Dimming Down: How brainpower has radically slipped in one generation

[Guest guest]

Dimming down: How the brainpower of today's 14-year-olds has

slipped 'radically' in just one generation

 

By Laura Clark

Last updated at 11:44 PM on 26th October 2008

 

Comments (131)

Add to My Stories

Bright teenagers are a disappearing breed, an alarming new study has

revealed.

 

 

The intellectual ability of the country's cleverest youngsters has

declined radically, almost certainly due to the rise of TV and

computer games and over-testing in schools.

 

 

The 'high-level thinking' skills of 14-year-olds are now on a par

with those of 12-year-olds in 1976.

 

 

The findings contradict national results which have shown a growth in

top grades in SATs at 14, GCSEs and A-levels.

 

 

The intelligence of Britain's youth is being dumbed down, which

experts say is down to television and video games. Posed by model

But Michael Shayer, the professor of applied psychology who led the

study, believes that is the result of exam standards 'edging down'.

 

 

His team of researchers at London's King's College tested 800 13 and

14-year-olds and compared the results with a similar exercise in

1976.

 

 

 

More...

Former comprehensive girl at centre of Oxford elitism row graduates

from Cambridge

 

The tests were intended to measure understanding of abstract

scientific concepts such as volume, density, quantity and weight,

which set pupils up for success not only in maths and science but

also in English and history.

 

 

One test asked pupils to study a pendulum swinging on a string and

investigate the factors that cause it to change speed. A second

involved weights on a beam.

 

 

In the pendulum test, average achievement was much the same as in

1976.

 

 

But the proportion of teenagers reaching top grades, demanding

a 'higher level of thinking', slumped dramatically.

 

 

Just over one in ten were at that level, down from one in four in

1976.

 

 

In the second test, assessing mathematical thinking skills, just one

in 20 pupils were achieving the high grades - down from one in five

in 1976.

 

 

Professor Shayer said: 'The pendulum test does not require any

knowledge of science at all.

 

 

'It looks at how people can deal with complex information and sort it

out for themselves.'

 

 

He believes most of the downturn has occurred over the last ten to 15

years.

 

 

It may have been hastened by the introduction of national curriculum

testing and accompanying targets, which have cut the time available

for teaching which develops more advanced skills.

 

 

Critics say schools concentrate instead on drilling children for the

tests.

 

 

'The moment you introduce targets, people will find the most

economical strategies to achieve them,' said Professor Shayer.

 

 

A study found the high-level thinking skills of 14-year-olds are now

on par with a 12-year-old in 1976. Posed by models

'In the case of education, I'm sure this has had an effect on driving

schools away from developing higher levels of understanding.'

 

 

He added that while the numeracy hour in primary schools appears to

have led to some gains, it has 'squeezed out a lot of things teachers

might otherwise be doing'.

 

 

Professor Shayer believes the decline in brainpower is also linked to

changes in children's leisure activities.

 

 

The advent of multi-channel TV has encouraged passive viewing while

computer games, particularly for boys, are feared to have supplanted

time spent playing with tools, gadgets and other mechanisms.

 

 

Professor Shayer warned that without the development of higher-order

thinking skills,

the future supply of scientists will be compromised.

 

 

'We don't even have enough scientists now,' he said.

 

 

Previous research by Professor Shayer has shown that 11-year-olds'

grasp of concepts such as volume, density, quantity and weight

appears to have declined over the last 30 years.

 

 

Their mental abilities were up to three years behind youngsters

tested in in 1975.

 

 

His latest findings, due to appear in the British Journal of

Educational Psychology, come in the wake of a report by Dr Aric

Sigman which linked the decline in intellectual ability to a shift

away from art and craft skills in both schools and the home.

 

 

Dr Sigman said practical activities such as building models and

sandcastles, making dens, using tools, playing with building blocks,

knitting, sewing and woodwork were being neglected.

 

 

Yet they helped develop vital skills such as understanding dimension,

volume and density.

 

 

Earlier this month the Government bowed to mounting pressure and

scrapped SATs for 14-year-olds.

 

 

Ministers have also created an independent exams watchdog and

promised a return to traditional, open-ended questions at A-level

plus a new A* grade to mark out the brightest students.

 

 

A spokesman for the Department for Children said last night: 'Good

teachers do not need to teach to the test and there is no evidence

that such practice is widespread.

 

 

'We have already taken steps to reduce the testing burden, but

targets and testing are integral features of any work to drive up

standards.'

 

 

Last month an Ofsted report said millions of teenagers were finishing

compulsory education with a weak grasp of maths because half of the

country's schools fail to teach the subject as well as they could.

 

 

Inspectors said teachers were increasingly drilling pupils to pass

exams instead of encouraging them to understand crucial concepts.

 

 

The report said: 'It is of vital importance to shift from a narrow

emphasis towards a focus on pupils' mathematical understanding.'

 

 

http://www.mailonsunday.co.uk/news/article-

1080791/Dimming-How-brainpower-todays-14-year

-olds-slipped-radically-just-generation.html#

[Guest guest]

Only yesterday I was reading in the national press that 49% of Cambridge

undergrads admitted to cheating .............. but I still reckon that the

stuff kids of 12 & 13 study now is stuff that the 18 year olds studied in

the 60's & 70's ...............

 

Jane

 

-

" rpautrey2 " <rpautrey2

 

Sunday, November 02, 2008 6:37 PM

Dimming Down: How brainpower has radically

slipped in one generation

 

 

Dimming down: How the brainpower of today's 14-year-olds has

slipped 'radically' in just one generation

 

By Laura Clark

Last updated at 11:44 PM on 26th October 2008

 

Comments (131)

Add to My Stories

Bright teenagers are a disappearing breed, an alarming new study has

revealed.

 

 

The intellectual ability of the country's cleverest youngsters has

declined radically, almost certainly due to the rise of TV and

computer games and over-testing in schools.

 

 

The 'high-level thinking' skills of 14-year-olds are now on a par

with those of 12-year-olds in 1976.

 

 

The findings contradict national results which have shown a growth in

top grades in SATs at 14, GCSEs and A-levels.

 

 

The intelligence of Britain's youth is being dumbed down, which

experts say is down to television and video games. Posed by model

But Michael Shayer, the professor of applied psychology who led the

study, believes that is the result of exam standards 'edging down'.

 

 

His team of researchers at London's King's College tested 800 13 and

14-year-olds and compared the results with a similar exercise in

1976.

 

 

 

More...

Former comprehensive girl at centre of Oxford elitism row graduates

from Cambridge

 

The tests were intended to measure understanding of abstract

scientific concepts such as volume, density, quantity and weight,

which set pupils up for success not only in maths and science but

also in English and history.

 

 

One test asked pupils to study a pendulum swinging on a string and

investigate the factors that cause it to change speed. A second

involved weights on a beam.

 

 

In the pendulum test, average achievement was much the same as in

1976.

 

 

But the proportion of teenagers reaching top grades, demanding

a 'higher level of thinking', slumped dramatically.

 

 

Just over one in ten were at that level, down from one in four in

1976.

 

 

In the second test, assessing mathematical thinking skills, just one

in 20 pupils were achieving the high grades - down from one in five

in 1976.

 

 

Professor Shayer said: 'The pendulum test does not require any

knowledge of science at all.

 

 

'It looks at how people can deal with complex information and sort it

out for themselves.'

 

 

He believes most of the downturn has occurred over the last ten to 15

years.

 

 

It may have been hastened by the introduction of national curriculum

testing and accompanying targets, which have cut the time available

for teaching which develops more advanced skills.

 

 

Critics say schools concentrate instead on drilling children for the

tests.

 

 

'The moment you introduce targets, people will find the most

economical strategies to achieve them,' said Professor Shayer.

 

 

A study found the high-level thinking skills of 14-year-olds are now

on par with a 12-year-old in 1976. Posed by models

'In the case of education, I'm sure this has had an effect on driving

schools away from developing higher levels of understanding.'

 

 

He added that while the numeracy hour in primary schools appears to

have led to some gains, it has 'squeezed out a lot of things teachers

might otherwise be doing'.

 

 

Professor Shayer believes the decline in brainpower is also linked to

changes in children's leisure activities.

 

 

The advent of multi-channel TV has encouraged passive viewing while

computer games, particularly for boys, are feared to have supplanted

time spent playing with tools, gadgets and other mechanisms.

 

 

Professor Shayer warned that without the development of higher-order

thinking skills,

the future supply of scientists will be compromised.

 

 

'We don't even have enough scientists now,' he said.

 

 

Previous research by Professor Shayer has shown that 11-year-olds'

grasp of concepts such as volume, density, quantity and weight

appears to have declined over the last 30 years.

 

 

Their mental abilities were up to three years behind youngsters

tested in in 1975.

 

 

His latest findings, due to appear in the British Journal of

Educational Psychology, come in the wake of a report by Dr Aric

Sigman which linked the decline in intellectual ability to a shift

away from art and craft skills in both schools and the home.

 

 

Dr Sigman said practical activities such as building models and

sandcastles, making dens, using tools, playing with building blocks,

knitting, sewing and woodwork were being neglected.

 

 

Yet they helped develop vital skills such as understanding dimension,

volume and density.

 

 

Earlier this month the Government bowed to mounting pressure and

scrapped SATs for 14-year-olds.

 

 

Ministers have also created an independent exams watchdog and

promised a return to traditional, open-ended questions at A-level

plus a new A* grade to mark out the brightest students.

 

 

A spokesman for the Department for Children said last night: 'Good

teachers do not need to teach to the test and there is no evidence

that such practice is widespread.

 

 

'We have already taken steps to reduce the testing burden, but

targets and testing are integral features of any work to drive up

standards.'

 

 

Last month an Ofsted report said millions of teenagers were finishing

compulsory education with a weak grasp of maths because half of the

country's schools fail to teach the subject as well as they could.

 

 

Inspectors said teachers were increasingly drilling pupils to pass

exams instead of encouraging them to understand crucial concepts.

 

 

The report said: 'It is of vital importance to shift from a narrow

emphasis towards a focus on pupils' mathematical understanding.'

 

 

http://www.mailonsunday.co.uk/news/article-

1080791/Dimming-How-brainpower-todays-14-year

-olds-slipped-radically-just-generation.html#

 

 

 

 

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