A Brave New World………of Data!

Data has the power to change the world……and it is! I am a huge fan of DATA and in particular BIG DATA. For those of you unfamiliar with the phrase BIG data, it simply means the collection and interpretation of data streams traditionally too large to process in traditional ways. Our world is full of data, about us, about our habits, our likes and dislikes and our health but those utilising this data are mainly private businesses, who do so to maximise their business activities. Nicky Morgan, the Education Secretary, and the DfE recently released a White Paper with many dramatic changes to the education system but one thing it made clear was it wanted the education system to make better use of data and to improve teaching through research based development, but I will come back to this in a moment.

Firstly let me tell you what big data can do. I was first introduced to the term when I read about Carolyn McGregor a doctor of computer science, who having worked in data based decision support for big business, turned her attentions to research and healthcare. In 1999 she was asked to go to see a neonatal intensive care unit in Toronto to see if her expertise could improve care for the infants. She was pregnant at the time and her own child was born premature and subsequently died. Seeing all the monitors around the unit bleeping and flashing, recording endless streams of data she wondered what happened to it. The doctors explained that nurses recorded the data once an hour on paper but the data streams themselves simply spooled out of memory, so none of this data was recorded or analysed. Over the next decade she was instrumental in the foundation of the Artemis Project, named after a greek goddess who protected babies and pregnant women. The Artemis Project began recording these data streams for all babies in the unit and soon started spotting useful trends. About 20% of babies in the unit caught infections in the and around 20% of those subsequently died due to the infection. The data could see that the babies, normally erratic baseline heart rate, would become more steady and less erratic between 12 and 24 hours before infection presented itself in the child. Doctors could now see the infection happening in the infants heart rate, long before any outward signs and could administer medication earlier. This data  has helped save many babies lives and the project is now working with many more hospitals across Canada helping to reduce child mortality. That is the POWER of BIG DATA…….it has the power to change the world!

So the Education Secretary telling teachers, in her white paper, to employ more data and research in our continued professional development (CPD) must be a good thing, and believe me I applaud this suggestion however in this brave new world there are pitfalls and dangers along the way. Collecting data is a skill, it needs to be done in a robust way which reduces contamination and increases depth and breadth of possible results. Also having data, no matter how robust, is only part of the challenge. Drawing conclusions from the data collected can be a hard task and one even “experts” get wrong. In the same week as the white paper was released the DfE also released a document linking poor attendance with poor academic achievement. In their press release Nick Gibb, Schools Minister, even went as far as to say that “this new research is further evidence that missing school for even a day can mean a child is less likely to achieve good grades, which can have a damaging effect on their life chances”. Now this assertion is WRONG and a DANGEROUS one. It also explains my point of why more research based decisions may not be the promised land after all.

So why do I say he is wrong and why am I concerned about this push for more research. Well this report is fairly robust in it’s collection of data, there are a few contaminating factors not addressed but let accept the data as correct. This report clearly shows a correlation between time spent in school and achievement at the end of KS2 and KS4 and that is as far as any good researcher would go. However the report suggests strongly in its wording that their is a consequential link between these two, a causal link between attendance and attainment. It also implies, and the MP’s assert strongly, that the lower attainment is a symptom of lower attendance. Every teacher believes that to learn a student needs to be in school, the more we see our students the more we can teach them which is why this report is so clever and dangerous. It takes a belief commonly held and then looks for data to prove it, some may even say it’s release and timing may also have more political reasons than educational. If we had irrefutable proof that more hours in school equals higher achievement we could justify say, longer school days, or fining parents for absence and because most teachers would easily believe higher attendance equals higher attainment they would not question it, especially when given figures such as this report headlines. However this, like so much research I have seen in recent years, is flawed. For one lets actually look at the data, for example at KS2 a student who has no sessions (half days) absent has a 51.5% chance of getting level 5 or above at the end of KS2, whereas if they have missed between 1 and 4 sessions they only have a 38.3% chance. Now we teachers are an amazing breed, we can inspire and impart knowledge at a phenomenal rate BUT do you really believe that missing one afternoon when you are 10 is going to reduce your chances of getting a particular grade by 13%. As a lover of research I would say there is a probable link between attendance and attainment but I would see the lack of attendance as a symptom of lower engagement in their education and thus lower attainment. This research should pose the question how do we engage young people and parents in their learning. Forcing students to attend school and fining parents will not increase engagement and making the school day longer will not increase results for all. Research can be dangerous and is leading many, like Alice chasing her rabbit, down holes that won’t lead to improvements. Ministers and dare I say it many teachers, make flawed decisions based upon their flawed understanding of what the data shows. Some may believe that ministers knowingly use flawed interpretations of data knowing few will question decisions made off the back of “robust” research.

My school is ahead of the data initiative, we have been completing research projects as teachers for some time now and many gains have been made with student engagement and attainment but none the less it can still mislead people. Lets take a similar thread to the DfE’s “attendance equals attainment” one above and look at revision sessions. We have always allowed our students study leave and put on revision sessions for them within this period. These have been optional and statistically those that attend these sessions get better overall results than those who do not. There is correlation between attendance at these sessions and attainment in exams, this is not in doubt. However I have heard a number of people assert that attendance at these sessions increases the students results based upon that data. This however is simply not proven in fact. Take my class from last year as a microcosm of this theory. Of 12 students 3 attended the optional revision session I put on and those 3 students all got A* in the exam, while no-one else gained a grade above a C. If we concentrated on headline figures of C grades of those who did not attend only 3 got a C so I could claim that my 1 hour revision session increased their chances of gaining a C grade by 67%, data backs this up. Many in the light of statistics may accept this. Data also backs up my assertion that the ONLY way to get a A grade is to attend my revision session. Less will believe this even though it is the same statement. Both of these assertions are not what the data really shows. The data really shows that those students who are already engaged with their learning and already working tirelessly at home doing revision and practice papers, are also those students who will likely attend optional sessions. Are those A*’s a symptom of my session? Of course not, they are a symptom of those students hard work for 2 years of GCSE study. Their attendance at my sessions is a symptom of their engagement in their education and future, which by the way is what also causes them to get A*’s. Those students who got less than favourable grades would, in my mind without doubt, still have got unfavourable grades even if they had attended my session. I like to think my sessions are worth while and help the students but to assert they were the difference between C’s and A*’s is ludicrous. This year our school has made these sessions compulsory which I for one think is a great move, a chance to refocus all of my students and give them last minute advice a day before the exam is a chance I am glad to have and  keen to fully utilise. It is a good decision, but not one backed by data. No data can show this approach will increase results because academic success is more complex than any one single factor. It is equally possible that forcing all students to attend will reduce these sessions effectiveness for those who are engaged, as more time may now be spent managing the behaviour of those who are not. I often hear teachers say “studies show attendance at extra curriculum clubs” increases students chances of exam success. Again this is not true, the best that can be said is there is a correlation between the two. It is highly likely that attendance at clubs is a symptom of an engaged student, and thus of course those that attend clubs get better grades, as they are the most dedicated students. To suggest attendance at extra curriculum clubs has a causal effect on a students results is simply not backed up by rigorous data. Many will see the flaw in these two arguments but these are the basis of the DfE’s argument about attendance. If i told you in 1 hour I moved students from a C to a A* in their future exams you would feel uneasy, you may question the data. The government say missing one afternoon at school when your 10 reduces your chances of a grade 5 by 13% and no-one delves deeper. As much as data can lead us to enlightenment it can also be used to blind.

So a brave new unstoppable world is coming and data is driving it forward. As I said at the beginning big data has the power to change the world. Imagine the possibilities! I recorded my heart rate for a month and published a typical week in the life of a teachers heart. I learnt loads about myself and the effect teaching has on me, imagine if every teacher was monitored, or every year eleven. Imagine if we recorded every students heart rate, sleep patterns, activity, state of mind and ultimately results. Imagine the patterns we may spot, imagine the ways in which we might help students to learn. Grab this new found opportunity with both hands, do research, collect data, question everything and learn so much. Data offers endless horizons to explore but watch out for dangers along the way. For me, I am excited by the prospects it holds and am keen to get involved, but for all you other keen researchers out there remember this.

Never try to prove a theory, instead collect data, as much as you can, and then see if any patterns emerge. From these patterns shape a theory to fit the data and then most importantly work your very hardest to disprove your own theory. If you can’t you may be on to something great!

 

My Favourite Photo!

I was looking through some of my pictures recently and pondering on which, of the many many photos I’ve taken in my time, I would say is my favourite. Well a few stand out because of their photographic quality, some for their subject, some for their occasion and some for all three. They say a picture speaks a thousand words so I’m going to use those thousand words to tell you the back story of one of my favourite pictures.

“I took this photo at a wedding. Not just any wedding but a wedding for which I was best man, the first, and possibly last time I will have that privilege, but I am ok with that as I got to be best man for the wedding between two of my favourite people in the world. Tom and Lea are two of my best friends, I’ve known them for quite some time, we’ve sat up round campfires chatting, been on quite bizarre road trips together (ask them about Merthyr Tydfil and “number 46” if you ever get the chance), and we’ve seen all of our lives change quite significantly over the years. When Tom asked me to be best man I could not have been more grateful and the wedding was a total pleasure to be involved in. I got to spend the days running up to the wedding with my best mate while we organised marquees, wedding suits, bridal hampers, haircuts, beer barrels and hog roasts and even had a broken clutch to deal with. The night before the wedding me and him relaxed in one of the outhouses of his parents country cottage having a chat about life and looking forward to the next day. The day of the wedding was something which could have happened in an Enid Blyton story complete with small country church and classic soft top sports car to transport the now Mr and Mrs to the reception. A reception which held in the grounds of Toms parents cottage was the ideal family location, like something from “Darling Buds of May”, it was formal enough but always welcoming. Warm breeze, flowers in bloom, local girl guides being the waitresses and a large gathering of family and friends. We had the meal then speeches, the brides best friend (fellow primary school teacher like Lea) spoke complete with laminated speech, mine was less meticulously planned but being a secondary school teacher I know nothing can go wrong when you ad-lib  and then Tom, who despite desperate googling attempts moments before, just went with what came out and it all came out well. Then as the afternoon progressed to evening, tea turned to hog roast, “drink”, music and twinkles. Lea loves sparkles so the side of the hillside in the grounds had been covered with fairy lights, bunting and night lights in jars. I went for a brief stroll to the other side of the valley to get a better view and it looked magical, all the coloured lights in trees, and sounds of cheery people passing time in the best way, with good conversation and drinking. Once I’d got back I fetched the camera from the car and took a few photos which until now, being best man, I had not had chance to do. As I wondered back into the party Lea and a few guests had wondered into the garden and, beyond the party games and teepee, had found a place to perch on a wall overlooking the party. Lea in her wedding dress, adorned with blue glow stick, sat nestled in between tea lights and bunting while I snapped a few photos. I rested my camera on a wall and took a photo of one of the tea lights in a jar, a relatively quick snap but what turned out to be my favourite photo. I love this photo because the colours are so great, I love this photo because of the way the jar shines. I love this photo because of the focus and the warmth but most of all I love it because it brings back memories of a truly magical day.”

So that’s my favourite photo, in 611 words, didn’t even take me a thousand. I could say so much more but I won’t. A thousand, two thousand, ten thousand would not convey the true meaning of the photo for me. You can’t photograph a feeling but this comes close so I will just hope you appreciate the meaning behind the photo a little. Although it might not be your favourite photo, that’s ok, because the beauty of favourites is they are ours to keep. That said though I hope you like it a little.  🙂 As for why tell this story well Tom and Lea are still happily married and have since had a little girl called Lola. Lola is one today and I hope maybe one day this will explain why there is a canvas of this photo hung on one of the walls at her house.

Lola, when your older I’ll tell you loads of funny stories that will let you know exactly who your parents are but for now know your mum and dad are two of my very best friends. They have always supported me and for that and just because they both have such generous souls I love them very much and as you are theirs I will love you also. Happy Birthday little one! x

Luck Grows with Age!

The older I get, the luckier I become. The older you get, the luckier you become. I can prove this with simple logic that even the most unlucky man alive could not deny. See right now, tonight, today, whenever you read this there is just under 7 billion people on this planet. Scientists estimate there has been at least 107 billion humans ever living, meaning at the feet of our existence is 100 billion dead who paved the way for our life and every second of every day that number increases. Every moment, more are also born and global population increases but unless every human that dies leaves 4 children to their name the percentage of dead slowly increases over those alive. The chances of any of us being alive is around 15:1, fifteen dead ancestors for every living being on this planet and with every passing second those odd get more and more stacked against us. As we grow older we beat ever increasing odd, we become ever increasingly lucky to be alive. As we grow older we undoubtedly are more lucky therefore luck grows with age. Our mere existence is incredible good luck, do something good with it! 🙂

It’s not just hammers and colouring in!

Design can lead to employment opportunities! Design can get you a job, I know this from experience. From the day I graduated I’ve never been short of work and after 5 years in industry I had to turn down a job as an engine designer to become a teacher, a fact my students find verging on the insane, but the best decision I ever made. Design took me around the world, earnt me good money, indulged my love of solving problems and was ridiculously good fun. Being a designer can lead you into so many fields and give you a life long, well paid, well respected career. That all said sometimes convincing parents, students and even colleagues that we are more than just a “fun” subject can be a hard sell. We have good links with Maths, Science, IT, History, English, Marketing, Psychology, PE, Art, Media, Business and we lead everywhere. Everything we touch, watch, read, listen and wear in life has had a designers influence so we offer almost endless opportunities but still our value can be underrated by so many. So this year when educating your students about options and career choices let facts and figures aid your discussions.

Each year the Higher Education Careers Service Unit (HECSU), Prospects and the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) carry out their annual Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education survey (DLHE). This simple survey is sent to all graduates in the UK to find out what they are doing 6 months after graduation from their degree. This survey normally gets around 80% return and gives a good impression of what the graduates are doing and what sectors of the economy are buoyant and which areas of employment are less in demand. They publish their findings in the “What Graduates Do!” document, which is well worth a read, to give young people advice on career paths. I have taken the raw data from this lengthy document and put all the key figures into a single page document so comparisons are easily made. Please feel free to download this document and use it to help options discussions with your students.

Download Graduate_Careers document in pdf format.

Understanding the figures!

To make best use of the page above you need to first understand a few key points. Firstly it has boiled down the figures into 3 basic categories, employability, unemployment and career path destination. On the left is the 28 headings the survey splits all degree’s into and the figure of graduates who have employment 6 months after their graduation. I have ordered the categories in rank order of employment so Marketing graduates have a 82.3% employment rate while Physics graduates have only 46.1% but this is not the entire story. The second set of columns ranks the categories in terms of unemployment and like the first set of columns highlights the best five in green and worse five in red. Now you may wonder why you need to see both, well it isn’t as simple as who has a job. For example Sports Science are about mid table in terms of employment but are top of the table for unemployment meaning although not all graduates are employed only 4.3% are not being productive (unemployed) while the rest are in further study, training, research or in unpaid positions. In contrast IT and Computing has a far better employment but the worst unemployment of any subject so while more get jobs more also simply end up unemployed and few go on to further study. It is important to look at both employment and unemployment to understand the table fully.

The final set of columns are looking at what type of employment the graduate has, so I have given you the top sector for each category, i.e. once graduated what is the most common job those graduates get (including the percentage in that sector) and then I have added all the employment types together which are related to the degree they hold. This gives you and your students and idea of what those graduates do, for example for History graduates almost 60% get jobs and of that 59.9%, 19.1% are working in retail, catering, waiting and bar staff and only 8.4% get jobs relating to their degree. After all it is not just about getting a job, it is about getting a job doing the thing you trained to do and some career choices are far better for this than others.

A few things to remember!

Firstly these 28 degree types cover a huge variance within each of them and can only give a snap shot of the sector, for example Hospitality, Leisure, Tourism and Transport covers a huge amount of varied careers and although the figure shows us on average 81% get employment it won’t tell you figures for chef’s or catering graduates in particular. In equal respect Design covers everything from set design and interior design to CAD and industrial design all of which have very different employment prospects but for clarity are merged to one figure. Also some careers are very noticeable by their absence for example medicine is not in here as Doctors have to complete at least one year foundation after graduation before being registered to practice medicine so this survey would just show all are still in education. It is worth noting though medicine has a very high employment of around the 90% figure but this is career average rather than 6 months post graduation so the figure is not really comparable but still very high ranking. Also remember when deciding which sectors were “using” the degree I had to make assumptions about which sectors were relevant but this last column is the only data created by myself, while the rest is direct from the survey results. Last but not least remember just because a degree in a subject does not lead to a job does not mean a GCSE or A Level in that subject won’t. For example Physics is pretty poor in terms of job opportunities for graduates but an A Level in physics leads to many very employable degree’s such as engineering.

How does Design and Technology compare!

Well this is where I think we can all sing the praises of our beloved subject. On the table in grey are the DT subject, all of which are in the top 10 for employment, a few of which are also in the top 5 for unemployment and employment destination. Noticeable stand out careers are Architecture and Civil Engineering. Architecture took a little dip in around 2012 but now looks like it is now fully refreshed and once again offering excellent career prospects. Civil Engineering continues to grow and continues to offer good pay, good progression and good employment opportunities. Design is also looking buoyant as are the prospects for our dedicated young hospitality students. Engineering continues to be a shortage subject as highlighted in “Professor John Perkins’ Review of Engineering Skills 2013” suggesting a year on year need for around 100’000 STEM graduates while other Government publications suggest a specific shortfall by 2050 of 36’500 Engineers. The catering industry also employs around half a million people while the restaurant industry alone is set to be worth £52bn by 2017 so all in all the creative industries as a whole are looking good for the future.

Design Technology is under pressure, in these times of austerity we are expensive, in these times of EBacc we are not on the guest list, and in these times of reform many of our “specialties” are soon to be on no list. Underlying all this pressure though we still have lots to shout about. We offer undeniable transferable skills, we teach the kids to think not just listen, we help them with their english, add purpose to their maths and teach them more science and IT than they every realise. Best of all we teach them what it is to evolve, to embrace new challenges and new technologies, we teach them never to ignore the past but always look to the future they want to create. We talk about the big issues of climate, morals, money and greed but never lecture. We are designers, we question and we want them to do the same and we know education is the most powerful gift anyone can possess. So this year when talking about options educate them about employability, educate them about prospects but educate them about the love of design, tell them about Mia Lundstrom, Stuart Craig, Jonathan Ive and the million other amazing designers doing what they love and touching each and every one of our lives. Ohh and don’t forget to tell them its fun!