Reply to: Brown loses Sun newspaper backing

[The Lone Gunman]

It's still not a fair test. Things they used to teach are no longer on the syllabus. Things on the syllabus now didn't used to be. You'd have to select questions that modern kids are taught how to do, build an exam and then see how the scores come out... I guess you could find historical data how well any past question was answered.

The natural trend in education is upwards. It is normal for the next generation to know stuff that is new now. Concepts that were hard to grasp or little understood become common place. My fathers generation would never have understood "relativity" but I would expect most of us could have a stab at explaining the basics and some will fully understand it.
I would therefore expect modern students to be studying things that are well beyond what I studied.
With Maths and other sciences I would expect much higher capabilities as modern tech allows quicker calculation.

[d000hg]

i've seen that notation and once you have been told what it means it doesn't stop you answering the question. OK take a maths paper from 20 years ago and rewrite the questions in todays syntax. I'd like to see how the a grade kids from today fare against the examj and marking method used in the 80's

It's still not a fair test. Things they used to teach are no longer on the syllabus. Things on the syllabus now didn't used to be. You'd have to select questions that modern kids are taught how to do, build an exam and then see how the scores come out... I guess you could find historical data how well any past question was answered.

[Bagpuss]

Soviet trains were ok - I used on recently in 2007 and it was fine: it's probably the main means of transport between big cities: all doors are open from the inside too.

Now I do like new Pendolions, they are far and much better - the price of going to London in the morning with flexible ticket is totally taking the piss, £120 to travel 120 miles return, wtf?

It takes over a week to cross Russia by train.

or £20 each way if you book in advance (probably less)

[AtW]

Yeah, I suppose you were more used to having a soldier unlock the door and slide it open for a few minutes every 3,000 miles so you could empty the bucket and chuck out any dead bodies?

Soviet trains were ok - I used on recently in 2007 and it was fine: it's probably the main means of transport between big cities: all doors are open from the inside too.

Now I do like new Pendolions, they are far and much better - the price of going to London in the morning with flexible ticket is totally taking the piss, £120 to travel 120 miles return, wtf?

It takes over a week to cross Russia by train.

[Board Game Geek]

dangle65 wrote : every 3,000 miles

I know Russia is big, but I didn't realise it was that big !

What I used to find amusing was the Russian Maps that we, er, used to look at (I'm not saying where) which depicted Russia at the centre of the world, and everying else around it.

Propaganda Comrade ! Da !

[dang65]

When I first used trains in this country in 1996 I was rather shocked to see backwards way of having to open window of door, then bend over out of it and open fking door manually

Yeah, I suppose you were more used to having a soldier unlock the door and slide it open for a few minutes every 3,000 miles so you could empty the bucket and chuck out any dead bodies?

[BoredBloke]

No it wouldn't. Curricula don't just get reduced, they change as well... things are added as well as removed. Plus of course, the way questions are presented and the 'syntax' used in maths go through 'fashions'. I've seen easy questions on old papers as a school-kid that made no sense until it was explained that f:->x meant f(x) or whatever...

i've seen that notation and once you have been told what it means it doesn't stop you answering the question. OK take a maths paper from 20 years ago and rewrite the questions in todays syntax. I'd like to see how the a grade kids from today fare against the examj and marking method used in the 80's

[dang65]

I'm not a dedicated Labour voter

Oh come come now

Er, I'm not. I struggle to recall ever voting for Labour, though I may have once, strategically.

a load of stuck up toffs

I think you're showing your true colours here, proper little class warrior aren't we?

Ha, rumbled. Except I'm not a class warrior either. I'm routinely rude to the proles as well. It's only fair.

[AtW]

The trains were poor (they have got better)

Did it also cost like £120 for a peak-time ticket to London?

When I first used trains in this country in 1996 I was rather shocked to see backwards way of having to open window of door, then bend over out of it and open fking door manually

[Bagpuss]

Let's have a dose of reality. Senior civil servants run this country, not much will change, just what is given a yay or a nay as it is passed before the relevant minister. I was sick of the last lot come 97 just as sick as I am of this lot now. Britian was certainly no utopia in 1996. The trains were poor (they have got better) and education and health were no better, possibly the NHS has improved. The only main difference is how easy it is/was to avoid tax. Don't forget IR35 or it's like was put long before the tories before Labour ever said yes.

[d000hg]

I heard an interesting take on the ever-improving exam results from one of my teachers:

Because there are several exam boards offering each subject, and schools can choose which board they want to use for each subject, they obviously want to pick the board who they perceive will lead to the best possible. In response, the boards are in competition to win the business and thus things can only go in one direction.

[BrilloPad]

I did not believe the election was lost for Labour until today. Tory government from May. Not that it will make any difference.....

[cybersquatter]

Did anyone see his hissy fit this morning? Thought it would have been up on Youtube by now if it was any good.

It's here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rm48t...layer_embedded

Genius.

[Board Game Geek]

LG Posted : The dumbing down is forcing the top of the food chain to find different ways to distinguish the wheat from the chaf.

Which is what the Socialist hates with a passion, because Socialists have a massive inferiority complex, and loathe anyone who is more successful than they are. (Which isn't difficult to be honest)

Hence, the socially-engineered agenda to promote mediocrity is based on jealousy, class hate, and ineptitude.

When everyone is as educated as everyone else, then there is no lowest common denominator, and thus even Socialists can feel good about themselves.

[d000hg]

For the record, I can't wait until next June when hopefully we are going to see the labour party consigned to the dustbin of history, where it belongs.

Because obviously losing an election means the party has to disappear completely. It seems these days people are ever less prepared to give anyone time to prove themselves - football managers sacked after a few games, politicians go from hero->devil if a new policy doesn't change the world in a month - so I think we could easily see the governing party flip-flop every election. Everyone's used to voting out the ones they don't like every 5 minutes thanks to stupid reality TV shows.