Parents role in Education ?

Government bans calculators from primary maths tests. That I assume will be for England and maybe Wales.

This might be a step in the right direction. But personally I would perfer a system based on ability rather than age. But that would lead to streaming and suggesting that, gets politicians and teachers upset.

I agree with the Government. Calculators are there to save time in complex mathematical calculations. They are not there to replace basic thinking skills and processes. We have a whole generation of kids that simply cannot do simple sums in their head because they have never had to. Teach 'em the basic principles first, then use calculators as a simple tool to save time, and avoid human error.

In my 11+ third chance interview at County Hall, I was asked to "add up in your head 17, 18, 19 and 18". I couldn't do it. What they were looking for was a sideways ability to "see" that it was equivalent to 4 x 18. Double it 36, double it 72. I didn't pass! although I did get the 13+ and went to Technical College.

Try that little maths question on people you know, and see how many, if any, get it right without pencil and paper. Potential Grammar school pupils in 1956 were expected to be able to do it, and without a calculator in sight!.

I agree with the Government. Calculators are there to save time in complex mathematical calculations. They are not there to replace basic thinking skills and processes. We have a whole generation of kids that simply cannot do simple sums in their head because they have never had to. Teach 'em the basic principles first, then use calculators as a simple tool to save time, and avoid human error.

In my 11+ third chance interview at County Hall, I was asked to "add up in your head 17, 18, 19 and 18". I couldn't do it. What they were looking for was a sideways ability to "see" that it was equivalent to 4 x 18. Double it 36, double it 72. I didn't pass! although I did get the 13+ and went to Technical College.

Try that little maths question on people you know, and see how many, if any, get it right without pencil and paper. Potential Grammar school pupils in 1956 were expected to be able to do it, and without a calculator in sight!.

Have a customer here waiting for his laptop to be recovered. While waiting, he decided to read the paper.

Just as I completed the job, he asked me a question: -

"What's a nine letter word for the following clues"

Solitary Confinement, in Coventry prehaps?

9 letters were provided, these being: - a,t,o,n,i,i,s,l,o.

He spent 15 minutes on this & he's a university student studying law....

My instant reply was Isolation.

Modern education....Doh!
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Now here's a problem, according to Time to square up to the roots of our maths problem, there are more than 300,000 students studying degrees that require maths beyond GCSE level; of these, only 125,000 have done a maths A-level.

And now in the UK 29,000 of 15 and 16 year olds cannot read the exam questions, that's over 5% of the population.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-20346204

The IT firm admits the data on the group is not nationally representative, but says it was alarmed by the results.

+1

The CBI have renewed calls for a change in schools. They have been saying for 10 years that kids are falling out of school at 16, and are simply unemployable. CBI Report

The CBI is calling for radical changes to schools. It says there is too much focus on exams at 16 and that should be switched to 18, with more emphasis on skills people need for life and work.

"Qualifications are important, but we also need people who have self-discipline and serve customers well. As well as academic rigour, we need schools to produce rounded and grounded young people who have the skills and behaviours that businesses want."

It had to happen eventually I suppose, just wondering what the standards would be like if this happens...

"Star Trek Schools"
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‘We already know we are in a situation where our school-based provision lags behind the technology of the 21st century. ‘The question we must ask ourselves, as education leaders, is what are we going to do about it? ‘We must do more to prepare our pupils for the world as it is and as it will be.’

For that to happen, with any degree of sucess, then teachers are going to have to get all the students to think and use the technology to find the correct methods and data to answer the questions.
That would be a complete change in the education system, at the moment the students are usually spoon fed until they go to university or do a National Certificate/Dipolma.

Cannot see it happening soon, but it should, as technology is now changing so fast the teachers cannot know what technology will be available 6 months after the kids leave school.

That would be a complete change in the education system, at the moment the students are usually spoon fed until they go to university or do a National Certificate/Dipolma.

Cannot see it happening soon, but it should, as technology is now changing so fast the teachers cannot know what technology will be available 6 months after the kids leave school.

That would be a complete change in the education system, at the moment the students are usually spoon fed until they go to university or do a National Certificate/Dipolma.

Mainly because schools have to maintain their position in league tables. Scrap that system and there could be a way forward.

Cannot see it happening soon, but it should, as technology is now changing so fast the teachers cannot know what technology will be available 6 months after the kids leave school.

That is what FE Colleges are supposed to be there for, to take over from, and build upon, mainstream education. They are up front with technology, they have to be to do their job.

For that to happen, with any degree of sucess, then teachers are going to have to get all the students to think and use the technology to find the correct methods and data to answer the questions.
That would be a complete change in the education system, at the moment the students are usually spoon fed until they go to university or do a National Certificate/Dipolma.

Cannot see it happening soon, but it should, as technology is now changing so fast the teachers cannot know what technology will be available 6 months after the kids leave school.

I also agree with WK. FE Collages are teaching A levels simply because the students didn't get them during full time education. My local College has an arrangement with the Local uni that sees joint registration with both institutions for a degree. Tha A levels at College, the Degree at Uni. They do the same for an HND, year 1 at College year 2 at Uni. The students get guaranteed a Uni place, and the Uni gets a student with known background.

Practical apprenticeships based around NVQ's were the Train to Gain initiative that sought to make a 3 way contract between the Student, the College and an employer on the content of what was taught, but funding was withdrawn. There is controversy about the ITQ/NVQ computer courses, where the employers want MS Office ability at L2, and heavily supported the ECDL, but educational experts say programming should be taught instead.

I'm not sure what is meant by style sheets though, is that the templates that are used in Word, or CSS on web pages? In most cases they would be part of the ECDL Advanced course at L3. I do agree that a significant number of students even at 16, can't construct simple sentences or paragraphs. My College used to insist that any student wishing to enrol upon a L2 IT course should first have a GCSE or O level in English. When you only have 32 weeks to teach 7 ECDL modules, you can't afford to waste a week on how to lay out a simple letter.

Until the schools re-introduce discipline, backed up by the parents at every stage, and teach what is required at basic level, so that they are employable at 16, or now to be 18, nothing is going to change. Baccalaureates and Academies are just attempts to tinker with a broken system. I think Gove has got the right ideas but not enough of them.