Published on 12, July, 2020
I've seen the GCSE results are in today and it's made me aware (again) of how badly we seem to teach both these subjects.
IHave we still not learned anything about learning difficulties? I wonder if problems with maths are less likely to be diagnosed and helped than those with English, particularly reading and writing, but do we understand what we're taught?
My Dad was terrified of maths, if you put a maths problem in front of him, he'd totally go to pieces and insist he couldn't do it, but if you gave him a tape measure and a pencil and paper and asked him how much wall paper you'd need to cover a room, he do fine and tell you how much paint you'd need too. It makes me wonder if we wouldn't be better off teaching maths practically, like getting a class of children in groups to design a room, work out how much of what types of materials you'd need, how to cost them, stuff like that?
I'm told that as an autistic woman I should have a love of classic literature, I don't I hate it, it annoys me and I don't relate to it at all. I was terrible at English, I could never write stories, I don't understand most poetry, it dosen't speak to me, it's just a set of disjointed images and I don't think I've ever written a poem and wouldn't know where to begin.
I agree Cat Woman. I didn't enjoy maths at school and thought I couldn't do it.(got a grade 2 CSE - remember those?) but many years later I gained an AAT qualification that is equivalent to two A levels in Accounting. I enjoyed English language classes as I'm naturally good at it, but did not enjoy the books we were made to read for English Literature - I'm no fan of Dickens, Hardy or Shakespeare.
I enjoy fun poems, like "The walrus and the carpenter" from Alice through the looking glass, and I occasionally try to write my own. I also like the rhythm of Haiku. But I'm not into poetry that's too romanticised or ethereal, I like it to be relatable.