Don't Know Much About Geography
Phillip Greenspun has a depressing piece up about the inability of people to tell which direction is which. My favorite test along these lines is to pull bills out of my wallet, and ask kids (high school age, since that's my daughter's cohort at present) who is on them. The quizzical looks are either amusing or disturbing, depending on my mood that day....
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Comments
Re: Don't Know Much About Geography
[HKN] August 20, 2010 1:29:50.640
the only important things on bills are the words (currency) and the numbers. I hope the kids can count at least. Aren't bills outdated anyway?
Re: Don't Know Much About Geography
[james Robertson] August 20, 2010 2:14:52.236
The point isn't the money; it's that they can't identify the people on them.
Re: Don't Know Much About Geography
[anonymous] August 20, 2010 21:47:44.847
What causes the seasons Mr Robertson? Apparently 90% of people start blabbering about eliptical orbits...
Re: Don't Know Much About Geography
[W^L+] August 21, 2010 21:56:44.723
Somewhere, the decision was made that this isn't as important for students to learn. It wasn't just schools that stopped teaching these things--parents also stopped emphasizing them.
When my now-22 year-old was younger, I would suddenly quiz him during trips. "What direction are we heading? Which way is East? What city are we in? How do we get home from here?" He had to give me correct answers to my questions or hear me lecture him. The result? He usually knows his directions and can figure out how to get from point A to point B.