Well my bf's brother is almost 17 and he did bad in his GCSEs. Bf blamed the school but honestly I've never seen his brother revising or doing any homework at home. He is far more interested in going out, BB messenger, games and so on. I mean, what can they do at school if he doesn't put in the effort himself?
He is doing college now and we will see how it goes.
The boy can hardly read and write and that was said by his brother too, so buying him a Blackberry or the last game that comes out shouldn't be their priority.
They have a point. Most other European languages are phonetic and their spelling has evolved to mirror how the word is actually pronounced much more than English has.
This results in languages like Italian and Finnish being much easier to spell than English.
Working class youth are looked down on and by default put in the lowest sets where they are usually taught by new, inexperienced teachers totally disillusioned with teaching.
Schools seldom make any real attempt to teach these pupils, rather just putting up with them until they are 16 and they can be rid of them.
The British state education system has become so bad that parents who can afford it almost always choose private schools over state schools because they know that in private schools that standard of teaching is far better.
I don't think that is true at all.
The problem is that many kids today see learning as "uncool" and, due to peer pressure, under perform.
Much of the problem with literacy in the UK is that the English language spelling system is still based on how the language was pronounced in the 15th century.
Finnish on the other hand is a highly phonetic language in which the words are spelt exactly how they sound.
I would say this goes a large way to improving literacy.
English spelling follows no logic and in most cases has to be learnt by heart.
But that doesn't explain why literacy levels are lower than they were in the past. That is a complete red herring to me.
Well my bf's brother is almost 17 and he did bad in his GCSEs. Bf blamed the school but honestly I've never seen his brother revising or doing any homework at home. He is far more interested in going out, BB messenger, games and so on. I mean, what can they do at school if he doesn't put in the effort himself?
He is doing college now and we will see how it goes.
The boy can hardly read and write and that was said by his brother too, so buying him a Blackberry or the last game that comes out shouldn't be their priority.
I find it very hard to believe most Europeans speak better English than British people.
The idea that Europeans speak English better than native speakers is a myth, in reality many Europeans speak very basic English.
You should travel and trade then.
Most speak at least one other "very basically" as well as their own fluently. Our bunch can't even speak their own. If one criticises textspeak, or slang, or the patois London kids now speak, one is immediately a Daily Mail reading fascist.
Very little doubt that standards have dropped - but I am of the generation where smalls would be looking to me as grandparents education. In my day, state education was exceptional - so yes, I would expect my literacy and numeracy to be above that of grandchildren.
Of course, if I actually had grandchildren, I would be doing everything in my power to ensure they got the basics alongside a wider remit - both are important.
I know it seems stereotypical but in the case of that boy he did bad at school for lack of commitment. I only posted it because bf was quick to blame his school when his brother didn't make much of an effort after all. It's like bf expected the lessons to be beamed into his brain or something.
If he had done bad but really tried I wouldn't hold it against him, even if he were my son.
His school isn't the best one but the boy didn't do enough to succeed.
Most speak at least one other "very basically" as well as their own fluently. Our bunch can't even speak their own. If one criticises textspeak, or slang, or the patois London kids now speak, one is immediately a Daily Mail reading fascist.
The idea that the majority of Europeans speak English better than British people is absolute nonsense.
Most speak badly pronounced, grammatically incorrect English.
Even their bad English is better than most British people can speak a foreign language, but to say the majority speak BETTER English than British people is a myth.
People seem to be ignoring the fact that our greatest minds have never come from state schools.
Almost all of the Nobel Laureates this country has produced have been educated at private schools.
Smaller class sizes mean students get more individual attention. The fact the parents are paying an arm and a leg for it generally means they value it more and instil that attitude in their child.
There's also the issue that students from these types of schools tend to have more opportunities and greater expectations due to the connections the school has.
I know it seems stereotypical but in the case of that boy he did bad at school for lack of commitment. I only posted it because bf was quick to blame his school when his brother didn't make much of an effort after all. It's like bf expected the lessons to be beamed into his brain or something.
Many of them do. Too spoon fed and expect everything handed to them knowledge wise. There is often an attitude that just being there is enough.
So what's your analysis of our appalling performance then?
Maybe our kids are more obsessed with the internet and txting than in other countries, which could have a lot to do with it. There was some "progressive" educationalist on TV the other week saying that teaching handwriting and mental arithmetic was completely obsolete. Says it all, really.
No one has all the answers. All I can offer is observations drawn from my own experiences and the small amount of research I have done personally. That pales in comparison to the breadth and depth of knowledge of those in the teaching profession.
If I had to start somewhere then I'd start in the home. Mum, dad, if your kids have to compete for your attention with the 24/7 media blitz through TV and the internet then there's no way they can win. Similarly, if the lounge is normally where you eat dinner then try switching off the TV. Have a conversation instead. Also, a games console is no substitute for taking an interest in your kids lives. There's a time and place for everything. Your kids can enjoy all these things; just don't let them become obsessed. Get in to the habit of reading to- and reading with- your kids. Foster an interest in books. Help your kids develop their ability to sit quietly and concentrate on something that isn't spoon-fed colourful multimedia off an iPad. Encourage their curiosity. Help them to work out ways to find out for themselves. Perhaps then our children will be better prepared for learning.
I've taught in state schools (not the subject of English I admit) but have been shocked at some things I have seen and experienced. While I agree parents are responsible for their children's literacy we have to be aware that many children with poor literacy skills come from homes where the parents also have poor skills.
Schools should be there to catch those children but often don't (I say this fully acknowledging there are some fantastic schools out there). I know in my own subject (Science) I was forced to teach children subjects they had no hope of ever grasping. It was soul destroying for me and even more for the children. Instead of galloping ahead with the National Curriculum there should be a basic level of literacy and numeracy that the majority of children need to attain. After that point you can teach them Shakespeare and physics (though not necessarily in the same lesson )
Turn on Childrens TV today, everything is all urbanised and made for the youth..oh sorry my mistake ... DA YOOF, everything is made in order to cater to Jafaican audiences, one of the "fruits" of Blair's New-Labour "cool britannia" campaign.
Turn on Childrens TV today, everything is all urbanised and made for the youth..oh sorry my mistake ... DA YOOF, everything is made in order to cater to Jafaican audiences, one of the "fruits" of Blair's New-Labour "cool britannia" campaign.
I think you'll find there were Jamaicans in the UK before 1997.
Comments
Its not a myth.
Half our kids cant even string a coherent sentence together. .Try conversing with a similar aged Swedish ,German, Dutch,etc kid .
Its shocking
He is doing college now and we will see how it goes.
The boy can hardly read and write and that was said by his brother too, so buying him a Blackberry or the last game that comes out shouldn't be their priority.
Sorry, could you say that again in txt spk?
I don't think that is true at all.
The problem is that many kids today see learning as "uncool" and, due to peer pressure, under perform.
But that doesn't explain why literacy levels are lower than they were in the past. That is a complete red herring to me.
I'm not going to say it.
Anyone else? :rolleyes:
You should travel and trade then.
Most speak at least one other "very basically" as well as their own fluently. Our bunch can't even speak their own. If one criticises textspeak, or slang, or the patois London kids now speak, one is immediately a Daily Mail reading fascist.
Almost all of the Nobel Laureates this country has produced have been educated at private schools.
Bloody right
Add Japan ,Korea ,HK ,China etc
There parents treat education as it really should be - uber seriously
Too much time following an imposed curriculum, which some of the children can't bloody access anyway as their basic skills are too poor.
And of course the rest of it that's been mentioned - parents not bothering, peer pressure etc.
No, but I thought it!
Of course, if I actually had grandchildren, I would be doing everything in my power to ensure they got the basics alongside a wider remit - both are important.
I know it seems stereotypical but in the case of that boy he did bad at school for lack of commitment. I only posted it because bf was quick to blame his school when his brother didn't make much of an effort after all. It's like bf expected the lessons to be beamed into his brain or something.
If he had done bad but really tried I wouldn't hold it against him, even if he were my son.
His school isn't the best one but the boy didn't do enough to succeed.
The idea that the majority of Europeans speak English better than British people is absolute nonsense.
Most speak badly pronounced, grammatically incorrect English.
Even their bad English is better than most British people can speak a foreign language, but to say the majority speak BETTER English than British people is a myth.
Yet Japanese, Korean and Chinese people are terrible at foreign languages.
How does that work?
What makes you think that?
Smaller class sizes mean students get more individual attention. The fact the parents are paying an arm and a leg for it generally means they value it more and instil that attitude in their child.
There's also the issue that students from these types of schools tend to have more opportunities and greater expectations due to the connections the school has.
Many of them do. Too spoon fed and expect everything handed to them knowledge wise. There is often an attitude that just being there is enough.
Technology is a huge distraction
You made that up:rolleyes:
Japanese kids (a country i'm very familiar with) speak English pretty well and are consistently improving
More importantly - They can speak their native tongue immaculately and study almost all hours of the day to accomplish this .
I really don't see your point
If I had to start somewhere then I'd start in the home. Mum, dad, if your kids have to compete for your attention with the 24/7 media blitz through TV and the internet then there's no way they can win. Similarly, if the lounge is normally where you eat dinner then try switching off the TV. Have a conversation instead. Also, a games console is no substitute for taking an interest in your kids lives. There's a time and place for everything. Your kids can enjoy all these things; just don't let them become obsessed. Get in to the habit of reading to- and reading with- your kids. Foster an interest in books. Help your kids develop their ability to sit quietly and concentrate on something that isn't spoon-fed colourful multimedia off an iPad. Encourage their curiosity. Help them to work out ways to find out for themselves. Perhaps then our children will be better prepared for learning.
Schools should be there to catch those children but often don't (I say this fully acknowledging there are some fantastic schools out there). I know in my own subject (Science) I was forced to teach children subjects they had no hope of ever grasping. It was soul destroying for me and even more for the children. Instead of galloping ahead with the National Curriculum there should be a basic level of literacy and numeracy that the majority of children need to attain. After that point you can teach them Shakespeare and physics (though not necessarily in the same lesson
Probably because the private schools hire all the best teachers. It should be no surprise that in our two-tier system, the best go where the money is.
I think you'll find there were Jamaicans in the UK before 1997.
Do you remember the ska boom of the early 80s?