[OT] command of English by non-native speakers

[Chris Rees]

2009/12/10 Christopher Chan <christopher.chan at bradbury.edu.hk>:
> Chris Rees wrote:
>> 2009/12/9 Ian L. Target <ian69 at comcast.net>:
>>> <snipped>
>>>> I don't know what the situation is on your side of the Atlantic, but
>>>> here in the UK the focus is now mostly on skills for learning,
>>>> enjoyment of learning and effective learning. I don't think the
>>>> old-fashioned methods for teaching made people enjoy learning, they
>>>> were just beaten and bullied into reciting facts and figures.
>>>>
>>>> The modern world is moving at such a pace that although older
>>>> generations could leave school knowing most things needed, today the
>>>> opposite is true. We can't afford to teach knowledge, because in ten
>>>> years' time a huge portion of it will become irrelevant.
>>> I could be wrong, but I do not predict that basic spelling and grammar
>>> skills and knowledge of simple mathematics will be obsolete in ten years.
>>>
>>
>> That's why I said a large amount of KNOWLEDGE will become irrelevant.
>> Spelling and grammar SKILLS and simple mathematical SKILLS are what
>> gets taught!
>>
>
> Where? Where? We have way longer school hours and zero grammar being
> taught as far as I can tell. Even spelling is a bit of a joke with spell
> checkers being available on computers.

As far as you can tell? What does that mean?

Chris



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