The other side of Cambridge
I spent most of yesterday at a secondary school in central Cambridge, explaining the world of engineering and work to a large group of 14 year olds. We spent most of the day examining bridges - what factors have to be considered, what kinds of structure are strong and why, how you can model a bridge using computer aided design (CAD) tools on a PC, and how you can build a bridge from spaghetti if you try hard enough.
I was impressed by the computer suite, which had enough PCs that each teenager had their own. Quite a few of them got the hang of the software quickly and were designing and testing their bridge ideas without help. Others struggled, particularly with starting afresh with a new bridge design. As I explained the process (click to open the File menu, then either Save your current design or click New Design to start again) I realised that in some cases the problem was not unfamiliarity with the Windows paradigm, but that some of the teenagers couldn't read. This startled me more than it should have done.
Overall the teenagers were a good bunch; they all created good bridge designs in the end, and engaged with most of the activities very well. It was a good day for brushing up my jargon. The school is just coming out of Special Measures (ie a period of time attempting to rapidly recover from very poor performance beforehand). Many of the teenagers in this group were Statemented (meaning they have statements of special educational needs, and often behavioural problems as well). The catchment area is difficult (many families with no working parent, etc).
In two years most of these teenagers will have finished school for good. It is very easy to forget that Cambridge is not entirely made up of University or high-tech connected families, who prioritise education. The underside is hidden from many people in the area.
I was impressed by the computer suite, which had enough PCs that each teenager had their own. Quite a few of them got the hang of the software quickly and were designing and testing their bridge ideas without help. Others struggled, particularly with starting afresh with a new bridge design. As I explained the process (click to open the File menu, then either Save your current design or click New Design to start again) I realised that in some cases the problem was not unfamiliarity with the Windows paradigm, but that some of the teenagers couldn't read. This startled me more than it should have done.
Overall the teenagers were a good bunch; they all created good bridge designs in the end, and engaged with most of the activities very well. It was a good day for brushing up my jargon. The school is just coming out of Special Measures (ie a period of time attempting to rapidly recover from very poor performance beforehand). Many of the teenagers in this group were Statemented (meaning they have statements of special educational needs, and often behavioural problems as well). The catchment area is difficult (many families with no working parent, etc).
In two years most of these teenagers will have finished school for good. It is very easy to forget that Cambridge is not entirely made up of University or high-tech connected families, who prioritise education. The underside is hidden from many people in the area.