Richard Evans applies tool to colleges. Reading Charles Handy’s excellent book ‘The Empty Raincoat’, I reflected on the application of the Sigmoid curve for college managers (see below) The symbol is a powerful one, and as Handy states, it possesses almost infinite universality of application. Obviously one can imagine a single curve which can represent the institution’s life and a particular point can denote its current health, but practically each element within the institution can be mapped to its contours. Other curves could locate the general effectiveness of, say, an indi-vidual member of staff or a group of staff in
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THE RICHARD REVIEW
Richard Evans is the Chairman of the CIPHE’s Education & Training Group. In this issue of ETM he looks at the outcomes of the Richard Review of Apprentices. Recommendations Published in November 2012, this independent review makes a number of important recommendations in regard to apprenticeships. The more significant recommendations include: Apprenticeships need to be ‘redefined’ having lost the essential link between the employer and the apprentice in recent times The main focus should be on ‘outcomes’ Should be ‘more employer focussed’ and with government funding to employers Apprenticeships ‘should be industry led’ ‘Industry standards’ are essential throughout the programme
The Moment of Truth
Education consultant Jenny Cronin and Dick Evans, Principal of Stockport College, attempt to explore what the ‘Moment of Truth’(MoT) is and where it occurs in the education and the business worlds. In the world of quality assurance (QA), dominated by jargon, a particular expression is being increasingly adopted, the Moment of Truth (MoT). It sits comfortably alongside other helpful and generally accepted phrases, for example, ‘right first time’. MOT is an example of a piece of jargon that does serve us well, in that it triggers fundamental and essential questions and precipitates meaningful reflections on the issues of processes operated
The Maths Problem
Dick Evans continues his analysis of training needs and skill shortages with a look at the world of numeracy. The Government has three distinct strands for its educational agenda, namely standards, skills and widening participation. A large number of reforms and initiatives continue to be introduced to realise these important elements of the wider agenda to develop a culture of lifelong learning and to raise the competitiveness of the workforce in this country. A number of these reforms and initiatives include: Reforms to the national curriculum, including more rigorous testing of pupils throughout their school lives. The introduction of programmes
The Mathematics Problem [Part 2]
DR RICHARD EVANS CONTINUES TO EXPLORE THE DIFFERENT FACTORS THAT CAN CAUSE DIFFICULTY WHEN IT COMES TO UTILISING MATHEMATICAL KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS WITHIN THE WORK ENVIRONMENT. IN THE SECOND PART OF THIS FEATURE, THE FACILITATION OF TEACHING AND LEARNING THROUGH THE EDUCATIONAL ENVIRONMENT IS DISCUSSED. In (part one of this article](/2011/04/the-mathematics-problem) (published in the April/May 2011 issue), I identified some of the problems related to mathematics and numeracy in our education system. However, perhaps it is too simplistic just to view the negative perception towards the subject in terms of a series of causes and effects. If the problem is
The Mathematics Problem
THE PROBLEMS ASSOCIATED WITH THE TEACHING AND LEARNING OF MATHEMATICS AND NUMERACY AT ALL STAGES OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING CONTINUES TO CAUSE CONCERN IN MANY COUNTRIES IN EUROPE. DR RICHARD EVANS DISCUSSES IN DETAIL, IN THE FIRST ARTICLE OF A TWO PART SERIES. The teaching of mathematics and numeracy, at all levels of education, is one cause of concern in many countries in Europe, and Malta is no exception. The problems precipitate a series of worrying issues namely: A generally negative perception of these subjects amongst learners in school, college and university. Low participation levels post 16 in subjects that
The Learning College
Colleges and other institutions of learning are not necessarily ‘learning organisations’. Dick Evans explains. In the 1980s, many businesses began to move towards becoming ‘learning organisations’. Interestingly, institutions of learning, colleges, universities, and training providers, which should perhaps have been in the vanguard, are only now beginning to follow suit. The development of the learning organisation idea is founded on the assumption that learning pays, not just for the individual but also for the organisations to which they belong. Even though the development of the learning organisation concept has been occurring over the last two decades, its definition and operation
The Knowledge Society
The professional organisations of today were founded tn the growth of societies dedicated to the advancement of knowledge in previous centuries, as our resident historian Dick Evans explains The foundation and development of learned and professional organisations representing science and technical disciplines is a fascinating story in its own right, but a study of their history also identifies many similarities with the evolution of technical and scientific education. During the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, both science and technology were in rapid transition and these disciplines had to fight hard to gain recognition and a place in the education system Before
The Invasion of the Management Gurus
We live in the age of management gurus and all the theories that flow from them. Many of the ideas and theories being foisted on colleges are transient and of dubious value and yet this country seems to be increasingly obsessed with them. The latest one is PFI — the Private Finance Initiative which aims to get industry to invest in college buildings and services. I get a letter a day from gurus and consultants promising to take the load off my mind. I already have a file of 40 to 45 letters from firms offering PFI services. I fear
The Importance of Workplace Mathematics
Questions continue to be raised about the teaching and learning of mathematics in schools and colleges and the levels of participation in the subject post-16. Questions continue to arise about its purpose and centrality in the schools national curriculum and the introduction of functional mathematics in vocational awards. In addition, concerns are being raised about the quality and quantity of students entering further and higher education to study courses that require mathematics such as plumbing. We live in a technological society based on mathematics and science, so it is concerning that schools, colleges and universities continue to turn out students