Teaching Maths in Britain:

[Digit]

So can you quote this annual report or point me to it? I don't believe it myself.

I just did, are you blind?

Why?

Know thine enemy!

but the message is more important.

Only if it can be understood, hence the reason for standardised spelling.

Conveyance? Is that a spelling mistake? What do you mean?

Conveyance means the transfer from one to another, in this case, knowledge or information. It's English.

We need more money spent on education and less of the non-productive "blame" game.

According to Blair et al more has been spent on education under Labour than at any time in the past, without a reciprocal improvement in standards, quite the opposite in fact as I demonstrated from the Guardian article.

less of the non-productive "blame" game.

So why drag up Maggie?

Roy.

 

[SammyQ]

Gawd! Roy? MUST you rise to Jacob's bait? You KNOW it helps him pass the day. Jacob? Wooden spoon mate; keep stirrring,

Signed, irritated and exasperated teacher, competent in Maths and the other two R's.

Mas (a.k.a. the well-known typing error).

 

[Digit]

afternoon. yisterday i finally got my front brake bled with my new pads in. problem im finding is that the brake is poor! i can pull the lever as hard as i possibly can and i can still push the bike forward but its abit difficult, the pads are brandnew and the disk is correct thickness, i bled the brakes very throughly as i always do so i know theres no problem in the bleeding, the piston moves freely and theres little to no dirt on the caliper. i did the rear brake at the same time and that has alot more bite but i can stil push the bike but with grate difficulty. is this normal with new pads as ive never had to ride a bike with new pads in theve always been new but bedded in

i rode my bike through the rain we had on saturday (bout 100 miles) and the next time i got on it the indicators didnt want to work :/

as i pushed the button, absolutely nothing happens. all other lights/electrical bits are ok, is it possible some water got into just the indicator circuit?

any ideas?

Two examples from one page Jacob. What chance with a CV do you think?

I'm retired Sammy, it helps me pass the time as well. Like you a lot of my working life was spent trying to drum an education into some unlikely people.
As a teacher Sammy you will be well aware that not all teachers are bad, and also not all are good. I was very fortunate that I had good examples throughout my school years. The years when teachers were respected, sadly that is not now always so.

Roy.

 

[studders]

The years when teachers were respected.....

Roy.

Respected or 'feared' ?

 

[Jacob]

afternoon. yisterday i finally got my front brake bled with my new pads in. problem im finding is that the brake is poor! i can pull the lever as hard as i possibly can and i can still push the bike forward but its abit difficult, the pads are brandnew and the disk is correct thickness, i bled the brakes very throughly as i always do so i know theres no problem in the bleeding, the piston moves freely and theres little to no dirt on the caliper. i did the rear brake at the same time and that has alot more bite but i can stil push the bike but with grate difficulty. is this normal with new pads as ive never had to ride a bike with new pads in theve always been new but bedded in

i rode my bike through the rain we had on saturday (bout 100 miles) and the next time i got on it the indicators didnt want to work :/

as i pushed the button, absolutely nothing happens. all other lights/electrical bits are ok, is it possible some water got into just the indicator circuit?

any ideas?

......

Er - haven't we been here before? This looks familiar somehow.
What is the point you are trying to make?
All the text above is quite literate and completely free of ambiguities. Nobody would have the slightest problem understanding it, though it might help to know a tiny bit about motorbikes.
And yes - the grammar and spelling are technically very bad, but should he stay silent and not ask questions?
No of course not - it's about motorbikes, not about spelling!
Yes he would have a problem with a CV - but only if his employer needed him to have good writing skills.

 

[Digit]

but should he stay silent and not ask questions?

No, put some effort into improving, same as the rest of us.

but only if his employer needed him to have good writing skills.

So his employment opportunities are immediately reduced, in fact I doubt that he would reach the interview stage. My point entirely, thank you for your agreement!

I never had reason to fear any of my teachers studders.

Roy.

 

[studders]

I never had reason to fear any of my teachers studders.

Roy.

Not so in my case Roy. Some of them were complete sprouts who made going to school feel like hell for me at times.

 

[Jacob]

...
So his employment opportunities are immediately reduced, in fact I doubt that he would reach the interview stage. ...

You spelling is the worst on this thread - does that mean you spent your life on the dole?
You really should try harder with these: arithmatic, logerithms, calculas, Gardian. :lol: :lol:
No seriously - don't be put off by your appalling spelling, I think we all understood everything you were trying to say, and that's what counts.

 

[Digit]

The one thing that me and that grinning jackanapes agreed on studders was 'education, education, education!'.
If the day ever comes that I rules this country many teachers would be job hunting, the rest would have an even bigger shock.
No longer would the highest pay go to footballers, pop stars, judges, human rights lawers or MPs etc, but to teachers!
Nothing is more important IMO than a good education.
Jacob comments that literacy is only important in a job application if the employer requires such skills.
In a normal world I would simply ask him to name a well paid job where such skills are not necessary, unfortunately in the world created by the loony left the answer would be, 'dustman in Brum!'
Why bother trying to become a teacher, why bother studying at university when you can earn more humping rubbish!

Written in hurry Jacob as I have a job outside. But at least I know the meaning of conveyance. And BTW the Gardian bit was deliberate, you will see that I spelt it correctly elsewhere.

Roy.

 

[Jacob]

T........

Written in hurry Jacob as I have a job outside.

Excuses excuses! I think you should stay in on Friday night with biker boy and practice a bit of spelling between you! :lol: :lol:

But at least I know the meaning of conveyance.

Yes so do I but why was it in the sentence?

And BTW the Gardian bit was deliberate, you will see that I spelt it correctly elsewhere.

Roy.

Oh yes! :lol:

 

[Digit]

Most modern maths originated in India Jacob, not the ME

http://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&source ... sQ&cad=rja

http://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&source ... hQ&cad=rja

Looks as though we are all guilty.

Yes so do I but why was it in the sentence?

Because it is correct English, same as Spelt.

Excuses excuses! I think you should stay in on Friday night with biker boy and practice a bit of spelling between you!

Or perhaps we should all use a spelling checker, not that that would improve 'Biker Boy's' grammar and punctuation.

None of which alters the fact that education has gone down hill, unless of course even the Gruniad is wrong as well?

Roy.

 

[bugbear]

Gawd! Roy? MUST you rise to Jacob's bait? You KNOW it helps him pass the day.

I think it's what's know in some circles as a "386".

BugBear (tragically prone to them himself)

 

[Digit]

Look at this way, think of it as me carrying out a public service. If he wasn't bugging me it would be someone else! (hammer)

Roy.

 

[SammyQ]

Roy, you make me chuckle. Pints on me if I ever get near Digit-land . Bugbear, the only 386 I know is a primitve computer.....yes?

Sam

 

[Noel]

Roy, you make me chuckle. Pints on me if I ever get near Digit-land . Bugbear, the only 386 I know is a primitve computer.....yes?

Sam

More a 419?

Sammy, see it was all quiet down your last night. Must be having a quiet night in after 2 nights out on the trot.

 

[Modernist]

On another similar thread I see people struggle to help their grandchildren with their maths homework.
Have any of the DM brigade ever discussed IT with a teenager?

Standards are getting lower then?

Come on the BB put us out of our misery. What is 386ing?

 

[Digit]

Roy, you make me chuckle. Pints on me if I ever get near Digit-land

Just don't bring a copy of the Guardian with you! :lol:

Have any of the DM brigade ever discussed IT with a teenager?

I imagine that means me amongst others. I have a 15 yr old grandson and without doubt he's better at gaming than me, maths? Not a hope!

http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcse ... nocalc.pdf

I particularly like the one about writing three hundred thousand in figures! Wow!
When I took the equivalent exam they didn't tell you the formula either!


http://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&source ... iQ&cad=rja

Roy.

 

[bugbear]

Come on the BB put us out of our misery. What is 386ing?

A cartoon that became adopted as a "meme"

http://xkcd.com/386/

Note the cartoon number...

BugBear

 

[Harbo]

I did Maths at O, A and a fair bit at University doing a Civil Engineering Degree but had to buy a book on the "New Maths" to help our two daughters - and that was over 20yrs ago!

Rod

 

[Digit]

Having been out of school for a bit more than 20 yrs Rod I hope you will excuse my ignorance, but I have to ask.
How does the 'New Maths' differ from the old one?
After all, there isn't much alternative to 2 plus 2 equalling 4 is there?

Roy.