Design Fiction a decade of reflection; The impact of teacher training on classroom practice.

The work presented here investigates the impact of using Sterling's notion of Design Fiction (2005) as a mechanism to inspire trainee teachers in their classroom practice

Humanising the design and technology curriculum: Why technology education makes us human

As practical and creative education in England continues to experience challenges and a relative loss of status, this paper argues for the importance of a broad and balanced curriculum and in particular design and technology (D&T) education. This paper is a position piece and discusses some of the challenges facing D&T. Calling for a reinvigoration of the subject to its original intentions, as the first National Curriculum subject in the programmes of study for England - discussed in the 1980s and enacted in 1990 – we explore how perspectives on education, curriculum and technology are politically informed and constructed. This paper reasserts the fundamentally humanising nature of technology in society. Drawing on ideas from science and education, both within and outside of D&T, the authors explore the cultural aspects of the subject; beyond the technical and economic arguments

'Shaping Things': The impact of using Design Fiction as a pedagogical tool within technology and design education.

Inspired originally by the work of Bruce Sterling, this paper presents narrative accounts from experienced design and technology teachers who were introduced to the notion of ‘design fiction’ during their teacher education programmes. While training to teach as part of their subject study, pre-service teachers were introduced to the concept of ‘design fiction’. During their training they were encouraged to embrace the notion and use it as a catalyst to effect innovative pedagogical approaches in their teaching of design and technology. Specifically, to explore the advantages of using this concept as a tool not only on the effectual delivery of design, but in order to support the creation of a high-quality conceptual outcomes, where learning is concerned with innovation and the development of skill, rather than to produce a fully functional working model or artefact. Presented in the form of vignettes, participants (who are now experienced teachers) offer first-hand accounts of the long-term influence that using ‘design fiction’ as a catalyst for teaching design and technology has had on their classroom practice. Participants report how this approach has supported the consolidation of learning, reinforcing skills, knowledge and understanding. Findings also make clear that through the adoption of design fiction teachers witnessed an increase in student motivation to engage in design activity, and notably when working within traditionally gender dominated areas of the design and technology and STEM curricula, gender bias decreased. The paper concludes with potential next steps, including the advocation of staff development to ensure advances within the field of speculative design are capitalised upon by those engaged in all aspects of technology and design education

Preservice Teachers’ Perspectives on Modelling and Explaining in STEM Subjects: a Q Methodology Study

Teacher modelling and explaining are important pedagogical approaches in practical subjects, including those categorised as science, technology, engineering and/or mathematics (STEM). Building on a framework developed from research on ‘the demonstration’ with teachers and teacher educators of design and technology (D&T), this study explores preservice teachers’ views across a range of secondary school subjects. This study is a snapshot of the evolving perspectives of the participants, early in their studies as students during initial teacher education (ITE). It uses Q Methodology to investigate the subjective values of preservice teachers towards teacher modelling and explaining. Q Methodology compares and analyses the responses of participants to a set of statements representing a range of possible views on a given subject. The sample is purposive, comprised of students enrolled on postgraduate ITE programmes with a Higher Education Institution (HEI) in England. The findings suggest that preservice teachers of STEM subjects strongly identified with one of two architypes – teacher-expert or teacher-facilitator. The paper concludes that preservice teachers of STEM should be made aware of these powerful architypes, when planning, teaching and evaluating lessons. The findings also suggest the possibility of collaborative training with preservice teachers across the STEM disciplines, using the statements from this study as a tool for dialogue. Future research could explore similarities and differences between practical/creative and humanities subjects

How technology makes us human: cultural historical roots for design and technology education

In the context of curriculum change within English education, and beyond, this article explores the cultural historical roots of design and technology as an educational construct, distinct from design or engineering, which exist as career paths outside of the school curriculum. It is a position piece, drawing on literature from a wide range of sources from writing, largely, outside of the discipline. The authors revisit the original intentions of design and technology as a National Curriculum subject and, within the contemporary challenges, discuss the importance of technology, including designing and making, as an essentially human and humanising activity. The aim being to contribute to the theorisation and philosophy of the subject, where typically practitioners focus on practical and potentially mundane concerns. This article asserts that technological human activity is rooted in technological innovation and determinism, inextricably linked to social human activity. The aim is to add to the literature and provoke debate around the place and value of design and technology. The argument for retention of the subject, as part of a broad and balanced curriculum, is presented from a social and technological perspective; recognising the value of the subject as cultural rather than a merely technical or economic imperative

The National Teaching Repository − Sharing effective interventions: Learning from each other so that we can continue to enhance and improve what we do

The National Teaching Repository (NTR) is a widely recognised Open Educational Resource (OER) that has made a significant impact on the global higher education community. Recently, the UNESCO Secretariat invited the NTR team to present reports on the repository’s reach and impact (Wooff and Irving-Bell, 2022), which has prompted this article. In it, we provide an overview of the NTR’s origins, values, and vision, and we also extend an invitation for you to join us in this exciting initiative

Comparison of Different Strategies for Providing Fecal Microbiota Transplantation to Treat Patients with Recurrent Clostridium difficile Infection in Two English Hospitals: A Review

Fecal microbiota transplant (FMT) has emerged as a highly efficacious treatment for difficult cases of refractory and/or recurrent Clostridium difficile infection (CDI). There have been many well-conducted randomized controlled trials and thousands of patients reported in case series that describe success rates of approximately 90% following one or more FMT. Although the exact mechanisms of FMT have yet to be fully elucidated, replacement or restoration of a ‘normal’ microbiota (or at least a microbiota resembling those who have never had CDI) appears to have a positive effect on the gut dysbiosis that is thought to exist in these patients. Furthermore, despite being aesthetically unappealing, this ‘ultimate probiotic’ is a particularly attractive solution to a difficult problem that avoids repeated courses of antibiotics. The lack of clarity about the exact mechanism of action and the ‘active ingredient’ of FMT (e.g., individual or communities of bacteria, bacteriophage, or bioactive molecules such as bile acids) has hindered the ability to produce a standardized and well-characterized FMT product. There is no standard method to produce material for FMT, and there are a multitude of factors that can vary between institutions that offer this therapy. Only a few studies have directly compared clinical efficacy in groups of patients who have been treated with FMT prepared differently (e.g., fresh vs. frozen) or administered by different route (e.g., by nasojejunal tube, colonoscopy or by oral administration of encapsulated product). More of these studies should be undertaken to clarify the superiority or otherwise of these variables. This review describes the methods and protocols that two English NHS hospitals independently adopted over the same time period to provide FMT for patients with recurrent CDI. There are several fundamental differences in the methods used, including selection and testing of donors, procedures for preparation and storage of material, and route of administration. These methods are described in detail in this review highlighting differing practice. Despite these significant methodological variations, clinical outcomes in terms of cure rate appear to be remarkably similar for both FMT providers. Although both hospitals have treated only modest numbers of patients, these findings suggest that many of the described differences may not be critical factors in influencing the success of the procedure. As FMT is increasingly being proposed for a number of conditions other than CDI, harmonization of methods and techniques may be more critical to the success of FMT, and thus it will be important to standardize these as far as practically possible

Fixed Point Action and Topology in the CP^3 Model

We define a fixed point action in two-dimensional lattice ${\rm CP}^{N-1}$ models. The fixed point action is a classical perfect lattice action, which is expected to show strongly reduced cutoff effects in numerical simulations. Furthermore, the action has scale-invariant instanton solutions, which enables us to define a correct topological charge without topological defects. Using a parametrization of the fixed point action for the ${\rm CP}^{3}$ model in a Monte Carlo simulation, we study the topological susceptibility.Comment: 27 pages, 5 figures, typeset using REVTEX, Sec. 6 rewritten (additional numerical results), to be published in Phys.Rev.