Young Can 'only Read Digital Clocks'

[naomi24]

//That's the claim in a debate between teachers - with suggestions that digital clocks are being installed in exam halls for teenagers.
It follows a report in the Times Educational Supplement of a conference being told that pupils needed a digital clock to be able to tell the time.//

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-43882847

These are GCSE and A-level students so not so very young. Fine, they’ll be able to tell the time in exam halls – but what about in the rest of the world? Rather than simply install clocks they can read, I wonder if anyone has ever considered an option that would be far more useful to them - teaching them to tell the time?

[ummmm]

Spicerack...I'm not lying. We turned up at the airport for what we thought was an 8pm flight. The ticket said 08.00. If it had 'am' after it she wouldn't have made the mistake. She was 15 at the time.

[anotheoldgit]

Why is it that it is so difficult for the young to learn?

We had to learn very quickly when we went from Imperial to Metric.

Thousands of an inch to Millimetres, 240 pence in the pound to 100 pence in the pound etc.

[THECORBYLOON]

I suppose it was more common for the likes of ANOTHEOLDGIT to use analogue clocks because when he was growing up during the war, digits were rationed.

[New Judge]

"given the scenario you describe above, said someone arrives at Liverpool Lime Street station (or any one of many others) to catch a train leaving at 11h09. here's a picture of the clock on the concourse:-
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liverpool_Lime_Street_railway_station#/media/File:10-55pm,_Liverpool_Lime_Street_station_(geograph_4525187).jpg
without access to a digital clock (as you describe) how would "someone" know how long until their train leaves?"

They would know because 11h09 is 11:09am (its pm counterpart being 23h09). They should thus have arrived at the station expecting their train to leave at 11:09am.

When they looked up at the clock it would be either be daylight or dark. In Liverpool it is dark by 10:55pm whatever the time of year. As well as that they would probably have been awake for a little less time than had it been 10:55pm. They would therefore know whether they had fourteen minutes to wait or whether they needed to find a bed for the night. Anybody not knowing whether it is eleven in the morning or eleven at night should not really be out on their own.

[Islay]

Corby, AOG didn’t grow up during the war he fought (allegedly) and proudly served his country by voluntary service (allegedly).

[Jackdaw33]

No need for the 'allegedly'. That is plain rude.

[Gromit]

Islay
AOG did national service AFTER the war.

[Spicerack]

The contention is, m'lud, that young shavers can look at that clock with the big hand and the little hand pointing at 11 and not know if it's 21:47 or 01:05.

[kvalidir]

I seriously only know a couple of people who can't tell the time on a analogue clock ( of any age),who can't under stand the 24 hour clock and who don't know that 5.40 is twenty to six. If people don't know that it's because they haven't been taught that, and should have been, because none of it is difficult, however apart form a couple of people whose knowledge in other area seems similarly lacking, I have not encountered this in young or old people.

[Spicerack]

///"SPATH, how long would it take you to find a church compared to glancing at a mobile 'phone for example?"

well if my phone is dead then glancing at it is pointless. You can usually see the church from most places in most places///

Unless you're working in Saudi.

[Islay]

Gromit? But has he not stated on here that it was not national service but allegedly voluntarily? Or has he never responded thus actually not telling anything?
How is using allegedly rude?

[Sqad]

"Stands the Church clock at 1450
And is there honey still for tea?"

Grantchester by Rupert Brooke.

Doesn't quite ring true....does it?

[Spicerack]

Let's face it. Whether it's because of the lead in petrol or the drugs we ingested, we appear to have bred a generation of imbeciles.

[THECORBYLOON]

SPATH, not all churches have a clock and as for usually being able to see a church from most places, that's clearly rubbish.

[Mamyalynne]

Naomi had it earlier - Parents should teach them both ways of telling the time.

My 4 Grandchildren - 7.12.14.15 can all do both.

[jim360]

For sure, generally speaking, people are better off with as many skills as possible. The problems I have are that (a) it's a bit OTT to bemoan this as an "essential" skill, and (b) it's really just another excuse to belittle the younger generation.