History or Twitter

[marval]

Apparently our wonderful leaders here in the UK, want young children to stop learning all about our History. Instead they will be expected to learn how to twitter, blog and use a computer. Well I might not have been overly good at learning all the dates, but I did appreciate the importance of learning about my country's history. This seems to me the education system going mad. Here is an article about it.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/7962912.stm

What do other people think?


Margaret

[dll927]

This sounds like what is known as "dumbing down". It has been going on in the U. S. for decades. Which is one reason that American students rank behind those of several other advanced nations in subject knowledge. If such measures go through, the kids may not know whom the King James version of the Bible is named after, but they will know how to look up K. J. in Wikipedia -- IF they know who he was.

[marval]

I agree, it is a stupid idea. I would rather kids knew who the kings were than how to twitter and blog.


Margaret

[Dorsetmike]

[grumpy old fart mode]
I shudder to think what the standard of school leavers will be like in another 10 years, they seem to teach them to pass exams and think the results prove how good they are, which has no bearing on how well they will fit into society nor how suitable they are for employment outside the education industry.

The result is that the kids now need further education to fit them for life, but all they get is how to pass a different set of exams which supposedly have relevance to employment in the workplace.

The only people to benefit are the growing number employed in education.
[/grumpy old fart mode off]

[Krummhorn]

I agree about the education system being flawed in the US, too. Some of the kids today exhibit atrocious grammar and spelling ... simple words like 'dose' instead of 'does' ... those kinds of things were basic learning skills when I was in grade school. We got along just fine without computers ... our calculators consisted of fingers, pencil and paper.

Besides being a mod on two music forums, I am also an editing supervisor on WikiAnswers. You wouldn't believe the number of terrible grammar and poor sentence structures that I constantly correct, most of it created by school students of every age who have access to the internet before classes, during classes and after school.

These same kids are even accessing the internet on their mobile phones and blackberries - which are given to them by ... get this ... their parents!!! Holy crap!! So it isn't entirely the educators fault ... some of this begins at home, too.

I agree with Mike above about who this will benefit ... so I guess that makes me a 'grumpy old fart too', which I am lots of times anyway ... .

[methodistgirl]

I notice a lot of kids who aren't taking writing like we did. Because you
have teenagers who can't read handwriting. Penmanship has went out
of the back door. I was at the courthouse two years ago looking at some
of the old documents and deeds and marveled at their penmanship on
how beautiful some of it was. That's a shame! Because penmanship is
also an art when you have pen in hand and ready to write something
down and have to print it because some teenager can't read it handwritten.
Discipline is also a factor. I remember getting a paddling in school when
I misbehaved. You aren't allowed to touch a kid without a lawsuit or the
child welfare breathing down your neck and kids take up on that. I was
made to behave in public. I wasn't allowed to squall out and bawl or cut
up. I had to sit right where my parents could watch me and be quite!
Parents aren't allowed to do that with their kids either which is sad and
nerve racking.
judy tooley

[Dorsetmike]

I would definitely agree on the spelling and grammar, some of the spellings that annoy me include

Definately > should be definitely

Waste and waist mixed up

their, there, and they're mixed up

to name just a few, and don't get me started on the use of apostrophes ...........

I realise there are differences betwen UK and USA spellings, e.g. colour/color and ise/ize endings, but that sort of divergence is to be expected over the years.
( that will change when we revoke the declaration of independence and bring you back under the monarchy )

[falcon1]

It's similar in Iceland, education is down the drain and any discipline along with it. The young generation today is growing up as a individuals without good and strong foundation for their life. Many Icelandic words that I learned and use today are now less and less used because these young people are just clueless about their meanings. And I'm not that old! Only 30 years old hehe...

[Buchpteclare]

I was surprised to discover many teenagers can't even read a clock! It seems the parents don't even think about teaching them how - and the schools gave up teaching that very basic skill many years ago. I wonder how soon all clocks and watches will be digital only.

Rob

[greatcyber]

Fortunately, there is a lot to be said for the nuns of old who would not tolerate anything less than cherubic. While I take the scriptural training now for nothing more than historical anecdote, I am thankful for the daily penmanship and spelling quizzes.

I can't tell you how many times I felt the sting of Sister's ruler across my knuckles. Sure made for a sound foundation of learning. When I moved to the south from the northeast and it was time for high school, I opted for public school. It was amazing that except for biology and algebra and geometry, everything else had already been taught in grade school.

But then I did go to high school in Florida and they are something like 49th in ranking out of 50 states. It's just a crying shame. But I do believe that given the chance, president Obama will make the appropriate changes for the betterment of America's youth. There is hope.