The most pointless school subjects

[LauraSol]

Are there any school subjects you think are/were pointless? Is there anything you wish you'd been taught instead? I'm conducting research, thanks very much!

I think there should be the option to stop maths for some people once the basic skills of multiplication, arithmetic, percentages and fractions are learned. Learning how to calculate the area of triangles is pointless for most people so it should focus on numeracy for everyday life. I was forced to do an adult education module in maths and amongst other skills learned to calculate the area of a parallelogram.

I wish we’d been taught real world finances at school. How to budget, different kinds of savings and investment options, mortgages, tax insurance, credit, loans and so on. Both the maths side of it and how to make the most of your money and avoid getting into unnecessary debt.

Sewing, food tech, RE, any languages students have no interest in learning (I was made to take french, welsh and German when I was in school which took up 4 hours a week, and now I can’t really speak a word of any of them).
English lit isn’t necessarily pointless in itself, but as we had to study various Shakespeare plays the whole time it became pointless imo. Also history could have been made a lot more interesting than trying to memorise various kings and queens

I think it’s rather sad to have a completely utilitarian approach to learning. Do you really want to go through life with your brain empty of everything except the facts required for daily existence?
There’s so much more to life than how to fill in a tax return or check your change in a shop.
I studied various things at school that I didn’t strictly need to know, but they added to my general knowledge and stimulated my interest in the world around me. I like to be well informed, and I tried to raise my DC to also enjoy acquiring knowledge for its own sake.
Also, even in strictly practical terms, a child of 11 may have no idea of their future career, and needs to study a wide range of subjects to keep their options open.

How is sewing not useful? Possibly doesn't need to be taught as a subject in its own right but as part of art, design technology or home economics. It's a useful skill to have - being able to make our mend your own clothes can't be a bad thing, surely. Surgeons, doctors, nurses and midwives need to be able to stitch, don't they? People who work in the fashion or textiles industry should also need to know their way around a sewing machine too.

It also never hurts to learn other languages, even if you'll never use them in your adult life. Bi- or multilingual people have a better understanding of language, grammar and words. How is that pointless?

Also, even in strictly practical terms, a child of 11 may have no idea of their future career, and needs to study a wide range of subjects to keep their options open. I agree with this.

Sewing, proper cooking skills, home management (budgeting) all very useful.

Food Tech. Utter waste of a compulsory gcse (all girls school, boys got to do woodwork). I got a D. It was my only D and am now 37 and still think it was pointless.

What is your research for?

Shouldn’t you learn a load of that practical stuff at home? Maybe there should be optional extra lessons on home management, loans etc for those whose parents didn’t teach them. I wouldn’t want to have to do them as compulsory subjects.

OP, do you mean as the subjects are now? Because some PP are clearly basing their opinions on what those subjects were like when they were at school e.g ‘o-levels’, quite some time ago! Clearly school and the subjects are quite different these days

Home economics. I did it every week, 90 minutes a week, for 3 years. We made fifteens, rice crispie buns, cornflake buns, and a margarita pizza on a loop. That’s it. We had to spend one whole class “deciding” what to make the next week, (the teacher had already decided) and copying down the ingredients, method, equipment from the board. Not sure why it took a whole class. Then we’d make it the next week. Far too much time faffing and throwing ingredients at each other. Teacher disappeared for most of every class. Utterly pointless.

I don’t see the point of physical education as it is currently done.

I recall our algebra teacher telling the class we would never use algebra. I use it every day at work. I was never very excited about math, but it turned out to be the cornerstone of my career.

I loathed PE almost as much as I loathed the PE teachers.

RE, cookery and games. I was bullied badly at school and team games were awful. I usually played truant for most games sessions. If it were just running etc where teams were not picked it would have been better.

Logic should be a requirement.

What sort of conclusions are you expecting to come to based on people's responses, OP?

The answers you get will be entirely subjective and based on people's memories and preferences - they won't tell you which parts of the curriculum are actually pointless.

Is any learning pointless?

Yes, if it means there's less time/resources to teach more useful stuff.

Yes, if it's taught badly.

Yes, if the people being taught aren't interested/engaged.

I think all "tech" is taught badly at schools, whether food, wood, metal, design, etc.

My son's school have a fantastic "tech" room which has CAD/CAM computers, 3d printers, laser printers, etc. They proudly show it off on open days. But in reality, 5 years after starting school, my son has never been in it, and barely ever sees anyone else in it. In early years, they were told it was reserved for GCSE/A level students - fair enough. When he choose Design for GCSE, part of that decision was being able to do the computerised stuff as he was thinking about a career in engineering. They never went in it. The teacher they were given for GCSE apparently wasn't "trained" in the computer side of things (turned out he was a Maths teacher who'd retired early and returned to do tech part time!). So, all that "tech" is sit there gathering dust because they only have 1 properly trained tech teacher and for some crazy reason, he mostly does years 7-9 who don't use the computer tech anyway as they're busy making wooden fish!

Clearly school and the subjects are quite different these days

No, schools really aren't that different at all. Walking around my son's school is very much like walking round my old school 40 years ago. The timetable looks very much like my timetable 40 years ago. The contents of the text books looks the same, the exams look the same. Not sure what has actually changed really.

Oh yes, they use smart white boards instead of chalk on blackboards. They use photocopied "scrappy worksheets" instead of purple ink duplictated scrappy worksheets, text books still have hand drawn penises appended to any pictures of people, there's a new timetable subject called "ethics" or "ppe" or whatever (which is generally regarded as a doss/joke by pupils & teachers alike). PE/Games is still a misery for the non-sporty kids who have to live the "line of shame" when waiting for selection from the sporty kids. Even the teachers look the same - at parents' evening, there's always the bloke with the brown jacket with elbow patches. It's like time has stood still.

At ds school they have just spent nearly 3 years studying ethics but have decided that there won't be a GCSE qualification in it, that is 2 hours a week that could have been spent on something else,

So learning is only worthwhile if there’s an exam at the end of it?

Kazzyhoward

French is pretty useless too. I suppose if you go to France on holiday, bits of it may come in handy, but most people don't go to France. I'd have thought Spanish or Italian may have been more use for more people.

You mean you don’t go to France. Spain is the most visited country by British tourists, but France is second (ahead of Italy). France is also ahead of Spain and Italy in the amount of trade it does with the UK.

I learnt French for five years and have barely spoken a word of it since leaving school.

However, it was invaluable in teaching me English grammar and syntax, given that they're not explicitly taught in English.

I write for a living, and wouldn't have anywhere near the understanding without my years of French.

Shakespeare is pointless says raphael although she we all use words and expressions he invented every day.
As a teacher this kind of thread gives me insight to why lots of students see stuff as ‘pointless’. Attitudes start at home.
French is pointless? Not if you want to be a translator etc etc.
There is no such thing as wasted knowledge.

I don't think any learning is pointless. I cannot think of one subject where I didn't gain something. I think there should be more opportunity to acquire non-academic life skills such as machine sewing, woodwork, simple DIY (how to put a shelf up etc...) as these are all things that make life less expensive and yes to the filling in forms, compound interest, our political system, volunteering, being a good citizen type stuff too.

The one thing I think is most important is learning to think critically - not to believe everything you read or hear and to do your own research.