CLAP TRAP TEACHING.

Having explained before about my obsession regarding letters to the press, the following caught my eye last week. The title is taken from a letter by Andrew Dempster, a former maths teacher in Perthshire, Scotland, who took early retirement three years ago, due to curriculum changes. The future was to be based around a 'curriculum for excellence'. Mr. Dempster obviously recognizes a 'pig in a poke' along with anyone who follows the machinations of modern politics; it's just something with which to bamboozle the punters.

He goes on to mention, at a recent parents evening, his son attends the old school. They were shown a YouTube video featuring a character advocating that information is the thing, not knowledge. What strikes the author is how sheep-like the world will become should this ever come about. It is easy to observe youngsters today playing on these modern 'gizmos', when many of us know that anything can be online. I'm not suggesting that all this information is useless, I use it often to support my radio programme, but I do know what I'm looking for. For many children, it is only a gimmick, which is soon superseded by an updated super 'gizmo', and there will be another one along shortly.


HITLER AND GOEBBELS WOULD HAVE LOVED THIS FACILITY.