Introduction
I blogged weekly during my time as Groups Cordinator of Swansea U3A 2008-2011 to promote new groups, but rarely since. This posting follows my thoughts after reflecting on the discussion led on Education by Martin Cole, a relative newcomer to the Politics and Citizen Group. Intriguingly he has prepared another presentation for the group on the topic of 'Growing Pains'.
Martin started by introducing himself as a winner in the stakes of Eleven Plus, grammar school plus university, the same scenario as my own. I suspect a sizable proportion of the audience were educated at grammar school - though we might disagree on its merit in today's world.
He spent a life in education in a variety of positions, initially as a graduate in the discipline, then as a teacher, then charged with training teachers and finally with Ofsted. He was happy with the current form of Primary education and its aim to equip everyone with unchanging essential basic skills, so was I.
But said that Secondary Education largely reflected a Public School curriculum designed for a very small privileged section of society essentially aimed at largely non scientific entry to Oxford or Cambridge. Now aimed at getting university education for half of society. Leaving the other half to face feelings of failure, pointlessness with consequent lack of enthusiasm and disinterest.
He pointed to the enormous changes in lifestyle, wealth and technology since our own schooldays and contrasted it with the almost complete lack of lack of change in educational aims or syllabus. Clearly he thought changes were needed but reasonably enough expected his audience to provide their suggestions
In response to my questions he obviously thought different abilities needed to be recognised and indicated there should be 'choice'. My immediate response was of great interest in this idea but little coherence on its application except to recognise the problems it would set teachers and my conclusion that some topics need not be subject to passing exams.
I hope I have summarised with reasonable accuracy. This blog posting is thus to give time for thought to examine these issues further.
My Own Schooling
I took the very first Eleven Plus examination in 1946 and got a place in the 'A' stream at Warwick School which was partially boarding at the time, only those boarders passing the exam were allowed to continue. I remember little pertinent to that period except the long hilly cycle ride to school up to Westgate and down to the Castle over the river Avon.
Two years later we moved to Rugby and I transfered to the Lawrence Sheriff school, founded by the same founder as Rugby School when he realised that it was no longer satisfying his intention of providing education for locals.
Had I to 'chose' my subjects first choices would undoubtedly have been Physics and Mathematics followed by Chemistry the three subjects I later followed at 'A' level (not every-bodies choice). I recognised the vital importance of English language, liked English Literature and Geography. These six subjects I studied with great enthusiasm for 'O' levels. I think the exam system is vital for those proceeding to further education.
I was less enthusiastic about Art, Latin, 'Ancient' History, French (my only poor teacher - who ruled by fear), and Biology which in the 1950's didn't even feel like a science - were it not for the recent extension of Mendel, the father of modern genetics. I passed 'O' levels in Biology and French though failed Art. This was before the advent of Grades, you either passed or failed 'O' and 'A' levels.
But great though my enthusiasm for the sciences none of them could match my enthusiasm for competitive team sports, in my case Rugby and Cricket in which I harboured dreams of playing County cricket as a professional. Enthusiasm born from listening to the commentary of the 1946/7 Ashes in Australia hiding under the sheets with my crystal set.
CHOICE, SUGGESTED ADDITIONS for a SYLLABUS
Team sport was an enthusiasm shared with some pupils across A, B and C streams. We all tried our best all the time without the need for exams, we wanted to get better and better with no other than the personal satisfaction of winning as a team. A sizable proportion of the population has similar enthusiasm today.
Others would have similar enthusiasm feeling for art, acting, singing, music and cookery for example. A boy at our school loved collecting fossils, unfortunately he died exploring a local quarry alone.
Leading to the conclusion that Choices could produce high attainment without the need for exams given enthusiasm from staff and pupils. The pressure and challenge of Exams worked for me in all subjects, but I suspect that is not true of less academic students. But motivation for the subject being learned is vital. And motivation doesn't need to be curbed by exam pressure.
I recently reread an article by George Monbiot, far from my favorite Guardian journalist, entitled 'In an age of robots schools are teaching our children how to be redundant'
'In the future if you want a job you must be as unlike a machine as possible: creative, critical and socially skilled.'
'Children learn best when teaching aligns with their natural exhuberance, energy and curiosity.'
My thoughts about syllabus
RECENT HISTORY, Living through the second of two world wars in Europe, watching the bombing of Coventry and not a word about either! Too frightened to talk of politics? Start with the History of yesterday and work back - to the stone age!!
CITIZENSHIP is vital and should never be the forgotten option. Personal relations, collaboration and empathy are core. The subject links naturally to DEMOCRATIC POLITICS and ITS AIMS
Encourage thinking about the future. I am one of those who would gives votes to sixteen year olds, it's their future not mine.
NUMERACY, an end in itself to arithmetic, should be taught separately from a never ending study of MATHS. Everyone needs to understand context and relevance of numbers. (Only since writing this have I become aware this has already been started in Wales - though I would sympathise with those universities who regard it as a less challenging subject).
Why not teach basic budgeting for ordinary life?
The difference between Average and Mean (median).
Grasp the Magnitude of income inequality in Britain today.
CODING
Above all in this day starting with binary coding as distinct from Maths and Numbers. Computers work on it and so do genetics. Such coding implies deep training via abstract logic. Many might be enthused by creating computer games - my eldest son did with an early Sinclair ZX computer.
Training is the sole point because only a minute proportion of the population will ever code computers for a living. Many of those who do will make computer software products for appropriate use by the rest of us. Today those programming use far more sophisticated tools than binary.
It is well worth noting that the amazing steps forward in computing have been made by intelligent coders devoid of the need for most school subjects beyond English and Maths.
DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY the outline principles are worth teaching. Digital computers, digital instrumentation, digital controllers, PLCs. Everyone will soon be involved in The Automation of Things.
Social Media is one of the big issues of the day for good - but also unfortunately twisted simply by thoughtless copying, or by targeting for advertising or political aims. Spread sheets like Excel and Power Point are very useful tools far beyond typing.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
NOTES ON MY CAREER IN AUTOMATION
When I was at university a research student showed me our latest analogue computer, boasting it was very good at modelling dynamic (time changing) equations and how superior it was to digital computers, then the pride only of Manchester and Cambridge Universities.
My first job, a year of widespread post-graduate training apprenticeship in Canada. A year in three monthly rotation through various departments, sales, testing, electronics etc. Before finding my role in Application Engineering the design and the commissioning of major industrial projects.
The Canadian head of that design engineering department (full of brits) told me how much he valued British engineers trained via HNC+ (Higher National Certificate+). Learning engineering the hard way by part time day plus evening study combined with 5 year apprenticeships, often living at home in my day. But, as my wife keeps pointing out there are no longer the local industries to employ young people let alone the incentive to train them.
Returning to the UK and working at English Electric in 1961. I designed simple circuits using a few of the first Silicon transistors, they were £5 each to buy. Until then transistors had been based on overly heat sensitive Germanium. Silicon was the great breakthrough. Those transistors were used as analog amplifiers - the then modern replacement of valves in radio and TV.
Now each laptop computer or modern phone has transistors numbered in millions yet they do not cost £5 millions. Today transistors are 'wasted' as two state binary switches OFF or full ON, nought or one.
I moved to Steel Company of Wales at Port Talbot in 1966, attracted by the challenge of a new Automation Development Department. I was sent on a two week course on computer programming and first realised there were really only two numbers which mattered 0 and 1. (Strange that until then I thought of numbers as being 1-9, zero played little part except in carries)
But computers use them in wholly different ways.
1) As binary numbers to use in calculations.
2) As individual bits of 0 or 1 to use in logic, eg as On or Off
3) As addresses pointing to where in memory the numbers in question could be found or returned.
4) As the instruction code defining how these two numbers should be used, eg added, subtracted, multiplied, divided, simply compared for size or manipulated.
I remember struggling to conceive of what looked like binary numbers being used in four such different fashions. At that time software writing was limited to using Machine Code and octal notation 0-7 easier to remember and think about than pure binary. (leading to IBM's promotion of hexadecimal notation in which the single digit forms of A,B,C,D,E and F stood for the numbers 10,11,12,13,14 and 15) .
SUPERVISORY CONTROL and DATA ACQUISITION
From the mid 70's until I retired in 1996 I ran a small team of talented enthusiastic individuals who produced and maintained the entire software including the operating system and all in so called 'naked' computers,ie ones devoid of software. Eventually our now called SCADA system was installed on nine of the twelve process units in Port Talbot. (The remaining three units needed specialised computer systems involving complex calculation and/or mathematical models, the major plants, steel making, hot rolling and cold rolling).
Each system handled the data collected by analog (later digital) instrumentation, limit switches, integrated and coordinated multiple digital sub controllers. (So called three term process controllers for the automatic control of temperature, pressure, plus the PLC's (programmable logic controllers) used for sequencing operations.
SCADA systems are themselves programmable in the same fashion as the sub controllers, all deliberately designed to be configured, tuned and put to end uses by conventional engineers like me. (Very different live data functions but to some extent analogous to static spread sheets for use by accountants.) They display details of the current state of the process live on VDUs (Visual Display Units) to many manager's desks and vitally provide for intervention by operators in VDU control rooms.
The purpose of this article is not just to blow my team's trumpet but to highlight the unprecedented changes in my working life and draw conclusions about Educational needs.
The special to purpose operating system was designed a few years before my involvement by two software engineers, the leader was a maths graduate from Swansea University, his assistant an ex-apprentice technician. Both left steel at the height of de-manning in the 80's to work on Games production in Cardiff.
SCADA DEVELOPMENT TEAM
The two most fundamental roles in my team were filled by:- A second maths graduate from Swansea University who designed, commissioned and maintained the programmable VDU side of the system
AND
An apprenticed 'tool maker', who seized a chance to enter software when working with Marconi. His task was to design, commission and maintain the multiple communication links between instruments, controllers, programmable logic controllers and other computers.
The software team was completed by two metallurgy graduates and by an electrical technician who gained a HNC+ during his period as apprentice at the steel company. His skills were unique for he alone of the software team understood the electronic hardware as well.
On the engineering side there were normally three electrical engineering graduates including myself.
I count myself very lucky to have been at the helm in such a fast moving period of technological progress. It was very hard at its zenith due to the immense increase in demand for automation as Port Talbot modernised and cut staffing levels to the bone. In such ways we became the victims of our own success. We were very lucky to keep a stable software team throughout, but were helped by the paucity of alternative employment opportunities in rapidly de-industrialising South Wales.
Port Talbot when I joined in 1966 employed 17,000, almost all men. On leaving thirty years later a quarter of that number were making more and far higher quality strip steel. There was some original over manning but most of the reduction was due to improvements in process technology, only part the result of automation.
The speed of computers when I retired in 1996 were a few thousand times slower than today's laptops and even less powerful when comparing by memory size.
The frightening speed of technological revolution continues to beneficially affect all forms of developments in engineering, research and medicine.
But it is harder to see employment of whole population as in the past except as carers of the elderly like us. Education needs to prepare the young for an uncertain future or I fear mass frustration will follow. Building on the young's natural enthusiasm for learning, basic thought is key so is collaboration - rote learning just to pass exams is not.
I blogged weekly during my time as Groups Cordinator of Swansea U3A 2008-2011 to promote new groups, but rarely since. This posting follows my thoughts after reflecting on the discussion led on Education by Martin Cole, a relative newcomer to the Politics and Citizen Group. Intriguingly he has prepared another presentation for the group on the topic of 'Growing Pains'.
Martin started by introducing himself as a winner in the stakes of Eleven Plus, grammar school plus university, the same scenario as my own. I suspect a sizable proportion of the audience were educated at grammar school - though we might disagree on its merit in today's world.
He spent a life in education in a variety of positions, initially as a graduate in the discipline, then as a teacher, then charged with training teachers and finally with Ofsted. He was happy with the current form of Primary education and its aim to equip everyone with unchanging essential basic skills, so was I.
But said that Secondary Education largely reflected a Public School curriculum designed for a very small privileged section of society essentially aimed at largely non scientific entry to Oxford or Cambridge. Now aimed at getting university education for half of society. Leaving the other half to face feelings of failure, pointlessness with consequent lack of enthusiasm and disinterest.
He pointed to the enormous changes in lifestyle, wealth and technology since our own schooldays and contrasted it with the almost complete lack of lack of change in educational aims or syllabus. Clearly he thought changes were needed but reasonably enough expected his audience to provide their suggestions
In response to my questions he obviously thought different abilities needed to be recognised and indicated there should be 'choice'. My immediate response was of great interest in this idea but little coherence on its application except to recognise the problems it would set teachers and my conclusion that some topics need not be subject to passing exams.
I hope I have summarised with reasonable accuracy. This blog posting is thus to give time for thought to examine these issues further.
My Own Schooling
I took the very first Eleven Plus examination in 1946 and got a place in the 'A' stream at Warwick School which was partially boarding at the time, only those boarders passing the exam were allowed to continue. I remember little pertinent to that period except the long hilly cycle ride to school up to Westgate and down to the Castle over the river Avon.
Two years later we moved to Rugby and I transfered to the Lawrence Sheriff school, founded by the same founder as Rugby School when he realised that it was no longer satisfying his intention of providing education for locals.
Had I to 'chose' my subjects first choices would undoubtedly have been Physics and Mathematics followed by Chemistry the three subjects I later followed at 'A' level (not every-bodies choice). I recognised the vital importance of English language, liked English Literature and Geography. These six subjects I studied with great enthusiasm for 'O' levels. I think the exam system is vital for those proceeding to further education.
I was less enthusiastic about Art, Latin, 'Ancient' History, French (my only poor teacher - who ruled by fear), and Biology which in the 1950's didn't even feel like a science - were it not for the recent extension of Mendel, the father of modern genetics. I passed 'O' levels in Biology and French though failed Art. This was before the advent of Grades, you either passed or failed 'O' and 'A' levels.
But great though my enthusiasm for the sciences none of them could match my enthusiasm for competitive team sports, in my case Rugby and Cricket in which I harboured dreams of playing County cricket as a professional. Enthusiasm born from listening to the commentary of the 1946/7 Ashes in Australia hiding under the sheets with my crystal set.
CHOICE, SUGGESTED ADDITIONS for a SYLLABUS
Team sport was an enthusiasm shared with some pupils across A, B and C streams. We all tried our best all the time without the need for exams, we wanted to get better and better with no other than the personal satisfaction of winning as a team. A sizable proportion of the population has similar enthusiasm today.
Others would have similar enthusiasm feeling for art, acting, singing, music and cookery for example. A boy at our school loved collecting fossils, unfortunately he died exploring a local quarry alone.
Leading to the conclusion that Choices could produce high attainment without the need for exams given enthusiasm from staff and pupils. The pressure and challenge of Exams worked for me in all subjects, but I suspect that is not true of less academic students. But motivation for the subject being learned is vital. And motivation doesn't need to be curbed by exam pressure.
I recently reread an article by George Monbiot, far from my favorite Guardian journalist, entitled 'In an age of robots schools are teaching our children how to be redundant'
'In the future if you want a job you must be as unlike a machine as possible: creative, critical and socially skilled.'
'Children learn best when teaching aligns with their natural exhuberance, energy and curiosity.'
My thoughts about syllabus
RECENT HISTORY, Living through the second of two world wars in Europe, watching the bombing of Coventry and not a word about either! Too frightened to talk of politics? Start with the History of yesterday and work back - to the stone age!!
CITIZENSHIP is vital and should never be the forgotten option. Personal relations, collaboration and empathy are core. The subject links naturally to DEMOCRATIC POLITICS and ITS AIMS
Encourage thinking about the future. I am one of those who would gives votes to sixteen year olds, it's their future not mine.
NUMERACY, an end in itself to arithmetic, should be taught separately from a never ending study of MATHS. Everyone needs to understand context and relevance of numbers. (Only since writing this have I become aware this has already been started in Wales - though I would sympathise with those universities who regard it as a less challenging subject).
Why not teach basic budgeting for ordinary life?
The difference between Average and Mean (median).
Grasp the Magnitude of income inequality in Britain today.
CODING
Above all in this day starting with binary coding as distinct from Maths and Numbers. Computers work on it and so do genetics. Such coding implies deep training via abstract logic. Many might be enthused by creating computer games - my eldest son did with an early Sinclair ZX computer.
Training is the sole point because only a minute proportion of the population will ever code computers for a living. Many of those who do will make computer software products for appropriate use by the rest of us. Today those programming use far more sophisticated tools than binary.
It is well worth noting that the amazing steps forward in computing have been made by intelligent coders devoid of the need for most school subjects beyond English and Maths.
DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY the outline principles are worth teaching. Digital computers, digital instrumentation, digital controllers, PLCs. Everyone will soon be involved in The Automation of Things.
Social Media is one of the big issues of the day for good - but also unfortunately twisted simply by thoughtless copying, or by targeting for advertising or political aims. Spread sheets like Excel and Power Point are very useful tools far beyond typing.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
NOTES ON MY CAREER IN AUTOMATION
When I was at university a research student showed me our latest analogue computer, boasting it was very good at modelling dynamic (time changing) equations and how superior it was to digital computers, then the pride only of Manchester and Cambridge Universities.
My first job, a year of widespread post-graduate training apprenticeship in Canada. A year in three monthly rotation through various departments, sales, testing, electronics etc. Before finding my role in Application Engineering the design and the commissioning of major industrial projects.
The Canadian head of that design engineering department (full of brits) told me how much he valued British engineers trained via HNC+ (Higher National Certificate+). Learning engineering the hard way by part time day plus evening study combined with 5 year apprenticeships, often living at home in my day. But, as my wife keeps pointing out there are no longer the local industries to employ young people let alone the incentive to train them.
Returning to the UK and working at English Electric in 1961. I designed simple circuits using a few of the first Silicon transistors, they were £5 each to buy. Until then transistors had been based on overly heat sensitive Germanium. Silicon was the great breakthrough. Those transistors were used as analog amplifiers - the then modern replacement of valves in radio and TV.
Now each laptop computer or modern phone has transistors numbered in millions yet they do not cost £5 millions. Today transistors are 'wasted' as two state binary switches OFF or full ON, nought or one.
I moved to Steel Company of Wales at Port Talbot in 1966, attracted by the challenge of a new Automation Development Department. I was sent on a two week course on computer programming and first realised there were really only two numbers which mattered 0 and 1. (Strange that until then I thought of numbers as being 1-9, zero played little part except in carries)
But computers use them in wholly different ways.
1) As binary numbers to use in calculations.
2) As individual bits of 0 or 1 to use in logic, eg as On or Off
3) As addresses pointing to where in memory the numbers in question could be found or returned.
4) As the instruction code defining how these two numbers should be used, eg added, subtracted, multiplied, divided, simply compared for size or manipulated.
I remember struggling to conceive of what looked like binary numbers being used in four such different fashions. At that time software writing was limited to using Machine Code and octal notation 0-7 easier to remember and think about than pure binary. (leading to IBM's promotion of hexadecimal notation in which the single digit forms of A,B,C,D,E and F stood for the numbers 10,11,12,13,14 and 15) .
SUPERVISORY CONTROL and DATA ACQUISITION
From the mid 70's until I retired in 1996 I ran a small team of talented enthusiastic individuals who produced and maintained the entire software including the operating system and all in so called 'naked' computers,ie ones devoid of software. Eventually our now called SCADA system was installed on nine of the twelve process units in Port Talbot. (The remaining three units needed specialised computer systems involving complex calculation and/or mathematical models, the major plants, steel making, hot rolling and cold rolling).
Each system handled the data collected by analog (later digital) instrumentation, limit switches, integrated and coordinated multiple digital sub controllers. (So called three term process controllers for the automatic control of temperature, pressure, plus the PLC's (programmable logic controllers) used for sequencing operations.
The purpose of this article is not just to blow my team's trumpet but to highlight the unprecedented changes in my working life and draw conclusions about Educational needs.
The special to purpose operating system was designed a few years before my involvement by two software engineers, the leader was a maths graduate from Swansea University, his assistant an ex-apprentice technician. Both left steel at the height of de-manning in the 80's to work on Games production in Cardiff.
SCADA DEVELOPMENT TEAM
The two most fundamental roles in my team were filled by:- A second maths graduate from Swansea University who designed, commissioned and maintained the programmable VDU side of the system
AND
An apprenticed 'tool maker', who seized a chance to enter software when working with Marconi. His task was to design, commission and maintain the multiple communication links between instruments, controllers, programmable logic controllers and other computers.
The software team was completed by two metallurgy graduates and by an electrical technician who gained a HNC+ during his period as apprentice at the steel company. His skills were unique for he alone of the software team understood the electronic hardware as well.
On the engineering side there were normally three electrical engineering graduates including myself.
I count myself very lucky to have been at the helm in such a fast moving period of technological progress. It was very hard at its zenith due to the immense increase in demand for automation as Port Talbot modernised and cut staffing levels to the bone. In such ways we became the victims of our own success. We were very lucky to keep a stable software team throughout, but were helped by the paucity of alternative employment opportunities in rapidly de-industrialising South Wales.
Port Talbot when I joined in 1966 employed 17,000, almost all men. On leaving thirty years later a quarter of that number were making more and far higher quality strip steel. There was some original over manning but most of the reduction was due to improvements in process technology, only part the result of automation.
The speed of computers when I retired in 1996 were a few thousand times slower than today's laptops and even less powerful when comparing by memory size.
The frightening speed of technological revolution continues to beneficially affect all forms of developments in engineering, research and medicine.
But it is harder to see employment of whole population as in the past except as carers of the elderly like us. Education needs to prepare the young for an uncertain future or I fear mass frustration will follow. Building on the young's natural enthusiasm for learning, basic thought is key so is collaboration - rote learning just to pass exams is not.
