Year 7 students use of three-dimensional modelling while designing and making

The study described here investigated assumptions in the literature about how students model ideas while designing and making. Additionally, it investigated protocol analysis as a methodology for the analysis of designers' strategies. Five Year 7 dyads were video recorded while completing a design and make task. Analysis involved transcribing and segmenting the conversation between subjects and then adding to the protocols a description of their actions. Each period of action was coded and the coded transcripts analysed. Analysis made evident five significant differences between modelling as described in the literature and as used by subjects. First, three-dimensional modelling largely replaced two-dimensional modelling. Second, subjects developed solutions serially rather than producing several solutions at the outset. Third, three-dimensional modelling was used to manifest not only existing ideas but to fuel new ideas. Fourth, modelling was used to develop and also to refine ideas. Fifth, models were evaluated not only upon completion but from the moment that designing and making began. These results suggest it is important to provide students, early in the process of designing and making, an opportunity to explore, develop and communicate their design proposals by modelling ideas in three-dimensional form

Professional development as an ongoing conversation

While professional development (PD) for teachers exists in many forms, no particular one emerges as the best way to facilitate change in classroom practices. Evidence from the Elementary Science and Technology (EST) project suggests that a variety of PD is essential. Also emerging is the importance of developing and sustaining school-university partnerships and professional communities of practice. This paper describes the results from steps 1-4 of a six-step program of research in which two faculty instructors taught Grade 6 students a science or technology unit while six teachers worked alongside the students to complete the same unit. Data collection for each step included two written questionnaires, a focus group interview, and teacher field notes written during the professional development. The results of the study are being used to address the following research questions: (a) to what extent does in-service given in a classroom context help teachers acquire a pedagogy for elementary technology or elementary science? (b) to what extent does in-service given in a classroom context help teachers acquire subject knowledge in elementary technology or elementary science

Teachers as research instruments: a “confessional tale” about a longitudinal study

The authors have recently concluded the data collection phase of a three-year intervention study that has tracked one class of elementary pupils learning to make design decisions in a design & technology education classroom. The research design stated that in-depth data would be collected from a purposefully sampled group of four pupils (two boys and two girls) and also from the classroom teacher. However, during the second year of the study the authors encountered several serious problems with the intervention, which in turn led to a data quality problem. This paper, which offers a “confessional tale”, is in four parts. First, it describes the research design of the study, which was intended to begin the process of developing a theoretical model for learning to design. Second, the paper uses excerpts from transcripts to illustrate how the nature of teacher-pupil interactions (a) enabled the success of the research design in Year 1, and (b) led to data quality problems in Year 2. Part three indicates the lessons learned and describes the researchers’ response to the problems encountered in Year 2. The paper concludes with a cautionary note for researchers designing a longitudinal study

Educational research as a foundation for curriculum development in D&T

Educational research has been criticized for being inaccessible to practising teachers and both removed from and irrelevant to their needs. Seldom does the research inform curriculum development, the production of learning materials, or their effective use in the classroom. Earlier research by the authors revealed limitations in pupils’ constructional skills, technical knowledge and aesthetic appreciation as they develop a solution to a design and make task. Knowledge of these limitations and the design procedures adopted by the pupils informed the development of a Capability Task and a suite of Resource Tasks so that the same design and make task could be used in a classroom setting. Current research is providing insights into ways in which teachers can be introduced to a pedagogy and the development of curriculum materials. The results of this work are, in turn, providing the basis for the development of more general model for using research findings to inform the design of curriculum materials and associated pedagogy

So we’re going to have this huge spike here? Pupils’ talk while designing and making

This paper reports on the conversations between focal pupils (two boys aged 13 years), as they collaborated in the designing and making of a statue of a fierce creature that would be used to deter intruders from their classroom. This dialogue is analysed from two perspectives: (a) that of exploratory talk (Barnes & Todd, 1977) and (b) dialogic talk (Alexander, 2004). The analysis revealed that the pupils (a) made design decisions concurrently with making, (b) did not, for the most part, engage in exploratory talk, and (c) did engage in dialogue. The analysis also revealed the designerly nature of the talk that did take place and raises some questions as to the purpose of pupil talk during designing and making. The paper concludes with some suggestions for further questions to investigate with regard to the purpose and nature of talk in design & technology lessons

Portfolios in design and technology education: investigating differing views

In many professions, portfolios constitute a primary method of documenting proficiency, skill, style and talent by showing examples of actual work. However, the multiple purposes of portfolios in design and technology education have given rise to problems. The conversion of a portfolio into a product has become a significant problem, as have the constraints imposed by examining bodies. This paper will describe a research study that investigated the use of portfolios in professional practice, initial teacher education and secondary design and technology education. Separate focus group interviews were conducted with professional designers, teacher educators and secondary school teachers of design and technology education in both England and Canada. Questions asked of participants focused on definitions and the advantages and disadvantages of using a portfolio, as well as the particular purposes of portfolios in the context of the professional work of each group. Audiotapes of the interviews were transcribed verbatim. Analysis of the data involved thematic analysis and concept analysis. Preliminary analysis of the data has identified that professionals use four types of folio, each for a quite different purpose. These findings have given rise to questions about how these four types of folio could be used to enhance teaching, learning and assessment in design and technology education, and to what extent the adoption of these four types of folio could resolve the conflict between the portfolio as a teaching and learning tool and the portfolio as an assessment instrument

The effect of problem type on the strategies used by novice designers

Previous research by the author demonstrated that untutored Year 7 students produce a solution to a design-and-make task in ways significantly different to those prescribed by textbooks. However, the strategy used may have been a function of the particular design brief and how it was presented. The follow-up study described here addressed the question: Is the design strategy used by novices dependent on the task? Four Year 7 dyads were video recorded while designing and making a solution to a specific task. Comparisons were made between dyads in the current study, between each dyad and a map of the theoretical model, and between dyads in both studies. Analysis showed no significant difference between dyads in the current study, nor between dyads in the two studies, but confirmed significant differences between dyads' strategies and those described in the literature. Students did not use two-dimensional modelling to explore and communicate a design proposal, nor did they generate multiple solutions. They moved immediately to three-dimensional modelling, but often lacked the requisite skills to develop their ideas. While students used the design process skills identified in theoretical models their strategy was less linear and more iterative

Teaching sketching and its effect on the solutions produced by novice designers

Previous research by the authors showed that novice designers do not use sketching as a way to explore and communicate a design proposal, but move immediately to three-dimensional modelling. Neither do they generate multiple solutions. Furthermore, they lack the skills to readily explore their ideas and communicate them to others. The follow-up study described here addressed the questions: How can two-dimensional modelling be taught to students so they are better able to express their ideas? What is the relationship between the ability of a student to make two-dimensional models and the quality of design proposals? What specific skills, knowledge and materials are required for both teaching and learning sketching? Sixteen Year 7 students were divided into eight single-sex dyads. Four received instruction in freehand sketching. Four received no instruction and acted as a control group. The eight dyads were videotaped while producing a solution to a common design brief. Analysis of the data has provided insights into the effects of instruction on the proposals produced by students, as well as feedback on the efficacy of a set of materials for teaching sketching

Curriculum materials writing: an opportunity for innovative professional development

This paper describes the professional development provided by the Elementary Science and Technology (EST) Partnership in response to the emerging requirements of teachers engaged in writing curriculum materials. The paper begins with an overview of the literature describing crucial elements in effective professional development for teachers. It continues with a brief description of the EST partnership and its links to the Nuffield Design & Technology Project. The paper outlines the various professional development experiences provided by the EST partnership in response to the emerging requirements of teachers engaged in writing curriculum materials. Finally, the paper will describe a study in which six EST teachers adopted the role of students in a day-long sequence of activities in which a class of Grade 6 students were taught by two faculty members to design and make a product. The study addressed two research questions: (a) To what extent does in-service given in a classroom context help teachers acquire subject knowledge in elementary technology? (b) To what extent does in-service given in a classroom context help teachers acquire a pedagogy for elementary technology

I don’t enjoy making the folder: secondary students’ views of portfolios in technology education

This paper will describe a research study that investigated students’ experiences with the use of design portfolios in their technology education. The research builds on previous work by the first two authors that investigated the use of portfolios by professional designers, teacher educators and secondary school teachers working in England and Canada. Separate focus group interviews were conducted in England with one group of Year 10 boys in a technology college and one group of Year 10 girls in a technology college. Questions asked of participants focused on definitions and the advantages and disadvantages of using a portfolio, as well as students understanding of the purposes of a portfolio. Audiotapes of the interviews were transcribed verbatim. Analysis of the data involved thematic analysis and concept analysis. Analysis of the data has revealed that secondary school students participating in this study regard the portfolio as a burden requiring the production of materials that do little to enable the generation and development of ideas, and is driven by the assessment needs of the teacher rather than the learning needs of the student. Of particular interest is the view of those students who experience difficulty sketching and writing, for whom the design portfolio is seen as counterproductive in terms of enhancing their confidence and creativity. The paper will end with suggestions for using various types of portfolios to enable students to be creative through designing