Please don't bother telling me that standards in the exams are the same as they always have been. It just isn't true. What is true is that the exam burden on students has increased to ridiculous levels. And don't get me started on the subject of coursework. I'm having to mark quite a lot of the wretched stuff at the moment...
Anyway, I spotted this over at Paulinus' place...
1. Teaching Maths In 1970:
A logger sells a truckload of lumber for £100. His cost of production is 4/5 of the price. What is his profit?
2. Teaching Maths In 1980:
A logger sells a truckload of lumber for £100. His cost of production is 4/5 of the price, or £80. What is his profit?
3. Teaching Maths In 1990:
A logger sells a truckload of lumber for £100. His cost of production is £80. Did he make a profit?
4. Teaching Maths In 2000:
A logger sells a truckload of lumber for £100. His cost of production is £80 and his profit is £20. Your assignment: Underline the number 20.
5. Teaching Maths In 2008:
A logger cuts down a beautiful forest because he is selfish and inconsiderate and cares nothing for the habitat of animals or the preservation of our woodlands. He does this so he can make a profit of £20. What do you think of this way of making a living? Topic for class participation after answering the question: How did the birds and squirrels feel as the logger cut down their homes? (There are no wrong answers.)
6. Teaching Maths 2018:
أ المسجل تبيع حموله شاحنة من الخشب من اجل 100 دولار. صاحب تكلفة الانتاج من الثمن. ما هو الرب
7 comments:
I saw this over at Paulinus, and I'm most annoyed :D
As someone from 2000 era, I should like to point out that it wasn't quite that easy.
But it's funny that some people seem be keen to show their age!
Oh, Pelicanus, did you never get to do past papers for practice... or had the exams changed too much by then?
;-D
But seriously, I think students today are required to take far too many subjects and far too many exams, and as a result they never really get a chance to explore anything in depth.
To discover that a GCSE textbook, "recommended" by the exam board, could go through a whole unit on polymers without mentioning monomers and double and single bonds (triple bonds went out ages ago) or alkanes and alkenes just beggars belief...
Mac. Thankyou. That made me laugh out loud.
I think we have a problem with Maths teachers, as soon as a good one comes into the school, they are head hunted and leave. The same seems to apply to science.
I wonder if this happens in the private sector?
Nearly as good as the blond joke Mac. Having translated the arabic bit for 2018 I am perturbed to read that it says something to the effect of:
'allah is great, he created the forest and the squirrels and the lustful black eyed virgins that will satisfy all the great martyrs who will destroy the Christian infidels who are stupid to only make £20 profit from £100 sales of forest lumber when they do not see that better profits are to be made from selling halal squirrel meat!
Assignment - think of the lustful virgins, roll out your prayer carpet, face east and shout anti-west slogans!
You forgot the extra credit for math 2008: How does making a profit L20 effect your self esteem?
George: spot on translation.
Carolina... ok, you failed English - it should be "affect" not "effect" !
;-p
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