Design and Technology Education (LJMU)
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Empowering Student Teachers to teach Technology with a sustainability edge: Crucial aspects to address in Teacher Education
Full text linkTechnology education in primary schools must integrate sustainable development to provide young learners with the basic knowledge, skills, and values to understand, appreciate and contribute to a sustainable future. This integration prepares them for the challenges of a rapidly changing world, promotes responsible use of technology and fosters a sense of environmental responsibility from an early age. However, for this to happen, teacher education needs to adopt strategies that empower student teachers to seamlessly integrate sustainable development into technology education and equip them with environmentally and socially responsible attitudes. The aim of this study is to explore what needs to be addressed in teacher education to prepare student teachers to teach technology integrated with sustainability. The study is part of a project where to develop a teaching module that will prepare student teachers to teach technology in primary schools, with special attention to how student teachers develop relationships between technology education and sustainable development. The study includes 12 student teachers enrolled in a science and technology course. Data were collected in several steps, including focus group interviews, and written individual reflections by student teachers. Based on thematic analysis, we identified what student teachers experience as crucial to being able to teach technology with a sustainability edge. The results show that preparing student teachers to teach technology with a sustainability edge requires a multifaceted approach that integrates knowledge of technology and sustainable development with personal values, pedagogical competence, critical thinking competency, and the adoption of transformative teaching practices
Five Years of Construction Kits in Primary Schools: Evaluating the Current State of a Project to Facilitate Technology Education
Full text linkIn March 2018, metal construction kits were distributed to all elementary schools in Rhineland-Palatinate as part of the project called "Technikkiste" [translation from German: technology box] to promote STEM education. At the end of the year 2018, three more expansion sets followed. So far, no requests have been made to schools, even after five years of the project\u27s start as to how and whether they use this material. Therefore, an evaluation study was carried out in 2023, which was intended to find out the current usage behaviour with the kits as well as to get an impression of the teachers regarding the in-service training that took place as part of the project. For that 921 elementary schools were asked to participate in an online survey. 69 answered the questionnaire some more gave informal feedback. The results from the survey already show that only about 70% of the responders are even aware of the metal construction kits. Around 30% stated, that they were not familiar with the metal construction kits. In addition, only about 43% of the participants indicated that the kits have ever been used in the classroom at their school. One of the main reasons why they do not use the constructions kits is that the school has allegedly not received a kit or has too few for classroom use. This brief excerpt from the survey results already shows that the promotion project is not showing the success that the Ministry of Education had hoped for
Empowering learning through integration: Enhancing understanding of variables and functions in the context of STEM education
Full text linkThis paper explores the integration of STEM activities in teaching and learning, emphasizing the importance of innovative pedagogical approaches in effectively introducing theoretical concepts, such as variables and functions, and merging them with practical applications. Drawing on existing literature, this study investigates the integration of STEM activities with real-world applications to enhance mathematics learning, highlighting intrinsic motivation, self-efficacy beliefs, and goal orientation as key factors in fostering student engagement. This case study explores the integration of a STEM activity to introduce students to variables and functions through a pendulum experiment. The aim is to demonstrate the impact of this approach on students\u27 understanding of abstract mathematical concepts, as well as their problem-solving skills. By combining cognitive and social constructivism with technological modes (virtual labs), the study showcases the transformative potential of innovative techniques in STEM education. The outcomes of the study highlight, to some extent, the positive effects of STEM activities on students\u27 engagement, motivation, understanding of theoretical concepts, and problem-solving skills. The focus on hands-on activities supports practical learning experiences and fosters critical thinking. Additionally, virtual labs enrich students\u27 exploration of complex mathematical phenomena, enhancing their ability to apply prior knowledge to new contexts and transcend the boundaries of traditional lab settings. Overall, the findings underscore the transformative potential of innovative pedagogical approaches and technological modes in creating engaging learning environments within STEM disciplines
Making pedagogy for spatial literacy: a case study of an origami workshopin an after-school makerspace
Full text linkSpatial skills are crucial to STEM disciplines and involve a variety of cognitive processes and skills related to visualising, reasoning and communicating about spatial relations. Particularly in the primary school years, attaining ‘spatial literacy’ gives children a valuable set of skills and knowledge that can aid them in successful participation in STEM subjects. However, it is poorly understood what constitutes spatial literacy for primary school age children. Furthermore, research into pedagogy for spatial skills is limited, with training interventions often resembling psychometric tests. Therefore, it is pertinent to explore which spatial skills and knowledge are most important for primary school age children to develop and how pedagogy could look to help children to attain spatial literacy. Maker education provides an integrated and design-based approach to learning in which children could practise spatial skills and knowledge by applying it in a creative way. Origami provides a particularly interesting medium to explore these questions as it has previously been used successfully to train psychometrically assessed spatial skills. This paper details a ‘research through design’ case study of the development of a theoretically informed origami workshop and its implementation in a makerspace during an after-school makerspace programme. The origami workshop and its pedagogical qualities are described and the implementation of the origami workshop in an after-school makerspace is analysed in light of spatial literacy. These findings are discussed and contextualised with insights from the literature. Finally, several recommendations for further research on spatial literacy for primary school age children, specifically in the context of maker education, are made
Book Review Design and Technology in your school: Principles for Curriculum, Pedagogy and Assessment
No full textUnderstanding students’ learning of technology through interaction supported by virtual reality
Full text linkGiven the profound influence that technology has on society, shaping our behaviours, conversations, and decisions, it is essential to understand its development and nature. Obtaining a complete understanding of technology requires us to explore both the nature of technology and its historical aspects. This study examines how using supportive images in a virtual reality (VR) learning environment, combined with verbal interactions, supports students aged eight and nine in developing an understanding of the nature of technology.
Data were collected during an ordinary technology teaching activity and the analysis highlighted that these students, through interactions and VR images, demonstrated knowledge of all dimensions of technology, as described by DiGironimo (2011). The analysis of the findings indicated that the students’ knowledge could be categorized, but there seemed to be more complexity in their utterances than DiGironimo’s model could capture. Additionally, I employed a discursive analysis to achieve a deeper comprehension of the students’ perceptions of the history of technology. Here, the findings indicate that VR images can promote students’ interaction related to the history of technology, which often leads to exploratory conversations.
The findings have the potential to support teachers in planning and conducting technology activities in primary schools, where images and verbal interactions could provide decisive support for developing an understanding of the nature of technology, especially the historical dimension of technology
Design Thinking in Action: Fostering 21st Century Skills Alongside Subject Specific Knowledge at Key Stage 3 in D&T
Full text linkThis study explores the integration of Design Thinking into the Key Stage 3 Design and Technology (D&T) curriculum at a school in North-West England, focusing on fostering 21st-Century Skills alongside subject-specific knowledge. The research draws on a multiple case study approach derived from the \u27Solving Genuine Problems for Authentic Users Project\u27, which involves students aged 12-13. The paper critically examines the current educational emphasis on knowledge in England and the potential erosion of D&T\u27s identity and scope within this framework. Through practical D&T activities rooted in Design Thinking principles, the study investigates how real-world problem-solving and innovation can be effectively embedded into early education to support students in tackling complex future challenges. The implementation of a Design Thinking Integrated Learning (DTIL) model is discussed, highlighting its capacity to engage students in empathetic, creative, and analytical processes that contrast with pervading approaches in D&T. The findings suggest that a balanced approach, integrating both knowledge and skills, is crucial for nurturing adaptable, competent learners capable of addressing the demands of the 21st-Century
Guest Editorial: 40th Pupil\u27s Attitudes Towards Technology Conference (PATT40) Special Issue
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Virtual Reality as a Supportive Tool for Design Education
Full text linkImmersive technologies have gained attention in design pedagogy due to their potential as effective tools for teaching and learning. Virtual reality (VR) has been extensively explored in the design discipline for tasks such as interpretation, visualization, and collaboration. However, most applications of VR have focused on replacing traditional teaching content but there is a lack of research on using VR as a supportive teaching tool. This study evaluated the effectiveness of VR as a supportive educational tool in design education. Employing a one-group pretest-posttest experimental design, the study assessed the impact of VR on learning technical and spatial knowledge among 60 sophomore students enrolled in the College of Architecture. The results showed significantly higher posttest scores following the utilization of VR content as a supportive tool supplementing traditional teaching content. This study also gathered participants’ perceptions of using VR. The participants rated the quality of the VR content and the ease of use positively, while a few participants reported discomfort related to eye strain
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LJMU Research Online (Liverpool John Moo...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)
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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