[OT] command of English by non-native speakers

[Chan Chung Hang Christopher]

Chris Rees wrote:
> 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?
>   

Reports from last year about uni's from the UK, Australia and the States 
harping about the grammar of their students and plainly blaming it on 
the lack of grammar drilling er teaching in school. Grammar is now cut 
out of Hong Kong's English language teaching policy. Perhaps the last 
bastion of English grammar in schools are countries like India and the 
Philippines and elsewhere on the African continent. Okay, you still have 
it for foreign students in the UK etc. But I certainly do not hear about 
it being taught to native speakers in places like the UK, Australia and 
the States.