tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9565399.post5569070029887682442..comments2024-03-21T09:30:11.468+00:00Comments on Man in a Shed: Weep for science in schools under LabourMan in a Shedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00990902055642035293noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9565399.post-46409613801917856852009-10-09T22:58:42.627+01:002009-10-09T22:58:42.627+01:00@ScienceGuy - Interestingly I went to a school yes...@ScienceGuy - Interestingly I went to a school yesterday that gets some of its top pupils to take the iGCSE as well as the govt approved version, so they are not disadvantaged.<br /><br />I think you are right - schools will get the freedom, if you use it , unless something terrible happens and Labour stay in power.<br /><br />Chin up - change is coming soon.Man in a Shedhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00990902055642035293noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9565399.post-74345920639633383522009-10-09T19:46:57.412+01:002009-10-09T19:46:57.412+01:00Science teachers have not dumbed down the curricul...Science teachers have not dumbed down the curriculum - we have to teach what the government ttells us to. It does not help the students - current GCSEs leave them woefully unprepared for A level and only pupils getting close to 100% on their exams can realistically hope to get close to an A grade. The core (compulsory) GCSE is more about politics thsn science and it consists of all the boring parts without the chance to do any practical work. My most able pupils become disruptive as they can master the concepts in 5 minutes and then feel patronised by the content. I would love to teach iGCSE or O level science but currently can not as the government eill not allow it in league tables but do allow a mickey mouse BTEC course which is worth 2 C grades at GCSE but can be taught in just 18 hours of teaching time. I am hopeful that things will improve under a future conservative administration but who knows?ScienceGuynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9565399.post-7754738178906502472009-10-09T09:30:36.631+01:002009-10-09T09:30:36.631+01:00"The Lab technicians were allowed a half nake..."The Lab technicians were allowed a half naked man on their door"<br /><br />Now there's an image to conjure with - even though I imagine it was only in poster form!<br /><br />Things have gone downhill in 10 years since my day - we had posters of one male, one female nude body, anatomically accurate, to show muscles, circulations etc. They were covered by the requisite fig leaf in a "certain place". I never did find out what the lab technicians put up - given the school I went to, they probably really did have Page 3.<br /><br />After the light-hearted interlude, even as someone who abandoned science as boring, it is depressing to read about the nine planets of the Milky Way. Thanks for the warning MIAS.The Half-Blood Welshmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05072936624444891100noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9565399.post-61411217977047575642009-10-09T01:32:04.767+01:002009-10-09T01:32:04.767+01:00Great post. For all the teacher training that goes...Great post. For all the teacher training that goes on, I cannot understand how so many teachers forget fundamentals of good teaching; they fail to show individual, specific, explicit interest in each student. Feedback for work undertaken is so important, not for a long, just enough time to show they have noted the individual's areas of strength and then questioned and listened to why something was wrong. It takes dedication. It is not all about lesson plans.<br /><br />Couple this with teachers choosing dumbed down exams because this will make them appear to have greater teaching success and rank the school higher in league tables and it becomes a vicious circle. Ofsted has difficulty tackling it. Parents need to be better informed, more discerning and demonstrative, but the difficulty lies in communicating this without an outcry.measuredhttp://twitter.com/measurednoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9565399.post-71243036697009175442009-10-08T22:43:34.303+01:002009-10-08T22:43:34.303+01:00"Why can't my taxes pay for my children t..."Why can't my taxes pay for my children to be educated in way that is actually useful for their futures?"<br /><br />None of this helps you choose a school, but ask yourself the following...<br /><br />How many schools offer one or more European language at GCSE? - So that British children can compete with their European counterparts in the European job market?<br /><br />How many secondary schools are now Drama, Performing Arts or Sports "Colleges"? - Offering fun subjects, rather than academic rigour.<br /><br />How many secondary schools offer separate sciences at GCSE? - Instead offering a single subject called "Science" that gives more than one "pass", but doesn't give a grounding in practical or experimental science essential in higher education.<br /><br />How many other countries would accept around 40% as an average pass for a GCSE equivalent Maths qualification? - And be proud of the results!<br /><br />How many other countries fail to ensure that their children are literate in their mother tongue? - Read some of the comments in the Mail and see how few adults know how to spell!<br /><br />How many countries will socially engineer university admissions to ensure that the qualification is downgraded simply because it's commonplace?Mrs Rigbyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06389986110372627649noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9565399.post-50854379822775377912009-10-08T17:51:58.243+01:002009-10-08T17:51:58.243+01:00An excellent piece, MiaS.
I went on a tour of one...An excellent piece, MiaS.<br /><br /><i>I went on a tour of one this week and had a look through the AQA curriculum books. All highly entertaining - and yes in had science in there somewhere - interspaced with what can only be described as entertainment.</i><br /><br />Sadly this is the case across the curriculum. In fact, I ran the GCSE physics theory with a Class 6 and the top mark was 35% unprepared.James Highamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14525082702330365464noreply@blogger.com