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| Science & Technology |
| The future is here |
| 2015-03-04 |
| h/t Jerry Pournelle There was this test. And it was daunting. It was like the SAT or ACT -- which many American millennials are no doubt familiar with, as they are on track to be the best educated generation in history -- except this test was not about getting into college. This exam, given in 23 countries, assessed the thinking abilities and workplace skills of adults. It focused on literacy, math and technological problem-solving. The goal was to figure out how prepared people are to work in a complex, modern society. Here I thought that my impression that Israeli students decline is subjective |
| Posted by:g(r)omgoru |
| #8 I've always wondered about such a rigid education system; I remember my French teacher mentioning something about a white/blue collar test there. I was a bit of a late bloomer and wonder if I would have made the cut. Then I read this article; some junior high level stuff, doesn't even mention the education variations. In fact, I think he took the test before writing it and didn't do so well. He writes at a major name. He thinks you should listen to him without any doubt. I'm not saying there isn't a problem. I recently helped with one of those Life Fairs - HS Senior is determined an income, family situation, has to buy house, car, clothes, food, so forth. The order to purchase is subjective, I know how I would have done it and saw many have to go back and re-select because they bought fancy clothes before their house/car. What bothered me is that at my station the numbers were simple, multiples of fives. x sets of one group with three levels, y sets of second group, so forth. Too many were having a hard time with their phones figuring out the total. I was checking their work without having to get pencil paper. Good school, good kids. I think there is more to this - then I heard The Kongos song "Kids These Days". I know, shake my fist from the porch, but this line "Easily Unimpressed" really stuck. I checked the problem solving, expecting Which Direction Does Gear 4 Turn? No. What was it, find something on a web site not listed on the main page. I think it was a ST:TNG episode where this advanced civilization was collapsing because they quit caring about how the technology worked, so when things started breaking nobody knew or cared to fix it. If it wasn't an episode, there should have been one, but I'm that guy who is teaching my kids that water doesn't come from a faucet. |
| Posted by: swksvolFF 2015-03-04 20:52 |
| #7 The bar graphs in the article are visually misleading in that countries with the same score are shown as separate bars even though they belong to the same bin. However... It's a valid point that the outputs from our educational system are generally nothing to brag about. Could it be that our public schools and teacher's unions are focused on something other than education? This article has a nice graph showing test scores vs expenditures since 1970. Scores are basically flat. Expenditures and personnel head count have been rising linearly. |
| Posted by: SteveS 2015-03-04 20:30 |
| #6 Sample question: A picture of a thermometer is shown with readings in F and C. the 'readings' are completely visible. Unit 2, Question 1/2 Question: What is the temperature shown on the thermometer in degrees Fahrenheit? (They only have to read the damn thing to get the right answer. thats it. No addition, no division, etc...) |
| Posted by: CrazyFool 2015-03-04 18:56 |
| #5 Reason I said that is because the average Japanese pretty much has their educational options determined and limited starting at an early school-age, with options increasingly limited as time goes on. So, if they're testing postgrads, it is because they're pretty much testing the best the Japanese have to offer; exclusive of external factors, like say, demographic-compensation admission awardees. |
| Posted by: Pappy 2015-03-04 18:37 |
| #4 I don't know Pappy. Selling plumbing fixtures properly would require some problem solving skills, otherwise the employee is a register jockey. I'm not sure I'd let this guy run the register without fearing the z-out - I expect my employees to be able to find price + tax after % discount by hand (can use calculator), guy sounds like he frustrates easily. |
| Posted by: swksvolFF 2015-03-04 18:10 |
| #3 We're screwed...This is what you get when all you teach at college is left leaning crap. Look at the sample questions...a 7-year old could answer these...not so much pajama-boy.. and there's never a 7 year old around when you need them.. |
| Posted by: Warthog 2015-03-04 17:27 |
| #2 Those in Finland, Sweden and Japan seemed to be on a different planet. Don't know about the first two, but methinks that, were Mr. Frankel born Japanese, he'd likely have spent his life as a salaryman at a plumbing fixtures company, instead of as a journalist. |
| Posted by: Pappy 2015-03-04 10:53 |
| #1 They get it. High achievement is part of their makeup WRONG BOZO!!!! What is part of their makeup is high levels of reward & self esteem. This is the result of "everyone gets a trophy" thinking; grading (and testing) on a curve; and all the other tricks that are used to pump up the achievement stats. Anyone else remember the "gentleman's C"...which turned into the gentleman's A- ? |
| Posted by: AlanC 2015-03-04 07:43 |