[OT] The three Rs

[dennis]

Yes dear you can go back to sleep now.

[Max Demian]

He also never wore socks, but that doesn't mean you can become a genius by eschewing hosiery.

[Dave Plowman (News)]

It's been said that teaching a child to read and write before they go to school might result in them being bored out of their minds while others learn to.

[Dave Plowman (News)]

Ah - don't think any were in my home town at that time.

[Dave Plowman (News)]

Scottish Highers are usually taken in 5th form. And additional ones - or perhaps a re-sit - in 6th. Or were in my day. ;-) So many got the qualifications needed for further education at a younger age than uni would accept. So sort of had to stay on that extra year.

[charles]

that must have been said by a teacher who couldn't be bothered to find more advanced books for those who could read.

[charles]

not really. Highers are taken at 17 (between O Level & A Level) and the Scottish Universities used to (perhaps still do) have a 4 year course, taking students a year earlier than was done in England

[whisky-dave]

e:

biros were not allowed (but Berol rollerballs were).

chool, not secondary.

fortran better off getting your kids learning Swift.

At least I was awake in the 21st century, do you realyl think teaching fort an is a good idea.

[Dave Plowman (News)]

You'd have to take that up with those teachers who said it. And expecting a child to sit quietly reading on their own while the rest of the class is being taught to read may not be ideal.

[Dave Plowman (News)]

As with all classes, there is quite a spread in ages. I took my Highers aged 16 - perhaps 6 months before my 17th birthday. And got university entrance requirements then. But stayed on for the 6th form.

[Huge]

At the time, I think (IIRC) everyone was supposed to read the same thing. Out loud, in class, at least. It was excruciatingly dull. I have a definite memory of reading "The Cruel Sea" under the desk while the class read "Janet and John Go To Glastonbury", or somesuch.

[tabbypurr]

I suspect not, but kids do have access to internets now, which can make a b ig difference if used constructively.

Somewhere I have a Victorian school textbook for English, as it says 'for t he younger' pupil. I did well with spelling & grammar, but most of the ques tions in that book I couldn't answer. And frankly most of them have no rele vance to modern life. A young child's curriculum is now degree level stuff.

NT

[tabbypurr]

I was bored to death in some classes, so that's what I did. I made far more progress that way.

NT

[spuorgelgoog]

No different from teaching Latin - it's the mental discipline and analytical skills required.

Owain

[Fredxxx]

Which could be better put to applying that discipline and analytical skill to something useful.

In the good old days, Fortran was used by mainframes as it's memory usage could be determined before run time.

[Bill Wright]

How could it not be?

Bill

[Huge]

[snort]

Makes you wonder why Turing bothered, really.

[dennis]

That depends on whether the teacher believes in teaching them to their ability or to the minimum needed to get good test results. Far to many just do test results as the tests are of the teacher/teaching and not the kids.

[The Natural Philosopher]

Fortran is still in use for mathemetically based code.

Its is now available in object oreineted and in multi-threaded (concurrent) forms.

[tabbypurr]

+300

NT