Using systems thinking to enhance the D & T curriculum

Working in conjunction with BAE Systems, David Barlex and Jo Oladejo from the Nuffield Curriculum Centre, and Torben Steeg, have produced the Big Ideas BAE Systems Engineering Resource Pack.

Endorsed by the International Council on Systems Engineering, these resources are now available for use in schools.

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The aim of the Big Ideas resource is to provide teachers with a set of resources and approaches that will enable them, and their pupils, to use systems thinking to enhance the design & technology curriculum, to provide an appreciation of the work of systems engineers and develop an appetite for pursuing a technical career involving systems engineering.

The resource has three main sections.

• First, there is Systems teaching. This provides a detailed treatment of the ideas needed for teaching a systems approach and how the Welsh Joint Education Committee GCSE Design & Technology in Systems and Control can be taught using a systems engineering approach.

• Second, there is Engineering the links between design & technology, mathematics and science. This requires innovative curriculum development particularly as since the introduction of the National Curriculum these subjects have pursued their own teaching with little reference to each other. Systems engineering demands the use of knowledge, understanding and skill from a wide range of subjects and beginning with developing links between these three subjects is a good way to start.

• Third, there is Systems Engineering Case Studies to introduce pupils to the world of systems engineering and provide insight into the impact of systems thinking.

There is a feedback section for all three sections so that users of the resources can let the authors know how they are using them and how they might be improved.

All of these resources are now available from the BAE systems website: www.baesystemseducationprogramme.com/systemsengineering/