Choosing GCSE's (for my daughter)

[dellzeqq]

She must do art and she must do history. No adult is complete without some knowledge of art and history. If she disagrees, then beat her until she changes her mind.

 

[roadiewill]

 

[Joe24]

Now that sounds like a proper subject; plenty of homework and fieldwork one would hope.

Fieldwork, dont be silly.
My head of Geography is such a twat that he doesnt like to organise field work. We are going out once over the years work, and the geography teacher thats taking us out had to work hard for it to be allowed.
The head of geog doesnt like me. He thought i would be a trouble maker because he classed my brother as one, so went by me being the same, so hes an arse to me, and thinks i should just leave 6th form.
Geography is alright, you can hope theres field work, but there just isnt. You learn everything from crappy diagrams.
The head of geog is, i think, the main reason that a-level geography hasnt been done for a few years, as he really is a nob.
He also wants to get rid of the head teacher and the woman that works in the school that is his partner.
In photography we sit around, playing some games, taking pictures of people then giving them strange things, like weird hair, spots, or even add them onto another picture.
Someone got a picture of 2 people making pizza and a pizza man and added soemones face onto it thats in 6th form, and stapled it onto his work

 

[Radius]

Much as I love photography as a thing, I'm not convinced about it in schools. Like others have said, you really don't need any photographic talent to be on the course particularly, and they've tried to make it 'academic' by making you make things up about how you were influenced by this photo or that photo, when you probably hadn't seen it before you took your own shot.
Needless to say I dropped it after getting an A at AS, but mainly cos the teachers tended to remind me I knew more than them...hmm. On the other hand if she's interested in photography, and they do darkroom work, then it's a great place to start because otherwise IMO you won't ever fully understand the concepts presented in digital photography in reference to light, just in reference to numbers, which often leaves people lacking when they have to quickly change a setup or work with something...

 

[roadiewill]

making you make things up about how you were influenced

isnt that just english literature?

 

[roadiewill]

oh and I think I may add my grographer interest to my sig...

 

[Kovu]

isnt that just english literature?

I won't let you knock English Lit roadiewill ... I have taken it at AS level and it is very enjoyable.

Well no, but it's useful.

History is an ok GCSE subject if you don't mind the essays etc. I took it and was predicted an A at the start of the two years and I just scrapped a C, but this was due to two years of messing about with some mates in the class. I have taken it at AS level and I'm doing better.

But my parents said if you don't know what you want to chosoe at all, go for two subjects that are useful towards college or whatever, and two subjects that you want to do just for enjoyment.

 

[Joe24]

I just do 3 for A-level, best thing ive done, alot of people are moaning on about how busy they are, while im nice and relaxed
GCSE is different though, id say let her chose what she fancies. I did Food Tech for GCSE, not used it this year, but i enjoyed doing it. I doubt i will use it again either, besides me cooking at home.
Must be a subject or 2 in there where you can relax and enjoy because you can have a mess about and not just write alot.

 

[vernon]

I'm growing old, its now time for my eldest to choose her GCSE's. Most are chosen for her (Maths, Eng, Eng Lit, Double Science, German, 1/2 RE and 1/2 Citizenship!!!) but she has to choose 3. Now the possibilities that she is considering are:

Art
DT - Textiles
Photography
History

Have any of the younger CC'ers any comment on those subjects... for example I've been trying to find out what you cover in a photography GCSE (does she need a camera - we have digital ones but not SLR). She is good at art, and has enjoyed history this year. Would it be difficult having 3 practical subjects such as the Art/DT/Photography all needing presumably course work submitted as you go along?

I'm an older member and a teacher and parent so I can see it from both sides.

I'd be surprised if she'd be allowed to combine art, photography and textiles as this is a considerable narrowing of her curriculum.

Have a look at her options booklet to see if there are any forbidden combinations. Some subjects might appear in the same option block from which you can only selet one subject. It's something that can be easily overlooked especially of the options booklet is poorly designed and the 'rules' are obfuscated.

Encourage her to take History and Art and then choose one from the remaining two.

I suspect that digital photography will be done rather than wet photography - too many nasty toxic chemicals plus the setting up of a dark room.

On the subject of course work - encourage your daughter to carefully plan her work around deadines - better still get her to plan the completion of coursework well ahead of deadlines.

My sons were hopeless at this and were stressed out with mission critical stuff being completed in the early hours of the mornings before submission day. Oldest son still doing this at university.

My daughter on the other hand is at the other extreme. She never appears to be doing anything because she quietly gets on with her coursework from the moment it's issued.

 

[roadiewill]

I just do 3 for A-level, best thing ive done, alot of people are moaning on about how busy they are, while im nice and relaxed
GCSE is different though, id say let her chose what she fancies. I did Food Tech for GCSE, not used it this year, but i enjoyed doing it. I doubt i will use it again either, besides me cooking at home.
Must be a subject or 2 in there where you can relax and enjoy because you can have a mess about and not just write alot.

3!!!!! you lucky sod


oh, and is food tech the same as poof tech?

sorry for dissing everyones choices

 

[Joe24]

3!!!!! you lucky sod


oh, and is food tech the same as poof tech?

sorry for dissing everyones choices

Did you know Spandex did food at school? You cant call him a poof
Oh, and there was 9 of us in that class, i was the only guy, the other 8 were very very fit girls

 

[Radius]

Not many people do more than 3 A2 levels...

 

[vernon]

Not many people do more than 3 A2 levels...

Really?

 

[summerdays]

Thank Vernon - the booklet will let you do 3 arts subjects (as its an Arts specialist school), and we have to choose from 3 columns so that its clear if you can't timetable two particular subjects. So history and art are in all 3, whereas DT Textiles is only in one, and photography in 2 columns.

Looking on the school website - I noticed that in the Year 10/11 stuff that it looks as if a large part of the work will be due in (for quite a few subjects) throughout the year. It even looked as though you submitted course work for art in Year 10. It seems a very different system to when I did it, other than computer studies project, everything was assessed by exams at the end of what would be now year 11.

 

[roadiewill]

Did you know Spandex did food at school? You cant call him a poof
Oh, and there was 9 of us in that class, i was the only guy, the other 8 were very very fit girls

sounds like my grography class is this year, daayyyuuum they fine