NCEA "technology". Is it total bullshit, or am I barking mad?

**Motu** · 21st April 2006, 17:16

So how would we describe the credits for the skeleton keys we produced to open all the doors in the school,or the skills we developed learning to pick the locks of those we didn't have keys for?

**MSTRS:Me** · 21st April 2006, 17:19

Originally Posted by Motu

So how would we describe the credits for ......

Time off for good behaviour??

**Drunken Monkey** · 21st April 2006, 17:34

Originally Posted by BuFfY

...They are teaching students 'life skills'... enquiry... logical reasoning. It isn't just about throwing some ingredients at them and saying cook! They now look at food safety and what foods they should and shouldn't eat due to fat content etc. So perhaps this is why boys aren't achieving as well as they used to? and not taking it as much? Because they actually have to sit theory tests... not all practical?...

That is, apparently, the principle behind current taching models. It sounds good in principle too, I'm sure I would've been all for it when I was having the times table boringly drilled down my throat at school. In principle, I think it sounds like a good idea.

In practice, it doesn't seem to be the case.

Is it just me, or does it seem like people who grew up under the old fashioned 'impractical' style of wrote learning actually grew up better prepared than kids today? It seems to me, if you don't get the basics right, learning from a systems point-of-view isn't going to make an iota of difference.

Heck, kids these days can't even spell.

Maybe its other factors, perhaps what kids are doing in their spare time outside of the classroom that's the cause?

**Jantar** · 21st April 2006, 17:47

Originally Posted by BuFfY

They are teaching students 'life skills'... enquiry... logical reasoning. ..

But that is not technology. They are not learning about how different metals react when placerd in close proximity to each other, they aren't learning about how an internal cumbustion engine works, and why a two stroke can develop more power than a four stroke at the same engine rpm, they aren't learning about how an aircraft wing develops lift. All these technical aspects have been eliminated from technology, and instead they learn life skills?

In that case call it home skills, call it cooking or whatever. But don't call it technology.

**Jantar** · 21st April 2006, 18:01

Originally Posted by alarumba

I thought it was the amps that kill you? That's why you can die from 240V at a power plug but only be paralysed by 20,000V or something from a Taser

An old saying in the electricity industry: "Its the volts that jolts, but the mills that kills"

Your body resistance is probably of the order of 4 - 8 Kohm, so the actual current that you will receive from a welder set to 140 amp is around 8 - 16 mA. That will make eyes water a bit.

**ZorsT** · 21st April 2006, 18:23

Ixion,
If you want your children to learn anything useful, you'll have to teach them yourself.

I enjoyed going into the workshop at school and hammering away at different things.
I stopped doing it after year 10 (4th form) because of the paperwork.

The same happened with PE. I enjoyed running around trying to kick stuff, or hurt people, but the paperwork turned me away.

**Swoop** · 21st April 2006, 20:05

People actually wonder why there is such a major skills shortage in NZ with this load of bollocks for a "course"...

All those morons who think that kids "doing technology" are learning by playing with pieces of string and paper mache[sp], deserve to be charged triple the exhorbitant prices asked by plumbers, mechanics and builders!!!!

NCEA is a complete joke.

**Skyryder** · 25th April 2006, 14:27

Originally Posted by yungatart

Boys are disadvantaged at school, by our education system for loads of reasons .....
more female teachers at high School now- the boys that do well under female teachers are likely to be "charming" or "cute",
lack of healthy role models,
the way the curriculum is taught and assessed favours girls,
lack of competition,
it is so NOT cool to be smart and do well,
parents who don't value education,
girls dominating now in subjects that used to be boy orientated
boys needing a totally different learning environment to girls
boys are emasculated by our whole society, not just the education system
the vagaries of male adolescence-how the hell are they supposed to concentrate on the Theorem of Pythagoras , when they get a burst of Testosterone every seven seconds...
I could add to it but to what end any way. As long as we have a society run by "women" (and I use that term loosely eg Helen Clarke), whose hidden agenda includes totally oppressing males there is no hope for NZ education system and our boys within that system.
We as parents have to treat our boys like boys. not girls with a winkle...

You left out blaming the parents. That's the real problem in education today. It's always someone elses fault.

Skyryder