How do you know what you want to do with your life at 16? In truth very many children have no idea. Since they are too often offered little insight into what the world of work looks like, how can they know? In England we have a school careers advisory system that is, at best, woefully underfunded and yet we expect children to be able to make sensible selections of future courses.
However hackneyed the Two Cultures phrase may seem, there is still too much truth lurking behind it in the English school system where children often find themselves required to opt either for science or arts/humanities/social sciences subjects. If they try to keep a bit of both they may then find themselves ill-qualified - and therefore unlikely to be accepted - for whatever courses they want to take next; or school timetabling may simply rule out an eclectic mix of subjects.
Today the Royal Society is publishing its major new report ' Vision for Science and Mathematics Education' covering the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) arena. (Disclosure: I am a member of the committee involved in its preparation.) One of the report's key recommendations is that A-levels should be replaced by 'baccalaureate-style frameworks that encompass vocational and academic learning across a broad range of subjects to age 18'.
This is not the first time the Royal Society has come out in favour of a broad curriculum for 16-18 year olds: a similar recommendation was made in a report launched in February 2011. This report stated 'In undertaking reforms to A-level ... the Department for Education (DoE) should consider modifying their structure to enable students to study a wider range and increased number of subjects.' In all the subsequent reforms coming out of the DoE, this is not what has happened. The problem of the narrowness of the curriculum for post-16 year olds in England remains. Although the other parts of the UK have slightly different systems, the general principle behind the recommendations in the report will be equally applicable.
Currently only 13% of our nation's children take any form of mathematics after GCSE, a lower figure than in any other developed nation. The lack of confidence in numeracy skills this causes is a major concern for employers and government alike. Measures are now being introduced to redress this to some degree, with new post-16 qualifications being developed. However, such courses are not likely to be mandatory and only time will tell whether they make any significant impact.
What the Royal Society is calling for is much more sweeping in scope. It is recommending not only that all children should continue with maths to 18, but that they should also continue to learn some science to that age. The proposal is not to pursue the traditional form of science teaching, separated out into the three key subjects of physics, chemistry and biology, but rather to introduce broader and more relevant courses for the citizens of tomorrow, that might also include elements of computing, design and technology as well as 'pure' science. Nor is it aimed at instructing children in specific details (such as the Second Law of Thermodynamics, to invoke CP Snow's 1959 lecture again), but to help them feel more confident in the decisions they may need to make about family health and nutrition or environmental concerns, for instance. Furthermore, the Royal Society's recommendations apply not only to those on a formal academic track, but also to those already in work or studying for vocational qualifications.
Equally importantly, the proposal envisages that those students committed to STEM should also broaden their studies to embrace classes in arts/humanities/social sciences, something that discussions with stakeholders such as Higher Education Institutes (HEIs) have shown to be welcome. There may need to be significant changes in undergraduate courses for the sector if incoming students have less detailed, subject-specific knowledge, but the discussions to date demonstrate that this is not regarded as a major problem by HEIs.
Empowered citizens need to feel confident in their mathematics and science knowledge whatever career they end up in and the Vision report is in part aiming to address this need. But equally, the report strongly recommends that all children, from primary school upwards, should have the opportunity to learn about what qualifications in science and maths can lead to. Nationally we need to do a better job of exposing all children to the world of work and to move on from a situation where too many think these subjects are 'hard' and only suitable for the most able students; or that scientists are mostly white, male and middle-class as the evidence cited in the report suggests they currently do. Science needs to be inclusive and to be seen as such.
Today, many children never get to meet a scientist or engineer first-hand or get any insight into their working life. The Vision report calls for careers awareness to be introduced starting at primary school, giving children exposure to role models such as professional scientists, engineers and technologists. This should continue at secondary school where provision of careers information and guidance should form an essential part of the school week. Awareness of an engineer's job should not rely on there being a family member in some part or other of the profession. Information about how maths can benefit careers that aren't obviously labelled 'mathematics' - careers which might range from marketing to fashion via the gaming industry - should be part of the school day, not something that children might encounter accidentally outside school.
The subjects of science and technology open doors to a huge range of jobs in many sectors where the analytical and problem-solving skills acquired are greatly valued. So, for the individual and their future employment prospects as much as for the nation's economy and prosperity we need to ensure our schooling is fit for purpose in the widest sense. I have only touched on a few of the recommendations proposed in the report; others cover the teaching profession; curricula, assessment and accountability; and education research. We hope that the report will be widely disseminated and read and that the vision we put forward will serve as a stimulus to policy-makers, teachers and parents alike to reconsider the STEM provision in our schools.
Athene Donald is professor of experimental physics at the University of Cambridge, a member of the Vision for Mathematics and Science Committee and the immediate past chair of the Royal Society's Education Committee. She tweets as @athenedonald. Entities 0 Name: Royal Society Count: 4 1 Name: England Count: 2 2 Name: Department for Education Count: 1 3 Name: DoE Count: 1 4 Name: Vision for Mathematics and Science Committee Count: 1 5 Name: GCSE Count: 1 6 Name: Vision for Science and Mathematics Education Count: 1 7 Name: University of Cambridge Count: 1 8 Name: UK Count: 1 9 Name: Royal Society Summer Science Exhibition Count: 1 10 Name: Athene Donald Count: 1 11 Name: Royal Society 's Education Committee Count: 1 Related 0 Url: http://ift.tt/1lzBkK5 Title: Efforts to Inspire Students Have Borne Little Fruit Description: An occasional column on developments in what educators call STEM - for science, technology, engineering and math. Five years ago, President Obama began the Educate to Innovate initiative, a series of private-public partnerships with companies and nonprofits that was intended to get more students fascinated by science, technology, engineering and math - the so-called STEM fields.
Post a Comment for "What should a 20"