Through her work with the Royal Meteorological Society, Sylvia Knight has discovered a hunger for revised climate teaching within the secondary curriculum. She introduces the key issues facing schools and students today, and turns to tech teacher Michael Noonan for his thoughts from the frontline of teaching design and technology (D&T).
As of March 2022, women made up 16.5% of all engineers in the UK, compared to the 10.5% reported in 20101. While we may be tempted to say the jump from 1 in 10 engineers being women to 1 in 7 shows progress, these figures still reflect the fact that the number of female engineering students persistently sits below 20% in higher education (HE). Much has been written about the myriad ways in which people have tried to address this issue and yet stubbornly these statistics – and their impact upon minority groups – prevails.
Since the start of the national curriculum, food has been part of Design and Technology (D&T). But with a potential review of the subject likely to be incoming – and the majority of teachers saying they want food to be separated from D&T – is it time to explore alternatives for the way schools impart important skills and knowledge in food and nutrition?
Embracing Sustainability: University of Sussex's Product Design degree program is leading the way
A future for higher education Engineering in the UK
King College London (KCL) boasts an engineering degree course that is rethinking how students are prepared for their eventual career in the industry. Claire Lucas, Professor of Engineering teaching and learning, was kind enough to open the doors on the undergraduate programme being developed, that might inspire teachers of design and technology to rethink how best to prepare students for an engineering degree pathway, if not through the vocational qualification route.
Today's young people are grappling with a rapidly changing world, confronting complex issues that range from climate change and conflict to the aftermath of the Covid pandemic.
With the World Health Organization reporting that depression, anxiety and behavioural disorders are among the leading causes of illness and disability among adolescents, the call to equip young people with effective tools and supportive strategies is urgent.
Spanning the revolutionary to the quirky, British ingenuity has brought the world a range of innovations, from the first locomotive and telephone, to recent inventions like the Dyson, and Trunki suitcases.
A 14 year-old starting their GCSEs this September is likely to be looking for their first serious job around 2030. I’ve been thinking about this a lot recently because my eldest child is one of those 14 year-olds. Like me when I was their age, they’re dreaming of a future career doing something creative and meaningful.