Teaching Design and Technology Creatively

Clare Benson, Suzanne Lawson, Clare Benson, Suzanne Lawson

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 2017
• Print ISBN: 9781138654570
• eBook ISBN: 9781317225157
• Topic: Education
• Subtopic: Education General

Packed full of practical ideas, Teaching Design and Technology Creatively is a stimulating source of guidance for busy trainee and practising teachers. Grounded in the latest research, it offers a wealth of suggestions to foster creative development in D&T and supports teachers in providing their students with more authentic, enjoyable experiences.

Providing a wealth of ready-to-use ideas for creative lessons, key topics covered include:

• Understanding links between D&T and creativity
• Creating a foundation for D&T in the early years
• Using objects, books and real-life contexts as imaginative starting points
• Developing designerly thinking
• Making the most of construction kits
• Helping children draw to develop their ideas
• Encouraging dialogic talk in D&T to drive learning
• Exploring food as a creative resource
• Practical approaches to embedding IT and programming in the curriculum
• Taking learning outside the classroom.

Teaching Design and Technology Creatively provides practical teaching suggestions to ensure teachers of all levels understand how to teach for creativity. It shows how learning experiences in D&T have the potential to extend children's technological knowledge, and to promote problem-solving and evaluation skills. Drawing on examples from real-world projects, this text is invaluable for all those who wish to engage students in D&T and encourage creative classroom practice.

Chapter 1
Setting the Context

Design and technology and creativity

Clare Benson

Introduction

The birth of design and technology (D&T) education in the primary curriculum

It was during the period 1985–1990 and beyond that the idea for creating the subject D&T was debated not only in England and Wales, but worldwide. Wales joined with England initially, but developed its own curriculum by 1995 (DfE, 1995). D&T is incorporated into Technologies in the Scottish National Curriculum and it is integrated in an area of learning – The World Around Us – in Northern Ireland. Countries such as South Africa, Australia, Bahrain and New Zealand have developed D&T or technology in a similar way to England; France uses the term technology but has included design, while Germany’s curriculum – Technic – focuses more on knowledge and skills relating to materials such as wood, plastic and metal. A search engine can be used to find many curricula focusing on primary D&T or technology and related subjects worldwide.

Before 1990 in England, curricula content in secondary schools had been separated into single subjects such as wood work, domestic science and metal work based mainly on skills and knowledge development, and in primary schools there was art that might have included design. The rationale for D&T was that the subject should offer opportunities for pupils to develop skills and knowledge but, as they applied these, they should design and make a product with a user and purpose in mind, think for themselves, make decisions, work in groups and individually, and evaluate their work and that of others. With rapidly changing technologies, it was felt that D&T would be an appropriate subject for the future. Despite the fact that the original panel that drew up the National Curriculum D&T document (DES/WO, 1990) had no primary specialist, it was decided that D&T should be included in the primary curriculum for continuity and to support learning in the changing world of technologies in which primary pupils were growing up. The first document was overwhelming; it contained four attainment targets, and different weightings were given to each one for assessment purposes. For primary teachers facing nine curriculum documents, it presented a challenge, but over 25 years on, D&T is still very much part of the primary curriculum in England. The original curriculum has been modified and developed several times, yet the current document (DfE, 2013) has similar fundamental principles, albeit in a less detailed form than the first one. Access to content might be easier, but the detail did enable teachers who were not confident about the subject to gain a better understanding of D&T. As there are now a variety of schools in England, such as free schools, private schools and academies, that do not have to follow the National Curriculum, it will be interesting to see whether the subject is retained and valued in the years to come.

The nature of D&T

The nature of the subject still needs to be clarified as there can be a focus on making rather than designing and making, and user and purpose can be omitted. Despite the various curriculum reviews over the years, the fundamental nature of D&T has not changed. The first English and Welsh National Curriculum document (DES/WO, 1990) identified three key aspects:

1. It is an activity which spans the curriculum, drawing on and linking a range of subjects … improve pupils’ understanding of the significance of technology to the economy and everyday life.
2. Pupils will identify a need or respond to an opportunity to make or modify something. They will use their skills and knowledge to devise a solution, realise it practically, and evaluate the processes undertaken and the end product. They will draw on knowledge and skills from other subject areas including science.
3. Pupils’ enterprise and ability to work as a team contribute to their success and they will come to realise that technological development rarely ends as evaluation of a product leads on to modifications and further development. Pupils will work to deadlines, keep budgets and reconcile conflicting requirements such as quality, speed and cost.

The current National Curriculum (DfE, 2013) identifies similar aspects:

Using creativity and imagination, pupils design and make products that solve real and relevant problems within a variety of contexts, considering their own and others’ needs, wants and values. They acquire a broad range of subject knowledge and draw on disciplines such as mathematics, science, engineering, computing and art. Pupils learn how to take risks, becoming resourceful, innovative, enterprising and capable citizens. Through evaluation of the past and present D&T, they develop a critical understanding of its impact on daily life and the wider world.

Both documents highlight the focus of activity to be the pupils’ own needs and those of others, the broad knowledge and skills that are drawn on, and the way in which the subject helps pupils to understand the importance of technology in their everyday lives and the economy. However, the latest document includes creativity and imagination, innovation and risk-taking – all fundamental to successful D&T.

As teachers are thinking about and planning D&T activity in the classroom, what are the key elements that should be included in any D&T project or assignment? One strategy from the Design and Technology Association (www.data.org.uk) was to identify six key elements that should be present:

1. Have the needs of the user/s been identified and met appropriately?
2. Does the product have a clear purpose that is realistic and meets the needs of the client?
3. Have design decisions been made by the pupils, either with support or individually?
4. Does the product function (D&T) or is it purely aesthetic or ornamental (probably art)?
5. Is the product innovative in some way for the pupil/s who are designing and making? It should not be an exact copy but something that does include a new idea/s for the pupil/s.
6. Is it an authentic product? It may be a working prototype but it should not be a model of, for example, a toothbrush made from wood and coloured with pen.

An example of a D&T project, undertaken by 7–11-year-olds, might be linked to the theme of celebrations.

The librarian visits the class to discuss the need for a book to give information about different celebrations around the world to go in the school library for use by the whole school (clear purpose and user). The pupils discuss how to make it interesting and appealing to all ages; the use of the computer and mechanisms are two aspects that are identified. Each group chooses a different celebration to focus on. In groups, the pupils discuss design ideas, making some sketches that they think are appropriate and making mock-up/prototypes of a page, practising different mechanisms and page layouts which they can then modify. Some groups choose to make one page; others decide to make several with the same theme (own design decisions and functionality of moving book parts). The book proves to be innovative as celebrations are portrayed in different ways and the task is authentic as the book is needed for the library.

The importance of D&T

The fact that D&T is included in the primary curriculum in so many countries, and more are investigating its possible inclusion, for example, China and Saudi Arabia, emphasises the perception of the importance of the subject. Research has shown (Benson and Lunt, 2007; Lunt, 2009) that pupils do perceive D&T as a subject that is different from others, are extremely positive about the subject, think that it is fun but also hard work, that they have to think really carefully and that they learn to be creative. They do feel that it will be useful in their future lives. Based on Pollard et al. (2000) on children’s judgements relating to the curriculum, the key reasons for enjoying subjects are given as activity (doing something active), goal orientation (can see where the activity is leading to) and fun/interesting, closely followed by autonomy – all integral to D&T. For pupils to be engaged and on task in school, a subject such as D&T can prove invaluable to motivate and excite pupils – all crucial for learning. D&T can be placed naturally at the heart of the primary curriculum, and pupils can gain and use knowledge and skills in many different areas and apply these through authentic D&T tasks. Possible links include:

• mathematics – measurement;
• science – materials, electricity and forces;
• art – design, colour, texture, shape, form, range of materials;
• history – changes in use of materials, see how key events and individuals have helped design and make the made world;
• computing – creating programs to control products, computer-aided design and computer-aided manufacture.

D&T offers opportunities for many different ways of working – group, pair and individual work with adult support, or without. It provides real opportunities for problemsolving, and for pupils to develop their creative, evaluative and critical-thinking skills and investigate issues such as sustainability.

Structuring D&T teaching

When the subject was introduced into the primary curriculum, it was hoped that a programme of support would be offered to teachers in England and Wales as they were teaching nine subjects – all with new content. The non-statutory guidance for D&T (NCC, 1990) included with the National Curriculum (DES/WO, 1990) was useful; however, it was detailed, all text, and did not include holistic exemplars, including children’s work. There can be a tension between providing too much structure and taking a ‘laissez faire’ approach and it was the Department of Education and Science’s (DES/WO, 1990) view at that time that teachers should be free to determine their own ways of teaching the subjects including D&T. There were some excellent examples of D&T projects (Benson and Raat, 1995) where teachers had allowed pupils to be creative and think for themselves, to undertake some designing as well as making, to have time to carry out a complete project, and had acted more as facilitators rather than instructors. However, inspection reports (Ofsted, 2002; 2007) from a wide range of primary schools highlighted the need for pupils to be more involved in making their own decisions, to think about design, not just make, and to evaluate their own work. In a revised English National Curriculum (DfEE, 1999), ‘Breadth of Study’ was included and it quickly became apparent how useful teachers found this section. Through Ofsted reports (2002) and from feedback on staff development courses, teachers explained that it helped them to understand different parts of a D&T project, the importance of these parts and how they contributed to a holistic experience. Breadth of Study included three parts; investigative and evaluative activity (IEA); focused practical tasks (FPT); and design and make assignments (DMA). Pupils were to be taught knowledge, skills and understanding through these activities (DfEE, 1999). Over the years, the terms have been modified, such as investigative activity, focused task and design, make and evaluate assignment, but the principles remain the same. Unfortunately, the latest D&T curriculum omits these more detailed terms in an effort to shorten the document, but does include the phrase ‘creative and practical activities’ (DfE, 2013: 2/3). The following are the types of activity as they were originally named, but still link with creative and practical activities, to provide a valuable framework when planning a project.

Investigative and evaluative activity (lEAs) (also investigative tasks)

This covers activity that might be undertaken throughout the whole design and make project. Generally, pupils will be engaged in investigating and evaluating a range of products associated with the DMA, but in some cases the range of products may be chosen for different reasons. IEA as a stand-alone activity offers opportunities to engage the pupils in interesting writing, speaking and listening tasks. Products could then be chosen so that they excite the pupils. It could be a product that is new and innovative or something newly acquired by the school.

Think about:

• who the products are for and why they are needed
• how they are used
• what criteria the pupils think were given to the designer to create the product
• what materials/mechanisms/structures have been used and why these have been chosen
• what the pupils like/dislike about them
• how the pupils might change them
• whether the pupils can find people who have used them. What are their views?

As the pupils begin to design and make, they need to evaluate their own ideas, designs and products against their own design criteria throughout the whole process. Gradually they need to consider the views of others, including any adult helpers and th...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title
• Copyright
• CONTENTS
• Contributors
• Preface
• 1 Setting the Context: Design and technology and creativity
• 2 Teaching Creatively and Teaching for Creativity
• 3 Teaching Design and Technology Creatively in the Early Years
• 4 Creative Design and Technology Through Starting Points
• 5 Creativity in Design
• 6 Drawing as A Tool For Thought: How children can use drawing to develop their creative design ideas
• 7 Creative Learning and Teaching with Construction Kits
• 8 Exploratory and Dialogic Talk and Creative Learning
• 9 Creativity in Food
• 10 Linking Design and Technology and Computing to Promote Creative Learning Experiences
• 11 Children Learning Outside the Classroom
• 12 Creativity Through Conversation
• 13 Creativity – Future Challenges and Rewards
• Index