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Joined: Jul 2000
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old hand
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old hand
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A comment from Jazz
Well, I've never really thought, in much detail, about what made me like learning and subsequently led me to this board, but it seems to be a combination your suggestions. My parents both went to Ohio State University. My mom is now a work-at-home pension administrator (something with retirement plans and mutual funds) and my dad is a research scientist. I've lived in five places since birth until 5th grade when we moved to my current home 7 years ago. With never living in the same place for much more than 3 years I frequently got friendships cut-off. This probably caused me to be somewhat shy and make fun for myself. My mom is always reading and my dad watches Jeopardy! almost every night. Early intellectual interest, I guess, contributed a great deal.
I always found school rather easy. I don't know how to explain it. My teachers weren't always commendable. I couldn't stand my 2nd and 4th grade teachers. Miserable despotic folk, they were. My favorite teachers were all in high school: German, Jazz Band and AP Physics. For some reason or another, these three teachers just know how to teach their classes and make it fun.
Nothing recently has contributed more to my educational interests than this board, though. This is mainly in what I read. Because of these discussions I've been reading Voltaire, I just finished the Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy (crazy stuff, Tsuwm) and I just started Goedel, Escher Bach. My, what you people do to me. . .
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Joined: Nov 2000
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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Shanks talked about tests ... when I worked for a university here, I sat the GMAT just for fun with a couple of lecturers in the department I slept in on a daily basis. Won't tell you what I got - partly because it was many moons ago and I don't remember the exact score - but it was a doddle to reach the minimum scores for the top colleges in the US. We prepared for it by doing one of those "Prepare yourself for the GMAT" type courses. That took us one day, less time, in fact than the test itself. Taking tests, especially multi-choice tests, is more a matter of technique than of knowledge. Tests effectively do nothing except test the tester. That's my controversial statement for the day! 
The idiot also known as Capfka ...
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Pooh-Bah
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Pooh-Bah
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>Tests effectively do nothing except test the tester. That's my controversial statement for the day!
We now have SATs at 7 and 11. They just give a range (eg level 2 by age7, level 4 by age 11) and seem to have little use for the children. In England (but not yet in Scotland) they are published in the press and their main use seems to be in ranking primary scools in order of the proportion of children reaching the expected standard for their age. If doesn't give any information about the number of children exceeding the standard, so schools are encouraged to focus on borderline pupils - this may or may not be a good thing, depending on the education standard of your child. Although there is support for low achievers, very few schools have support for high achievers who can become bored and disruptive. In most cases the results can be predicted from the relative wealth of the postcode area (zipcode). In many cases schools are offering a great deal to children with little home support but the praise tends to be short-lived, in some cases schools in "good areas" realise that they have to improve. Either way, the flow is still to better areas for those who want to give their children a good start and the published tables only help this process.
At seconday level, often one school from 11-18 but with variations around the country, we have tests at 16(ish) and 18(ish). At the top end of the school many pupils will take up to eight or nine GCSE exams at 16 and three "A" levels at 18. In Scotland it is different with up to eight or nine "standard grades" at 15/16 and five "highers" at 17/18, followed by an optional extra year with increasing specialisation or an opportunity to add more "highers".
I think we all regard the system as good or bad, according to out own level of success. I found the courses interesting and the syllabus wide enough for the teachers not only be teaching for the exam. The exams were often in three parts with MCQs, essay questions and then practicals/orals/aurals for sciences or languages.
I often cross swords with teachers, especially a couple who were not very bright (I was much more aggressive in those days, mild and gentle soul that I am), so in those subjects I appreciated the external markers who made sure that everything was fair. I'm a fairly lazy person, willing to dot he minimum, so I'm sure that I would have worked less hard at school or university without the thought of an impending exam!
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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We used to have similar streaming tests here, school certificate and University Entrance. Then the politically-correct crowd got in on it and decided that competitive schooling was bad for kids. Exit exams. But the universities howled loudly about entrance standards (and their inability to apply them without a measuring stick). So, last time I looked, exams were back, but changed beyond all recognition. You'd think that in a country with a total population of 3.8 million, we'd be able to organise ourselves at least as well as Singapore which has a similar sized population ...
The idiot also known as Capfka ...
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old hand
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You'd think that in a country with a total population of 3.8 million, we'd be able to organise ourselves at least as well as Singapore which has a similar sized population .
Political I know, but I wouldn't want to be compared, favourably or otherwise, with a state claiming to be democratice that has an absolutely vile record with regard to human rights. I can only hope New Zealand does not take the nanny/police state of Singapore as its educational model.
cheer
the sunshine warrior
ps. Best of luck in the One-Day-ers against Zimbabwe. Already one down? Tut tut.
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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Facetious, shanks, definitely facetious. I was talking about their education system, which is actually quite good.  And Singapore ain't so bad, really. I spend a lot of time there. Things are relaxing on the judicial front. Political dissent is increasing. The influence of SM Lee is waning as Goh consolidates power. The last ASEAN meeting showed that he's pretty much his own man these days. The Black Caps do have this amazing and consistent ability to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory, and take great delight in proving it ...
The idiot also known as Capfka ...
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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CapK what is ASEAN?
There is an restaurant that opened up about two months ago near my house that calls itself that. Everybody thought they had simply misspelled Asian.
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Joined: Nov 2000
Posts: 3,146
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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bel, I would guess that your guess about the restaurateurs' guess on the spelling of "Asian" is probably right. ASEAN is the Association of South East Asian Nations. Oh well, maybe Chinese takeaways in Quebec need something odd to attract the punters in through the door!  NZ and Oz are not members of ASEAN - it's a very Asian ASEAN. 
The idiot also known as Capfka ...
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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Mind you, perhaps it is correct since they tout themselves as cooking up an assortment of east Asian meals. Now see, I'm going to have to go in there and ask.
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Pooh-Bah
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Pooh-Bah
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 1,773 |
A note to Jazzoctopus:
Jazz! You're a Buckeye baby! I took note of that, since I went to law school at Ohio State. (Hence, the "[Buck]eye" in my nom de keyboard.)
How terrific that we all have this resource, a sort of electronic salon. I was isolated as a child, and I wish I'd had the web.
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