To think our generation should be encouraged to take on a healthy mix of non traditional subjects at GCSE?

[webbygeek91]

To think our generation should be encouraged to take on a healthy mix of non traditional subjects at GCSE?

And to say non traditional does not equal = soft option.

And to say that you cannot judge whether somethings "soft" if you haven't been taught it or teach it?

Having just done some research into the English Baccalaureate it seems to compromise of english, maths, science, foreign language and humanities.

Where is the inclusion of the non traditional but current STEM subject IT?

Anybody, but anybody can learn a MFL.You don't need brains to learn a language It is just a matter of how well it is taught.

princessparty - you don't need brains to learn a language. Of course. You don't need brains to learn anything do you? What a stupid thing to say.

to be honest i'm rather glad my son is learning a computer language rather than french. english is a common worldwide language now isn't it - i've met chinese people that are very fluent in english from a young age.

it's just snobbery thinking we lead the way in education when we need to keep up with the rest of the work - and computing is top of the list when competing with others from asia

world not work eek must preview

southeastastra - but those chinese who speak english from a very young age, also speak chinese. I think it's dangerous to just shrug and say "Oh, everyone else will speak english" when a second language is a huge bonus very often in employment in a large organisation. If you do a second language at GCSE it helps you to learn other ones later on - I did French GCSE, didn't particularly enjoy it, but a few years later when I went to live in Japan, having a grounding in learning one language turned out to have been a good grounding in learning a totally different one.

Also, (as someone who did computer science at degree level) I don't think GCSE IT is actually going to be any help in getting onto a computer science course - much better to focus on maths and science and then throw a few arts in for balance. If you're interested in computers anyway, you'll pick up enough of the basc knowledge that you will need just by DOING it, and maybe your own coding, a GCSE won't be able to go deep enough to be useful IMO.

I don't believe some of the posts on this thread. The so-called "English Bacc" is a very belated attempt to try to ensure that the population of England & Wales is educated in the basics to a level that bears up to international comparison.

"it seems to compromise of english, maths, science, foreign language and humanities."

You need to learn to write English, OP.

YABVVVVU

'princessparty - you don't need brains to learn a language. Of course. You don't need brains to learn anything do you? What a stupid thing to say.'

Why is it stupid?? How many Frenchmen do you know who can't speak French? It's just a question of exposure

We are not talking about learning to speak a language, which is to an extent about exposure. These children are being made to do a GCSE, comprising oral (which is basically memorising a prepared speech then answering a few questions on it), writing and reading. They have to know grammar and vocabulary as well as how to speak the language.

And how many parents can honestly help their child with GCSE French or Spanish or German? (they may or may not get a choice of language depending on the school). How much 'exposure' are they getting? 2 hours a week? The reason Frenchmen can all speak French (another stupid thing to say btw) is because they are exposed to it all the time from a young age. Unless you can afford to pay for extra language classes or long foreign holidays there is no way to get close to replicating that experience.

Um conversing with a French speaker, watching french TV reading material written in French.Are all forms of immersion.
Mt DS1 is doing French GCSE and it's a complete fudge.They write the pieces at home (in our case get it checked by a French relative) memorise it and write/say it in the exam/controlled assessment.