Subject choice
By this time of year, all across Scotland, secondary school students will have chosen the subjects they are taking in the following academic year. My daughter will be in 'S5' (Secondary year 5, age 16/17) next year, when students study the subjects ('Highers') that will form the basis for their applications to Scottish universities. They then mostly, but not always, do one further year at school and either study a smaller number of subjects in greater depth, and with more independent study, or take new subjects at a lower level. Those not heading for university can leave school at age 16 and go into work or training - hopefully. But of course not always.
The photo shows my daughter's subject choice form for her Highers. You can perhaps just make out what she's chosen: English, NOT Maths (heavily scored out!), Italian, History, Modern Studies (post World War 2 social, political and economic issues, locally, nationally and internationally).
The Scottish secondary system moves in a pyramid fashion, with a very broad base of subjects studied in the first two years. From this 8 subjects are studied over 2 years for the first set of national public exams, which have two variants which I won't go into here, Standard Grades and Intermediate 2. Currently my daughter is taking English, History, Music, Italian, Maths, Biology, Business Management and French. She is dropping the last 4 after this year, taking the first 4 on to Higher, and adding Modern Studies as a 'crash' Higher, which will be done from a standing start. After Highers the system moves on to either 3 or (less usually) 4 Advanced Highers, and here my daughter is thinking of History, Music and Modern Studies.
It all goes so fast - how can she be at this stage already?
This is very interesting, although as a former math teacher I'm sorry your daughter is not taking math in the year to come. But then my daughter stopped taking math as soon as she could!
ReplyDeleteYes, we require three years of math, three of science and English too. We are so week in our history requirements over here that sometimes a student can make it through without any world history or geography. Both of my boys are through high school and College. It seems like just yesterday that they were still here.
ReplyDeleteOh yes, I would be scheduling my meeting with Mr. Jordan to get out of math as quickly as possible. But the rest of the course list is so tempting!
ReplyDeletei'm sad she gave up french ;) Your school system is quiet different from ours ... i felt the same when my daughters went to Uni ; how can it be , they were so little yesterday ;)
ReplyDeleteItalian, Music and History! Che bella cosa! Mr Jordan seems to be a good man by the way.
ReplyDeleteGosh - it doesn't even feel that long ago that I was making my choices!! I did Modern Studies as a crash course too. When my son did Higher History a lot of the topics that had been in my Modern Studies course were in the History :) It is an exciting time.
ReplyDeleteIt sounds very complicated to me...makes a lot of sense to work in a pyramid fashion. Sweet about the math. History and Art/Architecture would be my choice if I could do it now.
ReplyDeleteAnd yes, where DOES the time go?
Interesting to hear about your schools.
ReplyDeleteThe time certainly does go fast. My "baby" is 36 years old today!