Girls and Physics. It's too hard for them. ?

This is a case of someone generalising and lumping all girls together. Many boys don't do Physics but is that reported in this way? No, because it doesn't suit the narrative of putting girls down and belittling what they can achieve with encouragement.
Too often girls are told that they can't do something and start to believe it. Once belief has set in it is difficult to change.
We need to encourage girls and boys to do their best in all subjects and say we believe they can do it. Then maybe more girls will do the subjects that people consider hard and succeed.
I was always better at the Maths subjects than the language ones and took both Maths and Physics at A-level.

When I left my Secondary School in England, aged 14….(continued education in another country)…..I attained A grades in Physics, Chemistry and Biology….so I totally refute this I’ll thought out idea.

Fernhillnana

Girls do better in single sex schools. Boys do better in mixed schools. We are sacrificing our girls so that boys can succeed.

Not necessarily. You would have to look at the prior achievement and background of the families who choose to send their offspring to single sex schools to make a valid comparison. In the school where I'm working at the moment (a mixed comprehensive) the girls still outperform the boys academically.

Paperbackwriter A "free school" is a category of school which is funded directly by the DfE and does not have to follow the National Curriculum.

You have an MSc in physics without being able to understand complex maths?

MaizieD

^Girls from single sex schools are two and half times more likely to study maths and physics at A level and go on to maths/physics degrees, which suggests there's gender bias.^

Feminists were drawing attention to this in the 1970s!

Katherine Birbalsingh is a very contentious figure in the education community. It's Traditionalists v. Progressives all the way.

Interested in what you're saying about her intake, growstuff. Do you have a link or two to clarify? I'd always understood it to be pretty mixed, but it is a 'free school' so I suppose it could appeal to a certain kind of parent. The school's results are very good...

Not sure what you mean by a 'free' school but Mrs. B is incredibly strict and has what one might consider extreme rules on behaviour. A couple of steps out of line and a child is out.

I am with Grandma70s. As a not very bright boy in a 1950s junior school, my teacher introduced us to good British ballads, Sir Patrick Spens springs instantly to mind but there were many others, as a way to understand the richness of the English Language and to broaden our vocabularies. I never did really get to grips with complex Maths, although I hold an MSc and a Physics A Level, but the beauty and joy in absorbing fine poetry has been far far far more rewarding in my life than all that mechanical number crunching for a living. Spreadsheets are tools, fine verse is an honour.

Girls do better in single sex schools. Boys do better in mixed schools. We are sacrificing our girls so that boys can succeed.

volver

Here's one to keep you going.



I have noticed a recent trend for people with completely misplaced ideas to spout them and then say that anybody disagreeing with them is a bully. Or in this case a witchfinder. It happens on GN all the time.

That's about par for the course. They learnt it from Farage and UKIP.

I hope she carries on in that vein. Eventually, people might see how empty-headed she really is. She runs a free school with draconian discipline. Personally, I don't disagree that schools should have clear rules which are applied consistently, but she really doesn't lead the only school which operates with strict rules. Her teaching methods rely on rote learning and repetition. Again, I think those methods are appropriate at times and there has, at times, been too much emphasis on discovery learning. However, she (and others now in charge of education) present it as either/or, but it has never been like that, apart from some niche schools. Birbalsingh is insistent that her ways are the only way. Her school's A level physics uptake by girls is below the national average, but it wouldn't be part of her philosophy to question why that should be.

Here's one to keep you going.



I have noticed a recent trend for people with completely misplaced ideas to spout them and then say that anybody disagreeing with them is a bully. Or in this case a witchfinder. It happens on GN all the time.

She's a useful culture warrior.

volver

Oh, I should be proud of that if I were you growstuff. She's blocked a lot of people and bewailed repeatedly over the last 48 how everybody is getting at her and how different opinions aren't allowed any more.

I had honestly never heard of her a week ago but I can't believe this person is allowed to influence children.

Presumably she doesn't understand irony.

If I'm bothered enough to read her tweets, I'll get my partner to read them through his account. He's not linked to me on Twitter, so there would be no reason to block him.

Glorianny

I think anyone should be allowed an opinion I just think the actions of government and the advice to select committees should be based on evidence.

So do I. She hadn't prepared her statements at all and came out with a load of stereotypical personal opinions and self-promotion. There was absolutely no evidence that she had even looked at research or statistics. I assume she is paid for her role, which is supposed to take six days a month.

I think anyone should be allowed an opinion I just think the actions of government and the advice to select committees should be based on evidence.

Petera

Callistemon21 ^One was red, one was brown grin
You could have claimed it was the latest fashion M0nica^

The correct excuse is, not only is it the latest fashion, but it's so popular you have another pair at home.

?

??

Oh, I should be proud of that if I were you growstuff. She's blocked a lot of people and bewailed repeatedly over the last 48 how everybody is getting at her and how different opinions aren't allowed any more.

I had honestly never heard of her a week ago but I can't believe this person is allowed to influence children.

Or maybe it's because I follow and am followed by people who don't worship at her feet.

She's blocked me , which is strange because I hardly ever write anything on Twitter and don't ever remember criticising her or Michaela on Twitter. Some years ago, I had a discussion with one of her inner circle, in which I was professional but questioning . Birbalsingh is well-known for not being able to tolerate anybody questioning her methods.

For those of you who do twitter, you know how you get a promoted tweet based on what you've been tweeting? This is the promoted tweet in Birbalsingh's twitter is this morning, promoted by that algorithm based on hard maths.

I love coincidences. ??

Callistemon21 ^One was red, one was brown grin
You could have claimed it was the latest fashion M0nica^

The correct excuse is, not only is it the latest fashion, but it's so popular you have another pair at home.

volver

Just me who's a scruffy mare then...

I once went to work wearing one shoe from one pair and one from another.

Happy days...

I did that but one was navy and one black and they were exactly the same style

It was a biologist who pointed it out - not a physicist ?

One was red, one was brown
You could have claimed it was the latest fashion M0nica

volver I did that. One was red, one was brown - and I only noticed when I was sitting on the train.

There's an interesting article in Time in 2018 where a physics teacher questions her teaching methods for science. I wonder if he's cheering after her revelations? time.com/5232857/michaela-britains-strictest-school/

Just me who's a scruffy mare then...

I once went to work wearing one shoe from one pair and one from another.

Happy days...