"We don't need to know a lot of this stuff now, we have Google." says Pat Kenny

Seachmall

looking_around wrote: »

I'm no first year..not even in school ..who's this miriam o callaghan?
No, I'm not really asking. But, yes. I don't know who they are or what they've done.

Have you recently arrived in Ireland or something?

Corkfeen

Juniorhurler wrote: »

Not nearly as much rote learning in education nowadays as when Pat Kenny was there.

You get all these people saying the LC hasn't changed in years.The reality is that the exams have changed a lot individually bit not the structure of the whole thing, I.e exams at the end of a two year cycle. Critical thinking is far more important now.

Erm no it's not. Did the Leaving Cert three years ago. Biology consisted of learning off definitions that you'd recite word for word in an exam, the same applied to Business and Economics. There was a certain level of critical thinking but it was minimal and for the most part it consisted of the idea of learning off essays. Try writing an entirely unique interpretation of a book for example that is entirely valid and see how well you'd get on in contrast to the person who learns off an essay with the preferred answer for examiners.

looking_around

Cody Pomeray wrote: »

Don't you watch RTE/ read papers/ enjoy MILFs?

RTE????? you're joking right? :cool:

I do read some news, online, albiet. But only if it seems very important. Close to home, WILL/could affect me in some way.

and MILFs? o0 ..

Cody Pomeray

Corkfeen wrote: »

Erm no it's not. Did the Leaving Cert three years ago. Biology consisted of learning off definitions that you'd recite word for word in an exam, the same applied to Business and Economics. There was a certain level of critical thinking but it was minimal and for the most part it consisted of the idea of learning off essays. Try writing an entirely unique interpretation of a book for example that is entirely valid and see how well you'd get on in contrast to the person who learns off an essay with the preferred answer for examiners.

It's a broad spectrum. Creative and original thinking are rewarded in Maths, English, Engineering and Irish, for example.

CatFromHue

What if you're in a situation where you've no access to Google?

Or more importantly somewhere where Google is censored or wrong?

Google is a tool that lets you access the internet, what you find on it may or may not be true.

looking_around

CatFromHue wrote: »

(1)What if you're in a situation where you've no access to Google?

(2)Or more importantly somewhere where Google is censored or wrong?

(3)Google is a tool that lets you access the internet, what you find on it may or may not be true.

(1) .. Use a library. Books, print off info when you have access. This is clearly for the first world countries. Where everyone has access. If not at home, through public places.

(2) if it's censored what does it matter than? your schooling would be censored too, anyway

(3) google is synonymous with search engine. Thats what, this Pat, meant. Obviously.

snubbleste

Mocha Joe wrote: »

Pat Kenny doesn't need a team of researchers, he gets paid enough to just use google himself.

Ewwww!

Photoshop

Deleted User wrote: »

It must have taken him ages to get anything done.

Not when your a plagiarist and a fraud

Supposedly

CatFromHue

looking_around wrote: »

(1) .. Use a library. Books, print off info when you have access. This is clearly for the first world countries. Where everyone has access. If not at home, through public places.

(2) if it's censored what does it matter than? your schooling would be censored too, anyway

(3) google is synonymous with search engine. Thats what, this Pat, meant. Obviously.

Libraries tend to only stock pleasure reading material, they're not great for school books or books like them.

Is Google censored in China? I can't remember but thought it was so if you're over there and want to look up Tienanmen Square you won't find anything. Whereas if you learnt about this by rote learning in school you wouldn't need to.

Google and other search engines are tools that link you to websites that may or may not be verified to be true. While things may be changing but when I was in college referencing websites was not looked upon too favourably. That is changing to a degree but is still not as good as a peer reviewed book or journal.

looking_around

CatFromHue wrote: »

Libraries tend to only stock pleasure reading material, they're not great for school books or books like them.

Is Google censored in China? I can't remember but thought it was so if you're over there and want to look up Tienanmen Square you won't find anything. Whereas if you learnt about this by rote learning in school you wouldn't need to.

Google and other search engines are tools that link you to websites that may or may not be verified to be true. While things may be changing but when I was in college referencing websites was not looked upon too favourably. That is changing to a degree but is still not as good as a peer reviewed book or journal.

Actually, many libraries stock factual books, less so, since there not all that needed anymore.
Generally, you're not allowed to take these books out of the library, though.

What they learned would be censored anyway, but I'm sure something would come up on search. Just, only what they are allowed to know.

Don't beleive everything you read. Needs to be greatly applied to the internet. Thats true. Doesn't mean we need to be learning off so much crap in schools. Again, like pointless names and dates. in chemistry >.>. Having history as an exam subject. Learning off massive formulas in maths(something they have recently changed however).

This is akin to still doing, long/complicated maths without a calculator. Schools used to do this. And used log tables for sin & cos .. now, you use the calculator. It doesn't changed your understanding, but removes time consuming, pointless memorizations .

syklops

CatFromHue wrote: »

Libraries tend to only stock pleasure reading material, they're not great for school books or books like them.

Is Google censored in China? I can't remember but thought it was so if you're over there and want to look up Tienanmen Square you won't find anything. Whereas if you learnt about this by rote learning in school you wouldn't need to.

Google and other search engines are tools that link you to websites that may or may not be verified to be true. While things may be changing but when I was in college referencing websites was not looked upon too favourably. That is changing to a degree but is still not as good as a peer reviewed book or journal.

Not sure if your trolling or just stupid.

trashcan

The Backwards Man wrote: »

I just had to google who Pat Kenny is.:o

Really, I memorised it :P

Wibbs

Pj! wrote: »

Einstein: “Never memorize something that you can look up.”

He believed it was needlessly cluttering the brain.

Jaysus I'm fooked then! :eek: Inside my head looks like a victorian gents study.

But learning stuff in school is probably advantageous as it shows work ethic etc.

Funny enough in school I assiduously avoided learning stuff. Well most of the school curriculum stuff anyway. I could never study TBH. Too thick and couldn't apply myself. Still can't. It's either by near unconscious osmosis or nothing.

CatFromHue

syklops wrote: »

Not sure if your trolling or just stupid.

**** off!

Pj!

Wibbs wrote: »

Jaysus I'm fooked then! :eek: Inside my head looks like a victorian gents study.

Funny enough in school I assiduously avoided learning stuff. Well most of the school curriculum stuff anyway. I could never study TBH. Too thick and couldn't apply myself. Still can't. It's either by near unconscious osmosis or nothing.

I won't enter debate with Einstein or yourself Wibbs. I'll sit this one out!

Having a genuine interest in something makes it easy to learn I suppose. And schools are not for everyone.