A DEVELOPING PROJECT: INVESTIGATING FUTURE FORMS OF DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY EDUCATION

Authors

  • Andrew Halliwell St Edward's School, UK
  • Amanda Mason Jarrow School, UK
  • Alison Hardy Nottingham Trent University
  • Ciaran Ellis Laurus Ryecroft School, UK

Keywords:

curriculum, teacher researcher, practitioner research, Delphi Study

Abstract

It is regularly reported at previous PATT conferences that design and technology (D&T) in England is in decline. Despite initiatives, new curricula and government lobbying, the D&T juggernaut seems to be on the brink of collapse (according to some), with lowering numbers of pupils studying D&T, fewer teachers, less resources, and low status in schools.

Pulling the D&T juggernaut back from the brink requires more than one approach and most of the recent ones have been led by national organisations. This paper reports on the first phase of a new project, led by practising teachers, that takes a new approach. In simple terms, the aim of the project is to redesign D&T, not so much the content but the curriculum delivery and framework.

We have started by identifying the unresolved issues that are causing curriculum tensions and incoherence in the D&T community.

In this paper we are reporting on the first phase of our design project, where we used a Delphi Study to identify the controversial D&T curriculum issues that need resolving before we can design a D&T curriculum. Nineteen teachers completed the first survey. Analysing of the survey data reduced the number of questions to 24. These were circulated to a self-selecting expert group (participants who completed the first survey). A second round of analysis has clarified that there are 18 unresolved questions and contentions issues that need to be debated.

The next step is to invite teachers to respond to these issues; these responses will then be shared in a publication, debated, and shaped into a curriculum design specification. Finally, teachers will be invited to share at a future workshop or conference their curriculum design ideas that meet this specification.

Author Biography

Alison Hardy, Nottingham Trent University

Personal 

Alison Hardy | 56 Stockerston Road, Uppingham, LE15 9RS |

01572 823177 | 078 6655 7750 |

Alison@alisonhardy.work | https://alisonhardy.work|

Professional Progression January 2010 – present: Nottingham Trent University (NTU)

May 2017 - ongoing

Course Leader for MA Education (full time and part time). This has included:

  • Leading a complete revalidation of the course
  • Widening the MA team
  • Increasing completion and success rate
  • Improving PTES scores

September 2013 – August 2014

Acting Course Leader for Postgraduate Certificate in Higher Education.

January 2010 - August 2014

Course Leader BSc (Hons) Secondary Design and Technology Education (with QTS)

My role has included:

  • Teaching on the PGCE and UG Design and Technology routes
  • Supervision of students on the MA Education dissertation modules
  • Professional Tutor linking with partnership schools

Key contributions whilst at NTU:

  • Successful funding application and completion of four research projects at NTU
  • Revalidation of BA (Hons) to BSc (Hons) programme, which was highly commended by external assessor
  • Highest National Student Satisfaction scores for NTU in 2014 and 2015
  • Module Leader for Independent Study Project, largest module studied by all Secondary trainee teachers
  • Led three research projects with local partnership schools
September 2009 – December 2009: Wrenn School, Wellingborough.

Design and Technology teacher and additionally:

  • Subject tutor and mentor for overseas teachers
October 2004 – January 2009: Tresham Institute of Further & Higher Ed.

Director of Curriculum Development 14-19. During this period the role included responsibility for:

  • Strategic development of 14-19 education at the institute
  • Partnership, collaboration and maintaining effective links with LAs, LLSCs, schools, colleges, employers and other external bodies

Key contributions included:

  • Co-author of successful Educational Case for a £60million building programme which included innovative 14-19 partnership solutions (new Corby campus)
  • Delivery of institute training for all teaching staff on classroom management, child protection and individual target setting for students
January 2003 – August 2004: Lodge Park Technology College, Corby.

Head of Technology

Key contributions included:

  • Curriculum leader for D&T from Key Stage 3 – 5
  • D&T Lead Practitioner for the Specialist Schools and Academies Trust (SSAT)
January 2000 – December 2003: Caistor Yarborough School

Head of Department

Led the department through a successful Ofsted inspection

Mentored student teachers

Implemented changes to GCSE courses

September 1993 – December 1999: Farmor’s School, Fairford

Joined as a newly qualified teacher in D & T. Following an Ofsted inspection in January 1997 I became Assistant Head of Department. During this period, I wrote and led a successful bid to be a pilot school for DATA’s CAD/CAM initiative.

September 1992 – June 1993

Held three concurrent part time posts at Pilsen University, Mikulasske Gymnazium (grammar school) and Skola 21 (middle school) teaching English, technical English and British culture.

External Examiner September 2017 – ongoing

BSc 4-year teacher education programme at University of Glasgow

PGCE Design and Technology at University of Roehampton

January – December 2014

PGCE Design and Technology at University of Sunderland

January 2013 – December 2014

Undergraduate route into Design and Technology at University of Brighton.

Education Institution Qualification Year

Nottingham Trent University

PhD ‘The value of design and technology edcuation’

2017

HEA

Fellow of Higher Education Academy

2011

Nottingham Trent University

PGCHE

2011

Learning & Skills Improvement Service

Aspiring Principals and Senior Leaders Programme

2009

Sheffield Hallam University

Master’s in design and Technology Education

2004

Brunel University

B.Sc. (Hons) Design and Technology (2:1) & Cert.Ed.

1992

Professional Membership and Awards
  • British Education Research Association (full member)
  • Design and Technology Association (consultant member)
  • Teacher Training Design and Technology Award from the Design and Technology Association

 

Consultancy & Boards  

Trustee for the Design and Technology Association

2017-2018

Writing retreat facilitator for academics at Launde Abbey and other universities, including Universities of Liverpool and Northampton

Current

LSN Consultant on several projects including

Creating the LSN 14-19 website

16-19 development projects

Co-author of ‘Providing a Flexible Curriculum at Key Stage 4’

2006 - 2008

Edexcel & OCR examiner & moderator for GCSE and A level D&T

1997 - 2003

Selection of relevant conferences and professional development attended:

PATT 2016 Fostering the Creativity of Youth Around the Globe

July 2017

BERA 2016

September 2016

PATT 2016 Technology Education for 21st Century skills

August 2016

British Curriculum Forum (part of BERA)

June 2016

National STEM Centre Conference (presenter)

May 2016

D&TA Summer School (presenter and attendee)

2015 & 2016

Facilitator Training – academic writing retreats (self-funded)

September 2015

Key Publications  

 

HARDY, A. (ed) 2021. Learning to teach design and technology in the secondary school: a companion to school experience (4th edition). London: Routledge

 

HARDY, A., 2018. Using design fiction to teach new and emerging technologies in England. Technology and Engineering Teacher, 78 (4), pp. 16-20. ISSN 2158-0502

 

HARDY, A.L., 2017. How did the expert panel conclude that D&T should be moved to a basic curriculum? In: E. NORMAN AND K. BAYNES, ed., Design Epistemology and curriculum planning

 

HARDY, A. L., 2017. Rhetoric and Interpretation: The Values Students and Special Interest Groups Attribute to Design & Technology. In: PATT2017. Proceedings for the Technology & Engineering Education Fostering the Creativity of Youth Around the Globe. July 10-14, 2017. Philadelphia

 

HARDY, A.L., 2017. The consequence of school performance measures – inequality of access and opportunity. Race Equality Teaching, 34(1), 39-43.

 

HARDY, A. 2016. An assortment box of views: different perceptions of D&T’s purpose and structure. In: PATT2016. Proceedings for the Education for 21st Century skills conference. August 23-26, 2016. Utrecht

 

HARDY, A., 2015. What’s D&T for? Gathering and comparing the values of design and technology academics and trainee teachers. Design and Technology Education: an International Journal, 20 (2), pp. 10-21.

 

HARDY, A. and DAVIES, S., 2015. Teaching design and technology., Learning to teach design and technology in the secondary school: a companion to school experience. In: G. OWEN-JACKSON, ed., Learning to teach design and technology in the secondary school: a companion to school experience. London: Routledge, pp. 199-220.

 

       

Further publications at http://bit.ly/2dm86E0

Front cover

Additional Files

Published

2023-10-31

How to Cite

Halliwell, A., Mason, A., Hardy, A., & Ellis, C. (2023). A DEVELOPING PROJECT: INVESTIGATING FUTURE FORMS OF DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY EDUCATION. The 40th International Pupils’ Attitudes Towards Technology Conference Proceedings 2023, 1(October). Retrieved from https://openjournals.ljmu.ac.uk/PATT40/article/view/1627

Issue

Vol. 1 No. October (2023): PATT40 Proceedings

Section

Papers

License

Copyright (c) 2023 Andrew Halliwell, Amanda Mason, Alison Hardy, Ciaran Ellis

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