Unpopular Opinions.

16-08-2012 07:52PM

castletownman wrote: »

I think that the new procedure of awarding 25 points to students who pass honours maths in the Leaving is further sign of the dumbing down of modern society. While I'm all for giving students the incentive to attempt a more challenging series of questions, I think the new policy is unfair towards students from previous years who may have missed out on their desired CAO course by a matter of a few points. For example, if I was awarded an extra 25 points for passing honours maths six years ago, I wouldn't have missed out on my desired course, and so wouldn't have chosen an Arts degree course I didn't have the heart for, and in turn still wouldn't have resentment from my mother for dropping out from said course.

I blame the popularity of reality TV for the increasing "dumbing down" of our secondary school educational programme

I agree it's silly, I think it just perpetuates the idea drilled into everyone's heads that "omg maths is hard and i cant do it"

RayCon · 16-08-2012 07:56PM

The Soprano's - dont see the appeal
Radiohead - dont see the appeal
Bob Dylan - dont see the appeal

Colmustard · 16-08-2012 08:00PM

bluewolf wrote: »

I agree it's silly, I think it just perpetuates the idea drilled into everyone's heads that "omg maths is hard and i cant do it"

That is so true, people usually form a mental block about maths, they think it is hard and only about numbers, when it is not. Its one of the most creative thing humans do. Its almost an art and we all have an innate sense of numbers.

I always thought maths is thought badly, students should be thought the beauty of it first.

Colmustard · 16-08-2012 08:01PM

RayCon wrote: »

The Soprano's - dont see the appeal
Radiohead - dont see the appeal
Bob Dylan - dont see the appeal

I thought the sopranos was only OK, Bob Dylan is meh and not a real poet, but radiohead needs time and they are brilliant.

guttenberg · 16-08-2012 08:02PM

Colmustard wrote: »

That is so true, people usually form a mental block about maths, they think it is hard and only about numbers, when it is not. Its one of the most creative thing humans do. Its almost an art and we all have an innate sense of numbers.

I always thought maths is thought badly, students should be thought the beauty of it first.

Maybe the teaching standard for English should be improved too.:pac:

Colmustard · 16-08-2012 08:04PM

guttenberg wrote: »

Maybe the teaching standard for English should be improved too.:pac:

I blame the spellchecker and in second place my anorexia.

steddyeddy · 16-08-2012 08:10PM

castletownman wrote: »

I think that the new procedure of awarding 25 points to students who pass honours maths in the Leaving is further sign of the dumbing down of modern society. While I'm all for giving students the incentive to attempt a more challenging series of questions, I think the new policy is unfair towards students from previous years who may have missed out on their desired CAO course by a matter of a few points. For example, if I was awarded an extra 25 points for passing honours maths six years ago, I wouldn't have missed out on my desired course, and so wouldn't have chosen an Arts degree course I didn't have the heart for, and in turn still wouldn't have resentment from my mother for dropping out from said course.

I blame the popularity of reality TV for the increasing "dumbing down" of our secondary school educational programme

Agreed and it further exacerbates the fact that the leaving cert often sends the wrong student into the wrong course. Those extra points could ensure someone more blessed with maths gets into chemistry over a natural chemistry student ect.

The department of education are to blame for the dumbing down and no doubt about it. I can only talk about the science subjects but for years science lecturers in third level institutions have being fighting the department of education along with the teaching unions on this issue.

fasttalkerchat · 16-08-2012 08:14PM

Colmustard wrote: »

I always thought maths is thought badly, students should be thought the beauty of it first.

guttenberg wrote: »

Maybe the teaching standard for English should be improved too.:pac:

I read it as "Maths is thought of badly (poorly) and students should thought (think) of the beauty of it first.
Bad grammar but the spelling was fine :P

Colmustard · 16-08-2012 08:19PM

fasttalkerchat wrote: »

I read it as "Maths is thought of badly (poorly) and students should thought (think) of the beauty of it first.
Bad grammar but the spelling was fine :P

What can I say, I'm a numbers person and suffer from dysentery,

Colmustard · 16-08-2012 08:22PM

The grammar FBI seem to be following me, its making parabolic.

Voice of the Ages · 16-08-2012 08:46PM

I feel that people should be literally forced to vote.

Colmustard · 16-08-2012 08:48PM

Voice of the Ages wrote: »

I feel that people should be literally forced to vote.

I THINK they are in France.

K-9 · 16-08-2012 09:02PM

castletownman wrote: »

I think that the new procedure of awarding 25 points to students who pass honours maths in the Leaving is further sign of the dumbing down of modern society. While I'm all for giving students the incentive to attempt a more challenging series of questions, I think the new policy is unfair towards students from previous years who may have missed out on their desired CAO course by a matter of a few points. For example, if I was awarded an extra 25 points for passing honours maths six years ago, I wouldn't have missed out on my desired course, and so wouldn't have chosen an Arts degree course I didn't have the heart for, and in turn still wouldn't have resentment from my mother for dropping out from said course.

I blame the popularity of reality TV for the increasing "dumbing down" of our secondary school educational programme

IIRC there used to be a similar incentive under the Matric system for the Universities. When that was abolished some called it dumbing down, can't win really.

Colmustard · 16-08-2012 09:06PM

The imperial system of measurement is utterly moronic, its only used in America Liberia and Burma. But every now and again you bump into it and you have to decipher it. Anyway I am going for a pint.

HalloweenJack · 16-08-2012 09:40PM

Voice of the Ages wrote: »

I feel that people should be literally forced to vote.

I've been told that in Australia you get fined if you don't vote.

end of the road · 16-08-2012 09:55PM

Voice of the Ages wrote: »

I feel that people should be literally forced to vote.

why should they? surely as a grown adult its up to me to make the decisian to vote for myself? why would you care if i vote or not? what difference does it make to your life whether someone votes or not?

NinjaK · 16-08-2012 09:56PM

ye are all pathetic spoilt nerds hiding behind yer laptops with yer boring ass lives spouting ****e ha

BeerSteakBirds · 16-08-2012 10:02PM

end of the road wrote: »

why should they? surely as a grown adult its up to me to make the decisian to vote for myself? why would you care if i vote or not? what difference does it make to your life whether someone votes or not?

They should be stripped of all the rights that a democratic society affords them for free since they are not prepared to pay even the tiniest price for freedom i.e vote once every 5 years. Freedom is not free. If you mock the honor of voting then you deserve to be ruled by Saddam Hussein.

^^^^ Theres my unpopular opinion there although I dare say a few will agree with me lol

edit * groan I just remembered that we have no choices at the ballot box ... oh the despair to have to choose between a giant douche and a turd sandwich every few years... obviously this unpopular opinion should apply most strongly in a properly run country...

nacimroc · 16-08-2012 10:32PM

No point forcing people who have no idea about politics/issues to vote! You will just end up with the most sensationalist politicians elected.

The maths points bonus is a great idea! There are tens of thousands of people who have much better maths skills than this time last year. That was the idea behind it and it worked.

The imperial system has its benefits. 1 inch made up of 16 parts for example. So it can be divided in half making 16,8,4,2,1! the metric systems goes to decimals after dividing it twice only. Although overall metric is better.

Definitely unpopular opinions on this thread anyway

Madam_X · 16-08-2012 10:35PM

NinjaK wrote: »

ye are all pathetic spoilt nerds hiding behind yer laptops with yer boring ass lives spouting ****e ha

And you're no different ha

Forcing people to vote in a democracy would be irony epitomised.

Cienciano · 16-08-2012 10:35PM

nacimroc wrote: »

3. The imperial system has its benefits. 1 inch made up of 16 parts for example. So it can be divided in half making 16,8,4,2,1! the metric systems goes to decimals after dividing it twice only. Although overall metric is better.

That's a pretty shit benefit!

fasttalkerchat · 16-08-2012 10:35PM

nacimroc wrote: »

2. The maths points bonus is a great idea! There are tens of thousands of people who have much better maths skills than this time last year. That was the idea behind it and it worked.

The way that maths exams work is that the questions get harder as you go on. This means that the first few questions that can get you a pass grade (and bonus points) could be answered by any idiot. So actually nothing has been learned that wouldn't be learned by adding these questions to the Junior cert syllabus.

AllWasWell · 16-08-2012 10:37PM

I think bad grammar should be punishable by law

fasttalkerchat · 16-08-2012 10:39PM

AllWasWell wrote: »

I think bad grammar should be punishable by law.

FYP :pac::p:D

Neeson · 16-08-2012 10:40PM

Some people should be taken out and shot.

krudler · 16-08-2012 10:44PM

AllWasWell wrote: »

I think bad grammar should be punishable by law

No full stop.

Death!

1ZRed · 16-08-2012 10:47PM

Colmustard wrote: »

The imperial system of measurement is utterly moronic, its only used in America Liberia and Burma. But every now and again you bump into it and you have to decipher it. Anyway I am going for a pint.

That's true...

On an unrelated matter, what's 8 inches in cm? :pac:

end of the road · 16-08-2012 11:11PM

i think text speak should be banned its evil
i tnk txt spk shd b bnd, its evl.

AllWasWell · 16-08-2012 11:13PM

end of the road wrote: »

i think text speak should be banned its evil
i tnk txt spk shd b bnd, its evl.

totes agree wiv u, so annyng 2 rd lke bt its sch a spce svr!!

Jimoslimos · 16-08-2012 11:17PM

steddyeddy wrote: »

Agreed and it further exacerbates the fact that the leaving cert often sends the wrong student into the wrong course. Those extra points could ensure someone more blessed with maths gets into chemistry over a natural chemistry student ect.

The department of education are to blame for the dumbing down and no doubt about it. I can only talk about the science subjects but for years science lecturers in third level institutions have being fighting the department of education along with the teaching unions on this issue.

Actually I have to disagree slightly here. If people don't have a basic grasp of honours level maths at LC level they're going to have a very tough time later on studying for a science degree, whether that be in physics, chemistry or biology, regardless of any 'natural' ability.

For the most part lectures at third level couldn't give a toss about what science subjects you did at LC - they usually end up teaching it all over again in 1st year. What is a problem however is maths. I know when I was doing my science degree it was mandatory to pick maths as one of my 1st year modules

Unpopular Opinions.

Comments