Various American authors have pointed out the emphasis on STEM subjects (Science Technology Engineering and Maths) in modern education needs to include art.  This is because the ability to visualise and sketch ideas requires creativity and some basic understanding of art.  Others have advocated for music as developing the same parts of the brain required for maths.

In the UK there have been several important reports looking at how best to educate children to be engineers and technologists: Engineering Kids’ Futures (Institute of Engineering and Technology)  and the 5 Tribes Report by Peter Finegol (Institute of Mechanical Engineering) are two reports that have looked at the changes that need to be made to education in order to encourage an engineering habit of mind that would help teenagers chose a type of engineering as a career.  Both these reports have noted that some children seem very inclined towards STEM subjects but they note that the group most likely to shift from ambivalence to enthusiasm for engineering are children interested in creativity.

Translating this into primary school education has been a special interest of Professor Lynne Bianchi at the University of Manchester and of Professor Bill Lucas at the University of Winchester.  They and other academics agree that developing the creative, artistic side of children’s education at primary level is key to the future development of engineers. CATS is exploring how schools can adopt ideas developed in these studies to help develop children’s creativity.

Only five percent of primary school teachers have a STEM background,  and therefore have little confidence in delivering any engineering content as part of their school syllabus. At primary level, the National Curriculum does not include any engineering content. Therefore, it is not surprising that relatively little engineering teaching and learning occurs at this stage of education. (Institute of Engineering and Technology: Engineering Kids’ Futures)

 

References:

Extracts from the Five Tribes report by Institute of Mechanical Engineering (Peter Finegold)

NB This report is about secondary school pupils NOT primary where attitudes are less formed and groups not so identifiable

> Engineers create the world we see around us. From the earliest cave dwellers with their simple tools to today’s sophisticated transport, energy and communications technology, humans have relied on engineers to improve the world. Engineers, “…make ‘things’ work or make ‘things’ work better”[1] – our prosperity and security are increasingly dependent on both nurturing engineering talent and fostering an environment in which the skills of the engineer are valued. At the same time, the processes that collectively constitute engineering remain among the most creative and fulfilling experiences that human beings can have. And yet despite this, the number of people employed in engineering and manufacturing in the UK has halved in the last 30 years.[2] At a meagre 10%, we now have the smallest proportion of manufacturing in our economy of any G8 country[3], a feature occurring alongside low levels of interest in engineering among young people and an ageing workforce.[4] This means that at a time when we need to produce and sell more goods to restore the nation’s finances, we face a severe skills crisis in this key sector.[5] The UK economy is strongly reliant on identifying and unleashing untapped talent among a wider number of school students. We need them all to fulfil their engineering potential rather than just have us rely on a reducing minority of die-hard enthusiasts. As we stand our current system is producing little more than one half of the engineers and technicians we need to sustain our economy.

> This report describes a survey of values and beliefs, attitudes and preferences of a representative sample of 1,500 UK citizens aged 11 to 19. The results show that adolescents divide themselves broadly into five categories, determined by their values as well as their reactions to engineering as a subject and as a potential career. The research raises questions about whether we should replace the current ‘be like me’ approach with programmes that take difference into account. It compels us to explore how it might be possible to retain the creative talents and innovative abilities of many young people who do not fit the obvious engineering archetype.

> There are five broad categories (‘Tribes’) of adolescent attitudes to STEM within the nations of the UK; with each Tribe internally demonstrating shared values and beliefs, as well as similar attitudes to school, family and work. • Two of the Tribes, ‘STEM Devotees’ and ‘Social Artists’, are present in similar proportions across all ages. These Tribes express very different attitudes and ambitions, yet both appear more focused in their goals than other Tribes. • The three remaining (smaller) Tribes are found across different age groups, although the size of each Tribe is variable at different age stages. • The ‘Enthused Unfocused’ Tribe emerge as a potentially valuable source of engineering talent. They are passionate about STEM but lack confidence to achieve success in the subjects. • Social Artists’ are a large, female-dominated and creative section of the population who seemingly have relatively little affinity with STEM. Their rejection of STEM is mainly driven by absence of interest rather than lack of confidence. ‘Social Artists’ are the second largest and a potentially influential Tribe. • The ‘Individualists’ are independent innovators and future entrepreneurs. Though they value creativity and consider it evident in engineering, they do not see engineering as being for them. • The ‘Less Engaged’ Tribe reflect a section of the school-age population who are relatively less connected to school and appear to have lower interest in wider social values, in comparison to the other Tribes. • Technology appeals overall to some Tribes more than others. Though there are clear differences in the profile of the technologies that appeal to individual Tribes, greater disparity is evident between the interests expressed by young women and men within the same Tribe (girls in all Tribes find most technology less appealing than boys).

> Engineering is what humans do. It is an intrinsic part of how we engage with the world, and has enabled us to survive and thrive. Just like our desire to make music, there is seemingly an in-suppressible urge for members of our species to express themselves – in this case, through intelligent manipulation of the physical environment. In common with musicianship, some of the species are born with outstanding natural ability, while others become good or better as they develop and learn.

> Learning to be an Engineer (Royal Academy of Engineering)

Our findings suggest that within schools wanting to implement more engaging engineering education, the three elements of the first step of our TofC are valid: a) The reframing of engineering education within schools in terms of engineering habits of mind, (EHoM) in addition to subject knowledge is something that teachers like and understand. b) It is possible to create the climate for EHoM to flourish at Key Stages 1, 2 and 3 using three elements of a signature pedagogy for engineering – the engineering design process, tinkering and authentic engagement with engineers – to cultivate the desired engineering habits of mind. c) A professional learning community that offered targeted support for teachers to design, implement and reflect on the impact of small scale curriculum interventions in a range of different subjects did begin to change their practices. With reference to the second step of our TofC, we have begun to better understand what school leaders and teachers need to do to embed their practices. We draw the following conclusions from our five more detailed research questions, see Section 3.1: 1. EHoM approach: With support, all schools managed to use the four step process for cultivating EHoM, locally interpreted and adjusted according to learner age and context. All six EHoM and their Learning to be an Engineer 71 sub-habits were useful although the least developed was systems thinking.

 

Royal Academy of Engineering

What are the benefits and aims for engineering education in the primary classroom?

How do you plan and organise the teaching and learning of engineering in the primary classroom?

 

How do we know children are getting better at thinking and working like an engineer?

What approach should we take to embedding engineering within the mainstream curriculum?