This paper starts from the premise that drawing can be a means of visualising thinking, with an emphasis on the process involved. A gap often seems to exist in the minds of students of visual/material creative fields in ideas-generative contexts, between thought and action. The thesis is that the gap between thinking and doing can be reduced to…

Widely acknowledged as an archetypal design activity, sketching is typically carried out using little more than pen and paper. Today's designed artifacts however, are often given qualities that are hard to capture with traditional means of sketching. While pen and paper sketching catches the character of a building, it may not equally well capture…

This paper discusses the establishment of a framework for researching children's decision-making skills in design and technology education through taking a grounded theory approach. Three data sources were used: (1) analysis of available literature; (2) curriculum analysis and interviews with teachers concerning their practice in relation to their…

This paper gives a short overview of the UK government's STEM agenda and then considers one aspect in depth--the STEM Advisory Forum. It explains how the Forum operates to draw together views from across the STEM community through online discussions and face-to-face events. Four examples are given of topics that have been dealt with by the Forum.…

The French school system is a subjects-centred curriculum from the beginning of 1960s. This deep-rooted organisation tends to block the several attempts made to integrate the teaching of scientific school subjects. From an historical point of view, this paper describes the curricular system and the issue of its current change. It focuses on the…

This paper discusses design and design education in the context of four major social and environmental concerns identified by Bruce Archer in 1973: overpopulation; pollution; depletion of natural resources; control. It argues for the social and economic importance of design education in primary and secondary schools. It identifies "designerly…

How can young pupils get "An effective introduction" to technology and design at the primary level in the Norwegian context? This question is highlighted with examples based on case studies at five classes in two schools doing their first technology and design project at grades 1 or 2 (age 6-8 years). The project was about air rockets. The…

Calls for the integration of subjects continue to emanate from a wide range of professional bodies, including governments and subject associations. Yet as some authors suggest, blurring the boundaries between subjects may be one of the most daunting tasks educators face. The authors have recently begun a research study that will investigate the…

Gilbert Ryle (1949) divided knowledge into "know that" and "know how", which is neatly appealing to many design and technology educators, and like many writers on developing the curriculum, Kahney (1993) made a distinction between declarative knowledge: "verbal knowledge, that is, the kind you get from books, instructions and being told what to…

This paper outlines reflections by two tutors in Initial Teacher Education on ways design and technology (D&T) has been included in cross-curricular modules at our institution. These modules were a new addition to our courses in response to a conviction by tutors that cross-curricular teaching and learning in primary schools is important for…

"Knowledge Promotion" is the recent curriculum for the Norwegian 10-year compulsory school. "Technology and Design" (ToD) is a new main subject area in Natural Science. ToD should be taught across the curriculum between Natural Science, Art and Crafts, and Mathematics. The main goal is that pupils should be able to plan, develop and make useful…

This keynote address tells the personal journey of a former teacher who is now involved in educational research. Educational research is topical at the moment in Design and Technology (D&T) Education, as many initial teacher training (ITE) courses make the transition to masters level accreditation, something endorsed by the teacher training and…

Describes a practical activity in which 5-6 year-olds investigated, assembled, and disassembled simple mechanisms. Explains how the activity develops design and technology knowledge as well as basic skills such as literacy and numeracy. (SK)

Describes how elementary-school students with emotional and behavioral disorders worked in groups of four to complete design tasks. A chart shows progress in specific communication skills made by each student. (SK)

In a 7-week project, teams of elementary students designed and made a coal cart. The project demonstrated that practical design and technology problems are best broken into manageable subtasks. Doing so enhances understanding of conceptual and procedural knowledge. It also showed how children can be moved toward more expert levels of performance.…