Why is it youngsters dont know basic wood working skills

[Catcher 1 639]

I'm only 25 so got the brunt of all paperwork no practical work in school. I was lucky however that i always had an interest in all things interesting and tinkered with motorbikes and cars from a young age. Landed up getting an apprenticeship in a powerstation where i worked with some of the best engineers i had ever met or am ever likely to meet. Old school fitters who knew the job, how to get it done and most importantly how you learn to look after your colleagues as a sixth sense. This has all but disappeared in modern paperwork run engineering where if you stuck to the paperwork you would either do the job wrong or not at all. It is shocking some of the lads i come across who are apprentice fitters and sparks some having done all their training and they're useless. Sometimes dangerous too, i was lucky enough to get a clip round the ear even as an apprentice if i did anything dangerous. They dont get that now and i think they are worse off for it.

 

 

How true bud.The PC brigade put a stop to that.Years ago if you got a clip on the ear you got off likely Have been black balled with tar striped cling filmed to a chair and left outside but me having the body of a greek god i dident care

[Tiddler66 3]

OK......I know I am going to get abuse but here goes.....My name is David and I have a problem.....I have been a technology teacher for 18 years. I work in a tough inner city school, that has a lot of low achieving kids in it.....I concentrate on giving the kids skills...Old school style, which they love......but there is a lot less making than there was 30 years ago.......All my kids make boxes.....tool boxes....base boxes..jewellery boxes, and some go on to make stools or tables...and we even do some metal work. 30 years ago, kids could do O level wood and O level metal.....that would be 3 hours per subject per week thats 12 hours of prac per fortnight.....and the paperwork was kept to a minimum....now we have to produce a folio with each project......there are more marks for the folder.....60%.....than there is for the making.....40%.......so many schools put all their effort into the folders so as to keep their scores up on the league tables......also now we only have 5 hours a fortnight to teach elements of woodwork, metalwork, and Tech drawing (Including CAD) plus design.....all in 2 1/2..And you wonder why the kids have no skills....And the reason for all of the changes was that if industry wanted people with practical skills....they could train them themselves......and the Government thought that the demand for skills was not important enough for those skills to be included in a "National Curriculum".......but getting kids to think....ie design was worth including in the "National Curriculum".......so there, End of rant and I hope that you all ready for a nice sleep after reading that ....if you aren't sleeping already.

[littlefish 588]

Not having a go at my lad.Love him to bits.The other day he asked me if he could build a hut in the garden.No i said as i got of the floor laughing.Wasent being mean. A few years ago i was putting up a higher fence to let the dogs have the run of the garden.So i told my son to stay in and help me put up the runner,s.Whats runners he asked.When i was a lad at school you did woodwork so you could learn the basics of working with tools.You would make a little chair ,table or a small cabinet.So after five mins watching him trying to nail in his end of the runner slipping of it mark dropping the hammer and bending the the fourth nail.I was losing the plot and shouted dident yo learn fecking woodwork at school.He gave me a good hard look and replyed Yes but they dident teach me how to build a fecking fence as he dropped the hammer and took off

 

 

He will most likely get his hut.When i have time to build it As most of his friend are the same.They dont seem to know basic working skills

 

Ha Ha! I thought maybe he was about 13 and looking for a treehouse or something! What does he want a hut for?

 

What age is your lad? Maybe you could get him and a few of his mates round to do the hut as a team and teach them some skills. Organise a picnic lunch or a few sausages on a BBQ to keep it fun.

 

 

At the time he was 18 mate.Him and his mates would have a great watching me do all the work.Tryed to teach them.they seem to get bored to easy.atb.Catcher

[Malt 379]

OK......I know I am going to get abuse but here goes.....My name is David and I have a problem.....I have been a technology teacher for 18 years. I work in a tough inner city school, that has a lot of low achieving kids in it.....I concentrate on giving the kids skills...Old school style, which they love......but there is a lot less making than there was 30 years ago.......All my kids make boxes.....tool boxes....base boxes..jewellery boxes, and some go on to make stools or tables...and we even do some metal work. 30 years ago, kids could do O level wood and O level metal.....that would be 3 hours per subject per week thats 12 hours of prac per fortnight.....and the paperwork was kept to a minimum....now we have to produce a folio with each project......there are more marks for the folder.....60%.....than there is for the making.....40%.......so many schools put all their effort into the folders so as to keep their scores up on the league tables......also now we only have 5 hours a fortnight to teach elements of woodwork, metalwork, and Tech drawing (Including CAD) plus design.....all in 2 1/2..And you wonder why the kids have no skills....And the reason for all of the changes was that if industry wanted people with practical skills....they could train them themselves......and the Government thought that the demand for skills was not important enough for those skills to be included in a "National Curriculum".......but getting kids to think....ie design was worth including in the "National Curriculum".......so there, End of rant and I hope that you all ready for a nice sleep after reading that ....if you aren't sleeping already.

 

 

No abuse from me pal, it's the government who tell you guys what they want taught .

 

It's a sad fact, but Britain has lost virtually all its industries under the last two governments because it's been cheaper to import from abroad. Farming's going the same way, and so is a skilled construction/engineering workforce. There's no investment for the future, just half assed, ill thought out measures.

 

I don't know what the government expects our children to do for work in years to come, there's only so many jobs on offer at Tescos, Asda, Lidl, etc..

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Catcher 1 639]

OK......I know I am going to get abuse but here goes.....My name is David and I have a problem.....I have been a technology teacher for 18 years. I work in a tough inner city school, that has a lot of low achieving kids in it.....I concentrate on giving the kids skills...Old school style, which they love......but there is a lot less making than there was 30 years ago.......All my kids make boxes.....tool boxes....base boxes..jewellery boxes, and some go on to make stools or tables...and we even do some metal work. 30 years ago, kids could do O level wood and O level metal.....that would be 3 hours per subject per week thats 12 hours of prac per fortnight.....and the paperwork was kept to a minimum....now we have to produce a folio with each project......there are more marks for the folder.....60%.....than there is for the making.....40%.......so many schools put all their effort into the folders so as to keep their scores up on the league tables......also now we only have 5 hours a fortnight to teach elements of woodwork, metalwork, and Tech drawing (Including CAD) plus design.....all in 2 1/2..And you wonder why the kids have no skills....And the reason for all of the changes was that if industry wanted people with practical skills....they could train them themselves......and the Government thought that the demand for skills was not important enough for those skills to be included in a "National Curriculum".......but getting kids to think....ie design was worth including in the "National Curriculum".......so there, End of rant and I hope that you all ready for a nice sleep after reading that ....if you aren't sleeping already.

 

 

you just woke me up bud.I dont blame teachers most of them do a good job with all the red tape they have to deal with.I blame the government.They have taken control away from the teacher.You cant even shout at the little darlings or your up before some PC ASSHOLE.YOU GET MY RESPECT MATE

[HEDS 0]

I think its down to two thngs - 1, this crazy health and safety culture we live in , loads of kids are not given the chance at home to build treehouses and gokarts any more . When i was a kid thats all we used to do!

2 - the National Curriculum , the subject [design and technology] is topheavy with paperwork of the wrong kind. Kids are taught how to design - but adequate time is not spent teaching the skills needed to build. I think that 'woodwork' and 'metalwork' as subjects need to come back .

Also just for reference - this is worth a look

[Catcher 1 639]

I think its down to two thngs - 1, this crazy health and safety culture we live in , loads of kids are not given the chance at home to build treehouses and gokarts any more . When i was a kid thats all we used to do!

2 - the National Curriculum , the subject [design and technology] is topheavy with paperwork of the wrong kind. Kids are taught how to design - but adequate time is not spent teaching the skills needed to build. I think that 'woodwork' and 'metalwork' as subjects need to come back .

Also just for reference - this is worth a look http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/gever_tulley_s_tinkering_school_in_action.html

[/quote

 

 

We allways say on here let a pup be a pup It will soon grow up.If only the government could let us do the same with our kids without all the red tape

[the lamping ferreter 160]

ive bin kic ked out at school but they sent me to a wood work collage i can do most joints with a chisil and hammer

[Footu 1]

i got banned from metalwork for making throwing stars....... and woodwork for making nunchuks......then technology and design for making a crossbow. crap school, they didnt let you make anything useful just bloody salad spoons and such.

 

Now i dont know how to make pretty much anything, but thats ok cos it all gets imported dirt cheap from china, so i guess nobody is making anything anywhere.

[Catcher 1 639]

i got banned from metalwork for making throwing stars....... and woodwork for making nunchuks......then technology and design for making a crossbow. crap school, they didnt let you make anything useful just bloody salad spoons and such.

 

Now i dont know how to make pretty much anything, but thats ok cos it all gets imported dirt cheap from china, so i guess nobody is making anything anywhere.

 

 

Bet your teachers loved you bud

[Swampy 147]

Throwing stars and Nunchuks?

Now you gte the real thing from china. though why anyone would want them????????????????????

 

Feel sorry for the teachers. Some that are teaching my kids appear more immature than my kids!

 

My lad knows more about art than his teacher and more about RE than his teacher and more about geography than his teacher.

he still doesn't get top marks though because the "knowledge" he has doesn't tick the right box for the league tables.

And that was fom his teachers!

 

Swampy

 

thick ning

[greatwhitehunter 47]

whats wood work? in my school we used to make what ever we wanted! i made myself a nice camo bow-back ferret box and the next kid made box to house his playstation in. i think its alot more interesting when you can make something that you choose because you come across your own obsticles and problems that must be solved, i dont really see the point in everyone in a class making tables....

Edited March 1, 2010 by greatwhitehunter

[Catcher 1 639]

whats wood work? in my school we used to make what ever we wanted! i made myself a nice camo bow-back ferret box and the next kid made box to house his playstation in. i think its alot more interesting when you can make something that you choose because you come across your own obsticles and problems that must be solved, i dont really see the point in everyone in a class making tables....

 

 

That,s a good point mate.It would make it more interesting and you would try harder