What do you think of the UK education system?

Owain_Moneysaver

dawyldthing wrote: »

It is, thats why pupils are taught to the test.

That's not new though, when I was at school we were 'taught to the test' almost to the point of learning essays by rote on subjects likely to come up.

The difference is we were taught to a test which was an essay where marks were deducted for poor spelling and punctuation, and not to a multiple-choice open-book paper.

saintjammyswine

Coopdivi wrote: »

More twaddle.

The 1950s version is just a figment of the animator's imagination gleaned I would suspect from some earnest but crappy public information film.

I'm 57 and went to school between 1959 and 1970. My parents never marched into my bedroom demanding better exam results. It didn't happen to any of my school mates either. Admittedly I failed the 11+ exam so maybe that makes me thick .

No SJS, there's too many people like yourself who like to look at the past as some sort of wondrous golden era when you haven't actually experienced it.

A lot of school facilities were pretty grim in those days. At my primary school the toilets were outside in the playground. The urinals had no roof on them. The desks and chairs in the class rooms were a sort of all-in-one wooden construction with inkwells. Of course we all used fountain pens which leaked all over the place. My secondary modern had no swimming pool so we had to walk to the town's open-air pool once a fortnight during the summer term when it was open. So you can imagine how often we got lessons :rotfl:

Oh and before I forget, because somebody's bound to come along and have a whine about modern youngsters' lack of discipline blah blah blah, when I was at primary school I got the cane for spelling a word wrong. It might have been academic but I'm not sure.....

Did anyone have a swimming pool at school? I know I didnt. The cartoon was simply an illustration (get it, illustration) of something I witness and have experienced. I am not saying the facilities are not better, of course they are. It is attitudes that have got worse.

mishmogs

Hello

I too have worked abroad, mainly in India and education is taken very seriously. BUT they have no trug for learning disabilities or problems, dyslexic?? whats that? I am not saying this is right, just as I found it. I also agree, because its free in England, we take it for granted.

OK, so we have taught our kids the same way since victorian times, is this right or wrong? I don't know but as this is the only way we are use to, is it time for a change? if kids are not engaging with sessions, what can be done to change this? I understand that the education systems in various parts of the world are looking at ways to change the way our kids are taught.

I have recently had this discussion with my husband who says why should everyone have a degree? what good does it do them? is it of any quality? has the number of degrees diluted the value? I don't know the answers but I do know the system isnt working and is outdated.

I am presently doing a college course and despite all the textures used, powerpoint, internet, videos, tutor lead session, break out sessions, etc. I am finding it old fashioned.

Many questions but no answers but maybe we should ask students who have been through the whole system what they think and what could be changed/improved?

TheSandman

Read this http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-14949538


"In China, you see children going into school at 6.30am and being there until 8 or 9pm, concentrating on science, technology and maths. And you have to ask yourself, would European children do that?

- Maire Geoghegan-Quinn, the European Commissioner responsible for research, innovation and science

I came out of a state secondary school just 3 years ago and my biggest gripe is Inclusive Education. I'm positive the standard of my school could rise ten-fold if the bottom 5% of children with no intention of learning were let go.

exprog

mishmogs wrote: »

OK, so we have taught our kids the same way since victorian times,

Is that so? Or just something you discussed with your husband?

mishmogs wrote: »

I understand that the education systems in various parts of the world are looking at ways to change the way our kids are taught.

You do, do you? You mean like the Murdoch empire using its publishing empire to slag off schools so that the Murdoch empire can cash-in by flogging their 'educational' (:rotfl:)software? Or you mean like the bits that that exclude SEN and other 'difficult' groups ?

mishmogs wrote: »

I do know the system isnt working and is outdated.

Something your husband told you?

morganedge

pineapple wrote: »

Oh dear this is getting me on my hobby horse. I'm 61 and when I went to school, 'A' grades were 'A' grades and were not given out like smarties.

Completely agree.
I was taking my GCSE'S just 15 years ago and even in that time something funny has definitely happened with the grading system.
Some super smart kids in my year who were ridiculously bright got mainly A's and a few B's, and now, I have lots of friends with younger siblings, and it seems like every single one of them are walking with nearly all A*'s, and most of them can barely spell and are not particularly clever.
It's amazing. Who are we trying to kid? completely devalues the grading system.

InA

morganedge wrote: »

Completely agree.
I was taking my GCSE'S just 15 years ago and even in that time something funny has definitely happened with the grading system.
Some super smart kids in my year who were ridiculously bright got mainly A's and a few B's, and now, I have lots of friends with younger siblings, and it seems like every single one of them are walking with nearly all A*'s, and most of them can barely spell and are not particularly clever.
It's amazing. Who are we trying to kid? completely devalues the grading system.

I've noticed this too, something definitely changed after around 1997 with incoming new government's policy perhaps?

InA

Owain_Moneysaver wrote: »

That's not new though, when I was at school we were 'taught to the test' almost to the point of learning essays by rote on subjects likely to come up.

The difference is we were taught to a test which was an essay where marks were deducted for poor spelling and punctuation, and not to a multiple-choice open-book paper.

I think it would depend on your teacher. I remember at my school, I was in an english lit class where we were really stretched on a number of different texts. My friend's teacher, in another class, selected the minimum number of texts that had to be covered and virtually rehearsed every angle that could crop in the exam, with lots of practice on preparing essays that they would be able to commit to memory. Every student in my friend's class got an A. This was actually a rarity back then and was an unorthodox style of 'teaching'.

I think most, if not all, teachers have cottoned on to this now. It makes them look good if their students are passing with flying colours and if they don't do this, it makes them look like bad teachers.

'teaching to the test' is something that's escalated over the last 10 years. I know a fair few teachers who say this is the only way to go now.

When a friend of mine first went into teaching, in a primary school, her first class' SATS results actually dropped back compared to the previous year.

What had happened was that the previous teacher, in the year below, had not taught the children how to do the things that they were supposed to learn but had instead devoted several weeks to practising the actual test questions, with a lot of help. e.g. a child graded at level 3 actually turned out to be a level 2 etc.

my friend had to spend weeks teaching things that they should have learnt the previous year, because she couldn't move on to the harder stuff until they had a grasp of the basics. with her job and her performance in question, it was not long before she started to adopt the same practices, just to get the kids to 'achieve' the level of attainment that they were set to gain that year.

at the end of it all, she was more annoyed about being made out to look like a bad teacher than the fact that school, as a whole, was churning out kids without basic skills.

InA

TheSandman wrote: »

Read this http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-14949538


"In China, you see children going into school at 6.30am and being there until 8 or 9pm, concentrating on science, technology and maths. And you have to ask yourself, would European children do that?

- Maire Geoghegan-Quinn, the European Commissioner responsible for research, innovation and science

I came out of a state secondary school just 3 years ago and my biggest gripe is Inclusive Education. I'm positive the standard of my school could rise ten-fold if the bottom 5% of children with no intention of learning were let go.

i agree, but usually those bottom 5% are usually putting on a front because they feel stupid and feel as though they can't do the work. so they pretend they don't care, to avoid looking stupid.

the fact is our state school education is 'one size fits all'. intelligent kids are held back and slowed down, whilst kids who don't pick things up so easily usually end up struggling and dropping out.

InA

mishmogs wrote: »

OK, so we have taught our kids the same way since victorian times,

based on what I've seen and heard, teaching today is vastly different compared to even 20 years ago, let alone victorian times. not necessarily for the better either.