Just been listening to Eben Upton discussing how he came up with Raspberry Pi (good programme, worth a listen): www.bbc.co.uk/.../b09ly60f Took me back to my university years ('79-'82) when many of my cohort were playing with Sinclair micros etc, and I was thinking about why it never appealed to me. I think it's because while I do, obviously, find the development of new technology fascinating, what interests me is its ability to solve problems - whereas many of my colleagues were interested in the pure challenge of getting these piles of vaguely connected circuit boards to just work! Now, I believe it's a Good Thing that there are young people who are fascinated with technology for its own sake, this is how the Microsofts and Apples of this world developed. But I do wonder if we focus enough in STEM education on the ability of technology to solve problems, and develop an interest in its possibilities from that direction? Two reasons: I suggest it will attract more people into the fold, and increase the general understanding of the value (actual and potential) of technology, A good development and implementation team needs a wide range of skills (c.f. Belbin team roles), I suggest this approach would help us flesh out these teams with people who are able to form the link between the potential of technology and the needs of society (or the customer depending on your focus ). (Also, it is often suggested that there is a sex bias here: boys tending to be more interested in just building things (and blowing them up!), girls tending to be more interested in why they're doing it. Personally I think this is, if anything, a gender issue rather than a sex issue and hence is terribly complicated - possibly best just to accept that different approaches appeal to different people?) What are people's experience here? Do you think we explain enough what technology is for, and inspire young people to use it solve problems? Or - if we do we get too carried away with bells and whistles - is that maybe the right approach at a young age? Any good stories? I'm very happy to admit that my big inspiration (in hindsight) was watching Thunderbirds as a very young child! I still have a little Thunderbird 2 on my desk to inspire me. Oh, and don't worry, I will still (much to the amusement of my family) sit with a huge smile on my face looking at a very elegent piece of engineering for its own sake. But it's got to be really elegent! Cheers, Andy

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STEM Education - should it focus on technology itself, or on using technology to solve problems?

Just been listening to Eben Upton discussing how he came up with Raspberry Pi (good programme, worth a listen):

www.bbc.co.uk/.../b09ly60f

Took me back to my university years ('79-'82) when many of my cohort were playing with Sinclair micros etc, and I was thinking about why it never appealed to me. I think it's because while I do, obviously, find the development of new technology fascinating, what interests me is its ability to solve problems - whereas many of my colleagues were interested in the pure challenge of getting these piles of vaguely connected circuit boards to just work!

Now, I believe it's a Good Thing that there are young people who are fascinated with technology for its own sake, this is how the Microsofts and Apples of this world developed. But I do wonder if we focus enough in STEM education on the ability of technology to solve problems, and develop an interest in its possibilities from that direction? Two reasons:

I suggest it will attract more people into the fold, and increase the general understanding of the value (actual and potential) of technology,

A good development and implementation team needs a wide range of skills (c.f. Belbin team roles), I suggest this approach would help us flesh out these teams with people who are able to form the link between the potential of technology and the needs of society (or the customer depending on your focus ).

(Also, it is often suggested that there is a sex bias here: boys tending to be more interested in just building things (and blowing them up!), girls tending to be more interested in why they're doing it. Personally I think this is, if anything, a gender issue rather than a sex issue and hence is terribly complicated - possibly best just to accept that different approaches appeal to different people?)

What are people's experience here? Do you think we explain enough what technology is for, and inspire young people to use it solve problems? Or - if we do we get too carried away with bells and whistles - is that maybe the right approach at a young age? Any good stories?

I'm very happy to admit that my big inspiration (in hindsight) was watching Thunderbirds as a very young child! I still have a little Thunderbird 2 on my desk to inspire me. Oh, and don't worry, I will still (much to the amusement of my family) sit with a huge smile on my face looking at a very elegent piece of engineering for its own sake. But it's got to be really elegent!

Cheers,

Andy

Parents

0 Andy Millar over 3 years ago
And this all ties in with the IET press release from last week:
Over two thirds (68%) of children hope to work in a ‘green job’, but 71% say a lack of knowledge about these careers could stop them from following their passion

https://www.theiet.org/media/press-releases/press-releases-2020/18-september-2020-generation-green-ambitions-at-risk-of-going-to-waste/

So for example, explaining how modern engineering is providing solutions to combat climate change and pollution seems like a good thing. And, on the other hot topic, how engineering is helping to find solutions to Covid-19.

On the latter point, I was giving a STEM presentation a few years ago, and yer typical 14/15 year old lad decided to show off to his friends by shouting out "yeah, but engineering doesn't save lives, does it?" Wrong time to say that, my wife was going through intensive cancer treatment at the time (all fine now), so I spoke at some length about radiotherapy equipment, MRI scanners, chemotherapy delivery equipment, chemical engineering of drugs (which all too often we forget about)...might not have been my most polished presentation but I think got the point across! I now usually put an abbreviated version of that in my presentations.

It creeps into the day job as well, with a slightly different angle - I assess clients' engineering processes, and very often after they've spent ages describing the very clever engineering they've done I find myself repeatedly saying "but what is the actual problem you are trying to solve?" Because without that it's impossible to assess whether they've solved it. So building in that thought process from day "minus one" - while the prospective engineer is still at school - must be a good thing!

Cheers,

Andy
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0 Andy Millar over 3 years ago
And this all ties in with the IET press release from last week:
Over two thirds (68%) of children hope to work in a ‘green job’, but 71% say a lack of knowledge about these careers could stop them from following their passion

https://www.theiet.org/media/press-releases/press-releases-2020/18-september-2020-generation-green-ambitions-at-risk-of-going-to-waste/

So for example, explaining how modern engineering is providing solutions to combat climate change and pollution seems like a good thing. And, on the other hot topic, how engineering is helping to find solutions to Covid-19.

On the latter point, I was giving a STEM presentation a few years ago, and yer typical 14/15 year old lad decided to show off to his friends by shouting out "yeah, but engineering doesn't save lives, does it?" Wrong time to say that, my wife was going through intensive cancer treatment at the time (all fine now), so I spoke at some length about radiotherapy equipment, MRI scanners, chemotherapy delivery equipment, chemical engineering of drugs (which all too often we forget about)...might not have been my most polished presentation but I think got the point across! I now usually put an abbreviated version of that in my presentations.

It creeps into the day job as well, with a slightly different angle - I assess clients' engineering processes, and very often after they've spent ages describing the very clever engineering they've done I find myself repeatedly saying "but what is the actual problem you are trying to solve?" Because without that it's impossible to assess whether they've solved it. So building in that thought process from day "minus one" - while the prospective engineer is still at school - must be a good thing!

Cheers,

Andy
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STEM Education - should it focus on technology itself, or on using technology to solve problems?

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