Why Is Our Education System Failing Us?

[onasilverbike]

I go to uni for fun, and a relatively good one too; if it wasn't, I wouldn't go.

And what, pray, are you conning decent taxpayers money, to, allegedly, study

 

[TEKLOFTY]

And what, pray, are you conning decent taxpayers money, to, allegedly, study

Oh, I party, drink, dabble in other various vices whilst only just getting my essays in on time and staying up late; my point being, that whilst there are indeed some people who go to uni to party, there are others who do just that and still end up with firsts because they are clever enough. These 'others' I speak of are also in relatively large numbers, and those that do party relentlessly without having the brains to back it up ultimately go on to fill all those jobs in society which require a degree but not a particularly good one anyway.

 

[Big Mac]

And what, pray, are you conning decent taxpayers money, to, allegedly, study

I'm doing a degree in drinking and the art of procrastination. But its costing an awful lot of money!

I lie. I'm actually doing geography.

IMO the education is failing us because the government is so bound up by getting people into higher education and not to drop out of education that they are doing everything to ensure people get grades. Hell you can "pass your exams with a D and an E". This is pretty much achievable by doing bugger all even with the dum kids. It seem that you get half marks for turning up and half marks for writing your name.

The sad thing is people are now feeling they have to stay on and do masters degrees etc in order to get that degree that will make them stand out above the rest to employers as there are so many people coming out of uni with mickey mouse degrees.

I dont think i answered the question, so i'll blame that on not being educated properly because the education system failed me!

 

[Kem]

Kat, thanks for being the first of the current "Uni Crew" to add to this debate.

HEY im at uni ..bastrad


My current studies are in the field of IT and i am doing well, and as for tax payers money that is genuinly needed, for a good computer your talking £600 plus some of the programs that we have to legaly buy (as they can check if we are using copies) come to a hell of a lot.

what they should do away with is the bull**** subjects like sociology,and drama.

 

[Rider]

Sorry to be a pain about this, but there is a reason behind that.

It'd because teachers can't and won't teach you higher level knowledge than what you need to know, that just confuses students.

First day of A level chemistry the first thing said was 'forget most of last year', they're told not to teach in any more detail than required.

can't and won't?

not sure what your point is....but any teacher should be able to teach you what you ask them.

i do, as do most (was about to say all...but there is an exception...) of my colleagues - if one of my chemistry students asks for a better or deeper explaination i'll give them one. the trick is to be able to put the higher concepts into a more easily understood context.

not all kids will understand a concept if done this way, which is why we pare back the ideas to a more easily grasped idea first - to then say "forget it" at a higher level is just plain bad teaching. there is nothing taught previously in chemistry that is wrong - just simplified and it makes a better starting point.

can you imagine trying to teach orbital theory, wave equations, kinetics or organic synthesis mechanisms to GCSE/S-grade level students?

thus we simplify it to energy levels, rate factors, etc. - all of which are needed to do the other stuff, but is not irrelevant or wrong.

and nobody tells us what not to teach - just what needs to be covered. if we feel the need to go into more detail, we do. if there is something else that is useful to know, we'll teach it. i'm a great advocate of teaching the class what they want to know as well as what they need to know.

the time running up to exams is where we then teach them exam technique - what to look for and how to answer questions.

so we teach them for the exam, but not as the be all and end all of what is taught. unfortunately whatever we do in class, at the end of the day it still comes down to that exam grade.

 

[TEKLOFTY]

can't and won't?

not sure what your point is....but any teacher should be able to teach you what you ask them.

i do, as do most (was about to say all...but there is an exception...) of my colleagues - if one of my chemistry students asks for a better or deeper explaination i'll give them one. the trick is to be able to put the higher concepts into a more easily understood context.

not all kids will understand a concept if done this way, which is why we pare back the ideas to a more easily grasped idea first - to then say "forget it" at a higher level is just plain bad teaching. there is nothing taught previously in chemistry that is wrong - just simplified and it makes a better starting point.

can you imagine trying to teach orbital theory, wave equations, kinetics or organic synthesis mechanisms to GCSE/S-grade level students?

thus we simplify it to energy levels, rate factors, etc. - all of which are needed to do the other stuff, but is not irrelevant or wrong.

and nobody tells us what not to teach - just what needs to be covered. if we feel the need to go into more detail, we do. if there is something else that is useful to know, we'll teach it. i'm a great advocate of teaching the class what they want to know as well as what they need to know.

the time running up to exams is where we then teach them exam technique - what to look for and how to answer questions.

so we teach them for the exam, but not as the be all and end all of what is taught. unfortunately whatever we do in class, at the end of the day it still comes down to that exam grade.

If this is the way you teach then more power to you, because it certainly wasn't the way i was taught (a la Kat).

 

[jagerpirate]

Sorry to be a pain about this, but there is a reason behind that.

It'd because teachers can't and won't teach you higher level knowledge than what you need to know, that just confuses students.

I know Rider has already commented on this but I also would like to add my expiriences. None of my teachers ever acted that way to anything I asked, and I was an iritating little sod who asked 'why?' a lot. They would simplify things to make them understandable and it got to a point where you got confused they would explain that if you wanted to learn more then you would have to take the subject at a higher level.

 

[onasilverbike]

Oh, I party, drink, dabble in other various vices whilst only just getting my essays in on time and staying up late; my point being, that whilst there are indeed some people who go to uni to party, there are others who do just that and still end up with firsts because they are clever enough. These 'others' I speak of are also in relatively large numbers, and those that do party relentlessly without having the brains to back it up ultimately go on to fill all those jobs in society which require a degree but not a particularly good one anyway.

Are you planning a career in politics when you have graduated? You hsve covered a lot in your reply, but, in the words of John Humphries, will you please now answer the question!

 

[Golddust]

You are all blowing this way out of proportion!

And who the hell has a panic attack becuase of an exam, man up....Seriousley

 

[Kem]

AS an IT student ill tell you that I only got a C in my IT gcse and for good reason.

It is by far the worst subject at school they dont teach Computing they teach you how to make spread sheets in excell and thats about it.

I handed in no course work for my gcse and that is a 60%CW 40%EXAM subject.

you need 40% to get a C, i would say im proud that i got 100% in the test but im not as it was pitiful.

Honest to god this was one of the questions.

"when working on a computer for long periods of time , to avoid eye strain you should"

A, Where sunglasses when using a computer.
B, Turn the monitor off.
C, Take short breaks.
D, Adjust your chair.

They dont teach you even the basic components of a computer system, they should re-name the GCSE to Utilising Some Extra Large Excell Spread Sheets or USELESS for short

I am currently studying at lincoln university an IT course and have a BTEC equivilent of 3 A+ Alevels.
And i just scraped through my IT gcse , but hey taht happens when you spend the entire IT lesson secretly uploading unreal tournement onto the school network and playing with your friends.