The following publications have been reviewed by the mentioned authors;Graphics and Design by R. W. Boycott and J. Bolan, reviewed by Richard KimbellThe Practical Woodwork Book: Anthony Hontoir by John Murray, reviewed by David JonesIntroducing Art - A first book on the History and Appreciation of the Visual Arts by Donald Richardson, reviewed by John LancasterSoldering and Brazing by Tubol Cain, reviewed by  W. T. PriceSheet Metal Work by R. E. Wakefield, reviewed by W. T. PriceThe Art of Welding by W. A. Vause, reviewed by W. T. PriceWorld and Image: A Journal of Verbal/Visual Enquiry. First Issues: Vol.1, January-March 1985 by John Dixon Hunt, reviewed by John LancasterTeachers, Computers and the Classroom by I. Reid and J. Rushton, reviewed by Sean NeillDesign Courses in Britain 1986 by The Design Council, reviewed by J. BarlowGender, science and technology: Inservice handbook by Judith Whyte, reviewed by T. Dore

Barlow, J.

Dorey, T.

Jones, David

Kimbell, Richard

Lancaster, John

Neill, Sean

Price, W. T.

English

Loughborough University Library: Open Journals

ReviewsRW. Boycott and J. BolanEdward Arnold £2.40The book is part of a series by Edward Arnold, theother two in the series being Metalwork andWoodwork. This book entitled 'Graphics and Design'is intended to introduce to eleven to fourteen year oldsthe basic concepts and techniques used in graphiccommunication and design.The book is divided into ten parts, the first eightrepresenting fairly standard approaches to sections ofgraphic communication normally encountered inschool courses (e.g. symbols, plans, pictorial views,developments etc). It is then in the last two parts (Part9 entitled 'Design your own Craftwork' and Part 10entitled 'Design Assignments') that issues of designare tackled. There are some nice features about theintroductory eight sections, there is a general feelingof up to dateness about the examples used andcertainly one of the useful features is the list of 'thingsto do' for pupils on each page.My major reservation about this volume is that itcomletely fails to integrate the graphic communicationelements with the design sections. It is as if the designpart of this book is entirely separate from the graphiccommunication sections and this I think illustrates areal problem for CDT. If pupils are to come to gripswith the new Design and Communication GCSEcourses then foundation courses must establish thefundamental interdependence of the areas. If only theopportunities that existed here for integrating thegraphic communication elements into the designelements had been taken it could have been a reallymajor contribution to the development of CDT in thefoundation years. I fear however that this has not beenthe case.This book, for all that it is very well produced, withextensive use made of drawings and photographsaiding clear instructions, is in my opinion unsuitablefor use in modern CDT departments. I find the claimon the back of the book that it is suitable for CDTcraft at GCSE level to be misleading. The bookreminds me of many of its type which appeared in theearly 1960's and it might be more appropriate if itfound a place in a collection of books charting thehistory of the development of CDT.In terms of an exposition of basic techniques relatedto specific projects in wood it is entirely adequate butas an aid in the development of design skills andknowledge it is fundamentally lacking even theattempt to include the content commonly expected ofbooks for GCSE CDT subjects.The book consists of 16 projects varying from acargo ship complete with sawn and chiseled housingsand dowel funnel to a pair of driveway gates. Eachproject is completed with a number of 'questions'which would be suitable for a traditional woodworkexamination.I personally find it sad that it should be consideredthat there is a place for this sort of book in schools.Hopefully this will soon cease to be the case.Introducing Art - A first book on the History andAppreciation of the Visual ArtsDonald RichardsonJohn Murray £8.25My impressions are that this is an excellent book. It ismeant as a basic text for fine art and art and designstudents and should be a very good aid to theirexamination studies. However, it will also appeal tonon-examination students and adults who have ageneral interest in the visual and plastic arts becauseof its comprehensively-conceived detail andabundance of illustrations.The book is interesting due to the way the authorhas planned it to read 'at three levels of difficultysimultaneously'. He writes:Students who only wish to look at the illustrations(and many of us do this much more often than wecare to mention) and read their captions shouldreceive a basic, yet comprehensive, insight into thesubject. Those who wish to go into more detail(which is where the serious student can apply his orher own interest) should study the complete text inaddition. Those who wish to study still further (auseful and well-conSidered area of guidance)should complete the Things to do at the end ofeach section also.The author employs a scholarly approach to thestudy of art. He embraces various epochs, cultures,traditions and societies across the world - animpossible task, in one sense, but one which can sparkoff profound interests while acting as a stimulus forfurther serious study - so that we are presented witha fascinating overview.What this book now demands is an extension by theauthor of the various sections. These might, if thepublishers will play ball, be seen as complete books intheir own right. As we all know, however, times aredifficult but I, for one, would recommend such adevelopment.Tubol CainArgus [5.95This book, while based at the beginner or therelatively inexperienced, contains information ofinterest to those with a greater knowledge of thesubject. There is a wide range of photographsillustrating techniques and giving interesting examplesof these techniques being put into practice.The text is easy to understand and the illustrationshave been kept clean and simple. The content rangesfrom the characteristics of brazing alloys, spelter andsolder, fluxes, techniques, joint design and tools tosafety precautions.My only criticism would be that Imperialmeasurements are being used.I regard this book as being readable and highlyinformative.A design for a computer controlled robot arm haswon /8 year old Owen Thomas of BrentwoodCounty High School, Brentwood, Essex, [250 in theannual Schools Design Prize competition. HRH ThePrincess Anne will present the prizes and certificatesto the // winners at a ceremony on Tuesday, /2November at CBf headquarters, London. Thecompetition, now in its ninth year, is organised bythe Design Council and is sponsored currently byTHORN EMf pic. Brentwood County High Schoolalso received a prize - either a cheque for [200 ora THORN EMf FERGUSON video recorder.Further information from The Press and PublicityOffice, The Design Council, 28 Haymarket, LondonSW/Y 4SU. Tel: 0/-8398000R.E. WakefieldArgus [5.95This book is aimed at the DIY enthusiast bearing inmind the facilities likely to be available to such aperson, e.g. craft evening classes. This introduction tothe elementary processes is ideal for the DIY personand there is a wide range of processes and techniquescovered.A criticism I would make is that while the sketchwork is informative and clearly presented someske'tches are 'out of proportion' and sometimeslacking in quality - perhaps a minor criticism. Someof the photographs are lacking in detail and clarity.However, the criticisms should not overshadow in anyway a book produced in an informative way andwhich covers while progressing from Chapter 8 a goodintroduction to sheet metal work. The work covered,includes making and cutting shapes, shaping methods,soldering, riveting, welding, spinning and finishing.W.A. VauseArgus [5.50It is difficult to make this subject look appetising tothe general reader but this book goes a reasonable wayin doing that.Numerous drawings are used to illustrate andsupplement the text. The drawings are clear and wellpresented - unfortunately the same cannot be said ofthe photographs.Processes are described clearly and their applicationexplained with the aid of quality sketch work.The book covers an introduction to Oxy-Acetylineand Arc Welding and includes brazing, cutting, pipewelding, vertical and overhead welding and exercisesin both forms of welding.It is a comprehensive introduction for the beginner,written in a non-technical way, a book for thebeginner who wishes to develop or further an interestin the subject.World and Image: A Journal of Verbal/VisualEnquiry. First Issue; VoI.1, No.1, January-March 1985John Dixon HuntUniversity of East Anglia, NorwichSubscription Rate: £15 per annumThis is a most scholarly journal which will appeal to areadership interested in the humanities. I see it beingaimed not only at a limited audience but at onecomprising art historians, historians, sociologists, andeducational philosophers. As contributors are eminentprofessors and scholars in university circles in this andoverseas countries who have an intimate anddeeply-researched knowledge of their subjects. Thepapers which they have produced are of superiorscholastic quality upon which I am hardly qualified tocomment.The first issue of Word and Image focuses uponideas of ut pictura poesis, with an emphasis towards'speaking pictures' and 'visual poetry'. The editorialmakes it clear that this theme is directly related to therelationship between words and visual imagery oftoday which 'takes its departure from that body ofRenaissance and Enlightenment theory and practicewhich was built up around casual or fragmentaryutterances in classical times' (page 1).The articles are concerned with interpretations ofworks of art selected from the 15th to the presentcentury, in which connections can be made betweenThe design for a computerdrawing aid has won 16year old Wah Tang ofWhitefield School,London, £200 in theannual Schools DesignPrize competition.Whitefield School alsoreceives a prize.'the visual and the verbal' (page 2). They includeinvestigative questionnings and analyses of poetry,portraits and allegorical paintings during this periodin an attempt to give perspective to the intellectualquestioning of 'ut pictura poesis as a central conceptin art and literary theory' (page 2).This is an excellent academic publication which isamply illustrated. In my view its appeal to thereadership of Studies in Design Education Craft &Technology, however, may be limited.1. Reid & J. Rushton (eds.)Manchester University Press £13.95The expressed aim of this book, as stated in both itsintroduction and conclusion, is modest butclearly-drawn; it is 'addressed to the unsophisticated(in the use of computers) but interested, and its aim isto inform readers of some of the on-goingdevelopments, potential and implications of theclassroom use of computers and CAe To a very largeextent the book fulfils this brief. There are sevenchapters on educational compter use in general, withan emphasis on the cognitive demands of CAL,evaluation of the changes it creates in classroominteraction, and a survey of its implementation. Theseare followed by four chapters on the use of computersin specific subject areas in the secondary-school, andtwo chapters covering the educational use of two ofthe major applications of computers outsideeducation; word-processing (for children) andrecord-keeping (for teachers). Primary education, withthe worthy exception of Moss on simulations andadventure games, is virtually unrepresented.The only chapter to retreat into computerese is thaton historical research by Ennals, where sections ofPROLOG language, used to extract information froma database of 19th century trade directories, are citedwithout explanation. Ennals also does not make clearwhat advantages, for instance in flexibility, thisapproach offers over a commercial database programsuch as 'Quest'. The emphasis on programming abilityin this chapter is one instance where the book isalready somewhat out-of-date; the chapters by Ewan& Roberts, and by Swift, also date from the era ofhome-written software. However Ennals, like theauthors of a number of other chapters, gives abalanced account of where the computer's benefitsand limitations lie; Wiegand (on geography) andCampbell (on word-processing) for example, turn avery cold eye on instances where the potential benefitsare not in practice achieved. Much of this criticalassessment, and much else in the book, is of lastingvalue, but other sections are already obsolete, mostseriously Butcher's otherwise satisfactory chapter onThe design for a sciencefiction creature has won19 year old Stephen Killof Richard Taunton,Southampton, £250 in theannual Schools DesignPrize competition. RichardTaunton College alsoreceives a prize.pupil records, which predates the Data Protection Act,with its serious implications for the types of system hedescribes. Ewan & Roberts' chapter, originallypublished as a research paper in 1984, is anotherglaring example, describing a world where the BBCmicro and disk drives were still a promise for thefuture. Until the pace of change slows down, any bookon educational micro computing, even if competentlywritten like this one, is doomed to almost instantobsolescence by the time-span of publishing. Thisbook would be a useful library acquisition, especiallyfor an institution training secondary students, butteachers, especially primary teachers, would be betteradvised to take out a subscription to one of theeducational computing journals which run manysimilar well-written articles, and which havepublishing schedules which allow them to keep up todate.The Design Council£2.75This handbook for all students considering a career indesign contains comprehensive and up-to-dateinformation on more than 2000 design coursesthroughout the UK including all BTEC courses. Itincludes information on foundation, non-degree andhigher level courses in all areas of industrial design,including graphic design, textile design, fashion, 3-D,history and multi-disciplinary courses, listed bysubject for ease of reference. Information is alsoprovided on a wide range of full and part-timepostgraduate and post-experience courses inengineering design, plus details of engineering degreeand technician level courses which have significantdesign content.Details of secondary level teacher education coursesin England and Wales for both art and design, andcraft, design and technology, are clearly presented, asare complete address lists of all relevant colleges anduniversities. The guide contains concise guidance onchoosing a career in design and applying for courses.The design jar ateenager's tent has won 15year old Andrew Blain ojMerchant Taylors' School,Liverpool, £150 in theannual Schools DesignPrize competition.Merchants' Taylor Schoolalso receives a prize.Judith WhyteLongmans £3.50In this new handbook the author notes that'seventy-six per cent of girls leave school with onescience pass or none at aU. Ever since the introductionof craft circuses in secondary schools ninety-eight percent of girls turn away from technical crafts'. She goeson to demonstrate that although current trendsindicate a gradual increase in the number of girlsgenerally taking physical science the rate of change isdisappointingly slow.Although most teachers genuinely believethemselves to be committed to equal opportunities,the GIST research found that this may not be reflectedas comprehensively as they believe in their teachingmethods. Teachers of mathematics, physical sciences,technical subjects, mostly men, were found by anational survey to be the most negative about equalopportunity practices in schools.Gender, science and technology sets out a series oflecturettes and workshop activities as de-stereotypingexercises for science teachers.It is suggested that one of the primary factors indeciding on subject options for both boys and girls isthe usefulness of a subject for gaining futureemployment. The presentation of option booklets andcareers advice in such a way that stresses the use ofscience and technology and encourages girls to enterthese areas is a vital factor in influencing girls to optfor science.A section on good practice ideas for classroommanagement and intervention schemes include ideasfor using mixed groups for practical work, dealingsensitively with girl's wrong answers and difficulties,including work on women's scientific achievementsalongside those of men, inviting women scientists,technologists or craftswomen into lessons to discussthe work they do.Overall the book underlines the fact that positiveteaching attitudes are an important influence on girlswho are hesitating about the choice of science or craftsubjects. It points out that recent research has shownthat changes in pupils' attitudes and subject choiceshave been greatest in schools where teachers have beenmost open in encouraging girls to study science.

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