Lol, ok, point taken. Still, you rparents could have given you more at home though, and either way, I'm still grateful to her - although angry that she didn't go far enough and remove it completely.
Quote: zooo @ June 20 2008, 1:14 PM BSTMy mum says it was all warm and horrible anyway.
Hehe, that's what I've heard too.
I take your point about my parents, uncaring bastards! 
Mind you if they had offered me milk I would have declined, you only want what you cant have, right. 
I have to agree with Aaron. I've never liked milk. Up here in the Scouse Republic of Shellsuitland, our infant children still get milk, so they did when I was a tiddler and I used to push mine away in disgust.
I think my hatred of milk came from the first time I saw a cow being milked. I thought cows had four willies and the milk was wee-wee.
LOL.
Quote: Graham Bandage @ June 20 2008, 1:26 PM BSTI have to agree with Aaron. I've never liked milk. Up here in the Scouse Republic of Shellsuitland, our infant children still get milk, so they did when I was a tiddler and I used to push mine away in disgust.
I think my hatred of milk came from the first time I saw a cow being milked. I thought cows had four willies and the milk was wee-wee.
Yes that would do it!
Not sure if it's already been mentioned, but she was pretty disasterous for the Conservative party after she'd left office. Deeply devisive.
I think that that was more a clash of mindsets, one of which was very much influenced/based on/spearheaded by those which she had pushed during office, rather than her personally.
Quote: Griff @ June 20 2008, 12:43 PM BSTI am sure that only the minority of kids are cheats (say 49.9%), but the shadow of plagiarism, or at least being "assisted", hangs heavily over coursework. (See Prince Harry and his art homework fiasco etc.) So the system does the smart, hard-working kids no favours.
Just because Prince Harry was caught cheating it doesn't mean that all of us are. I know of only one incident of plagiarism that has occurred in my 6 years at secondary school, the systems in place are good enough to catch those who cheat.
Quote: Griff @ June 20 2008, 12:43 PM BSTHow would moving back to tests and exams not remove the problem of plagiarism ?
You solve one problem and create another. Less coursework means more tests, more tests means less learning. This ridiculous obsession with testing means that more time is dedicated to revision than to learning new things. Coursework allows for a modicum of independent study and is therefore quite valuable.
We need to find a way of pupils being able to be assessed throughout the whole year without bias.
Any other measurement of achievement and/or ability is bollocks.
Griff, now you're getting silly here. The curriculum will always be based on what's in the test, which in turn is used to judge how capable the teachers are, not the other way around. You're always learning the contents of an exam, in order to pass that exam. You never learn and are then tested.
Quote: Griff @ June 20 2008, 2:25 PM BSTWell, I know a number of people working in education who say quite the reverse about coursework but if you say everything is hunky-dory then I guess you know best.
Because that is exactly what I'm claiming.
Coursework isn't necessary for all subjects. Coursework in maths and in the sciences is pointless. There is only ever one answer so coursework is irrelevant. However in subjects like art, English and history there is scope for individual endeavour. My history coursework comprised of an open question about the blitz in my local area. This question required me to go to the local library, dig through the records and newspaper articles in order to form a coherent essay. Tell me exactly how those skills could be otherwise tested.
Edit: The teachers are the first line of defence against plagiarism, if they say it isn't working then they're not doing their job. That actually addresses your point, I didn't see that you had quoted me the first time.
Quote: Griff @ June 20 2008, 2:25 PM BSTThis is nonsense, of course. Most subjects can be satisfactorily examined by one or two tests at the end of the course of study, leaving the whole previous two years to be spent learning the curriculum.
This isn't what happens though. We're examined either continually through modules or in a huge amount of exams at the end of a three year course. We spend too much time re-treading old ground.
I'm heartened by your misguided faith in our education system Griff. The curriculum is based around the end exam. Teachers teach to the exam, they don't teach for knowledge.
Quote: Griff @ June 20 2008, 2:25 PM BSTAlso, you changed the topic. I asked you "how would moving back to tests not stop the problem of plagiarism". You didn't address that at all in your answer. This is very sloppy debating.
I didn't say it wouldn't. I said you'd create another problem. I'm sorry I'm not so well versed in the skills required to debate.
The teachers are the first line of defence against plagiarism, if they say it isn't working then they're not doing their job.
See, Thatcher's not even here and she's causing a massive big row.
*looks around shiftily before shuffling off quickly*