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Design & Technology Education: What can we do to Influence Transdisciplinary Undergraduate Learning?
Full text linkCreating new ways to position Design and Technology (DT) teacher preparation programs in higher education can be considered critical today. For example, in the United States, the few remaining DT-related teacher programs can be in jeopardy of supporting the school subject as a result of teaching workforce declines. But, while some may view that DT programs are no longer relevant in parts of the world today, there can be an opportunity to leverage and make pertinent DT content/practices beyond teacher preparation. New DT approaches can be important to consider, not only to just sustain the remaining programs, but to also create new educational experiences that provide valuable skills/knowledge to a broader audience. In doing so, teacher programs can deliver DT experiences across college campuses that many students may no longer have access to in secondary schools—due to the aforementioned teacher workforce concerns. These DT learning experiences can involve the content/practices related to designing/making/innovating as well as the pedagogical approaches that support transdisciplinary learning. With a variety of educational transformation initiatives happening at universities, DT programs can help shape the way that undergraduate learning occurs. So how do DT programs leverage their value related to transdisciplinary learning through design/innovation practice to reach new audiences while also sustaining programs that develop teachers? To provide an answer, this poster will highlight a transdisciplinary program, titled Mission Meaning Making (M3), that was developed to provide a new cross-college learning experience for undergraduate students focused on design and innovation. The M3 program has been created to synergize the key strengths of three partnering units/disciplines (DT, anthropology, and business) to prepare undergraduates for addressing contemporary challenges in innovative, and transdisciplinary ways. The poster will provide details/research related to the M3 program and explore how DT can strive to make a broader impact on campuses
Technological and Engineering Design Based Learning: Promoting Upper Elementary Graphical Device Comprehension
Full text linkThe research presented is an investigation into the use of technological and engineering design based learning (T/E DBL) as an instructional strategy to facilitate student comprehension of nonfiction/informational text inclusive of graphical devices. The research design followed a mixed method exploratory embedded case study. Six 5th grade participants were examined as both a whole group and as reading level dyads (below, on, and above grade level) as they progressed through three T/E DBL challenges designed to intentionally support graphical device comprehension (GDC) instruction. Data were collected from a variety of instruments used to assess participant prior knowledge, comprehension of graphical devices, and resultant reading comprehension of both familiar and unfamiliar texts. Analysis of data generated detailed descriptions of the reading comprehension levels for each participant throughout the study. Findings indicate that T/E DBL increased text interactions and graphical device usage across all participants, promoted their development of general GDC for diagrams and tables, improved their comprehension of unfamiliar science texts, and proved to be of particular benefit to below grade level readers. These results demonstrate the viability of T/E DBL as a valuable component of elementary level reading instruction for improving student use and comprehension of graphical devices, and for improving their overall comprehension of unfamiliar science and engineering texts where embedded graphical devices present new content in a visual information genre
Students’ Reasoning About Sustainable Development in Relation to Products’ Life Cycles
Full text linkIn this study, we investigate Secondary School students’ reasoning about a product’s life cycle in relation to three dimensions of sustainable development: economic-, social- and ecological sustainable development. Production and consumption are part of a complex socio-technological system that affects nature and life on earth and knowledge about this complex system are required to achieve sustainable development. In technology education, students can get the opportunity to reason about products and their life cycles. Hence, this study aims to explore what emerges in students’ reasoning about products’ life cycles in relation to sustainable development. Data collection was made through two semi-structured interviews where the students participated in focus groups containing 3 and 4 participants in each group. All student responses have been analysed through thematic analysis to explore dimensions of sustainability. Results show that the students reason with regard to all three dimensions of sustainable development. However, the three dimensions occur to a varying extent within the different phases of a product’s life cycle. Additionally, the students also connect dimensions in their reasoning, with both harmonies and contrasted perspective. Participating students’ reasoning indicated traces of an anthropocentric approach. These results have implications for technology education both associated to content and practice, which is an important step towards education for conscious consumers
Developing spatial literacy through designing origami: advancing maker education pedagogy with maker études: advancing maker education pedagogy with maker études
No full textSpatial literacy is crucial to success in STEAM-disciplines. Within these disciplines, spatial thinking manifests in a variety of ways, ranging from visualising how pieces of a solution might fit together to effectively communicating solutions to others through language, gestures, and graphic representations. Pedagogy for developing spatial literacy for children is still in its infancy, as training studies tend to focus on paper-and-pencil-based activities that resemble psychometric tests without explicit consideration for didactic approaches. Maker education offers children a design-based way of learning through a process of tinkering, designing, and building, with potential for creative output. In practice, educational maker activities generally tend to overemphasise prototyping tools and the development of the procedural knowledge required to use those tools. However, these hands-on learning activities could aid children to not only develop making skills, but also to attain spatial literacy. Although studies exist that identify spatial thinking during educational maker activities, no efforts have yet been made to design a maker activity that specifically aims to develop participants’ spatial thinking holistically. This paper details a case study of the design and implementation of an origami workshop that aims to develop participants’ spatial literacy. Origami, the art of folding sheets of paper into figures, is a process that requires frequent and varied use of spatial thinking. The workshop adopts the form of a ‘maker étude’, analogous to a musical étude, a satisfying exercise to practice and improve a particular technique so it can be applied creatively. The implementation of the origami maker étude in a public library makerspace in Amsterdam and its potential to support the development of spatial literacy are discussed. Finally, several suggestions are made for future research into the development of primary-school age children’s spatial literacy in makerspace
Rupe Rere Nui: Place-based Storytelling in Robotics with Māori-medium Students
Full text linkThis paper is part of a larger study involving the design and implementation of a prototype of a low-cost programming environment or tangible user interface where students use robots to navigate a geographical map in telling and re-telling stories associated with that place. The geographical map that was initially developed depicted the Wellington region (the lower North Island of New Zealand), as the lead researcher for this project had connections to Wellington. The story-telling focused on the narratives of Kupe, a Māori explorer and one of the first to discover New Zealand. However, in response to an inner-city Auckland school, we designed a map that would support the children’s engagement with local landmarks, as expressed in a waiata (song) called Rupe Rere Nui. Māori kaumatua (elder), Wally Penetito, exhorts teachers to ‘start where your feet are’, emphasising the importance of place-based learning or localised curriculum.
The focus of this paper lies in pedagogical possibilities and the importance of responsive curriculum design when you are working in classroom contexts. The study contributes to the field of localised curriculum with a focus on the place of storytelling and the incorporation of non-technical subjects, such as place-based narratives, into a robotics system. The use of paper-based commands with young children aged between 5-9 years of age has been evaluated over a range of settings and the working prototype has been refined as a result of trials with teachers and children in classrooms
How do Swedish technology teachers assess programming education in grade 4-6?
Full text linkThis study examines Swedish teachers\u27 teaching and assessment practices in programming education for students in grades 4-6, with a focus on the technology subject. It investigates whether existing governing documents provide sufficient guidance for effective teaching and assessment in programming, particularly regarding Pedagogical Content Knowledge (PCK). The study addresses challenges faced by teachers, including limited training and a lack of instructional guidelines, stressing the importance of bridging this gap to support effective programming instruction and assessment. It explores assessment practices in programming within the technology subject, referring to previous studies that identify various approaches. The discussion includes product and process criteria for assessing programming tasks and emphasizes the need for clearer links between programming assessment and core technology content. The methodology involves semi-structured interviews with experienced teachers who taught programming prior to its inclusion in the curriculum. Analyzing the interview data helps examine alignment between teachers\u27 assessment practices and governing documents. Results and discussion focus on one teacher, Camilla, with six years of programming teaching experience. It describes how Camilla facilitates curriculum goals and aligns assessments with grading criteria. The article also summarizes specific areas assessed in programming education and compares Camilla\u27s criteria with essential content knowledge from previous studies. Based on the findings, the study concludes that while Camilla demonstrates comprehensive understanding of assessing programming knowledge, improvements are necessary in primary school programming education in Sweden. The existing governing documents inadequately support effective programming instruction, particularly in terms of content knowledge. It suggests identifying key characteristics of quality programming education at each stage of compulsory schooling and engaging in discussions to establish a strong educational foundation.
Key Words: Computer programming, PCK, assessment, teacher education, professional developmen
Masculinities and Femininities in the Design and Technology Classroom
Full text linkDesign and Technology is a secondary school subject that is perceived by students to be masculine and has been documented by the literature as an environment that can be considered off-putting to non-laddish masculinities and femininities. This paper posits that dominant forms of masculinity and femininity, and the characteristics that make up these forms, are highly dependent on the context in which they are being observed. Furthermore, the paper presents the findings of a small, qualitative group interview with four girls at a private secondary school in a deprived area of East Anglia. The participants were asked about their perceptions of whether specific tasks, artefacts (e.g., clock), and projects were masculine, feminine, or neutral to document which parts of the subject are most associated with masculinity. The study found that the participants\u27 perceived confidence in the workshop to be a masculine trait, as well as any tasks or projects related to electronics or robotics. Conversely, working with textiles and creating similar projects were considered feminine. Tasks and projects that focused on problem solving, and using materials other than electronics, robotics and textiles were neutral. The paper also found that general practical tasks and building projects were considered neutral, though the participants perceived that their (masculine) teachers did not believe they were competent
An ‘An autoethnographic reflection on new educational technologies in the design and technology curricula from schools in Dubai and England’.
No full textTo what extent does design and technology (D&T) equip children and young people with the technological skills they need for the future? This reflection discusses and critiques observations on international D&T curricula in the United Arab Emirates and the United Kingdom, exploring innovative practices such as virtual reality (VR) and other new educational technologies to support assessment and add depth to the curriculum. In this paper, I discuss educational perspectives from an autoethnographic standpoint and the extent to which contributing factors, such as culture, have impacted me as a D&T practitioner. My observations come from teaching and leading within a an oversubscribed and high-performing co-education international through-school in Dubai. From five years situated within this particular environment I participated in the teaching and learning of the subject across the primary and secondary phases, in an expatriate community of over two thousand students from over eighty different nationalities. In comparison to the second educational environment, being an oversubscribed state co-educational secondary school in the Greater Merseyside area in England. These two educational establishments have distinctly different demographics and methods of delivery in their approach to D&T. My reflections on some of the challenges and ‘quick wins’ are shared with the aim to offer insights and observations that any
Key Words: best practice, design and technology (D&T), curriculum, International, National, Virtual Reality
Teaching Values in Technology Education through Co-Design: Teaching values through co-design
No full textCo-design pedagogy appears to be gaining momentum in technology education to counteract the critique of design education for the lack of collaborative initiatives. Hence, co-design pedagogy aligns with technology education in socially constructed values that are inter-subjective and co-constructed. Socially co-constructed values imply that technology education should pave possibilities for students to learn about and practically apply value judgments to foster futuristic change agents.
Like co-design, the rationale to include values, especially moral values, in technology education has grown. Incorporating values in technology education would prevent the discipline from becoming mere technical education. The exploration of the context for designing and making is one stage in the technological process to support students’ exploration of value judgements. However, replacing the current orthodox pedagogy by ones in which values relating to technology and technology education are co-constructed rather than imposed requires investigation.
This conceptual paper draws on the empirical findings of three co-design principles used to guide co-design pedagogy, which are then superimposed on the theoretical framework of values in technology and technology education. Hence a two-fold: Firstly, it draws on the findings of three co-design principles emanating from co-design interventions in fashion education, namely: 1) users as core and inspirational source, 2) design with users, and 3) identify user needs for integration. Subsequently, the second purpose draws linkages to technology education and proposes strategies for the teaching of moral values. Thus, the overarching research question is: How can co-design design principles be linked to and inform strategies for teaching moral values in technology education?
The three co-design principles emanated from qualitative design-based research embedded in an interpretive paradigm via social constructivist methods. Following that, the linkages were a result of a superposition of the co-design principles on the theoretical framework of values in technology education. The said superposition could be instrumental in reviving the stagnant framework as a contribution for technology education
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PATT40 (LJMU)Biomolecular Research Reports (BRR) (LJM...Design and Technology Education (LJMU)BLResearchDay (LJMU)Journal of Living Labs (LJMU)Journal of Natural Products Discovery (L...Journal of Social Media for Learning (LJ...Student Law Journal (LJMU)PRISM (LJMU)Public Health Institute Journal (LJMU)SPARK (LJMU)Student Experience Proceedings (LJMU)Transformation in Education (LJMU)Innovations in Practice (LJMU)Links to Health and Social Care (LJMU)
PATT40 (LJMU)Biomolecular Research Reports (BRR) (LJM...Design and Technology Education (LJMU)BLResearchDay (LJMU)Journal of Living Labs (LJMU)Journal of Natural Products Discovery (L...Journal of Social Media for Learning (LJ...Student Law Journal (LJMU)PRISM (LJMU)Public Health Institute Journal (LJMU)SPARK (LJMU)Student Experience Proceedings (LJMU)Transformation in Education (LJMU)Innovations in Practice (LJMU)Links to Health and Social Care (LJMU)Access Repository Dashboard
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