A pilot study of children's problem-solving processes

This paper reports the preliminary results of an investigation into the nature of 'problem-solving' activity in technology education. The research focuses on the relationship and potential mismatch between teachers' and children's agendas, aims, and perceptions concerning design and technology activities in the context of the National Curriculum. A case study approach involving in-depth classroom observation is used to chart pupils' and teachers' interactions during design and technology activities at Key Stage 3. Our analysis focused on the influence of teachers' task structuring and interventions on children's problem-solving behaviour. The results so far show that the design process underlying the curriculum is highly complex and not easily communicated. Children encounter different problems, requiring different approaches, according to the kind of task and the stage reached in its solution. The results indicate that 'problem solving' in technology may proceed in a very different way to that characterised by a holistic 'design-and-make' process

Developing an effective pedagogy in the classroom : implications for design and technology

The nature of creative problem solving is summarised and used to examine examples of teachers’ practice. Examples are drawn from both the ‘design and make’ approach and the Young Foresight initiative. Characteristics of the teachers’ pedagogy are identified and linked to the nature of the activities and tasks that the students were engaged in. Effective practice resulting in creative problem solving is identified and the influence of task and pedagogy on this practice discussed. Questions are raised about how insights provided by the Young Foresight initiative can be used to enhance problem solving in the curriculum as a whole

Design and technology as revelation and ritual

This paper reports one of several case studies of Key Stage 3 pupils involved in designing and making. It explores how a teacher structures tasks, and the impact that has on the pupils' experience of the design process. Although the teacher uses the usual steps in the design process (defining a context, and creating a design brief and specification etc.), this is done in a ritualistic way such that pupils are not made aware of it. Further, in order to control the complexity of the task, the teacher reveals constraints on, and features of, the design, which create problems for the pupils. The explanation for such an approach by the teacher is found in the teacher's view of the design process and in his aims for the particular activity. We would like to acknowledge the work of Sara Hennessy in collecting and analysising data for the research reported here