give or take a few details

[unpakwon]

I'm not sure what the following in red is saying. What does it mean in the context?

Fact-based learning was king. This emphasis on rote memorization lasted for over a millennia, then shifted in the nineteenth century, when the objective went from the regurgitation of knowledge to the encouragement of productive thinking. Give or take a few details, this is about where we are today.

Thank you.

 

[Chicken Sandwich]

NOT A TEACHER

"Give or take" is an idiom.

give or take Plus or minus a small specified amount: The chalet is close to the road, give or take a few hundred yards.

give or take - definition of give or take by the Free Online Dictionary, Thesaurus and Encyclopedia.

 

[TheParser]

NOT A TEACHER


Hello, Unpakwon:


1. As ChickenSandwich has told us, "give or take a few X" is a useful idiom.

2. When someone asks me my age, I reply, "I am 75 years old. So I am in my 76th year."

a. Some people prefer not to give their exact age. So they might answer, "Well, let's just say that I am

70, give or take a few years." That could mean: Maybe I am 65 or maybe I am 75.

3. I think that the author of your paragraph was saying something like:

"Well, I have given you a general description of the situation. Oh, sure, maybe some of my details (facts) are

not 100% right, but -- in general -- I have written an accurate account. Trust what I have written."

4. For example:

a. He (or she!) writes that fact-based learning was "king." Well, maybe it was only a "prince."
b. She writes that it lasted over a millennia. Well, maybe it was a little less than a millennia.
c. He writes it shifted in the nineteenth century. Well, maybe it actually shifted closer to the twentieth century.
d. She writes that the objective went from regurgitation to productive thinking. Well, maybe that is the objective, but maybe in reality most teachers and students still prefer the security of regurgitation.


HAVE A NICE DAY! (It's now 9:15 a.m. here in California, give or take a few minutes.)

 

[5jj]

Note that millennia is plural. The singular form is millennium.

 

[unpakwon]

Ha ha ha!

What a great and interesting explanation!

Thank you so much. :-D