If I can work out the cost of a few stamps in my head, why do the staff need a calculator? There's nothing wrong with the times table if it means kids are independent of calculators for the simplest calculation.

It's no wonder more parents are sending their kids to independent schools when homosexual activists are allowed to visit Victorian schools and tell kids what a great lifestyle it is! This despite the fact that 85% of AIDS cases are homosexual males! This figure was quoted by the Gay Lobby itelf in the Industrial Relations Commission in 1994.

Sorry

Character in South Park called “Big Gay Al” ? Using old data to prop up your ideas is quite irresponsible and sad. As a hetro male who is completely comfortable with my sexuality, I can happily sit next a gay person I won’t gay cooties. I am also quite happy with anybody telling my children that they should not feel bad about being homosexual, bisexual, asexual or heterosexual. Any way this thread is about education not social studies. If you want to teach your kids to be bigots take them to a right wing Pentecostal church. There are very few things in life that you have to in your head whether you grab a piece of paper of a calculator is ok by me. The children today may not be able to parrot out the times tables but they will be able to work out what the answer is. If they get a job where there is a need to multiply in your head then they will quickly learn that skill.

Given that the name you picked for yourself may well be a Freudian slip I think you should take a good look within yourself. Hell go a buy a copy of “Out” it might stir some feelings.

Of course, anyone who disagrees with you would be a "bigot" wouldn't they? The Commonwealth Health Department was similar figures of 85% if AIDS cses coming from less than 2% of the adult male popultion in male homosexuals. The fact that they are permitting this rubbish in Victorian Government schools makes it an Educational issue. If I were to read "Out" it would stir feelings all right -Revulsion!

You say that the children will work out the answer if they need to. That they will quickly learn to multiply in their heads. If they can't learn it at school, who's going to teach them to do it? It's a bit late by then, and makes it hard to learn, when it would have been easy earlier. It's apparent that without calculators most young people are struggling. It's not fair to them that they were not taught the basics of maths and spelling [usually atrocious] when they were in State primary school.

Collins Dictionary
Bigot: n Person intolerant of ideas of others.
If the shoe fits wear it.

But they are taught the basics show me the maths course that doesn't include how to +,-,/ and x. All schools in Australia are covered by their state curricula so if kids are doing better in ngs's (some data says no) then maybe it's something else. Maybe it's is class size or teacher, student ratios. Kevin is wishing us to move down a US model where curricula can be set by the school itself. We have seen in the US a big drop in the level of science trainning. Over half the country thinks the world is only 6 thousand years old and many other dumb ideas. Gues what they are just as bad as us at adding up and have to import scienist.

Great to read the responses to the article. In relation to pisa/timss, Nita is correct, pisa dumbs down and employs a flawed methodology while timss actually looks at what should be taught in the classroom. See the following article in the Oz for further details:
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5744,11852065%255E7583,00.html
Kevin D

Kenny, by your own definition, you are intolerant of my ideas, and therefore a bigot yourself. If the other shoe fits, you wear it.
[This could go on forever].