Standard of Education in England

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IanMcL
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Standard of Education in England

Post by IanMcL » Mon Sep 20, 2021 4:42 pm

As displayed by today's contestants on Tipping Point.

1. Which US President made the first TV speech in 1947?

Answer offered....George Washington?

2. What war was ended by the signing of a treaty in Pretoria in 1902?

One says, I don't know. Probably WW1 or 2 but I am not sure which.

The other says...War of the Roses?

What sort of school do they attend and how many qualifications?

Neither appeared unintelligent. They just didn't know anything.

Despair.
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Re: Standard of Education in England

Post by Hipper » Mon Sep 20, 2021 4:49 pm

I don't recall learning stuff like that at school. Not that I was one of the brightest.

George Washington built a bridge didn't he?

Pretoria must be one of the Roman wars where the guards fought.

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Re: Standard of Education in England

Post by Bosscat » Mon Sep 20, 2021 4:49 pm

IanMcL wrote:
Mon Sep 20, 2021 4:42 pm
As displayed by today's contestants on Tipping Point.

1. Which US President made the first TV speech in 1947?

Answer offered....George Washington?

2. What war was ended by the signing of a treaty in Pretoria in 1902?

One says, I don't know. Probably WW1 or 2 but I am not sure which.

The other says...War of the Roses?

What sort of school do they attend and how many qualifications?

Neither appeared unintelligent. They just didn't know anything.

Despair.
Japanese Bantam or Jersey Giant are what kind of Farm animal ...
Offered Cow or Horse ...

Answer obviously Chicken

😂😂😂

Me and the Mrs laughing at these 2 youngsters and a lack of certain areas of basic gen knowledge

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Re: Standard of Education in England

Post by claptrappers_union » Mon Sep 20, 2021 4:50 pm

I don’t think I’d know the answer to any of those. That said, for that reason, I’d never appear on a quiz show on national television
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Re: Standard of Education in England

Post by bobinho » Mon Sep 20, 2021 4:50 pm

My nipper left school with 9 GCSE’s….. and she’s absolutely mince. Seriously, she knows next to nothing.

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Re: Standard of Education in England

Post by bobinho » Mon Sep 20, 2021 4:51 pm

claptrappers_union wrote:
Mon Sep 20, 2021 4:50 pm
I don’t think I’d know the answer to any of those. That said, for that reason, I’d never appear on a quiz show on national television
Maybe not, but I’d bet my house that you know it wasn’t George Washington.

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Re: Standard of Education in England

Post by kazza » Mon Sep 20, 2021 4:54 pm

bobinho wrote:
Mon Sep 20, 2021 4:50 pm
My nipper left school with 9 GCSE’s….. and she’s absolutely mince. Seriously, she knows next to nothing.
It seems to be difficult not to get an A* nowadays.

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Re: Standard of Education in England

Post by kentonclaret » Mon Sep 20, 2021 4:55 pm

Just switch on the Radio/TV or read the newspaper headlines after the exam results are released and you will be told of a record number of Grade A's and highest ever pass rates.

You only have to watch a quiz show like The Chase to quickly learn that academic qualifications don't translate into general knowledge.

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Re: Standard of Education in England

Post by aclaretinstevenage » Mon Sep 20, 2021 4:56 pm

Bosscat wrote:
Mon Sep 20, 2021 4:49 pm
Japanese Bantam or Jersey Giant are what kind of Farm animal ...
Offered Cow or Horse ...

Answer obviously Chicken

😂😂😂

Me and the Mrs laughing at these 2 youngsters and a lack of certain areas of basic gen knowledge
I couldn't help but shout uncomplimentary things at the television with these two. The Chicken one in particular.

She leaves with £3.5 K so won't give a toss but seriously these are the future are they?

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Re: Standard of Education in England

Post by Bosscat » Mon Sep 20, 2021 4:58 pm

aclaretinstevenage wrote:
Mon Sep 20, 2021 4:56 pm
I couldn't help but shout uncomplimentary things at the television with these two. The Chicken one in particular.

She leaves with £3.5 K so won't give a toss but seriously these are the future are they?
3.5k isn't a bad afternoons work 🙂

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Re: Standard of Education in England

Post by Colburn_Claret » Mon Sep 20, 2021 4:58 pm

Teaching methods do appear to have gone backwards. I know I'm probably an old fart, but when I was at school you had to memorise things as you went along, in order to pass tests and end of year exams.
Today it seems to be more about course work, hear it, write it, forget about it. My children are both very bright now 36 and 34, and they are always asking me how I know so much, and I just tell them I learnt it at school.
I don't consider myself to be a genius, or them stupid, neither is true, but it's a general anomaly that my generation received a better education than they did. Whatever the reasons.
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Re: Standard of Education in England

Post by kentonclaret » Mon Sep 20, 2021 5:01 pm

Colburn_Claret wrote:
Mon Sep 20, 2021 4:58 pm
Teaching methods do appear to have gone backwards. I know I'm probably an old fart, but when I was at school you had to memorise things as you went along, in order to pass tests and end of year exams.

Why memorise a load of stuff when you can just Google it?

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Re: Standard of Education in England

Post by kazza » Mon Sep 20, 2021 5:04 pm

School tests your memory, it certainly doesn't test your intelligence.

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Re: Standard of Education in England

Post by Devils_Advocate » Mon Sep 20, 2021 5:05 pm

If your idea of judging a young persons intelligence is how good they are at memorising things to help them get through a test then I think you are looking at things all wrong.

There's far more to intelligence than learning facts, dates, events etc and being able to memorise for a test of maybe for a daytime TV gameshow.

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Re: Standard of Education in England

Post by KRBFC » Mon Sep 20, 2021 5:16 pm

I don't know the answer to any of those questions either, nor could I give a **** which US president gave a speech on TV in 1947. I have no idea how that reflects overall intelligence, I take 0 interest in UK politics nevermind 1940s US politics.

If I'm intelligent in classical music and you don't like/follow classical music, does it make you overall unintelligent if you're unable to answer a question about classical music? It's an easy easy question to answer if you're a fan of classical music but you're not.

Nevermind, I'd like to question your overall intelligence for criticising Lee Grant for not saving a shot, that wasn't on target. Like seriously, did you not go to school?

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Re: Standard of Education in England

Post by kentonclaret » Mon Sep 20, 2021 5:16 pm

Devils_Advocate wrote:
Mon Sep 20, 2021 5:05 pm
If your idea of judging a young persons intelligence is how good they are at memorising things to help them get through a test then I think you are looking at things all wrong.

There's far more to intelligence than learning facts, dates, events etc and being able to memorise for a test of maybe for a daytime TV gameshow.
The majority of daytime gameshows test your standard of General Knowledge.

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Re: Standard of Education in England

Post by Rileybobs » Mon Sep 20, 2021 5:19 pm

General knowledge and intelligence are two different things.
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Re: Standard of Education in England

Post by AfloatinClaret » Mon Sep 20, 2021 5:26 pm

Colburn_Claret wrote:
Mon Sep 20, 2021 4:58 pm
Teaching methods do appear to have gone backwards...My children are both very bright now 36 and 34, and they are always asking me how I know so much, and I just tell them I learnt it at school...I don't consider myself to be a genius, or them stupid, neither is true, but it's a general anomaly that my generation received a better education than they did. Whatever the reasons.
My perception is that for the last 30+ years the system has taught kids to pass their exams and nothing more - intelligence - whereas those who went to school prior to that were instead educated and required to use/interpret that knowledge to pass the exams (or not as the case maybe) instead; that education may not have been quite as deep, but it was certainly broader and more rounded/full. It was also more 'competitive' which provided us with the seemingly lost ability of accepting and coping with the fact that we weren't going to be given everything we wanted, so needed to work with what we had to make our way in the world and earn a living. I suspect that the school system is even happier at the moment when rather than all that effort in the fudging of results to mask the system's deficiencies, they can instead just award pretty much what they like; I do wonder for how many years to come there will be a call to have the pupils' results 'adjusted' (invariably upward) to offset the school-time lost due to Covid?
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Re: Standard of Education in England

Post by Bosscat » Mon Sep 20, 2021 5:40 pm

As kid back in the 60's (and the youngest of six) I was reading books of an age group a lot higher than my peers at school ... also having the space race happening at the time, I was like a sponge for all things knowledge based etc ...

Sci Fi authors Heinlein, Clarke, Asimov & Philip K Dick etc ... loved them as a pre teen because my elder brother read them.

Historical films and TV made me want to learn more about history.
Ray Harryhausen films such as Jason and the Argonauts, Clash of the Titans etc made me want to learn more about the Classics and Greek Myth ...

I think had google been about back then, less would have sunk in because all that knowledge at your fingertips makes you lazy ... where-as reading books and researching stuff it sinks in more

Well thats my thoughts about it
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Re: Standard of Education in England

Post by Lancasterclaret » Mon Sep 20, 2021 5:53 pm

My kids are not taught in school the same way I was, and that is a very good thing.

I think we forget just how much has changed in the past fifty years, and teaching methods reflect that

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Re: Standard of Education in England

Post by Volvoclaret » Mon Sep 20, 2021 5:56 pm

I have observed that some of the worst contestants on gen knowledge game shows tend to be Teachers.

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Re: Standard of Education in England

Post by Quickenthetempo » Mon Sep 20, 2021 6:19 pm

Can I just ask what part of life or job, will knowing the answer to those questions help or improve?

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Re: Standard of Education in England

Post by duncandisorderly » Mon Sep 20, 2021 6:19 pm

Rileybobs wrote:
Mon Sep 20, 2021 5:19 pm
General knowledge and intelligence are two different things.
Correct, but anyone with either adequate general knowledge or intelligence would know that George Washington wasn't appearing on television in 1947.
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Re: Standard of Education in England

Post by duncandisorderly » Mon Sep 20, 2021 6:20 pm

Quickenthetempo wrote:
Mon Sep 20, 2021 6:19 pm
Can I just ask what part of life or job, will knowing the answer to those questions help or improve?
Appearing on a game show.
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Re: Standard of Education in England

Post by NRC » Mon Sep 20, 2021 6:21 pm

the thread title is "standards of Education in England." I see nothing about those questions that would allow anyone to conclude any meaningful PoV on those standards.

I'm in the "old fart" school" of believing I had learned far more at the age of 16 than my daughter has, currently 16. But we do have direct insights into the comparisons between the US and the UK as she recently relocated here in order to do her junior/senior year/VI form years prior to attending university, also here.

Where there remain common core subjects such as English language, science, and math, the UK is materially in front. Where there are common "electives" the UK is also still in front - she's coasting in her first 4 weeks of Adobe visual design as an elective choice, having previously taken it in England at a younger age, but similar content. Where the US system has an advantage is two-fold.
1: they take the common core through to age 18, meaning it must offer greater depth than finishing at GCSE. It also continues as a college freshman because degrees are typically four years.
2: the elective subject pool is incredibly deep. There are twelve subject departments, each having its own set of subjects. Between them, they offer 86 different classes.

So while the common core education goes longer, the choice of elective topics is very wide, ultimately providing greater opportunity for educational focus and specialization at the degree level.

Lastly, I would say what was important to learn "back then" is perhaps no longer the case today. I spend my professional life working with industry/business "influencers." My 15-year-old is already on track to be an "influencer." The old farts on here would have no clue about that. I guess that makes them unknowledgeable!

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Re: Standard of Education in England

Post by KRBFC » Mon Sep 20, 2021 6:33 pm

duncandisorderly wrote:
Mon Sep 20, 2021 6:19 pm
Correct, but anyone with either adequate general knowledge or intelligence would know that George Washington wasn't appearing on television in 1947.
Why would they? American 1940s politics might be a good category for you, a simple question for you to answer, not so simple for people with zero knowledge or interest in that category.

Could you tell me the music artist/artists with the most top 10 singles on the US billboard chart? Of course you couldn't (without cheating), you've probably never heard of the actual artist, does that mean you lack adequate intelligence?

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Re: Standard of Education in England

Post by RMutt » Mon Sep 20, 2021 6:36 pm

AfloatinClaret wrote:
Mon Sep 20, 2021 5:26 pm
My perception is that for the last 30+ years the system has taught kids to pass their exams and nothing more - intelligence - whereas those who went to school prior to that were instead educated and required to use/interpret that knowledge to pass the exams (or not as the case maybe) instead; that education may not have been quite as deep, but it was certainly broader and more rounded/full. It was also more 'competitive' which provided us with the seemingly lost ability of accepting and coping with the fact that we weren't going to be given everything we wanted, so needed to work with what we had to make our way in the world and earn a living. I suspect that the school system is even happier at the moment when rather than all that effort in the fudging of results to mask the system's deficiencies, they can instead just award pretty much what they like; I do wonder for how many years to come there will be a call to have the pupils' results 'adjusted' (invariably upward) to offset the school-time lost due to Covid?
I think you can blame league tables and the idea that schools can run like businesses for the pressure on teachers to get students through exams by any means necessary. I would imagine most teachers would rather be ‘educating’ than coaching their students through the test. That said has as been stated a collection of facts is no good if you don’t have the imagination or initiative to be able to use them.

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Re: Standard of Education in England

Post by GodIsADeeJay81 » Mon Sep 20, 2021 6:37 pm

1- wouldn't have a clue
2- I could guess the Boer war but only cos I think Pretoria is in South Africa.

US presidents isn't something we bother with, I know US school children are expected to recite the full list from memory but that's just weird.

The standard of education in the UK is what it is, it needs modernising tbh, maths for example, the average kid ain't gonna use Trig or Pythagoras during adulthood.
They'd be better off learning about finances and money management, mortgages etc.

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Re: Standard of Education in England

Post by Stayingup » Mon Sep 20, 2021 6:39 pm

IanMcL wrote:
Mon Sep 20, 2021 4:42 pm
As displayed by today's contestants on Tipping Point.

1. Which US President made the first TV speech in 1947?

Answer offered....George Washington?

2. What war was ended by the signing of a treaty in Pretoria in 1902?

One says, I don't know. Probably WW1 or 2 but I am not sure which.

The other says...War of the Roses?

What sort of school do they attend and how many qualifications?

Neither appeared unintelligent. They just didn't know anything.

Despair.
Well. Today children's main interest is social media. But what they are taught at school is puzzling. It all begins at home really.

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Re: Standard of Education in England

Post by Rileybobs » Mon Sep 20, 2021 6:43 pm

duncandisorderly wrote:
Mon Sep 20, 2021 6:19 pm
Correct, but anyone with either adequate general knowledge or intelligence would know that George Washington wasn't appearing on television in 1947.
I disagree. I’m sure there are a lot of intelligent people who couldn’t tell you roughly what era George Washington was from. US history wouldn’t be high on my list of things to teach kids in British schools either.

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Re: Standard of Education in England

Post by Stayingup » Mon Sep 20, 2021 6:44 pm

Quickenthetempo wrote:
Mon Sep 20, 2021 6:19 pm
Can I just ask what part of life or job, will knowing the answer to those questions help or improve?
Its an indication of intelligence and general interest in things other than social media. Because an intelligent child might just want to.learn something other than what their friend is eating for tea.

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Re: Standard of Education in England

Post by duncandisorderly » Mon Sep 20, 2021 6:46 pm

KRBFC wrote:
Mon Sep 20, 2021 6:33 pm
Why would they? American 1940s politics might be a good category for you, a simple question for you to answer, not so simple for people with zero knowledge or interest in that category.

Could you tell me the music artist/artists with the most top 10 singles on the US billboard chart? Of course you couldn't (without cheating), you've probably never heard of the actual artist, does that mean you lack adequate intelligence?
No, but my general knowledge and my intelligence would prevent me from guessing someone who died 150 years previous, a famous figure in American history. I don't actually know the answer, but I do know that the answer isn't George Washington.

And it wouldn't mean I lack adequate intelligence, but it does mean I lack adequate knowledge.

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Re: Standard of Education in England

Post by Stayingup » Mon Sep 20, 2021 6:47 pm

My sons mother in law is a teacher. She tells me many many kids come to school and cant count to ten and cant read. Standards are just not what they were

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Re: Standard of Education in England

Post by Spijed » Mon Sep 20, 2021 6:49 pm

To be good at quizzes you probably need knowledge of:

UK Monarchs
USA presidents plus the 14 men who were (sort of) acting president before George Washington (got that off wiki)
UK Prime ministers
Shakespeare
The Bible
Good all round knowledge of sport and the UK top 40.

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Re: Standard of Education in England

Post by Stayingup » Mon Sep 20, 2021 6:49 pm

Rileybobs wrote:
Mon Sep 20, 2021 6:43 pm
I disagree. I’m sure there are a lot of intelligent people who couldn’t tell you roughly what era George Washington was from. US history wouldn’t be high on my list of things to teach kids in British schools either.
Well they ought to be able to do. Nothing to do with what your list might be. This is the first oresident of the major western country

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Re: Standard of Education in England

Post by duncandisorderly » Mon Sep 20, 2021 6:55 pm

Rileybobs wrote:
Mon Sep 20, 2021 6:43 pm
I disagree. I’m sure there are a lot of intelligent people who couldn’t tell you roughly what era George Washington was from. US history wouldn’t be high on my list of things to teach kids in British schools either.
Fair enough, I wasn't taught US history either, but there's enough US history in virtually all television and media that we Brits have been able to access since the late 80's to know that George Washington wasn't on TV in 1947. Neither was Abraham Lincoln.
I wasn't taught about the Napoleonic wars, but I would imagine most people would be aware that Napoleon didn't invent Instagram, for example. I don't know who did invent it, but I know it wasn't Napoleon.

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Re: Standard of Education in England

Post by Colburn_Claret » Mon Sep 20, 2021 6:59 pm

Lancasterclaret wrote:
Mon Sep 20, 2021 5:53 pm
My kids are not taught in school the same way I was, and that is a very good thing.

I think we forget just how much has changed in the past fifty years, and teaching methods reflect that
Why is it a good thing? Genuine question, you must have your reasons.

My gripe about my childrens education was it was at a time when class rooms were broken up into groups, and therefore as soon as the teachers attention was taken up by one table, the other 4 tables would play up. It was also designed to work at the pace of the slowest, which held my son back loads. He was clever, still is, but he found the lessons boring, because he was often left twiddling his thumbs waiting for others to catch up. Youngsters require stimulus, and he got practically none from Primary School. I believe the practice has now ceased, another failed experiment.
In my time we all sat in rows and faced the front, and no one was over looked. Pupils who struggled to keep up were still educated, but placed in a group of their peers to cover more in depth, whilst those who could master the lessons progressed. Nobody was bored or held back.
I must admit a lot of sympathy for teachers having to deal with numerous governments moving the goal posts, trying to reinvent the wheel. Curriculum will obviously change over time, but teaching methods shouldn't. Despite advances in technology, the old methods of learning by rote are still the best.

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Re: Standard of Education in England

Post by Vegas Claret » Mon Sep 20, 2021 7:01 pm

IanMcL wrote:
Mon Sep 20, 2021 4:42 pm
As displayed by today's contestants on Tipping Point.

1. Which US President made the first TV speech in 1947?

Answer offered....George Washington?

2. What war was ended by the signing of a treaty in Pretoria in 1902?

One says, I don't know. Probably WW1 or 2 but I am not sure which.

The other says...War of the Roses?

What sort of school do they attend and how many qualifications?

Neither appeared unintelligent. They just didn't know anything.

Despair.
don't move to America if you think the education in the UK is sub-standard.......

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Re: Standard of Education in England

Post by bobinho » Mon Sep 20, 2021 7:07 pm

When I was at school, the way we were taught was more about finding ways of retaining information, rather than taking time to “find” it somewhere. Yes, I know that’s available to us all now, but instead of rooting thru google for a few seconds, we used to try to find the information and facts that some scoundrel had hidden in a book. Then we had to prove we had retained it some considerable time AFTER learning it, thereby demonstrating that we COULD retain it. The capacity to learn my teacher called it. Nowadays it’s like removing a memory stick after six weeks and rebooting.

I wouldn’t really expect a young person to know which American president gave the first televised address in 1947, but I WOULD expect them to know who it couldn’t be…. even if they have no interest in American politics.
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Re: Standard of Education in England

Post by SalisburyClaret » Mon Sep 20, 2021 7:09 pm

1960’s 11+ = 2000’s GCSE O Level

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Re: Standard of Education in England

Post by Bosscat » Mon Sep 20, 2021 7:12 pm

bobinho wrote:
Mon Sep 20, 2021 7:07 pm
I wouldn’t really expect a young person to know which American president gave the first televised address in 1947, but I WOULD expect them to know who it couldn’t be…. even if they have no interest in American politics.
And there folks you have it in a nutshell bobinho has summed it up perfectly.

Thats exactly the point the OP made ... its not that they didn't know who gave the 1st televised TV address but the fact they gave an impossible answer.
🤭🤭🤭 and thats a different TV quiz altogether 😉

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Re: Standard of Education in England

Post by ksrclaret » Mon Sep 20, 2021 7:15 pm

I can't speak for England, but the standard of education in my classes (A Level Biology) is top class. We learn bucket loads of complicated science and are expected to retain it, we look at complex application of the scientific concepts, we look at how data can be produced and evaluated, and we look at how to use maths to give meaning and context to data.

If I was a teacher of GCSE, however, the standard of education would be poor. The curriculum and culture down at that level and below is not really fit for purpose. Some teachers do a good job in difficult circumstances, but there is no doubt they've got both hands tied behind their backs.

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Re: Standard of Education in England

Post by KRBFC » Mon Sep 20, 2021 7:15 pm

duncandisorderly wrote:
Mon Sep 20, 2021 6:46 pm
No, but my general knowledge and my intelligence would prevent me from guessing someone who died 150 years previous, a famous figure in American history. I don't actually know the answer, but I do know that the answer isn't George Washington.

And it wouldn't mean I lack adequate intelligence, but it does mean I lack adequate knowledge.
I asked you a really easy question though, that would suggest you lack intelligence based on your previous assessment.

I'm pretty sure they know George Washington wasn't the answer but couldn't think of another alternative.

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Re: Standard of Education in England

Post by duncandisorderly » Mon Sep 20, 2021 7:21 pm

KRBFC wrote:
Mon Sep 20, 2021 7:15 pm
I asked you a really easy question though, that would suggest you lack intelligence based on your previous assessment.

It doesn't. I acknowledged that Riley was correct when he said that knowledge and intelligence are two different things, and what you're asking me reinforces that point.
That I don't know the answer points to lack of knowledge. Had I said the answer is Slade that would point to lack of intelligence.
I'm pretty sure they know George Washington wasn't the answer but couldn't think of another alternative.
It's better to remain silent and be thought of as an idiot than to open your mouth and remove all doubt.

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Re: Standard of Education in England

Post by Spijed » Mon Sep 20, 2021 7:22 pm

One thing in mitigation - how many people could handle being asked questions at fairly high speed in front of TV cameras?

I suspect quite a few people would fall to pieces under such pressure.

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Re: Standard of Education in England

Post by minnieclaret » Mon Sep 20, 2021 7:29 pm

The UK has gone for the US system where you have to have a degree to get any job of substance. Accordingly they have made degree courses easier and dumber. Some of the arts based degrees are beyond ridiculous.
The big win for governments is folk staying in education, and paying a small fortune for it, whilst staying off the unemployment stats. I’m not saying these people would be the unemployed but every vacancy they fill leaves another on the dole.

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Re: Standard of Education in England

Post by Rileybobs » Mon Sep 20, 2021 7:31 pm

duncandisorderly wrote:
Mon Sep 20, 2021 6:55 pm
Fair enough, I wasn't taught US history either, but there's enough US history in virtually all television and media that we Brits have been able to access since the late 80's to know that George Washington wasn't on TV in 1947. Neither was Abraham Lincoln.
I wasn't taught about the Napoleonic wars, but I would imagine most people would be aware that Napoleon didn't invent Instagram, for example. I don't know who did invent it, but I know it wasn't Napoleon.
I think the Instagram/Napoleon comparison is a bit extreme and doesn’t really help your argument.

My main point is that a lack of general knowledge does not mean a lack of intelligence, or vice versa.

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Re: Standard of Education in England

Post by tiger76 » Mon Sep 20, 2021 7:31 pm

Spijed wrote:
Mon Sep 20, 2021 6:49 pm
To be good at quizzes you probably need knowledge of:

UK Monarchs
USA presidents plus the 14 men who were (sort of) acting president before George Washington (got that off wiki)
UK Prime ministers
Shakespeare
The Bible
Good all round knowledge of sport and the UK top 40.
Yes these topics do seem to appear often on various quizzes.

UK Monarchs-yep pretty sure abut most of them, but I do watch a lot of historical dramas, documentaries and films.
I'd be pretty confident on most US presidents post 1900, perhaps not so much on many earlier than that.
Shakespeare-not got a scooby, never interested me at school either, probably the weird language put me off.
Bible-again not a subject I care about.
Sport- pretty decent depending on what sports.
UK top 40-well I'd be knowledgeable about it up until around the mid-90's, after that I'd be struggling.

I would have got both the said questions correct, but that's only because I have an interest in history, however if I got a question on say science for instance, I might be struggling.

And has it never occurred to all those posters scoffing that just maybe these contestants were nervous, I've never appeared on telly, but I have attended several recording at BBC Pacific Quay in Glasgow, and believe me it's a damned sight easier answering these seemingly simple questions sat on the couch at home, under the studio lights, and with a live audience, plus generally being against the clock, that's a different kind of pressure.

Blimey! I even have brain freezes attempting some of the quizzes I regularly post on here, so if I was faced with the pressure of actually being in the spotlight of a TV studio who knows whether I'd find it so easy as it seems, probably not TBH.
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Re: Standard of Education in England

Post by KRBFC » Mon Sep 20, 2021 7:33 pm

duncandisorderly wrote:
Mon Sep 20, 2021 7:21 pm

It's better to remain silent and be thought of as an idiot than to open your mouth and remove all doubt.
They can't lose anything by throwing a complete random name out there, I've seen many contestants on quizzes claim beforehand they're pretty sure the answer is incorrect but they couldn't think of an alternative name.

As for George Washington, you're acting like people under the age of 70 know anything about him. Maybe your generation took a deep deep interest in American politics because UK politics was potentially boring. I remember the US election, it was embarrassing how many English people pretended to hold a passionate interest in the outcome, people in Burnley with their Joe Biden masks on eating their prawn sandwiches pretending to be American for a day. Sickening

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Re: Standard of Education in England

Post by Paul Waine » Mon Sep 20, 2021 7:34 pm

kentonclaret wrote:
Mon Sep 20, 2021 5:01 pm
Why memorise a load of stuff when you can just Google it?
Hi kenton, don't think anyone has answered your question, yet. When I was at school and uni, 1960s through 1975 I learnt something about things called "computers." They were big, installed in special airconditioned rooms, had lots of tapes and produced lots of printed reports. It wasn't until early 1980s that smaller computers started to appear, including something called a "personal computer." Late 1980s, a few people in some offices would have a pc on their desk, but most in the office wouldn't have one and wouldn't know how to use one. In 1990s they became a lot more common. Around this time, Nokia and Motorola (maybe one or two other firms) came out with "mobile phones" - you could carry a telephone with you and make calls to other people - you call also "txt" them. Then things progressed further, everyone had a pc or even a laptop - you could carry a laptop with you. Then there were smart phones.

Somewhere at the back of all this "google" came along - and that was when you didn't need to remember everything and just look it up on google.

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