Design and Technology Education (LJMU)
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The invisible remains invisible: a study of systems thinking in compulsory school students’ descriptions of a wastewater system
Full text linkThis study investigates how ninth-grade students in Swedish compulsory school describe and explain a technological system: the wastewater system. The analysis focuses on students’ verbal explanations while illustrating their self-drawn models of the system. Eleven students (aged 15–16) participated through semi-structured individual interviews. Transcripts and models were analysed using Hallström et al.’s (2022) classification model for system understanding and thematic analysis. The results indicate that most students were able to identify the system’s purpose, namely, the collection and treatment of domestic wastewater, and describe components such as household outlets, sewer pipes, and treatment plants. However, their descriptions were largely linear and focused on visible components, such as inlets and manholes. Few references were made to energy flows, information control, system boundary, or interdependencies with other systems. Most students’ reasoning remained at the Multistructural level; only two demonstrated relational understanding, and none reached an extended abstract level. The thematic analysis revealed that students faced difficulties in understanding temporal processes, feedback mechanisms, and the consequences of system failures, highlighting difficulties in grasping system complexity. The study calls for instruction that explicitly makes hidden structures, interconnections, and sustainability aspects visible in technological systems. It proposes combining student-generated drawings with visualizations, simulations, and structured reflection to promote deeper and more transferable systems thinking in technology education. Although grounded in a Swedish context, the findings and suggested teaching strategies may inform broader educational settings and contribute to strengthening systems thinking as a core competence in technology education globally
Looking, Experimenting, Creating, Telling – Testing a Pedagogical Model for Design Learning
Full text linkThis article shares the outcomes of international workshops focused on traditional costume construction and surface embellishment techniques and designs. These workshops were inspired by the findings of the Creative Europe TRACtion (Traditional Costume Innovation) project. The latter motivated students and adult learners in the Republic of Ireland, Finland, and Malta to develop creative, sustainable, and innovative responses to traditional textile artefacts. The Finnish Association of Design Learning (SuoMu) Design Learning Model was applied to support the development of creative thinking in the workshops. Additionally, teaching strategies developed by textile educators and craftspeople in each context complemented the SuoMu Design Learning Model, facilitating interactions between workshop ideas, materials and participants. The workshops aimed to foster design, creative thinking, sustainability, innovation, and a deeper appreciation of textile heritage. Participant feedback was analysed through thematic data analysis, and the visual outcomes were examined for indicators of creative thinking, such as fluidity, flexibility, elaboration, and uniqueness. The SuoMu model played a key role in guiding the design process and developing creative thinking skills. Sketching and brainstorming techniques sparked a wealth of ideas, while group activities and practical and experiential learning supported the ideation process. The workshops led to numerous fluent and flexible responses and ideas, many of which evolved into unique and innovative designs. Participants developed visual literacy skills and textile cultural empathy while achieving sustainability in material usage
Crafting Humorous Soft Toys: Incorporating Humour to a Holistic Craft Process in Early Years Education
Full text linkThis study explores humour’s role in a holistic craft process when 7–8-year-olds design personalised soft toys. Humour enhances learning environments by fostering joy, belonging and a positive atmosphere, acting as a motivational tool in experiential and arts-based learning. The study aims to answer the following questions: (1) What are the humorous characteristics of the soft toys created by the pupils? (2) How does the crafting of humorous soft toys proceed? Employing an educational design research methodology, the project involved 36 first-grade pupils from an urban Finnish school over a 10-day intervention. The study examines how humour, when integrated into a holistic craft process, supports the making and designing of soft toys. In the study, the pupils created humorous soft toys, often anthropomorphised with exaggerated or contradictory traits. Challenges emerged in translating 2D drawings into 3D soft toys, particularly with sewing and fabric painting. Nevertheless, the final products were unique and evoked positive emotions. The findings suggest that incorporating familiar elements, such as humour and soft toys, into the holistic craft process in early years education can enhance motivation and learning outcomes, thus supporting the integration of humour into educational contexts to foster creativity and emotional expression
A repurposed geometric reasoning model for Engineering Graphics and Design: a conceptual paper
Full text linkEngineering Graphics and Design is a South African school subject which is foundational to fields such as mechanical, electrical, and civil engineering. However, persistent shortcomings in this subject’s instruction have been documented in the South African National Senior Certificate examiners\u27 reports over the past decade. These issues stem primarily from ineffective instructional strategies and a lack of structured reasoning development. These methodological deficiencies may influence the development of learners’ visuospatial reasoning skills and conceptual understanding. The situation is exacerbated by the fact that no model for developing such conceptual understanding and reasoning currently exists in the Engineering Graphics and Design field. The need for such a model prompted our search for a suitable model for the structured development of visuospatial reasoning skills, culminating in this conceptual paper. We address the gap by demonstrating how the van Hiele model of geometric reasoning can be particularised to suit the needs for the development of visuospatial reasoning skills in this subject. Our methodology involved the extraction of nine cognitive descriptors from the relevant literature dealing with the van Hiele model. We explain how these descriptors align with Engineering Graphics and Design reasoning requirements. The proposed model offers both diagnostic capabilities for assessing student reasoning levels and instructional guidance for systematic skill development. It is recommended that empirical studies be conducted to test the usability of this repurposed model both in teaching and in the evaluation of the levels of reasoning in assessment
Three levels in culturally oriented product design: a participatory approach to cultural inspiration in design education
Full text linkCulturally oriented product design relies on inspiration from the local cultural heritage in the creation of unique products with specific local features. An authentic experience of cultural design inspiration can facilitate novel design outcomes. However, only a few studies have investigated the acquisition of cultural inspiration from a participatory perspective in the field. To narrow this gap, a design workshop was organized with local government in China. Design students were asked to combine local cultural characteristics in everyday products and to generate new concepts that reflect cultural diversity and support local tourism development. We collected students’ visual representations, text notes and recorded verbal explanations of the concepts behind the created product designs. The entire data was analysed following the method of holistic coding to identify the types of cultural inspiration and cultural levels. Data-driven analysis included two rounds of categorising. Using the product metaphorical mapping tool, we specified three cultural levels and the cultural elements related to them. The analytical method helped reveal students’ design intentions in applying both tangible and intangible cultural elements The results demonstrated that design educators can support young designers to apply the participatory approach in bringing ethical cultural transformations regarding visual, behavioural and philosophical design features
Unsolved on Purpose: Reflections on the Rubik’s Cube and the Curriculum and Assessment Review for D&T
Full text linkThis reflection explores the evolving pedagogical and curricular landscape of Design and Technology (D&T) education in England, drawing on recent dialogues with the Department for Education and collaborative academic work. It challenges conventional, linear interpretations of designing, making, and evaluating by proposing alternative frameworks (ideating, realising, and critiquing) alongside key processes such as communicating, researching, and satisficing. Using the Rubik’s Cube as a metaphor, it argues for a curriculum that embraces complexity, ambiguity, and interdependence, resisting the urge for uniformity and predictability. The article advocates for intentional diversity in teaching approaches, encouraging educators to foster creativity, autonomy, and critical thinking in learners. Ultimately, it calls for a shift from a “solved” curriculum model to one that remains productively “unsolved,” reflecting the dynamic and iterative nature of real-world design
Book Review Studio Properties: A Field Guide to Design Education
Full text linkThere is something special about a studio as a place of practice and learning, and Studio Properties seeks to be a field guide to the design studio in education, presenting a single reference source for research and scholarship in this area. The authors explain that the Studio Properties project, and the Studio Matters project before it, were motivated by the absence of a comprehensive reference text of scholarship on studio pedagogy aimed at scholars and educators. Theoretical works and teaching guides exist but tend to focus on certain aspects of the studio and no single text brings these ideas together under the idea of Studio. It aims to allow educators and researchers to quickly find and directly apply content to their own disciplines and contexts
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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)
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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