setting the scene

Setting the Scene

I hear, and I forget, I see, and I remember, I do, and I understand

A half brained education system Considering that education is concerned with the encouragement of a person's thinking and development processes, little depth of understanding seems to be displayed by those who control the day to day practice of education in our schools. Observing the diagram below it is clear that the emphasis within our education system is directed solely to the left side of the brain. Little is directed to the right side which tends to be left to its own devices. Clearly we are producing children with very imbalanced thinking processes, and as a failing educational system our young people are going out into the world with an imbalanced educational capability. Much is wrong with our society and things seem to be on a downward spiral. This is why I have so much concern regarding how we teach our young people. If we consider how a child would learn outside of the existence of an educational institution, they would in fact be far more balanced in absorbing education from a whole range of life situations related to the family and outside play. For many it would also include experiencing survival instincts. Our pre-occupation with examinations and tests has in fact side-lined much of what is essential in a child's development. We can only congratulate individual schools and establishments for recognising this and encouraging development of the right side through extra out-of-school activities such as the Duke of Edinburgh's award scheme. This however only caters for the few. The school curriculum still remains imbalanced and continues to fail our children. Not until we can moderate and consolidate the examination culture can we start to redress this negative educational process.

creative imaginative general intuitive conceptual big picture heuristic empathetic figurative irregular

analytical logical precise repetitive organized details scientific detached literal sequential

Division of the Brain

Professor Thring writes - “In the ancient Jewish civilisation everyone was taught a craft no matter how wealthy their parents were. This immensely valuable idea to help people to become complete human beings has unfortunately been lost and is very often replaced in our modern educational system by the terrible idea derived from Plato that a gentleman does not soil his hands with the mechanic arts, or in modern terms that those who are good at passing exams have not time to mess about in workshops”.

‘Creativeness: the starting point’ Professor M W Thring 1915—2006

A large problem with Design and Technology is that the outcome of a pupil's efforts is not quantifiable in the traditional sense. Consequently, for very many years educationalists have attempted to apply 'this rule' and 'that rule' in an attempt to create definite measurements of progress - but all to no avail. How can it be sensible that a subject / educational experience be redesigned and changed in order to satisfy such a need for tabulated results?

Lascaux cave paintings

Many thousands of years ago man produced beautiful pictures with very rudimentary tools and no formal training in the effort to communicate his life experiences. Why is this so difficult for people today?

An added thought relating to peoples attitudes to practical work arises through the witnessing of the sad aftermath of a husbands death, and the subsequent house clearing by the widow. Invariably the first items to be got rid of are the tools. This tells me that they have no value to a sizeable sector of the population. On a few occasions I personally have attempted to help carry out repairs only to find there is nothing to use.

There has always existed a division between the so-called academic subjects and those of the practical nature. This has been a hindrance within our educational system for very many years. Sadly, it has become something of an educational snobbery dividing both educationalists and the public at large.

Craft Subjects Enjoyed a Surge in the Latter Half of the 1900’s. The Craft/Design/Technological subjects have enjoyed a long history, but in these recent times there has been attempted fundamental change of the whole ethos and philosophy regarding their very existence in the curriculum. In the 1960s 70s and 80s there was an underlying excitement and enthusiasm amongst teachers where good and positive work was being done in the classrooms and workshops within this subject area. It is of course true that as always not all colleagues were that motivated towards teaching. As now not all teachers are as necessarily motivated towards the profession therefore we can only generalise. However, in those decades the generalised motivation was evident through the annual and other periodic exhibitions and competitions showcasing the work of the pupils often under the auspices of the Institute. Headmasters were all too ready to call upon the technical departments to

The one big concern that work in this area is generally unquantifiable The cost of the subject has always been the deciding factor for politicians.

Other cultures could well have better ideas.

set up exhibitions on parents evenings and the like to evidence the quality of the school. Parents were all too keen to show with pride the work of their children. Sadly, I know for a fact, that this centre staging of technical subjects caused some underlying disapproval amongst colleagues of the more traditional subjects. Human nature has a great influence within the education profession. A great variety of was achieved during this period. Under the heading of woodwork and metalwork much learning took place albeit more focused than that which tends to be the norm for today. Great emphasis was placed on quality and the capacity of standing up to scrutiny. Children were proud of their achievements and at the very least could look back and remember these occasions. I still speak with members of my generation who remember their workshop work with affection, and often they will refer to the items they made and very often produce them having kept them with pride for many years. This approach did very much take into consideration the fact that many of the children would not necessarily use this practical learning within their future careers, although some of course would. However, the learning experiences within the process encapsulated within the subject were very valuable to the individual. Sadly today there is a great deal of misunderstanding, ignorance, and positive denial regarding this work of the past. A great deal of foolishness abounds as evidenced by such comments e.g. “Gone are the days of making products with no real purpose, just to demonstrate and teach skills”.(Page 24 D&T Practice Issue 1 2015) Is this the right attitude ?

There has always been argument Apart from the argument Between the academic versus the practical, there has been constant argument within government concerning the value of the subject within the curriculum, and further there has been a more serious argument within the subject area itself relating to the approaches to teaching. The fact that these arguments have permeated through many years, the true educational value, together with any potential lasting outcome, has been seriously undermined leading to a stagnation of social perception and acceptance. Following the demise of the teacher training college, and the explosion of hierarchical positions of subject exponents, giving the subject academic status in order to fit in with the rest has dominated the efforts for progress. This I have always regarded as misguided owing to the fact that the real educational direction has been ignored. So much effort has been expended on windowdressing at the expense of establishing strong foundations.

No wood because there are too many trees! DATA came onto the scene as the overriding professional association representing this area of the curriculum in 1990 hailing the new title design and technology as a new subject. This was the result of government intervention through a specialist working party made up of representatives from the various organisations involved within the subject. It has to be said that the majority representation was from the universities and Inspectorate and whereas before when teachers were at the forefront of development work it was now the theorists, and the drive towards gaining academic status which took precedence. 26 years on DATA is reporting very worrying facts leaving those to wonder how such a negative state of affairs has developed. It is this which has prompted me to catalogue my experience, and tried to answer some of the questions. Following are some recent comments made in DATA's official publications - “In too many places the subject is still identified with its craft roots and the low academic status that is often associated with practical/technical/creative subjects”.(Trustees’ Report and Financial Statement 2014)

“D&T is under threat” “D&T is also facing the worst shortfall in recruitment into initial teacher training of any subject across the curriculum. D&T” DATA Reports - 2013 - 2014 Especially with this last quote I really have to question what has been happening over this last two or so decades when things were so positive in the 70s 80s and 90s and appeared to be a good foundation upon which to build. It cannot be denied that things have gone badly wrong. This of course prompts me to speak out on behalf of the previous generation of enthusiastic teachers who gave much of their time and effort— and for free— towards developing an educational model which worked for a good proportion of children. At the human level it is very hurtful to have their efforts 'trashed' by a new generation of educational exponents who are sadly failing, and largely ignorant of the past successes. The wilting tree So, looking at the whole picture over the years we can see this rise and fall of a school subject which is so important for the development of young people, and our continued civilisation. The battle between Academia and the Practical World continues driven by the educational whims of individuals many of whom are in positions of authority but with very little true experience of the job itself. “for too many people, it remains a subject which is both chronically undervalued and widely misunderstood”. Perhaps it is now time for another government working party to put right the things which the original working party got wrong. For this statement

to be made indicates a tragic result from well-intentioned but ill conceived ideas. The idea was to create a completely new subject using the experiences of the past, sadly, as quoted, few in each walk life whether it be industry, home, wider education, understand what design and technology is about. The whims of individuals destroyed what was once a solid and thriving field of education and instead of building on this existing rock decided to move into another area and build on sand. The truth is that what the design and technology exponents claimed to be attempting to achieve actually already existed in various guises in many school practical departments in the 70s and 80s. Perhaps now is also the time to re-evaluate the subjects objectives and consider the wider educational values and implications rather than just focusing on the development of industry fodder. It has to be emphasised in this day and age that the Craft of which I speak relating to work done in the classrooms and workshops of the previous decades is nothing akin to what the public perceive as craft now. The word has been purloined in order to represent the plethora of hobbies demonstrated at the now too frequent craft fairs. It is a tragedy that the once famous company born of Johnson Mathies and which supplied high end equipment for silver and Goldsmiths now fronts its marketing with offers on materials for bead stringing. Society now is little interested in longevity. Fashion can be cited as the greatest culprit in conditioning people to change requirements frequently. Throw away flatpack furniture is another culprit. Although being very clever in design and engineering, together with the use of new materials. The subject was by its nature very expensive compared to other areas of the curriculum. Only PE and games could supersede it in financial turnover. In the hard negotiating behind closed doors, governors, councils, etc would constantly question the subjects were. If they could sideline it at all then it would be the first to go. However, as history tells us over and over again, you get what you pay for.Private education v state depiction the political divisions between the two still exist, with strong feelings being prevalent in areas of the country. However, when the subject specific are analysed, the development of the subject comes from an amalgamation of ideas and directions from the two areas. At teacher level there seemed to be little antagonism with an acceptance that children are the same everywhere. In these days also when so much effort is made in moving away from our Christian God but more knowledge is gained concerning science i.e. new particles, more than four dimensional, quantum physics etc.G. Blatchford in his excellent book ‘A History of Handicraft Teaching, Published in 1961, ended with the following passage – “Since the war a Unesco publication has been devoted to the subject of handicraft teaching, the information for which was obtained by presenting a set of questions to all the Ministries of Education concerned. The general viewpoints expressed in the publication are unanimous. Handicrafts are everywhere welcomed in a general education where it is found they counteract the work of a too academic a nature. They create an awareness of beauty and foster the aesthetic sense and taste. It is thought that handicrafts satisfy an inborn urge for creative activity and that the most important of the crafts are woodwork, metalwork, and needlework. Perhaps no conclusion to this survey is more fitting than a restatement of the aims of handicraft teaching as set out in the Unesco report: 1 To develop the mind through the use of the hands. 2 To give first-hand acquaintance with traditional crafts and skills. 3 To provide the discipline imposed by intractable materials and the use of tools. 4 To provide opportunity for achievement. 5 To develop standards of taste. 6 To stimulate imagination. 7 To discover interest and vocation.” Whilst needs have changed, and Technology has taken over most of our lives, have we been foolish to ignore these aims and involvement? Practical Education in schools has a long history, but has been dogged by the social division between the ‘academic’ sphere, and those who work primarily with their hands. Sadly much ignorance on both sides has prevented true progress. A state of affairs which has continued to this very day. We can trace the source for this division back to the time of Plato, and others, and the philosophy through these teachings has become so embedded in our make-up that any consideration to question it at high levels is paramount to academic treason. With this in mind, it is no wonder that children of today are exposed to less and less in the way of practical experience, and parents are intent on steering their offspring towards what is deemed to be socially acceptable. As time marches on we get more and more embroiled in the issue of examination results in specific subject areas. Very little seems now to be understood about the concept of real ‘education’. We only have to take stock and observe the products of our education system to witness the general decline in real human capability within our young people. Little seems to be done to encourage children to ‘learn how to learn’. Childrens’ natural urge to investigate and develop their own talents is stifled in order to ‘pass examinations.’ It is quite concerning that our political elite have such a superficial and limited understanding of real education. Apart from pockets of excellence such as in sport for instance, very often at the hands of local intervention of enthusiastic parents and clubs, there is very little enthusiasm for learning coming from within the young people. Go into the shops and experience the general disinterest in serving customers, go into local companies for help and witness the lack of capability in answering queries. When are our ‘superiors’ going to acknowledge the downward spiral of educational capability, and when are they going to have the real guts to look deeper into the problem and address the real issues of approach and curriculum. When are they going to realise that the hurdle of Maths and English has been a barrier for progress for so long!