Early Risers.

[Coombe Barton]

What I find amusing (and irritating) is that some students, learning Excel, insist on using calculators to work out what should go in Excel.

 

My language can be somewhat direct on these occasions.

[Smiffy2]

What I find amusing (and irritating) is that some students, learning Excel, insist on using calculators to work out what should go in Excel.

 

My language can be somewhat direct on these occasions.

I have done that when entering complex calculations...  just to check that I've got them right.

[lightengine]

What I find amusing (and irritating) is that some students, learning Excel, insist on using calculators to work out what should go in Excel.

Cant believe that. Excel SUMS are so easy.

 

edited for bad grammar

Edited February 27, 2016 by lightengine

[bbishop]

There also are Do Not Call (and Do Not Mail) registers in Germany, though of course, in spite of the trading standards legislation previously outlined, there have always been less than honest companies trying to flout these rules. Fines which the Federal Networks Agency can impose can be as high as 300,000 € for unsolicited phone call schemes. Thankfully, I cannot remember to ever have received any cold calls for as long as we've been living here!

Dom,

 

You have the advantage that whilst "John" from Bangalore can speak some English, after a fashion; "Hans" can't speak German.

 

Bill

[Coombe Barton]

I have done that when entering complex calculations...  just to check that I've got them right.

 

When part of the exercise is to process data - and that's what they're being marked on - and that's what they have to do in real life - that's when I use more direct language.

 

"Do you want me to mark that?"

 

"Yes"

 

"Zero"

 

"Why? It's right!"

 

"I'm not marking the result - I'm marking the working"

[Coombe Barton]

Dom,

 

You have the advantage that whilst "John" from Bangalore can speak some English, after a fashion; "Hans" can't speak German.

 

Bill

Legacy of our colonial past.

[Coombe Barton]

Cant believe that. Excel SUMS are so easy.

 

edited for bad grammar

 

And they'll also put =SUM() for anything and add up the stuff on the brackets - =SUM(A4+A5+A6) - and they get no marks for that. either, as it's tautology.

Edited February 27, 2016 by Coombe Barton

[Barry O]

strangely enough I observed that as soon as any mathematical calculation was required everyone dived for their phones or calculators. We may teach people "Mathematics" but are we missing the ability to "understand" Mathematics by giving them an understanding of how it all goes together?

 

Excel can have it moments - which is why I do a mental quick check to see if the answer provided is correct.

 

Do we teach such reason based approaches? Or are we just asking pupils/students a tick in the box without a real understanding of the subject?. After today it seems the "lazy" approach is being taken with some pupils to get a tick in the box.  Rant Over... but as an Engineer who took double Mathematics A Levels and had a heap of Mathematics to become involved in as part of my degree I do worry about this.

 

Baz

[lightengine]

strangely enough I observed that as soon as any mathematical calculation was required everyone dived for their phones or calculators. We may teach people "Mathematics" but are we missing the ability to "understand" Mathematics by giving them an understanding of how it all goes together?

 

Excel can have it moments - which is why I do a mental quick check to see if the answer provided is correct.

 

Do we teach such reason based approaches? Or are we just asking pupils/students a tick in the box without a real understanding of the subject?. After today it seems the "lazy" approach is being taken with some pupils to get a tick in the box.  Rant Over... but as an Engineer who took double Mathematics A Levels and had a heap of Mathematics to become involved in as part of my degree I do worry about this.

 

Baz

Glad to read that you did mathematics Baz. So did I. They only seem to do Mathematic in the US.

[BoD]

Yes, I'm {still} here......and sending positive wishes for our Jock.

IMG_20160222_095916.jpg

...... and still looking 35 (or whatever it was).

[Tony_S]

Back when I still had a brain and taught people how to use spreadsheets (properly) if it had been designed properly by the time you start entering real data it should have been tested with test data sets.

[Coombe Barton]

strangely enough I observed that as soon as any mathematical calculation was required everyone dived for their phones or calculators. We may teach people "Mathematics" but are we missing the ability to "understand" Mathematics by giving them an understanding of how it all goes together?

 

Excel can have it moments - which is why I do a mental quick check to see if the answer provided is correct.

 

Do we teach such reason based approaches? Or are we just asking pupils/students a tick in the box without a real understanding of the subject?. After today it seems the "lazy" approach is being taken with some pupils to get a tick in the box.  Rant Over... but as an Engineer who took double Mathematics A Levels and had a heap of Mathematics to become involved in as part of my degree I do worry about this.

 

Baz

 

 

Before they get to me my aforementioned =SUM() error I can identify as being taught in some of our feeder schools.

 

What I do is to get them to do is to parameterise everything by putting all numbers outside formulae. Then use their knowledge of algebra to create understandable spreadsheet models. By the way, these are students who hope to become accountants I;m teaching - does that explain my rigorous approach?

 

I don't aim to get boxes ticked - however the people teaching some of these before me have been of that persuasion.

[Judge Dread]

This take on modern mathematics makes me think of the days in 1959, fresh from school and listening to the "old soldiers" I worked with. They had left school at 14 with no qualifications of any description. I was told, however, if I laid a "flag" bet, five horses whose odds were interconnected, they could tell me without reference to any calculator except the one between their ears how much of a payout I could expect. They did go on to say that it was much quicker to open the betting shop door and throw my money in! 

[Coombe Barton]

And my non-favourite question is - "Do we have to do this?"

 

The answer which I'd like to give is - "I don't spend many hours writing this stuff for you to ignore it, so just get on with it."

 

But the answer I do give is - "We can examine any part of this module."

[BoD]

We may teach people "Mathematics" but are we missing the ability to "understand" Mathematics by giving them an understanding of how it all goes together?

Baz

Someone in their status entry also mentioned rote learning some French paragraphs too. For an oral test I suppose.

 

They all get their Grade Cs. The school moves up the league tables. Governments say standards are improving.

We have the best education system in the world, no?

 

Edit: See also the last sentence in John's post, #115412 above.

Edited February 27, 2016 by BoD

[Happy Hippo]

I only use spread sheets when I am painting.

 

 

This afternoon saw the temporary loan of a flatbed truck.

 

This was then parked alongside Muddy Hollow (forward),

 

MH(f) was then cleared of all fallen logs branches and other uncomfortables.

 

These were then taken to the place and unloaded where pyromania is practiced.

 

This had to be done on the express instructions of the Obergrumpenfuhrer who kindly volunteered the grounds of the Hippodrome as a part of the local garening club's open day in June.

 

MH(rear) has not been mentioned at this time, but I have plans in place to remodel this zone if required.

 

Comment was also made of a lack of track where the railway should be.

 

A suggestion of getting ready to plant Peco G45 track was met with a rebuttal in that I have much rail and sleeper materiel, not to mention the huge bag of track spikes.

 

Thank goodness it's only averages about 20 sleepers to the yard.

Edited February 27, 2016 by Happy Hippo

[bbishop]

Evening all,  I missed the first two six nations games.  Yesterday was church fish and chips and this afternoon was a commem. service for Ralph Gooding, late chairman of Southwark MRC.  Not sure what I missed, but the England game was truly awful, the Southern Hemisphere nations are already booking their hotels for the 2019 semi-finals.

 

I've been doing some wagon painting, bauxite for a trio of vans in BR era and red oxide for a Plymouth Devonport & South Western van (ex MR 8 tonner).

 

Must pack for a weeks research at York.  There are 25 Charles Roberts order books waiting for me to photograph.

 

Bill

[emt_911]

I watched some excellent rugby today.

 

Scotland deserved their win and it would be really good to see them beating France in a fortnight.

 

As for the England v Ireland game, I was a bit disappointed with Ireland who had problems getting over the gain line.

 

It's all down to England v Wales on the 12th. After todays performance, I believe that Wales have a good chance.

 

(I am expecting some on here to disagree with me)

[New Haven Neil]

Well, brownie point pile is looking good, two sets of lighting successfully wired in the station, brighter for general lighting and a 'mood' set of dimmer, warmer lights.  Also fixed the awning on the camper, replaced a stupid plastic hinge sort of thing on one of the legs, very weak fitting.

 

Grumble glen tomorrow, ballast bashing again!

[Tony_S]

I watched some excellent rugby today.

 

Scotland deserved their win and it would be really good to see them beating France in a fortnight.

 

As for the England v Ireland game, I was a bit disappointed with Ireland who had problems getting over the gain line.

 

It's all down to England v Wales on the 12th. After todays performance, I believe that Wales have a good chance.

 

(I am expecting some on here to disagree with me)

I can't. I don't watch rugby. When I was at school there was no encouragement to enjoy the game, it was just an excuse for history and maths teachers to do a bit of PE and hit children.

Fortunately not like that nowadays.

[lightengine]

Booked flights and accom for Venice thanks to my Mum giving us some money to do it. Have been waiting since a cancelled 1965 holiday to get there to see Venice. I once passed through Venezia Mestre station en route to Greece but that was the closest. Have decided to stay on Venice Lido as it seems considerably cheaper. Flights from Bristol mean not too much faffing around getting to a departure airport.

So, 51 years after not getting there, I am finally going. Lets hope the tide is out for my time there and I dont need thigh waders.

[bbishop]

Ally Pally.  I have been coerced, the only word for it, into manning the South Western Circle stand on the Sunday.  I don't know what the ticketing arrangements are, but if it's a "hand me down" then I'm there for the one day.

 

Bill

[bbishop]

I can't. I don't watch rugby. When I was at school there was no encouragement to enjoy the game, it was just an excuse for history and maths teachers to do a bit of PE and hit children.

Fortunately not like that nowadays.

Not at my school, it was give as good as you get.  I was taught my front row technique by a couple of masters of the "dark arts".

 

Bill

[lightengine]

I can't. I don't watch rugby. When I was at school there was no encouragement to enjoy the game, it was just an excuse for history and maths teachers to do a bit of PE and hit children.

Fortunately not like that nowadays.

Sounds like the vicious PE master I had, Shapland.

[jamie92208]

Sounds like the vicious PE master I had, Shapland.

Despite having a games teacher for a mother I was hopeless at all ball games which did not bode well at my school and I hated the Tuesday and Thursday afternoons when I had to play it. We were also forced to watch if the First XV were playing another school team on a Saturday afternoon. I have vivid and not pleasant memories of standing on the banking overlooking 'Eshtons' on a freezing winter afternoon. In the 6th form we could choose to do cross country instead as long as we did a run of at least 4 miles. I opted for that. Despite this I actually enjoy watching the game as I understand it, unlike soccer which we didn't learn.

 

Jamie