Bringing lit flame to the challenges and opportunities of the age

At some point in my A level physics course, I was introduced to the concept of entropy and its relationship with energy, and something of the lesson has stayed with me. I claim no expertise beyond fading Nuffield course memories of entropy being measures of the number of possible microstates that might deliver the observed macrostate, and of the unavailability of a system’s energy to do useful work.

I recall that, by way of example, our teacher asked us to consider a jar of petrol in two states:

1. left alone, covered with a lid
2. left alone, uncovered

Our teacher noted that state 1 was one of low but very stable entropy, with the energy potential of the system remaining constant, and, therefore, unable to do useful work. In state 2, he noted that all the petrol evaporates resulting in an increase in the number of possible microstates, and, therefore, high entropy, and again the system’s energy being unavailable to do useful work.

He introduced a third state, that in which the cover in state 1 is removed and a lit match introduced. Here, he noted, entropy rises as the system’s energy is put to work.

Some years later, while undertaking my main teaching placement in a London comprehensive, I formed the view that there were two easy ways to teach: strict, rigid, distant ‘them and us’ authority, and allowing a total free for all; and that both contributed little to the learning of boys and girls.

I had always been (and still am) interested in the relationship between the micro and the macro, and ‘parallels’ in the social world to mathematical and scientific patterns, and suspect this was why, at this key juncture of my teacher training, memories of that physics class came flooding back. It seemed to me that the strict, rigid, distant ‘them and us’ approach was akin to the covered jar of petrol: low, stable entropy and the energy of the system (boys and girls in the classroom) unavailable for any useful work. While the ‘let them do what they want and learn as they do so’ approach could be likened to the uncovered jar of evaporated petrol: high entropy and, again, unavailability of classroom energy for useful work.

I took the view that the way forward lay in my physics teacher’s third state. By adopting an engaged relational approach based on conversation, reciprocity and knowledge of, and passion for, subject matter, the teacher provides the spark to light the latent energy present in each child, and, in so doing, initiates a chain reaction of colliding curious minds.

If such an approach had currency amongst the pastel-clad, Cortina MkIII bound casuals of the ‘80s, it gains greater authority as we continue our emergence from the assured linearity of the industrial and post-industrial ages, to a connected environment founded in ready access to information and the free sharing of interests and talents. I suspect that, rather than the oft-mooted lifetime of 20 careers, most of this and coming generations won’t even know what a career is, as skills become increasingly interconnected, delivering a dense network that ‘fogs out’ the once clear paths of employment.

I see this as hugely exciting. Increasingly, the interests and talents young people acquire through school and further education will be woven seamlessly into their capacity for service and wealth creation. It will be the passions Scotch boys unearth and become skilled in that will light up unforeseeable networks through the fog. It could be that an interest in photography and imaging leads to advancement in ophthalmology or the treatment of skin cancers. Perhaps proficiency on jazz piano might initiate work with the rhythms of electromagnetic waves to restore movement in limbs after nerve damage. Success declaiming poetry might find a boy developing a dating app based on the resonance and intonation of our voices. Maybe a love of debating and proficiency with technology could join forces in a robot that delivers good discussion for those who live alone and like a good argument.

Programmes, culture and landscape must work in harmony to deliver an educational environment responsive to such opportunities and recent years have seen significant advancements at Scotch on these fronts. The advent of the James Forbes Academy for Performing Arts, the Sir Zelman Cowen Centre for Science and the recently opened, Spencer Centre for Design and Technology, has not only provided homes for the nurturing of passions, it has re-established the centrality of the ‘marketplace’ as a place of exchange where minds and bodies collide. Our teaching has become more conversational and relational, respecting the creative force that flows from that which is different in each boy and the power of collaboration. New programmes have seen boys stretched further in their areas of strength, given greater opportunity to connect with those who might think differently to them and released from rectangular restraints of time and space to identify and solve problems. We have seen boys develop a simple warning system to reduce repeat rates for cataract surgery; an app operated first responder electronic bandage that compresses, cools and heats as required; a fully automated aircraft trolley; and a ram-proof security bollard for pedestrian zones that offers seating, lighting, data points and an urban garden. Such is the ingenuity, talent and resourcefulness of this generation.

That the 2018 Scotch roll has been enhanced by 261 new boys hailing from origins as diverse as Greenwich (CT, USA), Jerilderie, Box Hill, Pirlangimpi (Tiwi Islands), Laurieton, Mornington, Gritjurk, Kuala Lumpur, Kowloon and Hawthorn gives evidence to the rich potency of the current vintage.

Returning boys set foot on a campus glowing in the aftermath of the busiest period of summer works for our Grounds and Maintenance staff on record. In addition to the opening of a new Design and Technology Centre, an old Science building had disappeared, making possible a glimpse of the near future which will see a revamped Keon-Cohen Building as the central cafeteria/dining hall to a bustling expansive Scotch Square for the boys.

In addition to the continued realisation of our masterplan, 2018 will see us further enhance academic care in Year 8 with greater mixing of boys in subject classes; extend our use of young Old Boys as Academic Mentors within the English, Science, History, Languages, Art and Drama departments; explore time provision for teachers to research and develop resources; and progress our ‘Shrinking the Core’ plans for Years 8-10, to provide greater opportunity for teachers to share interests and passions through cross age electives.

We will strive to inculcate in each boy an appreciation of, and respect for, the inherent value of each person, so he seeks out, and is excited by, the potential of new interactions. To fill such engagements with substance and purpose, we will encourage boys to reflect on how the world came to be as it is and their part in building a better future. We will continue to unearth passions and hone skills, and so develop interested and interesting young men ready to meet the challenges and grasp the opportunities of their age.

As the pathways that underpinned confidence in a predictable future are disrupted, I suspect it will be those who have grown up amidst new technologies who will be best placed to identify and solve problems. The task of my generation, and those to follow, is to make sure the young have the tools for the job, the judgement to see through the fog and the courage to bring lit flame to inherent accelerant.

I finish by taking opportunity to thank all donors to the Spencer Centre for Design and Technology, and, in so doing, acknowledge all in our community who have given so generously to ensure the physical environment of our School marries with our educational aspirations and belief in the enterprise of Scotch boys.