02.04.06
Smarter but more inept
I found an article in Times Online titled: Failing to teach them how to handle real life. New research has shown that today’s children are less “intelligent” than their counterparts 30 years ago. These new findings help us understand the effects of the current education trend focusing on standardized test scores as the primary marker for intellectual achievement (and imply that education today provides less congnitive stimulation for children).
In the easiest question, children are asked to watch as water is poured up to the brim of a tall, thin container. From there the water is tipped into a small fat glass. The tall vessel is refilled. Do both beakers now hold the same amount of water? “It’s frightening how many children now get this simple question wrong,†says scientist Denise Ginsburg, Shayer’s wife and another of the research team.