Some Teenager's Knowledge Of History Is Much Worse Than I First Thought.

[anotheoldgit]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2297466/Delia-Smith-Henry-VIIIs-wife-Inept-answers-history-questions-secondary-school-pupils.html

Following on from my earlier post, is there something wrong with today's teaching of history?

[Kiki-frog]

There have been 'comic' answers to surveys, exams, class tests, etc doing the rounds for donkeys years. I can't take this article seriously. As with a lot of the DM's 'research' articles, it's interesting to see who sponsors it. In this case Premier Inns, who are quoted as saying, 'it's something that can be rectified by visiting all the fantastic landmarks and places of interest the UK has to offer.... It's not surprising with families under financial pressure that days out and trips away may have suffered.'

Great idea. Let's take the kids to visit some of our national landmarks. Oh, but wherever will we stay?

[Gromit]

// A spokesman for Premier Inn said: 'The research found that more than half of British school kids have never visited UK landmarks such as Buckingham Palace, Big Ben and St Paul's Cathedral.' //

What a dork. Big Ben is the Bell, not the clock tower. Idiot.

[SeaJayPea]

Some older people's Knowledge Of punctuation Is Much Worse Than I First Thought.

[zebo]

I'm in the middle of marking Maths GCSE papers, a proportion question about how much meat to use in a recipe, well answered I'm sorry to tell the detractors, elicited one answer that made me chuckle, All of it!

Hands up, who's never amused themselves with stupid answers to confuse a survey?

A colleague who taught History used to despair of the pupils who, instead of actually trying to learn facts, simply involved Adolf Hitler in every war, to be surplanted by Saddam Hussein in the fullness of time.

[ludwig]

// The survey by hotel chain Premier Inn //

LOL. Not exam questions then. Just some stupid questionnaire they've left in hotel rooms for bored business travellers to take the p1ss out of.

[anotheoldgit]

Typical response I have come to expect from our more aggressive ABers.

Why can't they just take part in a light-hearted debate without the need to call people idiots, blame the Daily Mail once again, make a cheap dig at ONE'S or ONES' punctuation, accuse Premier Inns of cheap publicity, as if this survey is going to prompt people to stay at their establishment, the overused slow news day remark, and fine tooth-comb criticism at a fellow ABers spelling ability.

Says much more of some so called 'adults' than this survey could ever show of teenagers.

Incidentally the Independent also carried this story as did some Radio stations.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/education/education-news/british-teens-think-delia-smith-jerry-hall-and-camilla-were-henry-viiis-wives-8544537.html

[Kromovaracun]

People are just questioning the conclusions that the Mail (and other newspapers, apparently) are drawing from this somewhat suspicious survey. You have a very low definition of 'aggressiveness'.

[anotheoldgit]

Kromovaracun

/// People are just questioning the conclusions that the Mail (and other newspapers, apparently) are drawing from this somewhat suspicious survey ///

Wrong, why else do they find the need to criticise other ABers, and use such words as idiots, if they are just questioning the publishers of a survey, suspicious or otherwise?

[Mick-Talbot]

This could have been a fun 'light-hearted debate' ................in Chaterbank.

[Zacs-Master]

There is a lot more history to learn these days. Give them a break.

[FredPuli43]

At least The Independent didn't have to explain who Emmeline Pankhurst was, aog. Remember that The Daily Mail did. How do you explain the Daily Mail thinking that its readers are so ignorant? Surely we should be more worried about that than about jokey answers from teenagers.

[sp1814]

This is a BRILLIANT example of 'churnalism', something I mentioned a couple of weeks ago, as an example of why you should always carefully read these kinds of stories.

This is simply and advert for Premier Inn. Premier Inn will work with a PR agency, to produce stats from a survey, and then send a press release to newspapers, who will then post the story pretending it's 'news'.

It's a very long advert for Premier Inn. Nothing more, nothing less.

[LazyGun]

"A light hearted debate", AoG?

How are we to infer, from your original post, that this is meant as a "light hearted" debate?

Aggressive? Since when has pointing out the massive flaws in this story -little or no data, no indication of how many questions asked, no indication of how respondents were selected, the fact that Premier Inns organised the survey - been an aggressive response?

You are getting a tad precious and thin skinned AoG.

What have Premier Inns got to do with education? Nothing. The fact that this is something initiated by them points entirely to the notion that this is nothing more than a glorified advert, and if you draw any serious conclusions as to the state of education in this country from this article, then I have a bridge in London for you to buy.

Nowhere does the DM suggest this is light-hearted; Nowhere do they offer any questions about the survey itself - just a credulous regurgitation of a press release - Churnalism, like SP says. Its a space filler article, so a slow news day, as others have also suggested.

Get over yourself...

It did however show us that some teenagers at least still retain a sense of humour - Nick Knowles built the Pyramids, indeed :)

[Kromovaracun]

"Wrong, why else do they find the need to criticise other ABers, and use such words as idiots, if they are just questioning the publishers of a survey, suspicious or otherwise?"

I haven't noticed much criticism of ABers and wouldn't much care if I did. ABers aren't above criticism any more than anyone else is.

As for using words like 'idiots' - because it's fun. And appropriate. English is a beautiful language, and one of its many beauties is that it provides a rich mine of words for mocking other people - which is sometimes a perfectly appropriate thing to do.

[Gromit]

Someone who is laughing at teenagers (whether real or ficticious) for their lack of knowledge, and then confuses Big Ben the bell, for the Palace of Westminster Clock Tower, is an idiot. That is not aggressive or disrespectful, it is a fact.

[Gromit]

And that was aimed at the Premier Inns spokesman, not at an ABer.

[SeaJayPea]

aog, you're priceless. It's OK for you to have a go at our young people based on a newspaper article. But anybody who points out your errors is, and I quote, "making a cheap dig".

Glass houses, matey.