In response to two features in the latest issue (4.4) of Teach Secondary magazine - historian David Starkey’s What I Learnt at School and Tom Starkey’s piece on ‘passion’, reader Derek J. Newport writes: “May I respond to Starkey and Starkey please?
Being a bit old-fashioned, I apologise for referring to these eminent people by given names, but I do believe there is an interesting connection between the two articles.
I agree whole-heartedly with Tom’s views. In fact I immediately retrieved some of my recent e-mails, letters and my book Word file. Searching on ‘find’ for “passion” or its declined versions I don’t seem to have used the word. What a relief!
Another word that has been to my mind over-used is ‘legend’. Reading the many column inches of reports about sport or music, especially the many genres of modern music one could be forgiven for believing that every tenth person on the planet is a ‘legend’. When I was at day school ‘legends’ were confined to people like William the Conqueror, Joan of Arc and Alfred the Great. It was the latter who is fabled to have burnt the cakes. If not true, what a wonderfully succinct way of bringing to mind his single-mindedness in pursuing themes he believed were vital to the well-being of the nation. Now that could be classed as ‘passion’. Perhaps David as an acclaimed historian would confirm whether he did burn any cakes.
Having spent over fifteen years visiting secondary schools, the first nine years as an adviser under the Young Enterprise Initiative and the last 6 years as an ambassador under the STE initiative (note the omission of the last character of this acronym), during which it became clear that many pupils “…did not see the point of maths…”
Thinking about Tom’s incisive question, am I passionate about mathematics? Maybe not: I found it difficult at school, but as an engineer I fully understand its importance in engineering. Perhaps I can claim to have been merely ‘dedicated’ to the task, having spent many hours each week for upwards of three years writing a book focusing on WHY mathematics is important, especially in engineering.
Now I cross over to David’s excellent article “What I learnt at school”, with which I am broadly in tune. It was one maths teacher who enabled me to “see the point” of maths. ‘Pop’ Collins must have spent many hours at home crafting solid cones, each sliced at different angles to illustrate the various conic sections. He even painted lines round the hanging globe lamps in his class room, along with the equations for diameter and radius. The subject suddenly became interesting. It came alive!
I also agree that Michael Gove was perhaps misguided to advocate the “one size fits all” formula for education, but although he suffered the fate of the messenger having been shot, the message – delivered to The Royal Society in 2011 - has yet to be refuted. (The maths skills of 15 year-old UK pupils dropping alarmingly from eighth to twenty-eight place in the international league).
However David’s easily overlooked mention of pupils at a technical school in France needing to be “…reasonably good at arithmetic…” was one point that jarred. It connects with my reason for omitting the ‘M’ from STEM. I believe the technical colleges in Germany (Technische Hochschule) and France (Grande Ếcole) educate students aspiring to a career as a graduate engineer.
A graduate engineer needs to have a sound understanding of mathematics, of which arithmetic is but one branch. Our son remembers the registration number of every car we have both had. He also remembers all his friends’ phone numbers. I have difficulty remembering the registration number of my present car when signing in for STE events at local schools.
OK, I’ll get to the point. STE is doing a great job in increasing the number of pupils – boys and girls – becoming interested in crafts, largely taught in D&T. This should swell the numbers of electricians, plumbers, building construction workers etc, which are desperately needed, but schools do not appear to understand that there is also a severe shortage of graduate engineers (read Dr Vince Cable’s foreword in the major report “Engineering UK – 2014”, and the “Perkins Report”). This problem will only start to be resolved when teachers advise those pupils having an aptitude for mathematics that they should study maths and physics at A Level in order to prepare for their university degree course if aiming to become a graduate engineer (a three year engineering degree or a four year M.Eng degree to become a chartered engineer).
The amount of time graduate engineers spend calculating the values needed to design electronic and mechanical equipment or systems varies enormously. The maths may include trigonometry, electrical circuit analysis, calculus, finite element analysis, Fourier analysis, matrices, statistical calculations, while not forgetting the ubiquitous algebra, depending upon the actual work the engineer is responsible for. For instance, after moving into engineering management, I virtually ceased making such calculations (had to transfer much of my attention to financial matters), but most engineers I have spoken with agree that a sound knowledge of the maths underlying the engineering problems encountered is essential.
This goes for sales engineers and marketing managers too. Negotiating a contract for designing and constructing a large rotating machine, for example a turbine generator, with a power generating company would almost certainly require a deep understanding of the performance characteristics specified by the customer, even if the sales engineer did not personally make detailed calculations.
I was left wondering whether David understands this important difference between craft skills required by technicians and the academic dependence upon mathematics and physics required by graduate engineers, or was his use of the word ‘arithmetic’ a deliberate ploy to continue to uphold the incomplete public perception of engineers? I am not the first to lament the ambiguities of the English language. The terms Ingenieur (G) and Ingénieur (F) are reserved for a graduate engineer in Germany, Austria and France.
Kind regards,
Derek J Newport.”
