs and benefits of genetically modified crops or how to prevent and mitigate the catastrophic consequences of global warming

Unlocking the Potential of Teacher Feedback

Across countries and economies participating in the OECD Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS), a majority of teachers report receiving feedback on different aspects of their work in their schools. Teacher feedback has a developmental focus, with many teachers reporting that it leads to improvements in their teaching practices, and other aspects of their work. However, not all feedback is seen as meaningful: nearly half of the teachers across TALIS countries report that teacher appraisal and feedback systems in their school are largely undertaken simply to fulfil administrative requirements. Teachers who consider that they receive meaningful feedback on their work also tend to have more confidence in their own abilities and to have higher job satisfaction

Fomento de las comunidades de aprendizaje entre el profesorado

Según el Estudio Internacional sobre la Enseñanza y el Aprendizaje (TALIS), los profesores de todos los países demandan, de forma abrumadora, más desarrollo profesional. En todos los países TALIS, las tasas de desarrollo profesional cooperativo y de prácticas docentes colaborativas son bajas. Los países podrían utilizar el desarrollo profesional para construir y mejorar con eficacia y eficiencia comunidades profesionales de aprendizaje en los centros educativos

Embedding professional development in schools for teacher success

Teachers report participating in more non-school than school embedded professional development (i.e. professional development that is grounded in teachers daily professional practices). Participation in non-school and school embedded professional development varies greatly between countries. Teachers report more positive impacts on their classroom teaching from school than non-school embedded professional development

What helps teachers feel valued and satisfied with their jobs?

Less than one in three teachers across countries participating in the Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS) 2013 believes that the teaching profession is valued by society. Nevertheless, the great majority of teachers in all surveyed countries are happy with their jobs. Challenging classrooms with large proportions of students with behavioural problems and the perception that appraisals and feedback are done simply as administrative tasks are among factors that tend to lower job satisfaction. Collaboration between teachers and positive teacher-student relationships, on the other hand, are among factors that can boost teacher job satisfaction

Global competency for an inclusive world

Global Competence includes the acquisition of in-depth knowledge and understanding of global and intercultural issues; the ability to learn from and live with people from diverse backgrounds; and the attitudes and values necessary to interact respectfully with others. The driving ideas are that global trends are complex and require careful investigation, that cross-cultural engagement should balance clear communication with sensitivity to multiple perspectives and that global competence should equip young people not just to understand but to act. These objectives already feature in the curricula of many countries. But they now need further evolution, in response to changing imperatives. The greatest of these is the need to find a new concept of growth. This may not be a quantifiable concept, based solely on maximising economic gains, but a multidimensional concept that includes care for the environment and social harmony, as well as acceptable levels of security, health, and education. It will cover quantitative and qualitative indicators, including subjective well-being and quality jobs. It will ensure that the benefits of growth are fairly shared across society