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Maikha
Not a gunzel
Joined: Sep 06, 2003
Last Visited: Nov 21, 2008
Location: Wagga Wagga, NSW
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Posted: Sun Mar 30, 2008 10:13 pm
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English is my second language.
So how did I improve on it at school? My parents got me both a Macquarie Dictionary and a Thesaurus and both never went more than a metre away from me while doing homework throughout primary and high-school.
Sounds nerdy, yes. But the marks said otherwise 
Cheers
Maikha Ly
The Intercity Platform & Valve Gear Media!
http://www.theintercityplatform.com/
Comments made are that of my own, and do not reflect those of organisations mentioned. |
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xxxxlbear
Token Booking Clerk
Joined: Oct 30, 2004
Last Visited: Nov 22, 2008
Location: Geelong
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Posted: Sun Mar 30, 2008 11:18 pm
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Most of the kids these days, is it generation x....or have we progressed to generation y yet?  , would not know what a thesaurus is, or even how to use one.
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Bwana
Chief Commissioner
Joined: Jul 21, 2003
Last Visited: Nov 21, 2008
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Posted: Mon Mar 31, 2008 5:45 am
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| TheLoadedDog™™ wrote: | | She won't get much basic grammar in that place. It's all about mathematics and the sciences. |
That depends actually on the school. My school had the word "Technical" in the title, so you can probably guess where we were centred, but the two schools I worked at were VERY focused on the expressive arts, particularly the last one which was very focused on drama and visual art - to the point of spending (from memory) $20Million on a theatre at the time I left, and having a (small) art gallery.
If I was to make some generalisations, girls schools and private schools are more focused on the expressive arts (including writing), public schools and boys schools are more focused on the science/maths area. With that said, if you have a boy that you don't have the money to send to private school, but do want to improve their expressional skills, there are schools around for you, you'll just have to look hard (and hope they accept your son). Same for a daughter you want to become an engineer, although your search will be a bit easier.
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biqua
Paper Tiger
Joined: May 10, 2005
Last Visited: Nov 21, 2008
Location: SRA Survey No. 14032
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Posted: Mon Mar 31, 2008 11:13 am
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| Bwana wrote: | | ... but the two schools I worked at were VERY focused on the expressive arts, particularly the last one which was very focused on drama and visual art - to the point of spending (from memory) $20Million on a theatre at the time I left, and having a (small) art gallery. |
It wasn't Summer Heights High was it? 
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TheLoadedDog
El Sombrero!
Joined: Jun 19, 2003
Last Visited: Sep 28, 2008
Location: Macquarie Fields NSW
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Posted: Mon Mar 31, 2008 11:31 am
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| Bwana wrote: | | ...but the two schools I worked at were VERY focused on the expressive arts, particularly the last one which was very focused on drama and visual art - to the point of spending (from memory) $20Million on a theatre at the time I left, and having a (small) art gallery.. |
Yeah, but that conjures up images of an assembly hall full of kids swayig about being told "pretend you're a tree". All well and good I suppose, and my own school had lots of that kind of stuff. What I'm talking about, though, is a classroom full of kids being told, "Open your grammar textbook to chapter 17 - Use of the Subjunctive". You don't find much of that these days.
Humphrey! We're leaving!
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Bwana
Chief Commissioner
Joined: Jul 21, 2003
Last Visited: Nov 21, 2008
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Posted: Mon Mar 31, 2008 12:41 pm
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I grant chapter 17 will never be opened in a classroom again. Maybe it should be, instead of wasting the left-brainer's time on finding the humour in "Merchant of Venice" or trying to follow even the freakin' plotline in Wuthering Heights when there are multiple characters with the same freakin' name!! (something I never achieved - can you tell it's a sore point for me?).
Don't get me wrong, if Billy Shakespeare does it for you, go for it - in 3U english. But unless you're also studying Al's theory of relativity, don't shove Billy into the face of a left brain thinker, or expect them to give a rats how freakin' funny Portia's judgement to that bastard Shylock was. Sorry, I've read it twice, seen it once, and it is no better, or important, than last weeks episodes of Neighbours - and should have been forgotten about equally quickly.
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wurx
Lithgovian Ambassador-at-Large
Joined: Dec 07, 2003
Last Visited: Nov 21, 2008
Location: the wurxcorral, Corrimal, NSW - official site of the Illawarra's Lithgovian Embassy
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Posted: Mon Mar 31, 2008 2:57 pm
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| TheLoadedDog™™ wrote: | Bigwato, I was in the same boat. The spelling and grammar components of the curriculum went south in the early 1970s, and have since stayed there.
If you want your daughter to improve, I suggest you do three things:
1. Encourage reading.
2. Encourage reading.
3. Encourage reading.
That's how I learned.
Even if you make it a habit to sit down with her at breakfast and go over a newspaper article, that's a good start. She doesn't have to be "bookish" if that's not her personality, but she does need to be around the written word.
Edited to add:
She'd be on the cusp of High School, yeah? She won't get much basic grammar in that place. It's all about mathematics and the sciences. So don't rely on the teachers - this is something you can do at home (unlike the maths homework help if you're anything like me). One thing high school can offer her is the chance to learn a foreign language - this is something she must jump at (at which she must jump ). |
May I add to the "encourage reading" theory (which BTW worked very well for me  ) - crosswords.
Crosswords are excellent brainfood, and the more you do them, the better you get at doing them. It makes your brain think of words, think of the spelling of words, think of synonyms (other words that mean the word in question, eg ball = orb = globe = planet, etc etc).
Can only add to the education and experience.
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David Peters
Minister for Railways
Joined: Nov 29, 2005
Last Visited: Nov 21, 2008
Location: In a black Trans Am!
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Posted: Mon Mar 31, 2008 3:18 pm
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Crosswords have other abilities too, especially when you know the word, but cannot remember it, out comes the dictionary or thesaurus to look it up! Along the way you learn other words that can sometimes seem to jump off the pages at you!
National Railway Museum member.
The opinions expressed by my me in these posts is not the opinion of the N.R.M. and should not be construed as such.
Ferroequinologist and Microferroequinologist.
Photosite http://davidpeters950.fotopic.net |
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574M
White Guru
Joined: Mar 15, 2006
Last Visited: Nov 13, 2008
Location: Shepparton
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Posted: Mon Mar 31, 2008 3:46 pm
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| Bwana wrote: | I grant chapter 17 will never be opened in a classroom again. Maybe it should be, instead of wasting the left-brainer's time on finding the humour in "Merchant of Venice" or trying to follow even the freakin' plotline in Wuthering Heights when there are multiple characters with the same freakin' name!! (something I never achieved - can you tell it's a sore point for me?).
Don't get me wrong, if Billy Shakespeare does it for you, go for it - in 3U english. But unless you're also studying Al's theory of relativity, don't shove Billy into the face of a left brain thinker, or expect them to give a rats how freakin' funny Portia's judgement to that bastard Shylock was. Sorry, I've read it twice, seen it once, and it is no better, or important, than last weeks episodes of Neighbours - and should have been forgotten about equally quickly. |
Perhaps you will merit Heaven without all this, Bwana. Portia and Shylock will not be the conversation at the Pearly Gates, I can tell you.
VOTE NOW in the 2008 BOGIES
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Bwana
Chief Commissioner
Joined: Jul 21, 2003
Last Visited: Nov 21, 2008
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Posted: Mon Mar 31, 2008 4:42 pm
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| Quote: | | Perhaps you will merit Heaven without all this, Bwana. Portia and Shylock will not be the conversation at the Pearly Gates, I can tell you. |
I doubt Chapter 17 will get you too far either. Chapter 17 MIGHT, however, help you (or at least your audience) between now and then.
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tbohlsennswssrg
Train Controller
Joined: Dec 19, 2005
Last Visited: Nov 22, 2008
Location: Roseville, Sydney, NSW
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David Peters
Minister for Railways
Joined: Nov 29, 2005
Last Visited: Nov 21, 2008
Location: In a black Trans Am!
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Posted: Mon Jun 09, 2008 2:32 pm
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Personally if you have to abbreviate words like this you are just lazy, when writing by hand and if you need to be quick I can allow it, but typing on a computer it does not take much longer to type the full word than to type the abbreviation, You is an example it is only two letters less when put as U.
Also correct English make it a lot easier, on those of us that do not use chat speak, to understand what you are trying to say. If you cannot punctuate properly it does not really matter as long as you separate, say every second sentence by double spacing it, this makes it easier to read, although correct punctuation does help here!
I have to agree with TLD™ though education could stand to go back to the three R's, Reading, Riting and Rythamatic! 
National Railway Museum member.
The opinions expressed by my me in these posts is not the opinion of the N.R.M. and should not be construed as such.
Ferroequinologist and Microferroequinologist.
Photosite http://davidpeters950.fotopic.net |
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Aaron
Chief Commissioner
Joined: Jan 20, 2004
Last Visited: Nov 22, 2008
Location: University of Adelaide SA
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Posted: Mon Oct 06, 2008 2:25 pm
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| David Peters wrote: | | Personally if you have to abbreviate words like this you are just lazy, when writing by hand and if you need to be quick I can allow it, but typing on a computer it does not take much longer to type the full word than to type the abbreviation, You is an example it is only two letters less when put as U. |
*You* might only be two more letters, but it is also 300% more to type...
| David Peters wrote: | | Also correct English make it a lot easier, on those of us that do not use chat speak, to understand what you are trying to say. If you cannot punctuate properly it does not really matter as long as you separate, say every second sentence by double spacing it, this makes it easier to read, although correct punctuation does help here! |
A nice example of what not to follow huh? *Do as I say, not as I do* and all that. Nice punctuation and top marks for spelling too!
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David Peters
Minister for Railways
Joined: Nov 29, 2005
Last Visited: Nov 21, 2008
Location: In a black Trans Am!
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Posted: Mon Oct 06, 2008 7:39 pm
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We was to poor, to have a mudda!
National Railway Museum member.
The opinions expressed by my me in these posts is not the opinion of the N.R.M. and should not be construed as such.
Ferroequinologist and Microferroequinologist.
Photosite http://davidpeters950.fotopic.net |
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JatzCrackers
Chief Commissioner
Joined: Apr 26, 2006
Last Visited: Nov 22, 2008
Location: Castle Crackers, Lithgovia
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Posted: Tue Oct 07, 2008 2:34 am
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In my experience, learning a second language will teach you about your native tongue as well. It puts things in perspective, if that term may be used in reference to grammar.
["Excuse me, sir. I noticed that you made that turn of phrase while simultaneously using a gerund in a roundabout way. I'm afraid I'll have to ask to see your poetic license. Thank you."]
Sir JatzCrackers, Lord High Chancellor of the Evil Empire of Lithgovia 
Last edited by JatzCrackers on the nones of sextember Anno Domini LXIX prima luce; edited iii times in toto. |
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