'Building Bridges or Bungie Jumping?' An ITT Response

This paper highlights some of the many key features in delivering an Initial Teacher Training course for trainees focussing upon Key Stage 2 (primary) and Key Stage 3 (secondary) design and technology teaching. Effective pedagogy and assessment methods are identified as essential principles in ensuring trainees can establish coherence across the primary/ secondary divide

Gender issues: assessing boys as underachievers

This paper identifies the current weaknesses and misuse of national assessments within design and technology in making sophisticated judgements about the success and failure of particular groups. Firstly, there are weaknesses in the accuracy of teachers' assessments. Secondly, there are weaknesses in ensuring consistency between schools. Thirdly, there are weaknesses in the interpretation and delivery of content prior to assessment and finally, there are weaknesses in matching pupil capability with assessment. This paper concludes that damaging judgements against particular groups of pupils based upon existing assessment practices cannot be justified

Still Thinking and Feeling: the location of emotion in the creative and learning experience (Part 2): Paper adapted from the Keynote presented on 5 July at the Design and Technology Association Education and International Research Conference 2007 University of Wolverhampton, Telford.

This paper, the second of two parts, continues a broad overview of new opportunities for considering the location of emotion within a creative, learning and product orientated design and technology experience. The paper builds upon the author’s previous work and considers the location of emotion in three fluid domains: Person, Process and Product. The paper argues that for truly creative, engaging learningexperience, the location of emotion is central but, more importantly, understanding the relationship of emotion to our decisions making offers greater opportunities for our future creative development

Gender issues – raising the attainment of boys in design and technology

This paper examines the context of boys’ performance in design and technology, a subject which has evolved from a traditionally male-dominated subject to one where girls are achieving higher levels of examination success than boys at all levels. By examining the extent of girls' superiority over boys in design and technology, and the changing role of boys and males in society, the many reasons for the notional underachievement of boys can be explored. From the literary review and school-based study that took place, assessment arises as the essential mechanism in defining underachievement. This paper concludes with the proposal that before labelling any group as underachievers, the system that defines underachievement must be fully investigated

Changing Expectations, Same Perspective: Pre-service Teachers’ Judgments of Professional Efficacy

This two-part study tracks and measures the professional self-efficacy judgements of two cohorts of pre-service teachers (PST). In Part One, the GTCE’s Code of Conduct and Practice (GTCE, 2009) was used to help form an instrument which tracked changes in the professional self-efficacy judgements of 211 PST through a one-year graduate program. Judgements were sought from PST both about themselves, and importantly, also about practicing teachers in the profession. In Part Two, statements making up the new DfE Teaching Standards (DfE, 2011) were similarly used to form an instrument and used with a subsequent cohort of 416 PST. Outcomes showed that PST’s judgement of professional self-efficacy were extremely high on both occasions, and in nearly all cases, significantly more positive than their ratings for current serving teachers. Tracked through their one-year program, the self-judgements barely changed, although views of the practicing teaching increased markedly, although never quite reaching the levels of self-judgements. The detail and significance of these findings is analysed and discussed

Investigation of Force Decay in Aesthetic, Fibre-Reinforced Composite Orthodontic Archwires

Background/Objectives: Because polymer-based materials typically exhibit viscoelastic properties, the objective was to determine if commercially available, aesthetic, fibre-reinforced composite archwires maintain continuous forces without undergoing force decay when deflected continuously. Materials/Methods: Quasi force decay was evaluated by comparing three-point bending profiles of nickel–titanium (NiTi) and fibre-reinforced composite archwires (BioMers) prior to and after 30 days of continuous deflection of either 1 or 2mm. Paired t-tests or non-parametric signed rank tests were used to statistically compare pre- and post-deflection bending forces. A control group consisting of wires not subject to the 30-day constant deflection was tested to check whether the initial testing altered the second three-point bend test. Results: Significant (P \u3c 0.01) differences in the pre- and post-deflection deactivation force delivery were most evident in the composite 2mm deflection group and all of the NiTi groups. The composite 2mm deflection group failed to deliver consistent forces as the majority of the wires experienced crazing during the 30-day deflection period. The decrease in force delivery in the NiTi groups may be attributed to the small standard deviations. Conclusions: The composite 1mm deflection group demonstrated that fibre-reinforced composite archwires are able to deliver a consistent force after 30 days of deflection. However, the clinical applicability of these fibre-reinforced composite archwires may be limited as they are unable to sustain deflections of 2mm without experiencing crazing and loss of force delivery. Limitations: Clinical efficacy of the aesthetic, fibre-reinforced composite orthodontic archwires remains to be observed

Creativity in education : a review

As part of a series of literature reviews that will occur within this and subsequent editions of the journal, this paper aims to locate a discussion of creativity in education within a discourse that is appropriate and accessible for design and technology (D&T) educators. In doing so, literature relating to: defining creativity; the context of creativity research and the relationship of design and technology and creativity, will be discussed. Inevitability, this review of creativity merely scratches the surface of a large body of literature and consequently some aspects of the topic have not been covered

Reflection, change and renewal

Reflection, change and renewa

Creativity in design and technology and ICT: imagining possibilities in a digital age

The issues raised in this paper relate both to the current climate in education and the changing demands within two relatively ‘young’ curriculum subjects: design and technology (D&T) and information communication technology (ICT, previously information technology, IT). Both subjects have ultimately evolved from the same subject as outlined in the first National Curriculum Order for Technology (DES/WO 1990) and continue to share similarities as identified in the National Curriculum for England 2000 statement of importance, as both subjects aim to prepare pupils for participation in a rapidly changing world using new technologies. This paper will highlight how the rapid development of both D&T and ICT has been accompanied, and to some extent driven, by the emphasis which has been placed in recent times upon the increased use of ICT as part of the drive to raise standards in schools. The central tenet of this work is that whilst recognising the value of ICT, this imposed imperative and its impact upon both the content of D&T teaching programmes and the methods adopted for their delivery may have compromised the principal aims of the subject as exemplified in the National Curriculum statement of importance and also constrained the potential for the development of learners’ creativity and imagination in D&T. The work goes on to make a case for a shift in emphasis and the adoption of ICT as a tool within a creative continuum rather than as the principal focus for learning. By considering the role of ICT, and in particular ICT rich activities such as CAD/CAM and ECT initiatives within D&T, the paper will consider how constrained practice in both subjects has marginalized D&T capability and creative practice. This propositional paper will further argue that by redefining pedagogical models for D&T and the use of ICT within the subject, both activities have the potential to promote rather than to constrain creative practice and so offer the potential of enhanced levels of design and technology capability for all learners