How focus creates engagement in Primary Design and Technology Education: The effect of well-defined tasks and joint presentations on a class of nine to twelve years old pupils

During a Design and Technology class, engagement is both required to start creative hands-on work and a sign of pupil’s creative thinking. To find ways to achieve engagement, we can look to the Montessori tradition. Due to the fact that learning is regarded as feeding insight through experimenting, tasks have to offer pupils the opportunity to gain knowledge about isolated details of the learning situation. This is realised by brief, simple and objective tasks combined with liberty to approach the hands-on work in one’s own way. Applied to Design and Technology, we can define brief, simple and objective tasks with a focus on a technique as an isolated detail of the learning situation. Offering liberty during hands-on work enables creative thinking.  The deployment of well-defined tasks with a focus on a technique is possible by dividing a complex assignment into a collection of brief tasks with single problems and working towards single objectives in the topic, making use of a single technique. Such a collection is a format that has the potential to enable ongoing engagement.  This case-study researches the actual effect of a stepwise organised collection of tasks on the design performance of pupils of nine to twelve years old. The results show that the tasks turned out to be useful in initiating engagement. In combination with joint presentations, ongoing engagement was achieved resulting in well-considered designs and products. In addition, dialogue with disengaged pupils delivered solutions towards engagement. As a side-effect of dialogue the teacher-pupil relationships and the pupil-pupil relationships improved

Initiation of verbal expression in young children in Design and Technology education: a case-study

 One of the core activities of Design and Technology Education is designing, which is a thinking activity that benefits greatly from expression. Verbal expression serves interaction. A teacher can induce verbal expression in pupils by inviting them to interact about familiar subjects. This interaction is a stepping stone towards an integration of exploring, creating and thinking, resulting in broad thinking, and to sharing ideas. In order to establish interaction, ideas need to be verbalised into informative expressions that are recognisable as such by the whole class. Teachers can influence the quality of interaction by teaching the rules and means of verbal expression. This teaching needs the golden mean of non-authoritative guidance, oriented towards discovery of the rules and means, and a carefully prepared environment leading to insight in the concept of verbalisation. This kind of teaching will make pupil’s feelings change from curious into smart and competent with regard to verbalisation. The case study focused on enabling pupils to verbally express the features of a cuddly toy. The age of the pupils was of four to six years old and the thinking hats of De Bono were used as a structuring instrument to initiate the activity.  The results show that through this approach the teacher succeeded in teaching the rules and means of verbal expression, without hampering the expressiveness and autonomy of the pupils. As a result class and teacher together managed to create a starting point for further procedural growth about “how to express yourself”. They also set a structure in which other subjects could be discussed in future.Â

Management of Gonads in Adults with Androgen Insensitivity : An International Survey

Background: Complete and partial androgen insensitivity syndrome (CAIS, PAIS) are associated with an increased risk of gonadal germ cell cancer (GGCC). Recent guidelines recommend gonadectomy in women with CAIS in late adolescence. Nevertheless, many adult women prefer to retain their gonads. Aims: This study aims to explore attitudes towards gonadectomy in AIS in centres around the world, estimate the proportion of adults with retained gonads and/or who developed GGCC, and explore reasons for declining gonadectomy. Methods: A survey was performed among health care professionals who use the International DSD Registry (I-DSD). Results: Data were provided from 22 centres in 16 countries on 166 women (CAIS) and 26 men (PAIS). In CAIS, gonadectomy was recommended in early adulthood in 67% of centres; 19/166 (11.4%) women refused gonadectomy. Among 142 women who had gonadectomy, evidence of germ cell neoplasm in situ (GCNIS), the precursor of GGCC, was reported in 2 (1.4%) out of 8 from whom pathology results were formally provided. Nine out of 26 men with PAIS (34.6%) had retained gonads; 11% of centres recommended routine gonadectomy in PAIS. Conclusion: Although development of GGCC seems rare, gonadectomy after puberty is broadly recommended in CAIS; in PAIS this is more variable. Overall, our data reflect the need for evidence-based guidelines regarding prophylactic gonadectomy in AIS

Management of gonads in adults with androgen insensitivity : an international survey

BACKGROUND Complete and partial androgen insensitivity syndrome (CAIS, PAIS) are associated with an increased risk of gonadal germ cell cancer (GGCC). Recent guidelines recommend gonadectomy in women with CAIS in late adolescence. Nevertheless, many adult women prefer to retain their gonads. AIMS This study aims to explore attitudes towards gonadectomy in AIS in centres around the world, estimate the proportion of adults with retained gonads and/or who developed GGCC, and explore reasons for declining gonadectomy. METHODS A survey was performed among health care professionals who use the International DSD Registry (I-DSD). RESULTS Data were provided from 22 centres in 16 countries on 166 women (CAIS) and 26 men (PAIS). In CAIS, gonadectomy was recommended in early adulthood in 67% of centres; 19/166 (11.4%) women refused gonadectomy. Among 142 women who had gonadectomy, evidence of germ cell neoplasm in situ (GCNIS), the precursor of GGCC, was reported in 2 (1.4%) out of 8 from whom pathology results were formally provided. Nine out of 26 men with PAIS (34.6%) had retained gonads; 11% of centres recommended routine gonadectomy in PAIS. CONCLUSION Although development of GGCC seems rare, gonadectomy after puberty is broadly recommended in CAIS; in PAIS this is more variable. Overall, our data reflect the need for evidence-based guidelines regarding prophylactic gonadectomy in AIS