ABOUT US
NAVIGATION
Why Learn That aims to make learning fun and strives to make it relevant. Fun activities such as "Dinosaurs" enthuses young people about science with a topic that has almost universal interest amongst the younger age groups. It also acts as a hook for increasing an awareness of wider scientific, mathematical and engineering topics.
Other activities strive to make learning and relevant by giving examples and context for some of the topics on school syllabus. Why is this important? On the 26th June 2003, quadratic equations were debated in the House of Commons after a member of the National Association of Schoolmasters and Union of Women Teachers (NASUWT) commented on BBC Radio 4's "Today" programme that the quadratic equation was an example of the sort of irrelevant topic that pupils study.
The wider debate highlights two things. Firstly, that pupils are generally more engaged if their studies have some relevance to the world they see around them and secondly that the knowledge of the applications of what is on the syllabus (and there are many) appears to be missing.
Using the applications of science and mathematics doesn't necessarily mean that the factual content is diluted. It does, however, give reason and motivation for learning a range of topics and can provide a spine that connects them together. Going back to the quadratic equation; the post-war US military invested a lot of money in the early ENIAC computer to solve what is essentially a quadratic problem!
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Tel: 01663 749785
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Why Learn That was set up by Dr Chris Robbins as a spin-out from his commercial consulting and his voluntary work carried out for the Science and Engineering Ambassadors Scheme run by SETNET. Chris holds a first in physics, a PhD in mathematics and has over 17 years of experience in applying maths, science and engineering to a wide range of problems.