Does anyone else feel the same way?

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Does anyone else feel that school text books are too meandering? I'm looking at my bio text right now, and it's just full of worthless crap.

I mean, yeah, bio is one of my favourite subjects (though I hate all my subjects in school). But I feel that what is said in the book could easily be said in less words. I would prefer to read almost a primer, something that would give me all the main concepts in one pamphlet/book, and then be left to research the main concepts more deeply.

What's the point of this, for instance: "During meiosis the chromosome number is reduced by one-half. A human cell containing 46 chromosomes will undergo meiosis and produce sex cells, or gametes, that have 23 chromosomes."

Couldn't that simply be stated as "The process of meiosis produces sex cells with 23 chromosomes, half the normal amount."

I'm sure that it could be reduced even further.

It just seems like so much material is filler, irrelevant and worthless.

What in the f*** is that statement mean anyway?

I may be an aspie but I'm not a genious

Meaning I could never understand a textbook.

Faceless,

I hope you really WERE joking!

Druidus,

WOW, I learned that when I was a LITTLE kid! I didn't get many books when I was younger. They fit into a two shelf bookcase, but one WAS on biology.

If you ask me, this is FAR from the best example. I have seen WHOLE BOOKS to express one TINY sentence!

ALSO, meiosis won't always create a sex cell or gamete. Some smaller cells use it as a way to exchange DNA.

Another thing! TOO MUCH repetition on stuff where it isn't needed.

Steve

what the f**k is Ladylike....when ladies like to do what the f**k they like, just like you.

I find many teachers tend to do this too, explain the same (and really not so difficult) thing lengthy in four different ways and then yet give another three examples to really make the subject clear. And if then still a question is asked on the very thing he or she just explained so fully, that's the time where I'm definitely going crazy (or am dreaming away )

my soc prof does that. that's why I think I don't understand Soc.

I hate school textbooks. Many of them are written very poorly. I am interested in history but I got nothing from school textbooks. I don't like how they seem to be orientated increasingly around "subjects" rather then in chronological order. It throws me off.

The reason that teachers, and textbooks go over the same thing in various different ways is so that everyone can understand it.
My Bio teacher was very particular about teaching a section, he would use various methods to explain the topic, as he rightly said, "everyone thinks differently and what one person understands another person won't". Then he would dictate notes that were copied into books precisely that contained all the pertinent information with the correct terms.
But yes, it can be annoying when textbooks witter on, if you're allowed you should underline, in PENCIL, what you think is relevent, i have found this very helpful.

The repitition in class was bad enough the fact that they were teaching the same material over and over again every year was what really drove me insane.

Biology teacher: Why do you always sleep in class?
Me: I learned this stuff 10 years ago.
Teacher: But you have to pay attention in class.
Me: Why? Your just wasting my time. Give me tests if you want but please dont subject me to listening to the endlessly repeated 20 lectures that comprise the biology subject all over again for the 10th time.

So she would wake me up to hand out a test, Id turn it in and go back to sleep.

Passed with a B average (because I refused to do the frog disection thing).

Text books are garbage.. thats why you run through them and highlight the 8 sentences with any substance. I think they are just a cash grab for university's and colleges - I stopped buying them during my college classes - I partly didnt care, I never read the ones I had and the teachers went over them anyways..

the only reason that I haven't failed Soc yet, is because I understand what she's talking about, but her methods are biased..........extremly.

I recommend "A Short History of Nearly Everything" by Bill Bryson for an excellent example of how a book can be informative without being deadly dull. I particularly recommend it as an audiobook, although I wish the author read the unabridged version himself.

One thing the author mentions in the book is that you never got to the end of the textbook by the end of the year, and that's where all the stuff that looked like it might actually be interesting was.