NZ Education sounds like a joke....
"New Zealand students may 'text-speak' in exams"
from
http://www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/asiapcf/11/11/nz.text.ap/index.html
and more at
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/category/story.cfm?c_id=35&objectid=10409902
or
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/search/story.cfm?storyid=000A1C5A-061D-1553-83E783027AF1010F
OMG! what the hell is wrong with these people. Sure, the main goal of exams is to test your subject knowledge, but communication skills with the rest of the human race (not just others from Gen-Y and Gen-Z) have to be a requirement. I was taught that knowledge is almost useless if you cannot explain or communicate it to anyone else.
How hardup on time / ink / paper can you be to have to be, to write in shorthand, causing the exam markers twice as much work? (marking and deciphering)
Naturally teachers abhor the move:
"The president of the Hawke's Bay Principal's Association, Richard Schumacher, said he could understand the move. Texting was an evolving language but it was critical that children be able to express themselves in written English.
"Text is a very appropriate form of language to use when texting ... but it is not an appropriate mode of communication when doing formal exams," he said."
And then this a couple of days later...
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10410338
"A Herald on Sunday investigation has also revealed credits awarded for doing the washing, gift-wrapping a present or buying groceries.
The NCEA unit standards were written by the New Zealand Qualifications Authority, are internally assessed, and are often given more weight than mainstream subjects such as science or maths."
Locally, it's hard enough getting students to pick subjects outside Maths and Science. Next year's 11s and 12s routinely don't have a clue about what their course selections outside of the required Maths and Science requirements for their Uni course.
Geography may have been dropped by next years WAUF, Pre11s, 11s and 12s, if it weren't for one teachers deal with a local GIS tutor to teach kids ArcGIS. (eg how many phones per capita in Kazakhstan and it surrounding countries - question picked by students, natuarally)
Ah the kids of today have it soooo easy :P
/rant
from
http://www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/asiapcf/11/11/nz.text.ap/index.html
and more at
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/category/story.cfm?c_id=35&objectid=10409902
or
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/search/story.cfm?storyid=000A1C5A-061D-1553-83E783027AF1010F
OMG! what the hell is wrong with these people. Sure, the main goal of exams is to test your subject knowledge, but communication skills with the rest of the human race (not just others from Gen-Y and Gen-Z) have to be a requirement. I was taught that knowledge is almost useless if you cannot explain or communicate it to anyone else.
How hardup on time / ink / paper can you be to have to be, to write in shorthand, causing the exam markers twice as much work? (marking and deciphering)
Naturally teachers abhor the move:
"The president of the Hawke's Bay Principal's Association, Richard Schumacher, said he could understand the move. Texting was an evolving language but it was critical that children be able to express themselves in written English.
"Text is a very appropriate form of language to use when texting ... but it is not an appropriate mode of communication when doing formal exams," he said."
And then this a couple of days later...
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10410338
"A Herald on Sunday investigation has also revealed credits awarded for doing the washing, gift-wrapping a present or buying groceries.
The NCEA unit standards were written by the New Zealand Qualifications Authority, are internally assessed, and are often given more weight than mainstream subjects such as science or maths."
Locally, it's hard enough getting students to pick subjects outside Maths and Science. Next year's 11s and 12s routinely don't have a clue about what their course selections outside of the required Maths and Science requirements for their Uni course.
Geography may have been dropped by next years WAUF, Pre11s, 11s and 12s, if it weren't for one teachers deal with a local GIS tutor to teach kids ArcGIS. (eg how many phones per capita in Kazakhstan and it surrounding countries - question picked by students, natuarally)
Ah the kids of today have it soooo easy :P
/rant