Hi
Lt Cdr Data said:
I was one of the first who did the gcse after o level, and then a level.
I don't think, no I know, kids are not cleverer academically, they are smarter, more streetwise, yes, and the emphasis has altered.
The thing is, there are many clever kids in schools. There always have been and will be. The clever kids will still pass the exams, it's just that exams are easier and more people will past them.
I don't thinks kids are more streetwise at all today.
Lt Cdr Data said:
Instead of comprehending and facts, more academic, its about piffly stuff such as written work and assignments. Traditional education is more rigorous.
There is nothing wrong with written work and assignments. It depends on the topics and depth covered.
Lt Cdr Data said:
Employers want both...they want application...modern teaching, and academic rigour, the balance has gone the other way to falsely improve stds.
You can't have a poor poly graduate design a modern car engine, you need nigh on a genius.
Pupils do need a varied education to allow them to meet todays and tomorrows life. Things are changing as many employers and businesses are getting involved with schools.
Lt Cdr Data said:
I trained as a teacher, and bits have been removed every year, the emphasis has changed.
But has happen for a number of years. Different governments and educations ministers have had different ideas on education. Things will always changed.
Lt Cdr Data said:
Kids are now allowed text books into exams!!! to refer to. What's the point to just quote?
This is not fully true. Certain books can be allowed but these are not the usual text boxes. People still have to answers the questions. It's just that some of the formats for answers are more user friendly.
Lt Cdr Data said:
This co-incides with grades getting better, its marketing, and its engineered to cleverly appear that things are improving, but its just different. Absolutely standards have been changed, yes, less rigorous, to suit the government.
It really does employers no good tho as they complain that things aren't the same, and unis have to go over stuff they previously didn't have too.
Its so hard, its insidious, complex and designed to be, to confuse, obfuscate....its spin and Blair's govt are responsible you can't trust them, but if you understand what has happened, its obvious. That's the reason for the endless debate as its enshrouded in complex levels of argument and redesign, like a lot of modern issues, neither good, bad, black, white, but shades of grey.
I rest my case....
Any government with increasing results will crow about them. You can have a go at Blair for a lot of thing but a number of school were failing badly under the Torys. There has always been big problems in education. Many schools were going down hill rapidly. Also schools are not equal. For years a large number were in poor condition, badly designed with bad teachers.
Just look at some of the results of some of the inner city schools and deprived area schools over the years. Just look at the results of private and posh area schools. They can vary widly.
I very much agree it is a complex issue and it's not easy to solve. I do think a number of schools have made great inroads in good education.
Lt Cdr Data said:
hell I wasnt' even tought history past 3rd year or latin, it really was dumbed down and I feel a little cheated I didn't get a 'proper' education.
I wasn't either. We didn't have latin at our school. I didn't do history because I prefered to do other things. Why do you feel it's was dumbed down? At the end of the day, school can't teach everything. They never could. At the end of the 3rd year (year 9), you choose subjects to study. You are at the mercy of what the school offers. This will be governed by the size of the school, size of staff, facillities on offer, number of pupils.
There are not enough hours in the day.
Lt Cdr Data said:
This is what blairs education education education means, not academic rigorous traditional, but spin, hazy nebulous standards and redefining, with downgrading and changing the teaching emphasis to give the illusion that kids are getting cleverer to give the middle class parents reason to re-elect caus the think kids will get a better chance in the world.
If everone is clever, its harder to get a good job, and now the result is graduates have to fight for basic jobs, a real 'why the hell did I do a degree?'
Middle class people have always done well in education. A lot of them go to better schools that push the pupils to aim higher in life. This has always happened.
Every government will change the emphasis of education.
If every one was clever, the cleverer people will get the better jobs. The downside of a lot of people getting degrees is that there are not the graduate jobs for them. If 50% of population gets degrees, 50% of the vaccancies will not require a degree. To be truth, a lot of jobs don't require a degree. It just that companies just ask for one.
I know a number of people with degrees in postions that didn't require a degree. They got the jobs on personal qualities. A degree can help to develop these but not always.,
SCIDB