The discussion about the causes is correspondingly broad. It covers the quality of instruction and the shortage of teachers, social conditions, language proficiency, media use, and many other factors.
But PISA raises an even more fundamental question:
What needs to be in place for students to successfully master reading, writing, and arithmetic?
This is because PISA measures complex skills at the end of a long developmental process. These skills do not emerge only in the classroom, nor do they emerge only at age 15. They build on fundamental abilities and processes that develop much earlier.
That is why it is not enough to take a closer look only after learning difficulties have already become apparent.
Our goal must be to create the best possible conditions for successful learning right from the start.
Learning requires a foundation
Reading involves much more than simply recognizing letters and words. Understanding a text places high demands on our brains.
Information must be reliably perceived and distinguished. Rapidly successive stimuli must be processed in a timely manner. Attention must be directed, and information must be stored in short-term memory and linked together.
On top of that, there's automation.
Many fundamental processes must become increasingly automated as development progresses. The less conscious attention is required for basic subprocesses, the more cognitive capacity is available for the actual task.
An experienced reader no longer has to think about every single letter. Only then are resources freed up to comprehend content, make connections, and draw conclusions.
This also applies in various ways to writing, arithmetic, and numerous other learning processes.
Don't wait until problems become apparent to take action
When it comes to learning difficulties, attention is often focused first on the outcome:
How fast does a child read? How many mistakes does he or she make? How well does he or she understand the text? How well has he or she mastered spelling or arithmetic operations?
This information is important. However, it primarily describes the visible performance.
Anyone who wants to gain a more comprehensive understanding of learning and provide targeted support should also consider the foundation upon which this achievement is built.
This is exactly where the functional approach of the Warnke® method comes into play.
He examines selected fundamental functions of auditory and visual information processing and automation. These include, for example, the temporal processing of rapidly successive stimuli, the recognition of auditory patterns, the discrimination of pitch, the spatial localization of sound sources, and the temporal coordination of perception and motor response.
BrainCentral allows for the standardized assessment of selected functions of this kind. Based on this, individual strengths and areas of concern can be identified, targeted training approaches can be selected, and progress can be tracked over time.
The logic behind this is clear:
Assess → identify → provide targeted support → monitor progress.
Creating the best possible learning conditions from the very beginning
This approach changes the perspective.
It is not just a matter of identifying deficits and then correcting them. It is about focusing on fundamental skills early on and helping children develop the best possible foundation for the challenges of learning that lie ahead.
Why should we wait until we're 10, 12, or 15 to realize that certain basic processes are causing difficulties?
The sooner individual strengths and challenges become apparent, the sooner targeted support can begin.
This transforms a purely reactive approach into a development-oriented form of support.
What does this have to do with PISA?
It is important to make a clear scientific distinction here.
PISA does not show that impairments in individual auditory or visual processing functions are the cause of current academic performance. Academic performance results from the interplay of numerous educational, social, linguistic, motivational, and individual factors.
Similarly, PISA does not serve as proof of the effectiveness of the Warnke® method or BrainCentral.
However, the results make one thing clear: If a significant proportion of 15-year-olds have not yet mastered basic skills, we cannot wait until the results are in to begin the discussion about successful learning.
We also need to talk about the foundations on which learning is built.
Reading in a World of Brief Stimuli
The development of reading skills, in particular, deserves special attention.
To truly understand a longer text means retaining information across multiple sentences and paragraphs, connecting meanings, distinguishing the essential from the non-essential, and drawing conclusions.
At the same time, our information habits are changing. Short pieces of content, rapid image changes, and a constant stream of new stimuli characterize the digital daily lives of many children and adolescents.
It cannot be reasonably concluded from this that smartphones or social media directly cause poorer PISA scores.
But there is another question we need to ask:
To what extent do children and adolescents today still practice the focused, precise, and sustained processing of complex information?
After all, this ability doesn't develop on its own just because we'll need it later.
AI Makes Understanding Even More Important
Artificial intelligence adds a new dimension to this discussion.
AI can summarize texts, research information, complete tasks, and formulate answers in a matter of seconds.
This could give the impression that basic reading and comprehension skills will become less important in the future.
The opposite is true.
Anyone who wants to use AI effectively must be able to understand and evaluate its results: Is a statement plausible? Is a crucial connection missing? Does the information contradict itself? Is a source reliable? Is a convincingly worded answer actually correct?
The easier it becomes to access information, the more important the human ability to understand, contextualize, and critically evaluate it becomes.
PISA assesses 15-year-olds—but successful learning begins much earlier
PISA shows us what has been achieved after many years of individual development and learning in school.
If we don't realize until then that basic skills are lacking, many opportunities for early intervention will have already been missed.
That is why we should broaden our perspective.
Don't ask first:
Why can't this child read, write, or do math well?
Instead, let's start from the beginning:
What are the fundamental prerequisites for successful learning—and how can we help foster them as effectively as possible?
At MediTECH, we have been addressing this issue for many years. Das Warnke®-Verfahren and BrainCentralwere developed from precisely this perspective: examining basic functions in a nuanced way, identifying individual needs, and designing targeted support.
PISA rates the outcome as a 15. We should focus much earlier on the foundation upon which learning is built.
PISA: Successful learning begins long before the age of 15