tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8304928500646903522.post1345863358051108744..comments2024-03-28T18:32:05.933-04:00Comments on bensozia: Boys Falling Behind, except in MathJohnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01037215533094998996noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8304928500646903522.post-31174573325749009532015-03-17T18:48:08.165-04:002015-03-17T18:48:08.165-04:00This is a very complex issue that I'm not quit...This is a very complex issue that I'm not quite willing to engage at the moment, but I'd just say this:<br /><br /> "millions of intelligent boys [don't] find it intensely painful to sit in [in front of a computer screen playing games] and pay attention."<br /><br />Computer time is spent sitting VERY still. Clearly, it's not the sitting still part that's an issue here.Katyahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05724499726933546917noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8304928500646903522.post-29985811727137166402015-03-11T16:29:04.895-04:002015-03-11T16:29:04.895-04:00My belief is that education has long been less con...My belief is that education has long been less concerned with whether a child actually permanently <i>learns</i> something, and more about how skilled/willing they are at gaming the system.<br /><br />As Stephen Fry once said, <i>"I did well on exams always, because I cheated - I had a good memory."</i> We rely on formulaic lectures and testing for our educational systems, but the truth is that people don't learn in formulaic fashions. Individuals have different ways of grasping and retaining information, and while some kids might be very good at <i>"sitting still and paying attention"</i>, there are untold numbers that simply <i>aren't</i> - and more importantly <i><b>never will be</b></i>, no matter how much you try to force them to become so.<br /><br />To use a very simplistic analogy, we're trying to force round pegs through nothing but square holes. There's nothing wrong with square holes - they're absolutely perfect for square pegs! We should absolutely keep square holes because of that. But eventually we're going to have to consider <i><b>also</b></i> building round hole for the round pegs to go through, instead of stubbornly trying to force them in where they don't fit, or crudely trying to whittle them down into square shapes to make them fit.G. Verlorennoreply@blogger.com