UK Reading skills from 7th - 25th place globally in a decade
Discussion
15 year old kids worldwide have been assessed for reading, maths and science skills
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2010/12/07/oecd_surve...
In 2000, we ranked 4th in science, 7th in reading and 8th in maths.
In 2010, we ranked 16th in science, 25th in reading and 28th in maths.
That is abysmal. We're failing the next generation. With skills becoming increasingly mobile, and people from around the world being able to do each other's jobs, we need our children to be able to compete with the best.
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2010/12/07/oecd_surve...
In 2000, we ranked 4th in science, 7th in reading and 8th in maths.
In 2010, we ranked 16th in science, 25th in reading and 28th in maths.
That is abysmal. We're failing the next generation. With skills becoming increasingly mobile, and people from around the world being able to do each other's jobs, we need our children to be able to compete with the best.
Eric Mc said:
No one please criticise me when I point out poor English ever again.
Someone has to try and rectify the damage the education system is doing.
There is nothing wrong with the kids. They are being let down and betrrayed by their elders.
Can I start off by being controversial and posing the question - 'When a large number of children come from homes where the adults do not speak English, and indeed the State spends massively on things like translators and multi lingual brochures so that they can get everything they need without learning a word of English, why would children be motivated in any way to learn English?'Someone has to try and rectify the damage the education system is doing.
There is nothing wrong with the kids. They are being let down and betrrayed by their elders.
Edited by Eric Mc on Tuesday 7th December 20:24
And the ill-educated breed more and at a younger age. Idiocracy was a documentary not a comedy film.
The worrying thing is that British workers are too expensive for serious manufacturing businesses so we cannot compete with China like Britain did with Japan in the 1950s when Japanese goods were considered cheap and low quality. And if the next generation are a bunch of morons, how will we compete in service industries?
Mind you, this thread is like posting on PH that the sun is bloody hot...
The worrying thing is that British workers are too expensive for serious manufacturing businesses so we cannot compete with China like Britain did with Japan in the 1950s when Japanese goods were considered cheap and low quality. And if the next generation are a bunch of morons, how will we compete in service industries?
Mind you, this thread is like posting on PH that the sun is bloody hot...
Edited by ShadownINja on Tuesday 7th December 21:09
Tsippy said:
ShadownINja said:
And the ill-educated breed more and at a younger age. Idiocracy was a documentary not a comedy film.
My copy of that film is arriving tomorrow.... I only saw the intro and realised how true it was 
ShadownINja said:
Tsippy said:
ShadownINja said:
And the ill-educated breed more and at a younger age. Idiocracy was a documentary not a comedy film.
My copy of that film is arriving tomorrow.... I only saw the intro and realised how true it was 
Tuna said:
15 year old kids worldwide have been assessed for reading, maths and science skills
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2010/12/07/oecd_surve...
In 2000, we ranked 4th in science, 7th in reading and 8th in maths.
In 2010, we ranked 16th in science, 25th in reading and 28th in maths.
That is abysmal. We're failing the next generation. With skills becoming increasingly mobile, and people from around the world being able to do each other's jobs, we need our children to be able to compete with the best.
You're making the massive assumption that all children (and their parents) want to compete with the best...http://www.theregister.co.uk/2010/12/07/oecd_surve...
In 2000, we ranked 4th in science, 7th in reading and 8th in maths.
In 2010, we ranked 16th in science, 25th in reading and 28th in maths.
That is abysmal. We're failing the next generation. With skills becoming increasingly mobile, and people from around the world being able to do each other's jobs, we need our children to be able to compete with the best.
Eric Mc said:
No one please criticise me when I point out poor English ever again.
Someone has to try and rectify the damage the education system is doing.
There is nothing wrong with the kids. They are being let down and betrrayed by their elders.
Yes, they are. Someone has to try and rectify the damage the education system is doing.
There is nothing wrong with the kids. They are being let down and betrrayed by their elders.
Edited by Eric Mc on Tuesday 7th December 20:24
spud989 said:
Tuna said:
15 year old kids worldwide have been assessed for reading, maths and science skills
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2010/12/07/oecd_surve...
In 2000, we ranked 4th in science, 7th in reading and 8th in maths.
In 2010, we ranked 16th in science, 25th in reading and 28th in maths.
That is abysmal. We're failing the next generation. With skills becoming increasingly mobile, and people from around the world being able to do each other's jobs, we need our children to be able to compete with the best.
You're making the massive assumption that all children (and their parents) want to compete with the best...http://www.theregister.co.uk/2010/12/07/oecd_surve...
In 2000, we ranked 4th in science, 7th in reading and 8th in maths.
In 2010, we ranked 16th in science, 25th in reading and 28th in maths.
That is abysmal. We're failing the next generation. With skills becoming increasingly mobile, and people from around the world being able to do each other's jobs, we need our children to be able to compete with the best.
spud989 said:
You're making the massive assumption that all children (and their parents) want to compete with the best...
Wrong, I'm making the assumption that schools have for almost all of their existence attempted to force information into kids irrespective of their or their parents' abilities. My assumption is that they're not as good at it now as they were ten years ago.As for the immigration comments - it's a pathetic excuse to claim that our 14million odd children are being pulled down by a (relatively) tiny fraction of immigrants.
Tuna said:
spud989 said:
You're making the massive assumption that all children (and their parents) want to compete with the best...
Wrong, I'm making the assumption that schools have for almost all of their existence attempted to force information into kids irrespective of their or their parents' abilities. My assumption is that they're not as good at it now as they were ten years ago.That's not to say there aren't s
t teachers/schools in the country. Of course there are. But you're looking at it in a slightly one-sided manner. I don't think we are looking at 14 million kids - even if you include all the 0 to 5 years old cadre.
The somewhat tongue in cheek Reg item seems to suggest the analysis is of 15 years old 'students' - so a much smaller sample and likely to be slightly distorted by those beyond the early learning stages who have arrived to discover 'English' is their new language as a rather late 'Early Learning' stage of their development. At the same time the indigenous tribes, many anticipating a future in the benefits system perhaps, are hardly at an age where they all care about what others think of their bay-sick skillz.
I also note that the article makes no mention of the assessment methods by which the numbers are are generated. I assume that the OECD has applied sound sampling techniques and comparative error minimisation methods - but then who knows whether they have or not?
The somewhat tongue in cheek Reg item seems to suggest the analysis is of 15 years old 'students' - so a much smaller sample and likely to be slightly distorted by those beyond the early learning stages who have arrived to discover 'English' is their new language as a rather late 'Early Learning' stage of their development. At the same time the indigenous tribes, many anticipating a future in the benefits system perhaps, are hardly at an age where they all care about what others think of their bay-sick skillz.
I also note that the article makes no mention of the assessment methods by which the numbers are are generated. I assume that the OECD has applied sound sampling techniques and comparative error minimisation methods - but then who knows whether they have or not?
Teppic said:
Eric Mc said:
No one please criticise me when I point out poor English ever again.
Someone has to try and rectify the damage the education system is doing.
There is nothing wrong with the kids. They are being let down and betrrayed by their elders.
Yes, they are. Someone has to try and rectify the damage the education system is doing.
There is nothing wrong with the kids. They are being let down and betrrayed by their elders.
Edited by Eric Mc on Tuesday 7th December 20:24
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