LIQUID ASSETS

Now here’s an interesting question all about Liquid Assets. No, we’re not talking about cash flows, pounds and pence, dollars or cents or even Euro. We’re talking about one of the most precious commodities we have: water. Yes, water – because without water, we are, well, nowhere. We cannot exist.

Do we prefer our water bottled or out of the tap? Why? And how much are we prepared to pay for it? Let us know what you think about water, and how much we spend on it.

Have your say now by filling in the form below.

NOW WE ALL AGREE...

Tests and exams can be a good thing. We spend time learning things, and, to see if we understand what it is we’ve learned, we’re set tests or exams. That way not only those who teach us, but we, ourselves, can assess whether we truly know more, or less, than we did.

From these tests, we also get a sense of achievement. We’ve all had the experience of rushing to the school’s message board when exam results are posted, to see how we, and some of our friends, have done.
Teachers are also affected by the results. They must feel great satisfaction when their pupils have done well, and most teachers will be very proud of their achievements.

TARGET PRACTICE

This sense of achievement can be translated to the whole school. We often hear in the news about schools who have done particularly well with exam passes. This is important, because some schools are given targets to meet. If they do well, they’re OK. If they don’t meet their targets, in some extreme cases, the schools could be closed down.
But, is testing now starting to get out of control? Is it becoming more important that teaching? Is testing being used to set targets and a tool by which those targets can be reached? Some say that tests are simplifying the teaching process. Others say, that kids are learning only enough to pass a test.

OINK! understands that some teachers feel this could lead to only having a partial understand of a subject. This isn’t good for the pupils; neither is it good for the teachers who’s job it is to help people learn and understand.

WHAT'S STRESS IN FRENCH?

Also, tests mean that teachers are having to spend much more of their time marking papers in their free time. And a whole new industry of ‘experts’ has evolved. These experts are hired to advise on what new tests to bring out, and, of course, as they’re being paid to do so, inevitably, the experts will want to be seen to be contributing something important. Like the recent potty proposals suggesting we do away with oral tests for foreign languages because they’re too stressful!

OINK! THINKS

Of course, this is part of a general trend where everything any of us do in life is tested in one way or another, from the cradle to the grave. And in the event we fail any of these tests – watch out!

Teachers will always take us aside and help us with extra lessons and special coaching to get us through an exam, if we fail the first time. But with so many tests, and even more proposed, so many pupils and, relatively, few experienced teachers to help us, what will happen to those kids who continually fail the tests? Will they be excluded? Will the schools they attend be fined, or even closed?

OINK! thinks there should be a MAJOR rethink on all of this and the ‘experts’ should be put to the test themselves, preferably by our teachers who could ask the following test questions: tell us why this test is necessary?

Adding to this issue’s opinion on ‘testing in schools’, Jack writes... I think that we are being tested too much. We have a maths test every term and we have to rush our work.

Wartortle writes... teachers spend too much time talking about the exams and lecturing us on their importance and not enough time letting us get on with the work!

Lil writes... I think it is a good idea to be tested ONCE in a while to find out how good we are at subjects.