Most incorrect thing you were taught?

wilkie2006

Jernal wrote: »

Actually he probably was such is the standard of today's graduates I wouldn't be surprised if he was.:(

What does that mean? Are you suggesting that the general standard of academic qualifications is poor now? If you are, then it's pretty stupid comment.

The calibre of today's graduates is probably higher than it's ever been before, what with, you know, the recession and the intense competition for jobs.

4zn76tysfajdxp

wilkie2006 wrote: »

What does that mean? Are you suggesting that the general standard of academic qualifications is poor now? If you are, then it's pretty stupid comment.

The calibre of today's graduates is probably higher than it's ever been before, what with, you know, the recession and the intense competition for jobs.

Doesn't make the graduates any smarter.

Duffy the Vampire Slayer

Insect Overlord wrote: »

He was wrong there too. The Blasket Islands are further west than Oileán Acla.

Achill isn't even the furthest west part of Connacht.

wilkie2006

Micheal Fit Rivalry wrote: »

Doesn't make the graduates any smarter.

Eh... well it makes them no less intelligent than graduates from decades before, thereby nullifying whatever point your man was making.

Anyway, I disagree. I think that the standard of qualifications has risen. The finite amount of university courses are subject to far greater competition from LC students, most of whom will be working for the highest grade possible in their degree. Additionally, many undergrads appreciate that a degree is no longer enough and will engage with postgrad studies, thereby introducing another level of filtering.

In short, the graduates who emerge from the system will have demonstrated not only intelligence but resilience, motivation and commitment.

Turtwig

wilkie2006 wrote: »

Eh... well it makes them no less intelligent than graduates from decades before, thereby nullifying whatever point your man was making.

Anyway, I disagree. I think that the standard of qualifications has risen. The finite amount of university courses are subject to far greater competition from LC students, most of whom will be working for the highest grade possible in their degree. Additionally, many undergrads appreciate that a degree is no longer enough and will engage with postgrad studies, thereby introducing another level of filtering.

In short, the graduates who emerge from the system will have demonstrated not only intelligence but resilience, motivation and commitment.

Sincere apologies to the mods for dragging this thread off topic.

Intelligence is something that is difficult to quantify. Just because that physics teacher made an ass-hat of himself over Pluto doesn't mean he's not intelligent. But, my comment was on his general competencies for the job. Which yes, you may think it's stupid and you're perfectly entitled to think that, but I don't think it is.

The university system is based on pragmatism. The more courses a university offers the more funding it gets from the government. Many graduates only enter the courses with the sole intention of getting a job. As such the quality of a course is generally judged on its employment prospects.

Competition doesn't necessarily ensure quality. It can, and often does, lead to a system in which the most efficient way to achieve optimal results prospers. In Ireland, students come in from the LC with a very common set of skills and learning mindset. Usually an exam cram intensive orientated approach. Lecturers frequently try to use pedagogical techniques to break these habits but it has limited success. Graduates who emerge from the system will most likely have found that sweet spot between little effort, motivation and maximum results. You can't fault them, that's the system and it's commendable in many ways that they can triumph over it so efficiently. But as far as the future of Ireland education standard wise is concerned it's a very worrying trend. It's no secret that companies are moaning about the standard of our graduates.

im invisible

Shorty11857 wrote: »

Water freezes at 100C, was a typo in our Geography book and pretty much proved that our teacher had no business teaching at all

actually...

Princess Consuela Bananahammock

SdoowSirhc wrote: »

Hahah, brilliant

You should have pointed out that Greenland is a Danish province and therefore even further west than Iceland. No EU come back there!

BlueSmoker

RandomName2 wrote: »

Patriot missiles and scud missiles are exactly the same thing (just different names due to US propaganda)

The Roman Empire fell because the Romans all got fat and lazy.

Sentences can never ever start with but or because.

Triangle and circle geometry is useful.

Germany and Italy were the only fascist powers and Germany invaded the USSR because Hitler was just plain mad.

St. Patrick converted Ireland to modern Catholicism

That is actually true, if you work in any form of engineering or any form of art or design, and I'm prity sure I've used it in other areas of my life, just can't think of it now. Oh yeah it also useful in computer programming as a principle.

The rest I will give you

Capt'n Midnight

you need the tramp index

http://www.foodfight.org.uk/other/images/trampindex.pdf

melmoth77

That blood is blue in your veins and only turns red when exposed to air...actually a common misconception even today!

FizzleSticks

This post has been deleted.

jmayo

wilkie2006 wrote: »

What does that mean? Are you suggesting that the general standard of academic qualifications is poor now? If you are, then it's pretty stupid comment.

The calibre of today's graduates is probably higher than it's ever been before, what with, you know, the recession and the intense competition for jobs.

You do know we had nice little recession with no jobs in the 80s.
Perhaps you could check out reeling in the years when it's next on.

mikemac1

Dipping the teat of a childs bottle in brandy will help them sleep

Actually this may be correct but I'm going to file it under incorrect thing to do

BlueSmoker

To be intelligent you most have a third level education. Not that I have anything against people furthering their education, but it isn't an automatic card to say your more intelligent than someone who hasn't.

Mind you I would hope the third level student actually has a better than average understanding of what they studied

FishBowel

I before e except after science.

wilkie2006

Jernal wrote: »

Sincere apologies to the mods for dragging this thread off topic.

Intelligence is something that is difficult to quantify. Just because that physics teacher made an ass-hat of himself over Pluto doesn't mean he's not intelligent. But, my comment was on his general competencies for the job. Which yes, you may think it's stupid and you're perfectly entitled to think that, but I don't think it is.

The university system is based on pragmatism. The more courses a university offers the more funding it gets from the government. Many graduates only enter the courses with the sole intention of getting a job. As such the quality of a course is generally judged on its employment prospects.

Competition doesn't necessarily ensure quality. It can, and often does, lead to a system in which the most efficient way to achieve optimal results prospers. In Ireland, students come in from the LC with a very common set of skills and learning mindset. Usually an exam cram intensive orientated approach. Lecturers frequently try to use pedagogical techniques to break these habits but it has limited success. Graduates who emerge from the system will most likely have found that sweet spot between little effort, motivation and maximum results. You can't fault them, that's the system and it's commendable in many ways that they can triumph over it so efficiently. But as far as the future of Ireland education standard wise is concerned it's a very worrying trend. It's no secret that companies are moaning about the standard of our graduates.

The point that I was getting at is that graduates' standard of academic knowledge and competency has had to increase in response to the decrease in employment prospects.

Yes, school has indeed become an institution that champions learning by rote at the expense of students really challenging and engaging with material. In this respect, schools are guilty of bad pedagogy. While one's superior intellect cannot be confirmed through scoring 600 LC points, their superior knowledge of that particular subject (at its level) cannot be questioned (an achievement that I don't think can be ignored if we're talking about competency, particularly for vocational jobs).

In my experience, however, the type of material one studies in a university degree precludes the school-inspired variety of "learning by appropriation". Those who persist with it or are incapable of advancing beyond it are those who flounder in their degrees (even if they excelled in their peer groups at school).

While the LC may provide a very crude, unfair - and, I agree, often imprecise - filter of "excellence", the criteria for progressing from undergraduate to postgraduate is far more sophisticated. In order to qualify, one must have a demonstrable ability to engage their chosen subject in a reflexive, critical way (i.e. proof that they've learnt the skills taught traditionally by universities).

Monty Burnz

hatrickpatrick wrote: »

That the universe would eventually stop expanding and hurtle back together in the Big Crunch.

There still isn't unanimous agreement on this point.

mikemac1

There are worms in Slimfast
That's how you lose the weight

You can't see them in the powder
But leave out a milkshake for a while and you'll see the worms

Drink it up, do you good

Louche Lad

Insect Overlord wrote: »

SdoowSirhc wrote: »

A teacher told me this year that Iceland isn't in Europe

*edit* He concluded that it wasn't in Europe after he told me that the most western point in Europe is Achille Island. When I said what about Iceland he said it wasn't part of Europe

He was wrong there too. The Blasket Islands are further west than Oileán Acla.

Most western point in Ireland seems to be Tearaght Island off the Dingle Peninsula: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Extreme_points_of_the_Republic_of_Ireland

Most western point in Europe doesn't seem to be in Iceland even if you include it, but in the Azores, part of Portugal: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Extreme_points_of_Europe

wilkie2006

jmayo wrote: »

You do know we had nice little recession with no jobs in the 80s.
Perhaps you could check out reeling in the years when it's next on.

The Celtic Tiger induced a widespread culture of achieving a university qualification that wasn't present in the preceding recession of the 1980s. Today's recession features a very educated, young Irish work force who are waging an arms race against each other for letters after their names.

noname123

Iceland is completely covered in ice

Duggys Housemate

noname123 wrote: »

Iceland is completely covered in ice

I doubt anybody ever taught that although you may, understanably, have thought It when young.

mackeire

Duggys Housemate wrote: »

noname123 wrote: »

Iceland is completely covered in ice

I doubt anybody ever taught that although you may, understanably, have thought It when young.

and all of greenland is green.

Louche Lad

Insect Overlord wrote: »

He was wrong there too. The Blasket Islands are further west than Oileán Acla.

RandomName2 wrote: »

Patriot missiles and scud missiles are exactly the same thing (just different names due to US propaganda)

The Roman Empire fell because the Romans all got fat and lazy.

Sentences can never ever start with but or because.

Triangle and circle geometry is useful.

Germany and Italy were the only fascist powers and Germany invaded the USSR because Hitler was just plain mad.

St. Patrick converted Ireland to modern Catholicism

I used triangle geometry to calculate the floor area in an irregularly shaped room a few months ago.

I used circle geometry to find the circumference of some round thing (can't remember what, I just remember I only had a straight ruler) a whle ago.

noname123

Duggys Housemate wrote: »

I doubt anybody ever taught that although you may, understanably, have thought It when young.

Can't remember who told me it, but definitely when I was very young

Duggys Housemate

noname123 wrote: »

Duggys Housemate wrote: »

I doubt anybody ever taught that although you may, understanably, have thought It when young.

Can't remember who told me it, but definitely when I was very young

My experience is the opposite. Having not ever even heard of Iceland some other kid told me that Iceland had no ice. I said I knew that( I didn't) and I kicked him in the arse.

mikemac1

Using the internet for years and years before I ever knew you didn't have to type www.


I just didn't know until last year

When I expressed my surprise I got a look as if I was the greatest fool in Ireland :rolleyes:


When I started using it fadó fadó you had to type www and I had no reason to ever stop

wilkie2006

mikemac1 wrote: »

Using the internet for years and years before I ever knew you didn't have to type www.


I just didn't know until last year

When I expressed my surprise I got a look as if I was the greatest fool in Ireland :rolleyes:


When I started using it fadó fadó you had to type www and I had no reason to ever stop

And you know that the space where you type the web address into also works as a search engine? (well, it does on my Firefox window)

vitani

In primary, a substitute teacher wrote a load of random letters on the board and asked us to make words out of them.

I handed my copy up to him later, where he proceeded to tell me that 'knead' wasn't a word. I said it was and gave him the example of kneading dough to make bread. He laughed and said I was wrong.

If you're out there, teacher: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/knead

:mad:

[-0-]

Dogs and cats are colourblind. :mad: