Geographic Illiteracy in US.

reply to post by rickymouse


Sorry, but bwahhhhhh....that was funny

Originally posted by rickymouse
I'm not good at maps. I can never find Atlantis on a map, no matter how hard I try to find it.

Atlantis is in Georgia.

reply to post by Wrabbit2000


Calculators are for suckers

reply to post by beezzer


Oh, and I thought it was some super rich people resort in the Bahamas? I know I saw someone say the Obama daughters went to Atlantis and ..against all hopes and odds, the whole family made it back with only a few S.S. agents reported missing along the way. Can't be that tough a place.. Hmpf.

reply to post by beezzer


No, it's here in the Bahamas...see the map thingy, it tells you:



And duh the capitol is a place called Paradise Island

reply to post by ThePublicEnemyNo1


The capital of the Bahamas is actually "B".

Originally posted by beezzer
reply to post by ThePublicEnemyNo1

 

The capital of the Bahamas is actually "B".

Touche'!

Originally posted by Wrabbit2000
reply to post by jiggerj

 

Well, actually..No, I didn't know the Birr is the unit of currency for Ethiopia. That is a new one and a level of detail I probably don't need to know. On the other hand, knowing that Africa was ruled and spanned by great tribes which formed true Empires before the Europeans discovered the interior IS critical to understanding the socio-economic landscape we see before us in Africa today. The fact that native African peoples AVOIDED concentration of living spaces and avoided settling on water ways and lake shores ...while Europeans embraced these things, and then died from disease left and right ..IS important to know in a well rounded look at the state of life there as we find it.

Well rounded education and cultural awareness isn't something I see as peripheral to being a well grounded person for interpreting the world around us ....It's a basic starting point to knowing more than our own living experience for how anything came to be how it is ....let alone, how it's likely to develop and evolve over time. All based on that knowledge of culture and it's formation from the past.

For instance.... Some people state with certainty that the Europeans stole the land from the Native Americans. That holds some truth to say ...but which ones? There were over a dozen MAJOR tribes, and all fighting each other as much as curious by the newcomers, when Europe found the Americas. At least back 17,000 years, that history thus far supports, that was the case. Many many peoples...from different geographic areas..all competing across this continent for territory and supremacy. What, before that? See.....at least when we want to chat on such topics, that baseline of knowledge is what an America used to have from education we all received?

Now? That baseline of knowledge may or may not even see them knowing North/South Korea from Australia. (sigh) ... A man on the street interview segment shown on the last day of my Geography course had a shocking number of people pinning Australia as North Korea and Tasmania as South Korea just because the hosts had changed the written label. One even showed shock that North Korea was SO MUCH larger than poor little South.

That would have been hilarious to watch....if not such a pathetic statement as to the pure epidemic of willful ignorance in our nation.

edit on 19-5-2013 by Wrabbit2000 because: (no reason given)

Now that is one deeply rooted response I agree with...and thank you.

reply to post by Cabin


I bemoan the fate of literacy throughout the overall U.S. educational system. Geographic illiteracy is just one of the casualties of it.

Of course there are still schools out there that do actually educate and then are still students out there that are encouraged to learn and excel. They are just becoming fewer.

I'm thinking that those researchers that say tech, specifically in the social context, is dumbing us down are correct...so far.

Originally posted by jiggerj
reply to post by Cabin

 

Probably gonna get bashed for this, but what the heck. The people giving these geography tests are probably the only ones that think geography is important. When is the last time anyone took a geography test to get a job? When did anyone need to study years of geography to find a grocery store, or factory, or hospital?

It's just not that important (if at all) in our daily lives.

I know that Iran is in the Middle East. But, why would I need to waste some brain space so that I would be able to stick a pin in its exact location on a map?

How much value is there in learning and remembering that the population of Timbuktu is 5,000 or a gazillion?

I still believe that it is not important to know stuff, rather it is exceedingly important to know how to find it when you need it. I can't tell you how many times my acquaintances go around asking questions (and not getting the answers), when they all have computers at home that are on-line!

Top 10 Reasons to Study Geography
To understand basic physical systems that affect everyday life (e.g. earth-sun relationships, water cycles, wind and ocean currents).
To learn the location of places and the physical and cultural characteristics of those places in order to function more effectively in our increasingly interdependent world.
To understand the geography of past times and how geography has played important roles in the evolution of people, their ideas, places and environments.
To develop a mental map of your community, province or territory, country and the world so that you can understand the “where” of places and events.
To explain how the processes of human and physical systems have arranged and sometimes changed the surface of the Earth.
To understand the spatial organization of society and see order in what often appears to be random scattering of people and places.
To recognize spatial distributions at all scales — local and worldwide — in order to understand the complex connectivity of people and places.
To be able to make sensible judgements about matters involving relationships between the physical environment and society.
To appreciate Earth as the homeland of humankind and provide insight for wise management decisions about how the planet’s resources should be used.
To understand global interdependence and to become a better global citizen.

www.ccge.org...

Knowing something about different areas shows respect to the people from there. I doubt anybody in US can live without ever meeting some foreigner. I have travelled extensively around Europe. I have never been asked about where my country is at, while in America nearly everybody I talked with asked the question... It was sad. Once just for fun, I tried the same with an American tourist, asking where USA is. He got a bit angry with me... "Everybody should know where USA is"... Why is it more important to know where US is than to know where France, Finland, South Korea or Luxembourg is?

The world is interconnected. Everything is connected one way or another. Understanding the geographical structure, helps you understand the world, its history much better. A lot of it comes useful in daily life and saves a lot of nerves. There are so many people whining in different internet forums without understanding much about the world. US is not the only country and the best thing is understanding as many different perspectives as possible.

You are not asked to know every single village in the world... Knowing the location of different areas, even areas, , roughly the size of the country and population is valuable knowledge and can be very useful in life, if one knows how to use it.

To your second post:

Ethiopian money should be birr Couple of weeks ago, I played basketball against a marathon runner from Addis Abeba, who had come here for taking part in marathon. He showed me some of the local currency.

Originally posted by TDawgRex
reply to post by Cabin

 

I bemoan the fate of literacy throughout the overall U.S. educational system. Geographic illiteracy is just one of the casualties of it.

Of course there are still schools out there that do actually educate and then are still students out there that are encouraged to learn and excel. They are just becoming fewer.

I'm thinking that those researchers that say tech, specifically in the social context, is dumbing us down are correct...so far.

You couldn't be more correct! There is a school in Altadena, CA called Aveson Charter just a bit up the road from where I live and the students only use computers...they never write a single word by hand. Word is, that Bill Gates founded the school (not sure if that's factual). My kids used to attend this school in the late nineties when it was called Noyes Elementary.

I bet the current students penmanship is horrible:

reply to post by Cabin


What ever happened to "no child left behind"??

www.youtube.com...

I think my signature explains it pretty well....

reply to post by olaru12


Are you freaking kidding me That's insane to the membrane !!!!!!!!!

No child left behind...what the hell!!!! I'll tell you what, the majority of these kids better be glad I'm not their Mom or teacher, becaused I'd slap the cRap out of any student that left my history class giving those answers especially, if it's the end of the year and fail each and everyone of them until they got it right (then I would probably get fired...but oh well!). Good thing I'm not a teacher eh'!

No wonder though...the majority of new teachers are only there to pay for their own formal degrees...they could care less. And I'm sure that more than 50% of the US is dumb as a box of rocks....so no help there with mentorship or parenting!

That's a disgraceful display of American intelligence to say the least

ETA
I'd leave every last one of them behind!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! That's some you know what CRAP!

reply to post by Wrabbit2000


Allow me to back up a bit in order to show you where my reasoning comes from. Even here on ATS we can find so many members that don't even know how to write a proper sentence, or separate paragraphs, or even structure their ideas in a communicative way. With too many fully grown adults their basic skills of reading, writing, and arithmetic is beyond pathetic.

I would like to see schools teach only these basics before any student moves on to other subjects. And, the students DON'T move on until they master those basics. What good is history if a student can't read it? What good is geography, music, or even sports if a student hasn't learned enough to qualify for a job at a car wash???

I am a die cutter. The dies we use are simply long razor blades that we round in order to fit into a slot that is cut into a perfect circle in wood. Let's say a die has a 12" diameter. When we change these blades we remove them from the wood and straighten them out, then we set them on a new blade to cut the new blade to the right length.

Anyway, a long time die cutter damaged the old blade in a way that it couldn't be used to measure the new blade. The guy freaked! I told him just to use Pi. He looked at me as though he'd never heard the word before. Fifty years old, a die cutter for over 20 years, and he didn't know Pi???

In school, basics mastered first to ensure people at least have enough smarts to get a job and support themselves. Then they can learn all the geography they want. That's all I'm saying.

reply to post by jiggerj


You have made a very valuable point

ETA
Hell, I know this may sound Un-American to some, but I say fail them all no matter who they are or where they come from until they can pass a WRITTEN test/exam.

Not that bubble in number 2 pencil crap where you get to use scratch paper (okay, maybe the scratch paper for math). But, these kids...the majority are idiots!!!!!

Fail em' until they get it!!!!!!!!!

Originally posted by jiggerj




In school, basics mastered first to ensure people at least have enough smarts to get a job and support themselves. Then they can learn all the geography they want. That's all I'm saying.

But basics aren't mastered. Reading skills and comprehension in the US are disgraceful.
www.lsi.ku.edu...


Even reading some of the responses in threads here on ATS shows woeful comprehension of the subject being discussed.

Combine ignorance with agendas and off the wall ideologies...."Houston, we have a problem!!!"

reply to post by jiggerj


I certainly cannot argue the need to focus on the basics, no question there. I wasn't kidding when I said earlier that calculators are a part of Math class now. At the very core level, it's math. I was told at least 4 different times that something the instructor was showing us was 'just to show us' but we wouldn't need to know all that, just how to enter it into a calculator. :shk:

Part of that?? Part of the example was how to divide decimals into equal parts as well as change freely between fractions and back again. "You'll never use this stuff outside a calculator" was the statement I all but came out of my chair with. I've given up fighting it though. It is the way of the new world...and yes, the final exam had 3 things. The test, a #2 pencil and a $30 graphing calculator. Many of my class mates went cheap on the $10 one...and woe be them. lol......

By the way...I DID shut her up pretty hard, without losing my temper. When she made the point about how division of decimals wasn't that important...I couldn't help myself. What decimals might we mean, I wondered...say... $510.99, for example? Say...the price tag for a payment based purchase from a Rent-A-Center, for instance?! This is all the shopping which people who learn like that will likely ever manage anyway, and they'll have to ask the counter people for a calculator to divide the above dollar figure into equal payment amounts, less the down payment and all the while, with interest figured in. Sad... Just how can a business respect a customer in a negotiation when "May I use your calculator?" is the required stage at the critical point?

The fact our kids not only CANNOT do that largely in their head ..but absolutely without calculator, on paper? Is absolutely pathetic. So, I'll agree... Geography could wait if THAT is the focus instead. Unfortunately, it isn't. I don't know what the focus IS these days....but Reading/Writing and basic common ability sure isn't on the agenda.

Originally posted by ThePublicEnemyNo1
reply to post by jiggerj

 

You have made a very valuable point

ETA
Hell, I know this may sound Un-American to some, but I say fail them all no matter who they are or where they come from until they can pass a WRITTEN test/exam.

Not that bubble in number 2 pencil crap where you get to use scratch paper (okay, maybe the scratch paper for math). But, these kids...the majority are idiots!!!!!

Fail em' until they get it!!!!!!!!!

edit on 5/19/13 by ThePublicEnemyNo1 because: (no reason given)

I agree about it.

Basics must be mastered.

I do not know how US has with obligatory literature.I have had lots of obligatory reading in every school I went to, since 3rd grade. In high-school you had to read 150-200 pages a week to keep up. There was so much obligatory literature, all the book classics, from Hemingway, Goethe, Hesse,Tolstoi, Dostojevski etc. There was a lot of reading, average around 150-200 pages a week. Every week/two weeks there was a deadline and a test you had to pass, otherwise not possible to end high school.

It has been so since 3rd grade, year by year the number of pages rising a lot. It is not possible to get to the next grade, if not good enough. I know a 24 year-old who is still in 8th grade He is just so lazy, does not want to quit, but too lazy to study, so redoing it for the past 9-10 years.

The thing with most subjects, which might seem not so necessary for life is just the fact to make people understand the world better + develop the brain. When something is not taught at school, too many would simply never learn it. If geography is not taught at school, I doubt many grown-ups would take up maps and start learning on their own. Some would, but most wouldnt.

I can tell you one sure fire way to teach kids geography.

Make them use maps in video games.

This is a stupid poll. There are only a handful of countries involved and Mexico is the lowest. There are reasons this turned out this way. In europe they know their neighboring countries better.

Sometimes we have to also accept that ways that we (older adults) learned can becoming antiquated.