Learning off answers.

rebel girl 15

Fince wrote: »

The leaving cert is basically a memory test.
i can only comment on the subjects i'm doing (maths, english, applied maths, DCG, accounting, physics).
in all of them your trying to REMEMBER how you've done the questions before, ergo if you can remember whole essays, you deserve to pass the test.

If the Dept. of Education wanted it to be different, they'd have to bring in some class of continuous assesment.

Definately - the way the system is set up, it encourages rote learning.

Denerick

I agree that the system promotes rote learning. And despite us having a broad education system 10x better than the British equivilent, it still fosters re-gurgatation. But that is not good, and I know people who do that and nothing else - I even know people who used to give out about the English or history tacher giving anecdotes about history or English not directly related to the course but useful for giving a broader understanding. Most of these people will probably leave college and read maybe 4 books for the rest of their lives. Yet they get 500+ college points. Thats what I'm bitter about. They are good at beating the system but not at getting at education. They're not even curious most of the time!

It grinds my gears!

(P.S. About the volunteering, fair play to ya. Seriously)

ironclaw

Fince wrote: »

The leaving cert is basically a memory test.
i can only comment on the subjects i'm doing (maths, english, applied maths, DCG, accounting, physics).
in all of them your trying to REMEMBER how you've done the questions before, ergo if you can remember whole essays, you deserve to pass the test.

If the Dept. of Education wanted it to be different, they'd have to bring in some class of continuous assesment.

Have to agree with the rote learning arguement. However, to be fair some subjects do sort the A's from the B's. I know the last few years in Chem and Phy's there has been questions that do require a good graps of the topic, not just an area.

DCG will be interesting however!

Olterior

I did really ****ty in my mocks paper 2 Honours (118/200) and I got 175/200 in my Paper 1 .

The reason being , I learned off the answers for Paper 2 . and I failed horribly at recalling htem . I got 75/100 for My creative in paper 1 . I did not practice for it like .

The point Im tryin to make is , learning of essay is a big risk , but you can always learn off quotes etc. for essays . I mean come on Im a ****in foreigner and I managed to get a C1 . I have poor grammar and probably **** load of mistakes yet I managed to pull out a C1 with no quotes .

Im going for a B2-B1 for my real thing ,cause I am learning off few quotes for paper 2 .


My advice is Learn quotes from different texts ,make sure you wont mix them up , look up few sample answers so you roughly now the structure and you got ur 100 marks

rebel girl 15

Denerick wrote: »

I agree that the system promotes rote learning. And despite us having a broad education system 10x better than the British equivilent, it still fosters re-gurgatation. But that is not good, and I know people who do that and nothing else - Most of these people will probably leave college and read maybe 4 books for the rest of their lives. Yet they get 500+ college points. Thats what I'm bitter about. They are good at beating the system but not at getting at education. They're not even curious most of the time!

It grinds my gears!

Unfortunately, people will set out to beat the system. Many people see the LC as a means to get to college, and will want to do whatever they need to do to get to college, including rote learning. I did it, because I wanted my college course. Those people with the best memory win out, though having said that, I probably could have done more study!! I still spent the year doing the things that I normally did, playing sport etc.

TBH a continuous assessment syllabus would be much better than the current one with terminal exams. I'd love to more non examined subjects on the LC curriculum, like driving instruction modules, politics, basic economic principles, ECDL or a form of computer studies. The current system puts too much pressure on people to perform on a given day. You have students that just hole up for the year, all their time dedicated to the learning off of information that they most likely will not use again.

Just a point that you mentioned, about education - education should not be simply about the subjects that you take in school, but unfortunately it is. Schools are judged by league tables with results, rather than the content of character that they give each student. There is no point being a 600 point student, and not being able to present yourself at an interview, talk and interact with people.

Denerick

rebel girl 15 wrote: »

Unfortunately, people will set out to beat the system. Many people see the LC as a means to get to college, and will want to do whatever they need to do to get to college, including rote learning. I did it, because I wanted my college course. Those people with the best memory win out, though having said that, I probably could have done more study!! I still spent the year doing the things that I normally did, playing sport etc.

TBH a continuous assessment syllabus would be much better than the current one with terminal exams. I'd love to more non examined subjects on the LC curriculum, like driving instruction modules, politics, basic economic principles, ECDL or a form of computer studies. The current system puts too much pressure on people to perform on a given day. You have students that just hole up for the year, all their time dedicated to the learning off of information that they most likely will not use again.

Just a point that you mentioned, about education - education should not be simply about the subjects that you take in school, but unfortunately it is. Schools are judged by league tables with results, rather than the content of character that they give each student. There is no point being a 600 point student, and not being able to present yourself at an interview, talk and interact with people.

I've a big problem with spoonfeeding - its the major characteristic of the 21st century child. Being presentable and interacting with people is basic common sense. If people can't figure that bit out for themselves then maybe they should go into a monastary. Honestly. Its so silly to think people need to be spoonfood the blooming obvious all the time. We already do it in a lot of things (Business studies for the LC was a joke - really easy subject but they decided to make you state the bloody obvious all the time. Encouraged to learn things out a text book rather than think of what could be the obvious answer for yourself. Not been arrogant, but I ignored all the advice we were given by our business teacher in 6th year (Which basically revolved around her spoonfeeding us the bloody obvious) Never did her homework, never paid any heed to her to be frank. She turned around to me before Christmas and told me I should do Ordinary level. I just laughed in her face! Got an A2 in the subject without studying for it, just read the Sunday business post every week.

Now maybe if I had of done all she had told me to do with a closed mind in the interests of getting my 600 points overall I would have gotten an A1 but would have had no real concept of the basic common sense angle of the subject.

Thats just one angle of the argument. I personally think our generation is way too spoonfed. Instead of handing students big handouts with exact definitions they should be told to go home and read a blooming newspaper - or even worse, a book!

HQvhs

rebel girl 15 wrote: »

Just a point that you mentioned, about education - education should not be simply about the subjects that you take in school, but unfortunately it is. Schools are judged by league tables with results, rather than the content of character that they give each student. There is no point being a 600 point student, and not being able to present yourself at an interview, talk and interact with people.

As far as I'm aware, in Ireland there are no league tables of results available. Only college feeder lists. I remember there was a bit of controversy a few years back over the Department wanting to publish the tables of results. I could be wrong though. Schools here, I think, (or in Dublin anyway) seem to get more of a name for the stereotype of people who go to them. (Think D4 etc). Although that's a bit of a generalisation. Naturally it's more subtle than that. My school didn't really put much pressure on points, rote learning or exam technique. Sure there's always an element of it but there was always a bit of time in class for going off in tangents and getting to understand a subject in depth. Anyway, there's nothing to stop anyone going home themselves and reading a newspaper, picking up a book or taking up a hobby. I think that is down more to the parents than schools tbh.

I agree completely with you though, there does need to be an element continuous assessment. Something like the Swedish system where after each module (Each subject has a few modules) there is an exam and your final result is the aggregate/average/something of those results. That said, there's nothing wrong with a certain element of an exam being a memory test, it's a very useful to have a good memory. Who wants a doctor who can't remember what the symptoms of an illness or a solicitor who can't recall the relevant legislation?