Teaching to the "tests" is a somewhat related problem. They give teachers copies of the tests their students will face and that is where "teaching" is concentrated with no coverage of anything else and no continuity.

Sorry Bob, I will for once have to disagree with you here. "mock" O and A Levels have been around for years. All the examining bodies make past exam papers freely available to teachers and for a very good reason. They give the students practice in sitting a real life exam, which will be as near as possible to the one they will actually sit. From that the teachers can gauge where any weaknesses are and address those beforehand.

I know that some teachers teach just to the test as you term it, but that is not specifically wrong. Any exam paper should be written, and usually is, to test the student across the broad range of topics from the subject they have been studying. Obviously no-one except the exam boards know the real questions in advance, but looking at a range of past papers give a pretty good indication of the sort of content the student can expect. I used them for the ECDL.

Two of the most important reasons many people are not good at maths is one's own personal capabilities and inadequate teachers of the subject. Some teachers in maths that I have met were not very good when it came to approaching their pupils.

Therefore we now have calculators and computers available in order to perform such things on behalf of us, really much quicker and with a high level of exactness.

Use of calculators and computers should not mean the same as laziness, however. If you are running Seti@home or PrimeGrid, you very likely should have an interest at how things really are working. Investigating such things makes you learn a lot and you get better at some of the things that are relevant to maths.

Unfortunately, you are not supposed to become better at algebra or solving linear equations or expressions. You still depend on your calculator or computer in order to carry out such work.

Teaching to the "tests" is a somewhat related problem. They give teachers copies of the tests their students will face and that is where "teaching" is concentrated with no coverage of anything else and no continuity.

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Bob DeWoody

My motto: Never do today what you can put off until tomorrow as it may not be required. This no longer applies in light of current events.

Going back to the Maths problem, there is an interesting blog that has an article on that was initiated by the proposal to have all students study maths until they are 18. Personally I don't think he has grasped the idea that the poor maths students were probably turned off, or did not understand maths before they were 11 years old. But I do think he has some good idea's on keeping students interested in maths.

http://gowers.wordpress.com/2012/06/08/how-should-mathematics-be-taught-to-non-mathematicians/

Perhaps more worrying is that the next generation of University graduates might not be up to the job.
As a more recent article about an "A" level student shows. What is worrying is that the student cannot do problems from first principles. Because he was not taught correctly or was told it is not in the exam so didn't think it is important.

If this is true and the student needs the maths to enable him to do a scientific or engineering course (and possibly others) at University how the hell is the student or the University expected to cope.

http://gowers.wordpress.com/2012/11/20/what-maths-a-level-doesnt-necessarily-give-you/

Very good reading.

The role of parents and other care-givers

Parents make a vital contribution to children’s literacy development. Once children are in school, however, what is the role of parents, school volunteers and other care-givers in helping children to learn to read?

A damn sight more than is currently is!!!

Phonics, it appears, is still the prime way to teach reading it seems. And is coming under increasing criticism Teachers' unions urge rethink of phonics checks.

The people who insist on this method being taught, it spite of much evidence to the contary, really ought to be locked away.

Studies over a long time have shown that phonics is only part of the equation, and that word recognition, spelling and comprehension all need to be taught at the same time with writing.

A starting place might be to read this 1998 Research http://www.leeds.ac.uk/educol/documents/000000488.htm which mentions a news report in 1990. (Thanks to my niece Sarah, for this, and about 200 other articles she said it would be good to read on the subject.)

There can be three main reasons in the UK why adults cannot spell adequately.

1. As an experiment during the 1970's, kids were taught to spell phonetically. It was argued by educational psychologists that they learnt far more quickly to communicate, and that they could tidy up the spelling later. It didn't work and we have a whole generation that can't, and never will, be able to spell correctly.

2. We have a significant proportion of the population where English isn't their first language.

3. A combination of poor teaching, laziness, and shorthand texting.

There are probably many others.

Well that's nailed the debate on numeracy, but what about the written language?
Blurf's comments about the completion of his course feedback form rings so many bells.
Laying aside the American miss-spellings of English words there are a few things that really are down to poor teaching, I'll start with one of the worst.

The use of the wrong word pronounced "ther" or "thair".
There are three major words, each with a very different meaning:
First "THERE": adverb
1. in or at that place ( opposed to here): She is there now.
2. at that point in an action, speech, etc.: He stopped there for applause.
3. in that matter, particular, or respect: His anger was justified there.
4. into or to that place; thither: We went there last year.
5. (used by way of calling attention to something or someone): There they go.

Second "THEIR": pronoun
1.a form of the possessive case of they used as an attributive adjective, before a noun: their home; their rights as citizens; their departure for Rome.
2.(used after an indefinite singular antecedent in place of the definite masculine form his or the definite feminine form her ): Someone left their book on the table. Did everyone bring their lunch?

And finally "THEY'RE": Contraction of "They are".

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Bob Smith
Member of Seti PIPPS (Pluto is a Planet Protest Society)
Somewhere in the (un)known Universe?

I started to title this thread "We are raising a generation of idiots and morons" but I was afraid it might be taken as too offensive. Now I don't know.

Going by some of the recent news items, I think your original title might have been more accurate.

Ofsted: teachers packing lessons with 'bite-sized' exercises

Pupils risk suffering “death by a thousand worksheets” as poor-performing teachers attempt to fill their lessons with boring exercises, according to the head of Ofsted.

Summer-born children 'struggling with maths'
I'm one of those, I didn't struggle with maths, but the teachers failed to recognise, until the final exam results came out, that I was probably the best. But by that time had not recommended me for higher things.

Maybe this and a previous report August babies are less likely to go on to top universities, says study things will change.

And maybe they might start looking seriously at the quality of the teachers. Bad teachers can cost pupils 'half a GCSE'

So should we leave education to the teachers and the politicians. Because if the child comes from a poor family, is born at the wrong time of year and is lumbered with poor teachers. They are screwed.

Sweet Jesus! If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I wouldn't believe it! & the course takes 10 hours?

Next on the agenda will be a course taking 20 hours on how to wipe one's butt!

I know for a fact some folks where I work must have failed that part.

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[/quote]

Old James

I couldn't agree more Bob and it's very discouraging to me.

I lecture at high schools and colleges every year about Disabilties, Discrimination & Tolerance.

At the end of my lectures, I give the students an assignment to write (preferably type) a one-page review of what they got out of my lecture. It helps me to make sure my message is coming across clearly and I hope it helps the material sink on them a bit.

Half of them are filled with smiley faces, 0's and x's and the spelling is ABSOLUTELY ABOMINABLE.

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Bob, you are 100% right.
WK you are 100% right.

We all know there is a problem, and what it is. The burning question is what do we do about it? Commerce and industry are fighting back by many firms not employing school leavers, until they have had a t least 1 or 2 years at an FE College. But that disadvantages those who can't or won't go to College, and puts extra strain on the FE sector.

Strict parents and strict schools. No more coddling. Spankings and smacking of hands by teachers when necessary.

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#resist

I think you are probably right about the ability to write a comprehensive item, be that a letter or report etc.

But as a one time instructor of electronics, which in the main part I gave up in the mid 90's. I would say we are already into the second generation that cannot do simple arithmetic without a calculator or computer.

I came into this thread to say basically the same thing...

You are a little late Bob, even my generation is full of those people.

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#resist

I started to title this thread "We are raising a generation of idiots and morons" but I was afraid it might be taken as too offensive. Now I don't know.

And they are going to expect a paycheck because they are entitled to one.

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I started to title this thread "We are raising a generation of idiots and morons" but I was afraid it might be taken as too offensive. Now I don't know.

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Bob DeWoody

My motto: Never do today what you can put off until tomorrow as it may not be required. This no longer applies in light of current events.

From the AQA Nonsense link

Course 81931
Using a Locker In A Public Sports Facility
1) Select the correct coin
2) Insert the coin and open the locker door
3) Place his/her belongings inside
4) Lock the door and remove the key
5) Return to the locker and remove belongings

If courses like this were for disabled kids I could understand but this appears in their general course list.

Have a look at the rest of their site. It's scary

T.A.

Sweet Jesus! If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I wouldn't believe it! & the course takes 10 hours?

Next on the agenda will be a course taking 20 hours on how to wipe one's butt!

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Do you want to know one good reason why I gave up on all this a few years ago, and just walked away?

College lessons were entitled "Application of Number". When I said what on earth did that mean, I was told that "we daren't call it maths any more, else the students will be totally turned off, and won't come to classes". I'm 100% serious, you couldn't make it up. Want some proof?

Application of Number

A generation ago at least, people naturally took it for granted that a school leaver could do basic maths and arithmetic. Not these days folks, lt's a "Key Skill" that you get a certificate in! I'm sure if I look hard enough there is probably a certificate in the "Key Skill" of signing your name in joined up writing.

Now then, pay attention at the back there, the best is yet to come. You can get a qualification for getting on and off a bus!!! Don't believe it?

PUblic transport

AQA nonsense

And people wonder why education in the UK has gone down the pan .....

One problem:
The confusion between Mathematics and Arithmetic.

Arithmetic is the application of Mathematics to solve simple numeric problems, like working out the change from a shopping bill (I was going to say how to divide up a restaurant bill, but that involves philosophy and diplomacy as well...)

Taught properly arithmetic is very easy, the rules are simple to follow, and always apply.


Mathematics is a whole science, the manipulation of abstract ideas, concepts and devices to arrive at a means of solving a problem, which in itself may be an abstract or a real scenario.

How many children cannot perform simple arithmetic exercises such as multiplying two numbers, each less than 12, without recourse to a calculator of some form or other?

And how many children learnt by rote that arithmetic is hard by a "well meaning" adult?

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Bob Smith
Member of Seti PIPPS (Pluto is a Planet Protest Society)
Somewhere in the (un)known Universe?