Eng Bac: Geog, History and MFL teachers- what do you REALLY think?...

[erebus]

a) Phew, my future employment prospects have just been given a boost!

b) Oh god, a classroom half full of DCs who really don't want to/shouldn't be here, or

c) a bit of both!

Curious, really. If it were me, I guess I'd be feeling mainly c) with some b)!

DO you worry that the quality of your lessons may be compromised with a possible influx of 'gotta be there' DCs? WILL there be more irate parents demanding to know why their bored, uninterested DC isn't hitting 'A's every time?

C'mon ! Spill!

Really excited. As a geographer I think that at last it gives my subject the status it deserves. Now being driven insane by the lack of time we have at ks3. 90mins per fortnight? Dance and Drama have the same!

Yes, true- do you think you'll 'suddenly' be afforded more time and support?

FWIW I believe the 'Humanity' choice should be wider than just History and Geography BUT I think they're both important subjects.

1. Relieved. Subjects like history, geography and MFL have been totally squeezed out of the curriculum at some schools.

1. A sense of terrible foreboding about being hauled over the coals over the results.

Concerned that disinterested pupils will be pressured into subjects they don't want to do. For many pupils there needs to be a more practical side to education that meets their needs and interests.

Fortunately I teach Spanish/German which are only offered to top sets and I only teach 2 days a week. So at least I will only get pupils who are likely to get at least a grade C as I'm unlikely to get a French KS4 group.

Quite shocked to find myself agreeing with Gove but I think it's a fairly good idea.

A lot of schools play the league tables system.They have to get a certain percent of A*-C grades at GCSE so they achieve this by doing so-called 'soft' subjects. While I'm sure these are worthy and interesting, and engage pupils, I fail to see how a C grade in Photogrpahy (for example) can be compared to a C grade in Latin, for example. It's like commparing apples to pears.
A quick internet surf reveealed a number of heads complaining about this and claiming it was on educational grounds. Another bit of surfing shows their school only made their league table targets by boosting their percentage pass rate with these 'soft' GCSEs.

Apologies for the spelling errors - crap languages teacher! Must wear specs when posting.

I'm geography and am all for it!

It's 5 GCSEs and Eng and Maths were already compulsory. Most pupils still have space in curriculum for other subjects - art, music, DT etc.

A minority of pupils I guess aren't going to get the EBacc (eg why do MFL when you struggle with English is understandable), but then heads can decide that the EBacc is not a measure the are going to chase, and can build on CVA or getting the 5 A-C grades to sell themselves in the league tables.

Really bad timing to not let schools know they'd be graded, but then showed up who was swimming without trunks when the tide went out

As a retired teacher of English and MFL, I would put only English, history, geography and biology combined with nutrition a as compusory in the bac.

Most people only need maths to a fairly basic level and are not capble of going beyond. And only a small percentage are really capable of learning a foreign language. Why make anyone do subjetcs that are clearly too hard for them? Makes no sense to me.

If we let pupils and parents choose, there will be some mistakes. So what? There is always the possibility of picking things up later.

moat people need "sums" and not Maths.
I taught when MFL was compulsory in a school with a weak MFL department and the consequences were dire. Try telling less inclined 15 year old lads that they have to learn French.

I admit I'd be concerned that instead of teaching the at least reasonably interested (and able!) you, as a teacher of one of the Eng Bacc subjects like Geog, History and MFL might find yourself facing a wall of bored indifference!

I cannot think how, in any way shape or form, a MFL can be treated as a basic educational 'must have'. Of course, I guess they could introduce a 'foundation' level for the 'average' to aim for, but otherwise...

I also agree re: Maths. It's my opinion that, at 14, you have a pretty good idea whether a DC can 'do' or 'gets' maths or not. At this point the curriculum should diverge: 'proper' GCSE maths for the able (more algebra, stats, geometry etc); and 'daily maths' for those who will head into vocations.

Why waste hours trying to teach a DC who has barely mastered English the finer points of German declensions? Or sine and cosines to someone who only really needs to have a grasp of percentages, ratios and fractions in order to function in the adult world??

I speak as the mother of one DS who will pass A level maths and one DS who still sounds like he's citing Anglo-Saxon at me at 9, such is his rudimentary grasp of English!