GCSE Art so much homework

fredtheguava

FBaby wrote: »

Thank you for this thread. My Y9 DD is also set to do medicine and so far, her teachers think she is on the right path. She has been discussing which GCSEs options to take and was seriously considering taking on Art because she really enjoys it and finds it...relaxing... I am going to have a word with her, just to encourage her to discuss it with her Arts teacher.

There may be others who disagree with me... But I am a teacher and would hazard a confident guess that her art teacher will encourage her to take it no matter what. Everyone wants students to do their subject. It is a LOT of work, far more than I would be willing to bother with, and if I'm honest it interferes with my teaching (of a core subject) more often than I would like. Between the two 10 hour exams and the amount of work needed on a weekly basis, getting them to come back to catch up on English is a nightmare, plus the missed lessons on a regular basis cause issues,

I would encourage her to choose something with a less intense workload, but that is my opinion and YMMV.

FBaby

Thanks, I think the consensus is quite clear on this! I have just mentioned it to my DD, was expecting her to be defensive saying that she could do it anyway but she didn't and just agreed and said she would discuss it with her team leader.

supersaver2

OP, are you sure your daughter is being entirely honest with how much time she has to complete her homework? I teach secondary science and would never expect homework in the day after I've set it. I do find it hard to believe that all her teachers give the pupils homework one day and want it back in the following day, especially in Year 10.

TopQuark

pinkshoes wrote: »

I teach GCSE at the moment, then hopefully A Level physics next year! (very keen to do this, as I loved the A Level teaching on my PGCE!).

Would love to visit, although not sure the school has the budget! Have been to the Oxfordshire one though!

Ah Rutherford Appleton Laboratory - did you see the Diamond Light Source synchrotron and the ISIS neutron source? Very interesting, bet the kids liked it!

If you go to the STFC (Science & Technology Facilities Council) website and click on research, then particle physics, there is a page somewhere about UK schools visiting us in Geneva. There are some links for possible sources of funding to help your school finance a trip. You can stay on the French side of the border too, to help minimise the costs. I know that the kids love it when they come out and we are happy to have them (even if they do clog up the cafeteria at lunchtimes!).

claire16c

megela wrote: »

I've found the input on this interesting as we have exactly the same problem with my year 10 daughters Textiles GCSE. I've told her that the core subjects are more important and she needs to concentrate on them with any time leftover to put towards this. But she's won't consider not getting homework in on time, often overnight.

I did textiles GCSE and found it very easy and way less time consuming than Art although there are a couple of different exam boards I think one is more arty whereas I did d&t:textiles.

You just had to learn a ton of facts for the exam and make something for the coursework. I did spend ages sewing a dress and all these blinking flowers all over it, and then wrote the 'diary' thing to go with it just in a few weeks and pretended I'd started it before!

But the exam I found very simple.

For A level textiles I remember it was similar although the exam content was harder & contained more science. For that project I was sewing & writing my project up until the last minute.

But for me for both gcse & A level it was bad time management and me leaving everything to the end each year!

I went into fashion buying though so it turned out to be an important qualification.

sazdes

Lunar_Eclipse wrote: »

I think they will.

Isn't it straight A/A* at GCSE for Med school? So perhaps a B in an irrelevant subject, but not an E.

not necessarily, although I'm now final year, so applied 6 years ago a good proportion of my year group have B grades (I have 1 B and 1 C due to lack of teaching, albeit 5* 5A also) so it don't think they'll exclude on the basis of a few lower grades unless the entrance has been significantly increased.

Chemistry and biology are definitely needed for nearly all medical schools (bar 2?) the other alevel is free choice normally.

I wouldn't worry about the long term use of chemistry beyond school though as I certainly haven't had a use for it in the past 5 years! although some of the mol calculations are useful when you learn drug calculations.

As to GCSE art there is just sooo much coursework which consumed far more time than any of the other subjects I took, though I generally spent my weekends doing art and weekday nights doing other subject homework. It may be worth asking for extended deadlines for homework as most of the teachers are understanding that it does take time to produce good art work

onlyroz

I personally think that a bright academically minded 15-year-old who aspires to do something highly competitive like medicine, or who wants to have a crack at getting into Oxbridge, would be absolutely *bonkers* to do a subjective subject like art. Sure, the specific subjects taken don't matter at GCSE but the total grade-count does.

When I was picking my GCSE subjects I had the real hard-sell in particular from my year 9 music teacher. I told him that there was no way I'd do music because I wanted to make sure that I got my straight As, and taking something so subjective was too big a risk. In the end the subject that took up most of my time when revising for my GCSEs was French, because I'm totally hopeless at languages but was still determined to get an A. The mind boggles at the thought of struggling to get an A in something like Art when your true passion is for something completely unrelated like Physics or Chemistry.

Spendless

I know a lot of people have said about asking to drop the subject, but at DS's school a design subject is compulsory.(food, textiles, art, DT) It was when I attended over 30 years ago too. Don't know if it's the same everywhere.

I know someone currently on his 3rd year of a medical degree, or rather I know his Mum. Despite him being an A/A* student he couldn't get on the course twice. First time was straight after A levels so instead he did another degree first, can't remember what but relating to the science/medical world. He got an honours and then he was turned down again for the medical degree. He was accepted on to it at the same place a year later. Unsure for all the reasons why, even if they are all known, but I *think* part of it was he hadn't actually got the qualification when applying just was predicted to get.

My 13yo ds has just been accepted on an outreach access to medicine scheme via his school run by a University. If he completes this stage and successfully gets on to the second stage for yrs 12-13 he is guaranteed an interview at the Uni concerned. Not convinced he'll become a Dr but am hoping the opportunities he gets for next few years open him up to what he'd exactly like to do. Hadn't given much thought to how much time other subjects that he won't study after GCSE stage would take up, so thanks for the thread. He has already dropped art though. Being no great artist combined with a teacher who never said anything constructive, only criticised meant he fetched his sketch pad home to burn last year (which is how I discovered teacher's comments, till then I'd thought it was just DS whinging)

tootallulah

For the physics lovers the Science Museum opens its exhibition Collider next week, it is all about CERN and the hunt for the Higgs. Much closer to Oxfordshire than Geneva.

FBaby

I know a lot of people have said about asking to drop the subject, but at DS's school a design subject is compulsory.(food, textiles, art, DT) It was when I attended over 30 years ago too. Don't know if it's the same everywhere

Well I think that might be the same case at my DD school. She had to pick one of those for year 9 as an option, but I'm not clear whether it means she has to do one of these at GCSE (she took Art and Design).

In regards to getting a place at Medical School, I have been told that work experience is absolutely essential in addition to top grades. We are lucky to live right next to the main hospital and she has already met the HR person who deals with student placement. She will apply for one of these next year. She has also asked about working at the local hospice, but she needs to be 16 to do any voluntary work there.