Well i dont really know as im not an exam board or a history teacher but i do know they have to cover topics in depth. But i do agree with what you've previously said about people not wanting to do well or pushing themselves. im certainly not like that but i do know people who just seem to not care.

But im at quite a good school so what i think is bad would probably be nothing compared to a lot of teens in the uk.

Sure it's a lot easier to get into some Universities now and there's a lot wider choice of degree but at the same time more and more people every year are applying for Oxford and they've certainly not lowered their requirements, they're making it harder if anything. I dunno, I'm just not sure I buy the whole "what are they teaching these days?" argument

Not sure why media studies is always considered so worthless, I think it's very relevant in the world we live in today

And do you have proof that standards of literacy & numeracy has declined? That sounds like bull

To be honest it depends on the teachers, my history/geography teacher was passionate about both subjects, he didn't just stand there and explain stuff, he used pictures, videos films, took us on trips. Compare that to say...our maths teacher, he spent most of his time chatting to the "popular ones" in the class about our nights out, he took half of the year off, he never paid any attention to the rest of the class ect.

Saying all that, I prefered learning stuff by myself after I left school

Depends what type of media studies you mean

I did media at college, but we filmed a lot of projects (complete with a lot of paperwork), we learned studio filming, animation, stop animation ect. then of course the boring stuff.

Then theres those media courses that consist of watching films and discussing them

Well if we're not taught about it, how are we meant to know?

You don't have to be a teacher or on an exam board though to have some basic overall knowledge of various aspects of history.

I'm not sure why or where much of the UK Educational system has gone wrong, but it's certainly not churning out many that the nation want to be proud of (note: that's my opinion, not a statement of fact!).

I agree with you Charlie, that there appears to be a tremendous amount of folk who simply 'don't care' and don't want to care either.

That said, there are a few Tibbers that really impress me with their knowledge and intellect on a variety of subjects - and some have astounded me learning of their 'young' ages: so it's not all bad!

Overall though: I don't see that being the norm.

"I think the media doesn't help. People don't aspire to be scientists or pioneers any more, they want to be famous or attractive. "


Sure many are trying to get in the Fame Game
a few aspire to become pioneers though.


Life In The Fast Lane.

I guess you Google it

Learn it by yourself, don't depend on others to teach you everything

Here's a novel thought - do it yourself. I didn't know how to operate anything other than a very very basic computer at work, didn't know anything about the internet 15 years ago, new buggar all, nothing about Windows, MS, digital cameras, uploading, downloading - knew not a thing: I went, bought a pc and taught myself.

When I Google something it's normally hard to find/the language they use is way out of my vocabulary http://i357.photobucket.com/albums/o...UK-08/huff.gif

Well there is one person who can sort that out. Read: books, magazines, online articles - and not forum guff - proper reading whereby you come across a word, a phrase, and think, "What does that mean" - and you go look it up.

The world SOME of us live in - most of the world lives in poverty :

http://www.globalissues.org/article/...and-stats#src1

How will media studies help them ?

:conf:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/...eracy-numeracy

Given the increasing amount of "media" availability in the last 20 years in the form of cheap computer and communication devices, no improvement in reading, writing and 'rithmetic represents a comparative decline and is an indictment of the electronic age ..... :shocked:

What is the relevancy of that? Mathematics doesnt solve the issue of global poverty either but clearly the media absolutely dominates society today, it is so influential.


So reading has improved, and writing has but not by very much (and its only a short period of time), not declined as you were saying. That just goes to show standard of education has improved, even if it isnt as quick as you might like :rolleyes:

I agree with most of your observations.....Especially the last part about basic skills......Personally I don't think it matters if kids know about Royalty history........Very boring to most and mostly pointless....

However like you say basic skills are under valued in the education system.To much time spent on pointless academic stuff that will never be needed and only taught so as some can go to universiaty simply for the status symbol of being at university.......Rather than being educated with something usefull......

A lot more go to university true.......But do most deserve to be there when they can't even boil an egg......I think not......

Universities should be for the scientist, chemists doctors etc.....Not for pshcho babble and other pointless obscure subjects which can be taught at your local education evening classess or while walking the dog in the park.....

Kids need to taught how to cook how to do basic handman jobs and repairs. More importantly how to behave like resposible human being that don't abuse fellow human beings with drug taking and binge drinking episodes....

There is no getting around the fact that the UK's education system is failing. People leave school not knowing who we fought in the Second World War, the official state religion of Great Britain, who Napoleon is and unable to find Britain on a world map. Plus the country's literacy rate is in decline. This should be a national scandal.

The problem is the powers that be are so short-sightedly utilitarian and see no value in things that won't make you a quick buck, they think that since most children won't grow up to be historians, philologists or archaeologists, then there is no point in teaching them anything more than the most elementary general knowledge (if that) and anything more than that is a luxury. Just look at how little people care that the coalition government is doing everything in its power to dismantle this institution.

Education is there to teach people to read, write and think.

Jesus wept

Mary Queen of Scots, my historical heroine is in fact in my view a very strong and relevant part of English Royal family history
She was a direct descendant of the Tudor dynasty, she therefore had a strong claim to the English throne, much more so than Elizabeth 1.

She was in my view, wrongly imprisoned and tried due to Elizabeth 1 and she was then murdered by Elizabeth 1.
Her strong relevance to English Royal Family history is further borne out by the fact her son James V1 of Scotland became James 1 of England after Elizabeth 1 death.

I do agree though that some things seem to have been withdrawn from Education that are important. How anyone can understand a culture or what formed a Nation without being taught its full History is hard to work out.

Was it the kiss on the balcony that moved Him?

Again, media only dominates our society, not much of the rest of the world, where it has no influence at all - let's look at the water issue, for example, a necessity for life :

http://www.globalissues.org/article/...and-stats#src1




Given the resources of our society, particularly "media" the fact that the standard of teenage achievement in the 3 R's has not significantly increased is equivalent to a decline - I refer you again to the fact that :

That is, despite 11-14 years of education in English schools, a FIFTH of young adults can just about work out their "pocket money" and "read" a comic ..... :rolleyes:

90% of the dictionary is out of your vocabulary http://www.spillitnow.com/images/smiles/morning.gif

:joker::joker::joker:

Why do you quote me in like every thread? http://i.imgur.com/Iu8a5l.jpg

:joker:

I have never changed my own curtains

-Feels ashamed-

But yeah, I agree mostly with what you are saying, although I really dont think royal history is of that much importance tbh