Science should not be enjoyable

Coco - I'd better not say where he works given what he has said about GCSE Science. But most of his mates at different unis share his views/experiences - when they get together they have a good rant.
Glad your dd is good at maths. Whatever sort of science she does it will stand her in good stead.

Chemistry: A Volatile History is on BB4 now, I caught another one of these programmes and thought it was pretty good.

Pointy: he says: Making lectures inspirational for the interested is a top priority, but he doesn't expect them to be enjoyable for people who aren't willing to concentrate.
So I said: But isn't there ground that has to be covered?
And he said: The inspiration comes from the content - it means not shirking difficult bits if they're a key part of the content.

Does that answer the q?

Teacher was a numpty to say it out loud and without euphemisms though. Blokes are often less good at providing all the protective packaging that such a message requires in order to be well-received by the listener.

This makes me so cross

I am a Science teacher, and although we don't have these problems at my school, I really hated when I did supply work going into Science lessons where everyone was completely switched off.

One of the things that all teachers should inject into their lessons is a sense of 'awe and wonder' - this doesn't mean entertaining, but something that triggers curiosity.

The new KS3 Science specs do make life a bit difficult if you follow them religiously. I wonder if they are designed for non-Science specialists? A lot of activities and assessments are based on 'how science works', which can be extremely boring. There is not much emphasis on 'knowledge' which is the foundation of the hierarchy of learning. I ignore this omission by the QCA and teach plenty of facts about the topic, which Y7/8 pupils find absolutely fascinating.

My philosophy is that, if the topic allows, to do as many practicals as possible. And to make them fun.

I must admit that whenever 'Is he bored?' is the first response to a parent posting about their child's poor behaviour in school, I have to grit my teeth and stifle the shudder.
Of course, it's better if every educational moment is vibrant, dynamic, entertaining and exciting...but sometimes it just isn't.

Is making lectures enjoyable the top priority for your dh, gardener? Or are there other priorities in education?

OP I just mentioned this thread to my dh (maths lecturer). I thought his immediate response would be the same as mine. However, he was on your dd's side and thought the teacher sounded crap. He thinks GCSE science is dire (he knows the material well because of being on various education-related committees) and he likes hearing that kids rebel against it
However. When he was at school he had a huge attitude problem but he used to express his attitude problem by getting perfect marks in everything whilst appearing to do no work in the lessons and sitting at the back projecting dumb insolence. He thinks: all credit to your dd for finding boring stuff boring, but she mustn't cut off her nose to spite her face, ie she has to make sure she still does well at the boring stuff, in order to keep her options open

How far into the parents evening did the teacher see you and your daughter? The teacher mayhave just been saying the same thing over and over and just wanted to say something a bit 'controversial' as he was bored/tired/overworked/underappreciated/GCSE and A level pressures etc etc

While some things need rote learning, others don't. In science, what's important is understanding. I've a first and PhD in chemistry and certainly never 'learned' the whole periodic table as such. Rather, I learned the shape of it - the trends down and across the groups.

cococake - I teach in a highly selective school and its still the same!

This is the sort of thing that might catch the fancy of teens who are into science: FoldIt - seriously important science made into a game.

"In languages, this is the sheer drudge of memorising vocabulary and grammar. There is just no substitute for sitting down and learning the rules and reciting them by rote."

Actually, it's a lot more efficient and an awful lot more fun to learn direct method. You don't need to spend nearly as long memorising vocabulary and grammar if you do this.

If your dd replied 'the topics were boring' I;m not surprised she got short shrift and quite right too. Every single topic? All of it? I doubt it. A large part of learning is not fun.

Not liking or getting on with a teacher can play a huge part in not liking a subject. Does your dd not like this one? If not, I agree with others that things might improve when the teacher changes and someone new can motivate her better.

I had a crap science teacher at school and wasnt allowed to sit the credit paper in my exams. I got a 3 which is top for general. I waanted to do higher biology and said he would fight to keep me out the class.
I now have an hnd in applied sciences and was accepted into 3 unis this year (having to defer cos im preg with twins). I loved science but the teacher put me off and it wasnt till my mid 20's i went back to doing it. Is it possible to get her class changed to a different teacher.
Not sure what year 8 is (im in scotland). But if she wants to do science dont let an arse of a teacher put her off

My boy is Y10 and loves history, but only pre 1500. So he's having to plod through a lot of 20th century stuff that bores the life out of him.
However, in order to do A level, he needs a good grade and that's what he's aiming for. Sometimes you have to wade through the mire to get where you are going. If your daughter is an able student, the teacher may be hoping that she has enough self-discipline to get through the tough parts without needing lessons to have bells, whistles and a sweetie attached.

The thing is as they get older it is more about learning stuff than whizz bang hands on things I think. It comes to a shock to them all as we (as teachers) are encouraged to do the 'infotainment' thing most of the time but then its such a clunky gear shift when the actual 'hard stuff' has to be covered.