R U smarter than a 5th Gradar
 

(not if didn't spot my Gradar error ;) ).

Seriously, isn't this proof that for most people, most of what you are taught in school is so meaningless in today's world - it's forgetful a few months/year after your last exams... enuff of the "smart arses" are falling over on the basic questions. No I did not know the length of 2 sides of a triangle if the inside area was 16" and the length of one side was 4") :)

Sorry to flog the dead orse' on this subject - just thought it was timely after our "education" discussions a little while back to get the fire started again.

Hope your avin a fun weekend.

Re: R U smarter than a 5th Gradar
 

Didn't we have a thread on this already a couple days ago? could be the deja-vu, or the booze speaking.... :D

Re: R U smarter than a 5th Gradar
 

U probably needed the booze after watching it. Quite embarresing really watching it. I never got taught half them things in school. !!! What friggen school do they go to. But i bet i can do what they cant - I CAN ADD UP IN MY HEAD!!!! Give someone here anything other than a credit card or a note and they are buggered. I got a loaf of bread, a croisant, and a bun at Paneras, and gave a note and the coppers - got 10$ more than i gave her BACK!!! when i told her that she has given me the wrong change she said no its right. I shrugged and said OK!!!! But some of those there ?s were bloody hard.!!

Re: R U smarter than a 5th Gradar
 

makes two of us bob....i was just thinking the same :blink:

Re: R U smarter than a 5th Gradar
 

I'm not sure if the program explains it BUT.. the kids they use are ALL from the gifted program to start with so the title should really be changed to ... R u smater than a gifted young person with an IQ in the top 0.01%.

that said some of the questions I've been told about would seem like things you ONLY learn in school and never use again.... I use more than your average person from what I was taught in school but still its probably < 20%.

Re: R U smarter than a 5th Gradar
 

I spotted the small print at the end of the show which tells you how the kids are prepped for the show.

Re: R U smarter than a 5th Gradar
 

i thought my daughter was gifted until we played scrabble and she got the calculator out!! I told her it was letters not numbers, she explained she needed the calculator to add up her scores? MY GOD HAVE I FAILED AS A MOTHER OR WHAT!! EVEN WORSE SHE CANT TELL THE TIME ON A NORMAL CLOCK IT HAS TO BE DIGITAL. BUT SHE KNOWS A 24 hours CLOCK WHICH NO ONE HERE SEEMS TO. SHOOT ME.

Re: R U smarter than a 5th Gradar
 

Was in a grocery store the other day. Total came to $9.56. Got asked the standard, "Do you want cash back?" My answer, "Yes, $13 please." I could see that I had just blown up her brain. Turns out that to do cash back on their system you have to enter the total being charged to the card rather than enter the amount of cash back. Now she has out a piece of paper and is adding up what 13 + 9.56 is. What do I actually get back? $13.15. But only after she had stared at the screen wondering why there is an extra 15c showing as change and then realizing that 13 + 9.56 is not 22.71. Muppet.

Re: R U smarter than a 5th Gradar
 

That's what scares me most about the education system here. I know an ex Maths teacher and she said when the kids got to Algebra they could do all the working out on a pretty complex algebraic equation, get down to the point where they are left with 2x = 18 (for example) and then answer x = 8!!! The basics are just missing, so it's not like they could even go back to the original equation to check their answer because they'd probably do something stupid there too.

I have a problem with the compartmentalisation of subjects within maths too. What the hell is "Algebra 1"? It's all maths, it's all connected, how do they deal with teaching parts of each that overlap each other or do they just wash over that part? and it seems to be within other subjects too - what's "animal science" ffs? Teach them biology!

Re: R U smarter than a 5th Gradar
 

Also relevant is the home environment that the kids live/exist in. If it's not mentally stimulating enough, this does not help the kids at school.

Re: R U smarter than a 5th Gradar
 

Kids here have been doing their Florida Comprehensive Assessment Tests this week and last week. I have been helping as a proctor in one of the classrooms at my kid's school. I couldn't believe my eyes when the 5th grade teacher I was helping couldn't work out that if the test started at 9:42, and the test lasted 40 mins, that the finish time would be 10:22. My jaw dropped as she wrote out a sum on the board like this to work it out.

9:42
0:40+
--------
9:82

:eek: :eek: :eek:


She then faffed around trying to work out what 9:82 was in real time. :blink:

Re: R U smarter than a 5th Gradar
 

I think a "stimulating" home life is only part of the solution, fostering the need to stimulate ones own mind with activities outside of competition and / or TV is very important too.

My father helped me with this by providing something that was NOT school related initially but was enriched by school over the years; an interest in electronics, mechanics, woodworking & computer games. Fun in all the right ways.

Re: R U smarter than a 5th Gradar
 

still sad tho aint it. A three year old can strip a pc and knows all the playstation cheats but cant read. I always think reading is important, and make my kids read books. Although they do enjoy reading thank god. And this math thing, I think it needs looking at seriously. and tv is not the answer.

Re: R U smarter than a 5th Gradar
 

Watched my wife take an online test for her MASTERS degree last night. When I asked why she was picking answers randomly she said "Because when I finish it gives me all the right answers and I can take the test up to 5 times. I just copy the right answers, take it again and get 100%"

I also do a lot of work with a K-12 online testing system for one of our clients. We provide the testing system and they provide the questions, some are shocking. Including the classic. Which is NOT part of the British political system? a. House of representatives. b. House of lords. c. House of comments. I say again, MUPPETS.

Re: R U smarter than a 5th Gradar
 

gotcha!!! its all bloody multi choice. What happened to answering the bloody questions from thought process alone. !!! Would love to do an IQ test anyone know any good sites? Might get the kids to do it too. And IQ test for 12 and 14 year olds?? That are not crap ?