What is Digg?584 Comments
- PrismoFillusion, on 11/09/2009, -10/+933This is a memory test, not an intelligence test.
- ThsGuyRightHere, on 11/09/2009, -16/+669Sorry to burst a bunch of nostalgic bubbles but I had similar questions on my American govt. tests in high school, 16 or 17 years ago. I didn't have to memorize the names of every sitting member of the cabinet, but would anyone actually see any educational value in such an exercise? Ask any teacher and they'll tell you: rote memorization is the weakest form of learning.
I know for most of the old uberconservatives everything was better in the 50's and it's gone to ***** ever since, but there's a reason we don't teach the way we did in the 50's. - rocknog, on 11/08/2009, -9/+578On the other hand, a lot of the more advanced math and science classes I took in high school apparently weren't even offered when my parents were in school. As such, I can't really say whether there's been a general decrease in the quality of education or if it's simply that the focus has changed.
Besides, simply looking at the difficulty of the test - sure, I never took civics in 8th grade, but it doesn't look any more difficult than any test I did take in 8th grade. I mean, the content itself may be different, but the level of the content looks about on par with the level of content I did have in other classes when I was in 8th grade. While one could argue that schools are being dumbed down by not focusing on civics, at least looking at this test, I don't think they've been dumbed down in terms of not challenging students as much. - govsucks, on 11/08/2009, -108/+423Thank goodness for the teachers unions and the progressive philosophy they have taken us so far in the last 55 years.
- Eldorian, on 11/09/2009, -3/+303YOU'RE - and this folks is the classic example of what is wrong with our schools today.
- bigkeeperrabbit, on 11/09/2009, -10/+284And that attitude is precisely why Canada has not achieved statehood yet.
- Number127, on 11/09/2009, -1/+265A few months ago I was helping my parents clean out some rooms and I came across a box of my old papers from schools, including some old quizzes.
My two immediate reactions were:
1. Wow, we were learning some pretty advanced stuff in my freshman year, and
2. I don't remember a single bit of it. I don't even remember learning it in the first place.
Tests like this that supposedly show how good education used to be ignore the fact that probably 90% of it is rote memorization and regurgitation. Give the same 8th grader the same test six months later and they'll flunk it. It doesn't say anything about whether they understand the underlying concepts and the reasoning behind the U.S. government, it just means they were given a list of questions and answers, and remembered them long enough to write them down on a piece of paper. Assuming the test is even real. - ninzo09, on 11/09/2009, -4/+229How the ***** am I supposed to know the names of the justices of the supreme court from 1954? I'm Canadian
- Smokeydabear, on 11/09/2009, -1/+221I was able to pass the G.O.A.T., why wouldn't I be able to pass this?
- gbudavid, on 11/08/2009, -7/+226I don't know I was a 1954 2nd grader
- bizzywho, on 11/09/2009, -2/+212FAIL:
He got question 95 (Who regulates inter-state commerce?) wrong.
A 3rd grader from 1935 would have easily gotten that right. - Pfkninenines, on 11/09/2009, -2/+203Seems the server is from 1954 as well...
Mirror :
http://rorr.im/digg.com/political_opinion/are_you_ ... - comment23, on 11/09/2009, -1/+196The answer for all of those questions is: Google.
- appleofdischord, on 11/09/2009, -24/+196Well, if this test was on something useful... like math or biochem, then yeah, I'd have done pretty well.
For civics, I've got wikipedia. - MtnXfreerider, on 11/09/2009, -5/+167lets stop rewarding children for failures. Last place trophies, etc...
- mattypantsmaxx, on 11/09/2009, -9/+156i cant decipher the script like writing. someone translate to print or something
- geoken, on 11/09/2009, -1/+133No, the only reason is because a bunch of us who learned through that method grew up and realized how useless it was. Memorizing ***** you don't understand and are never asked to explain (outside of a word for word recital of the text book's explanation) doesn't increase your intelligence.
- strangewill, on 11/09/2009, -5/+136Actually probably 90% of the problem with questions on this test is that parents would be coming in and screaming that they're being "indoctrinated", especially with ideas like "the government can't operate if it can't raise money".
- Gondring, on 11/08/2009, -4/+109I recently found a high school text of my ancestor from 100 years ago. I was shocked to see that she had taken geology in high school. Even more shocking was how much more advanced the material was than the college-level curricula I was given to teach.
Sure, Plate Tectonic Theory wasn't in there, but that can't explain why some darn good staff geologists in my office didn't know a good deal of the material in this high-school book from the early 20th Century! - doctechnical, on 11/09/2009, -0/+96And we have a winner!
- varmit, on 11/09/2009, -5/+101I'm guessing you don't have any close teacher friends. Being a teacher is like walking though a mine field with what you can and can not do since parents have f'ed up the school system so badly with law suits and complains. Examples: If two kids start fighting, can't do anything otherwise the school will get sued because a teacher touched a student and used force to stop the fight, like grabbing the kids arm. If two kids are disrupting the class by talking, check their race first before separating them. If you decide to separate two black students, parents will come in complaining of segregation and point the finger at the teacher as a racist. Unions help protect the teachers from the school system that has become so f'ed up with parent complains and law suits over stupid stuff, all for the American dream of getting paid to do nothing.
- Caergrim, on 11/09/2009, -2/+95Critical thinking is what matters. This test is only about memorization.
- kimbomitt, on 11/09/2009, -1/+87I may not know every member of the cabinet, but if I knew that I was gonna have a test on it in a week, I would easily be able to memorize it.
If schools test for memorization of arbitrary facts, that's exactly what kids will learn. - Frixionburne, on 11/09/2009, -3/+89Brought to you by Carl's Jr.
Teachers paid and hired by Brawndo inc. - chuckDontSurf, on 11/09/2009, -6/+88Yeah, let's ask a 1954 8th grader if he could program BASIC the way I could when I was in 8th grade.
- bigwhitecock, on 11/09/2009, -3/+76I'm disinclined to believe this is real. These kinds of "look how messed up our schools are today versus x-years ago" things make the rounds every few years.
Here's one that was supposedly from 1895:
http://www.snopes.com/language/document/1895exam.a ... - Junkyarddawg, on 11/09/2009, -2/+72This submission should have been titled "Have you memorized the constitution and amendments?"
- furburglar, on 11/09/2009, -5/+70This reply would be great, if it was spelled correctly... and ellipses written properly... and didn't use "no offense" nonsensically... and had a point, any point at all... but yeah, otherwise, really great reply!
- Codeman917, on 11/09/2009, -0/+61Ohhh, you get extra points for sass!
- doobiebrother, on 11/09/2009, -1/+60I'm so stupid I'm forbidden from this site.
- chronopublish, on 11/09/2009, -1/+57Children should be allowed to fail spectacularly, and taught that failure is not scary and they have unlimited potential for trying new things. Life is a numbers game and the more things you try, the more successes (AND failures) you will have.
- orangefly, on 11/09/2009, -0/+55don't leave us hanging man....his old no offense what....???....
- Caergrim, on 11/09/2009, -3/+55I can barely remember the names of the people I just met. There is no way I would remember the names of the Supreme Court justices or the Cabinet members.
- frousfroud, on 11/09/2009, -5/+55I'm inclined to believe that my generation > Baby boomer generation
- geoken, on 11/09/2009, -1/+50Yeah, I'm pretty sure I can offer up anything from my grade 6 intro to computers class and make everything in those tests seem simple by comparison.
- wildgilbert, on 11/09/2009, -0/+49That kid ***** ruined the curve probably.
- zip000, on 11/09/2009, -3/+51It's just a memorization test; it doesn't prove or disprove anything about our educational level.
Also, the state of knowledge and memory has changed drastically with the advent of ubiquitous internet access; we have largely outsourced this kind of raw data access to devices simply because if it is information that is not needed on a frequent or in depth basis, it makes little since to keep it in mind.
The information that we need to use daily or information regarding topics that we have a thorough deep knowledge of should be always at hand, but information that I don't really need to know most of the time, I can just look up in 15 seconds. Cabinet positions are an obvious example of this. I know who some of the cabinet members are because I am concerned about issues in those areas; others I have no idea - I will look them up if I need to.
I think a more interesting example might be a comparison of math tests from bygone years to see whether mathematical knowledge has dwindled. I suspect it has a good deal. That can be attributed to calculators and computers to some degree, but math is one of those things you have to really understand in order to use well. Of course, I suck at math and blame my school system for it! - chuckDontSurf, on 11/09/2009, -0/+47Memorization is a great skill to have, but it's becoming less important as our memory is effectively being outsourced to computers. Humans have always been dependent on technology (fire, tools, etc.), so this is no exception. What's the point in memorizing all this stuff if you can just look it up on wikipedia?
- skintigh, on 11/09/2009, -14/+61I know, can you imagine how these stupid satanic progressives have ruined our kids, teaching them how to think and solve problems rather that memorize trivia? Kids today have their time full of thinking and solving an coming up with creative, real world solutions, when their time should be 100% rote memorization.
God damn teachers and progressives, they've made America what it is today - a leader in freedom and technology - rather than what it was in the 1950s -- the home of segregation and a country beat to space by the USSR - ghouze, on 11/09/2009, -0/+45We took a similar test in California for 8th grade -- it was known as the 'Constitution Test' -- it was all memorization with little understanding behind it (such as why and how the amendments came into being).
We actually learned more from the cartoon "I am a Bill on Capital Hill" - Caergrim, on 11/09/2009, -1/+44Very true!
I am much more concerned with critical thinking skills. Memorization means nothing if you have no real understanding of the subject. - Brandoskey, on 11/09/2009, -1/+44exactly, it's not always about having the answer at hand, but knowing how to find it.
- rlbond86, on 11/09/2009, -3/+39I'd like to see some tests from subjects other than civics. While, unfortunately, grammar seems to be long forgotten, I suspect math and science have actually gotten more advanced.
Also, other than requesting the names of cabinet members, and the meaning of every amendment (which one could study for pretty easily), I don't think this test is really that bad, even for 8th graders. - waj5001, on 11/09/2009, -3/+39memory capacity is still a very important thing; and it doesn't take intelligence to know the amendments, it takes a decent memory.
- erikwithaknotac, on 11/09/2009, -2/+38I wish I could slap you in the face, but it looks like the stupid stick beat me to it.
- sierrabravo, on 11/09/2009, -1/+37apparently i can be both a sanitation worker or a preacher in fallout 3. go figure :-)
- ell0bo, on 11/09/2009, -0/+34The major problem isn't the school nor the government, it's the ***** parents. Well, I guess you could blame the government because it's taking away parent's rights with how they deal with their children, but a lot of the problem is the parents not pushing their kids to do better. Since I've graduated, basically every girl I've met has been a teacher, and you hear the same story over and over. They're trying, but the kids just won't do the work and the parents complain when their kids fail. I have one friend, very smart, but a bit of a hard ass, that tries to do some really cool things with her kids, ***** I wish I had the chance to do. Well, the problem is that she grades them hard, if they don't do work, she's not going to just let them pass. She had a high failure rate, and almost got suspended for it. When she told me about it, I told her she could be less of a hard ass, but then she showed me the grades. Half the kids didn't even bother handing in about 1/3 of the reports. That's where the parents should come in, but of course they don't.
The problem really is what the acceleration of our society has done to the family core. We really need a movement, not to necessarily strengthen 'family values', but one where parents just get the time to spend a little more time with their kids and take a more active approach in their education. Hell, if you're kid is failing out of school... maybe the parents need a swift kick in the ass as well. - jander86, on 11/09/2009, -0/+33Wikipedia gets it's knowledge by killing people and eating their brains. When you look something up on Wikipedia, it begins tracking you so it can eat yours next.
- drmangrum, on 11/09/2009, -4/+36It's got what plants crave!
- PleaseJustDie, on 11/09/2009, -1/+32The problem is rewarding hard work has become rewarding entry. If everyone gets a trophy for just entering no one will work hard for the trophy. That's why on most things where they have judging and placing there are other trophies for other categories to recognize the kids who didn't win but excelled and tried hard.
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