The Newtonian Mechanical Culture

Sample Solution

  a) Newtonian mechanical culture developed during the 18th century and was based on Isaac Newton's theories of motion and gravitation, as well as his mathematical methods. The role of Newtonian explicators was to break down these theories into simpler components that could be used in practical applications. They then developed new technologies such as steam engines, wind-powered machines, hydraulic pumps and other industrial machinery by applying the principles of mechanics in new ways. b) Newtonianism provided a framework for British entrepreneurs and engineers to develop innovative technologies. It allowed them to apply scientific principles to engineering problems, which enabled them to design more efficient machines than their predecessors had done before. This increased productivity levels among manufacturers and helped fuel Britain’s Industrial Revolution.  

Stage 4 lessons within the relatively new curriculum of Computer Science, and how literacy and numeracy can support learning in order to provide a fully inclusive learning environment. The delivery school in Sherborne where I am employed is rated ‘Good’ by OFSTED (2017). It converted to an Academy in 2012 and holds approximately 1580 students aged 11-18. It has a relatively low number of students who have English as an additional language and the free school meal/pupil premium percentage is approximately 13% lower than national average (Gov.UK). For this assignment, I will use my Year 10 Computer Science class. This is a predominately male class with one female student. Their target grades range from grade 3 – 8, with the majority of students at the upper end of this range. The data for this class can be seen in Appendix A. The subject content for this assignment is Python Programming, looking at how the incorporation of numeracy and literacy supports learning in this topic. All subjects to some degree use literacy and numeracy. Particularly having awareness of this in Computer Science is very important. Computer Science especially ‘has deep links with mathematics’ (DfE, 2013). Students are required as part of the OCR (Oxford and Cambridge) GCSE Computer Science Specification to complete a programming task which involves planning, reviewing and evaluating their programs. Lacking the basic literacy and numeracy skills would hinder students’ ability to complete this task. The OCR syllabus states students must be able to apply Computer Science related mathematics confidently (OCR, 2018, p.8) and have the understanding of key mathematical elements laid out in Appendix B. In the aims of the National Curriculum for Computing it says that students must be able to ‘understand and apply the fundamental principles and concepts of computer science, including abstraction, logic, algorithms and data representation’ (DfE, 2013). This not only relates to the programming activities, but the syllabus clearly lays out that it includes both practical and theoretical contexts, and the use of computing-related mathematics within those contexts (OCR, 2018, p.31). A detailed break-down of each lesson for this assignment can be seen in appendix. All the activities support literacy and numeracy (Appendix xx) . These lessons were conducted o