Analog clocks are like cursive, there isn't any real world benefit so it seems like we should spend that effort on one of the many other things that schools could teach.
this post was submitted on 16 Aug 2024
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Real talk, is there some benefit to an analog clock that would prevent them from all being replaced by digital ones? Being able to know exactly the time in a moment's glance seems better to me.
They're certainly not better looking than a digital one, considering most of the ones used in schools are just the cheapest and most basic version they can get.
Power requirements maybe? Longevity?
I prefer analogue clocks because I tend to have time blindness with ADHD, and it’s easier to see at a glance how much time is visually left in an hour or how much time is passing with an analogue clock. Just knowing that “15 min left” isn’t really as effective as being able to see a visual representation of “15 min left”, for example.
It helps give people a geometrical understanding of the cyclic nature of time.
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It proves to be somewhat useful as an example when trying to teach fractions and decimals, something we are absolutely terrible at teaching. Incomprehension of fraction to decimal conversion is why 90% of people who say they are bad at math, say they are bad at math.
Teaching someone how to read a clock for the sole purpose of using it as a math example seems like a poor use of effort.
I wouldn't say that's the sole purpose, just an additional purpose to being able to tell time. It's also useful if the kid wants to be a pilot.
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Kids these days do absolutely still know how to read analog clocks.
Besides, they probably shouldn't put effort into that. Those things are close to useless nowadays. It's mostly a case of schools being conservative... but then, it's not that much of an effort, so there are more important things to care about.
Actually, a lot don't. I mean, like, at least fifty percent. You would be surprised. I don't think it's schools being conservative so much as it didn't occur to teachers and staff that analogue clocks are frankly obsolete (I still like them). I didn't read this article, but it sounds like that's being corrected.
Anyways, I really respect your attitude that it's not worth getting bent out of shape or spending a lot of time on, I think you're right. A lot of people get precious about it or, worse, make fun of kids like they're stupid because they haven't wasted their time learning to read, essentially, a sundial.
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"Roman numerals to be phased out"
.. Damn gen WW1
I lied about knowing how to read these until high school, then I was too embarrassed to ask, so I learned how to read them.
As if they teach us how to read those clocks anyways
If only there was a building children could attend where they do things like teach how clocks work
Gather round, children, time to learn how to use a dial up modem, and after that we'll go over Morse code.
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Seriously! I'm pretty sure that was part of 1st or 2nd grade. Maybe both....
In my elementary school we even had clocks, where the numbers were large dice the teacher could take out and rotate so they showed ½, 30 or 18 instead of 6, for example. It’s not hard to learn, if you’re at a school. But then again, digital clocks are so everpresent that it might not actually matter…
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I've worked in 2 different schools in the IT department and 4 others as a volunteer lecturer (I got a name tag that said Technology Evangelist) I found that putting an analog clock on the screen saver of computers in the classroom was more likely to result in the clock actually being on time.
Too many clocks in classrooms are very old or even battery powered but neglected.
I don't think kids are dumb just they aren't getting a world that is properly maintained by competent people that care about their work and are adequately resourced to do the whole job.
During my final exams that lasted from may to July they didn’t even bother to set the analog clock to the right hour…
Even for our baccalaureate
Well, in Germany... depending on the school and people, we cared a lot for those clocks and maintained them well
This would be gen alpha at this point no?
When I worked data entry, there was a chart for cursive as people couldn't understand cursive writing, and these were adults. I think this may check out (not because they're lacking, but because they probably weren't taught).
I learned cursive but I'm sure have forgotten how to write it, especially some of the capital letters. Thing is learning it now is really just for backwards compatibility. Yes, it's faster to write in cursive when writing by hand, but how often is that coming up these days, for most people?
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I know how to read and write in cursive but there are still a lot of people whose handwriting I can't read because it's so sloppy and idiosyncratic. A chart wouldn't help me.
That's true. But the chart was more like, "this is what cursive looks like" sort of thing. Like, some people couldn't recognize a curve "G" or other "different" letters. But I've certainly seen some cursive that might as well have been an alien language 🤣
Yeah but people's cursive is more inconsistent than print. It can be super bad and print is more practical. You could say it's Same with a digital clock but an analog clock is always the same with circle and 2 hands while I don't know what characters people are trying to do with cursive.
I agree that it takes practice, but I wasn't aware (until that job) that most people learned how to write their name only. I had to learn it when I was in 2nd or 3rd, then I kept it up because note taking was faster. But I don't think it's stopping anyone from doing anything unless you're going through hand written docs all the time. Just surprised me at the time.
Alternate title: Students cannot tell the time because schools are removing analog clocks from the classroom