Educators in the United Kingdom have a curious view of teachable moments. The educators found that many of their students could not tell the time at schools because they could not read analog clocks. The solution? They replaced all of the clocks with digital clocks. Problem solved. Of course, people from other countries may have to help them with reading Big Ben . . . unless it will also go digital.
The Telegraph reports that all of the analog clocks are being changed rather than teach students to actually read time. Malcolm Trobe, deputy general secretary at the Association of School and College Leaders in England is quoted as saying that “The current generation aren’t as good at reading the traditional clock face as older generations.” Ok, then how about teach them since analog clocks are still used throughout the world. The report finding that high school students could not tell the time should trigger an effort to teach them so that they will be able to function fully in society — both analog and digital.
This is not just a UK problem. According to a 2017 survey in Oklahoma City only 1-in-10 children in the city between the ages of 6-12 owned a watch and only 1-in-5 knew how to read the analog watches.
Sun dials for all!
Mickeys big hand is on the 3, and the little hand is on the 6, what time is it?
Independent Bob – if Mickey’s little hand was on the 6, his big hand would be halfway between 3 and 4. 😉
What about other analog devices and gauges? No more analog speedometers, pressure gauges, thermometers, and the like?
We keep accommodating the stupid people. Idiocracy is truly here.
Awhile back I made a small purchase at a store, and I added some change to the $20 I gave the clerk, so that I would get back a five and some ones. The (female) clerk looked puzzled at what I had done. So she got out a calculator. After some furious button-pushing, a glow of understanding finally spread over her face …..
Don’t kids learn anything useful anymore?
Think of the confusion if 24 hour analog clocks were issued.
Darren Smith – think of the confusion of changing your watch every time you switched time zones. 😉
The young generation of UK, it’s future, cannot read Big Ben? They can matriculate without being capable of telling time? My 2nd grader learned how to read an analog clock years ago.
Perhaps they need to get their teenage students those plastic kindergarten clocks with the hands you can move around to practice?
The dumbing down of society is not only an American trend it appears.
That, as well as the coarsening of our culture, bode nothing good.
Kids wouldn’t know how to “dial” a rotary phone, either.
CV Brown – just a little factoid about China and time. China only has one time zone.
Military time is used on the continent – 24 hour – makes more sense than AM and PM IMO. Maybe the UK hasn’t switched to the metric system yet either =)
HOW SAD IS THAT??????????
Mistake!
How difficult can it be to learn how to read an analog clock? When I was a young child I had a clock like the below. Maybe they should be issued to these university students. Oh and it requires winding, if they can manage at least that.
https://jonathanturley.files.wordpress.com/2018/05/robert-shaw-happy-face-clock.png
It isn’t difficult. It’s the end of the fiscal year. One’s expenditure requirements = the amount of money left in the budget x 1. Giraffe goes where?
This is just a trivial example of skills being lost due to technology. And- many of them are survival skills that won’t be missed until they are desperately needed….
Maybe Big Ben will have a cut out with a digital insert. I started in the analog age and found digital clock annoying at first. However, I still have analog clocks in the house, but my smartwatch and phone are digital.
Cheaper and easier to just apply teaching. the history of analog clocks is carried over into a great number of skills. No relative compass. Never able to use a boat power or sail, One might even say they are better served being sent back primary school that includes more than cementing bricks.
D.C. schools no longer teach cursive writing; they think it is good enough if their students can print. But an unexpected problem developed recently when these students transitioned into the work force and couldn’t read the cursive writing of their supervisors and peers.
Binary digital clocks are even better!
Now that’s the best idea so far.