Crumbling

A conversation I overheard today between two 14 year-olds as they were doing some project work on Europe:

"I never knew Berlin was in Germany."

"Paris is in France."

"Yuh-uh, it's the capital."

"Oh. I always thought Italy was in France.......but it isn't"

Add this to the questions I was asked on Monday by some 13 year-olds when studying Europe...we were reading about the European hymn being Ode to Joy which was part of Beethoven's ninth symphony.

" Who's Beef-Oven?"

I despair.

Sometimes I think all the fancy new fangled ideas we have to incorporate are taking children further and further away from real learning. A colleague described it as putting pretty pink icing and sparklers on a cake, when underneath it all, the cake is still a crumbly mess.