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…

New Zealand has recently released a new national curriculum presented as the New Zealand Curriculum (NZC) (Ministry of Education, 2007). This document has significant implications for the future redevelopment of both the compulsory school curriculum and the non-compulsory senior secondary school curriculum. After a general introduction, this paper…

Both the concept of sustainable development and the nature of education for sustainable development (ESD) are highly contested. ESD can be construed as a part of sustainable development policy as governments attempt to bridge the "value-action gap" between what we know we should be doing (e.g. to combat climate change) and what we actually do.…

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 explores the potential of "blurring the boundaries" between art and design and design and technology with specific reference to "improving creativity" in design and technology, as recommended in an inspection report of secondary and primary schools in England by Ofsted (2008: 7). The paper explores the evolution of the English National…

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…

Sloyd pedagogy was introduced towards the close of the 18th century to Icelandic educators. Subsequently craft was established as a specific subject aimed at general education. In the beginning craft was called "school industry," to distinguish it from "home industry" whose aim was to help homes to be self-sufficient for commercial purposes.…

Design is a discipline which involves many domains, skills and professions. Design practice in Technology education in the Irish second level (high school) context is not a representation of the professional realm of design. Design education in the Irish second level system is generally structured on a linear design process and associated…

"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…

Discussion is often reported concerning potential links between computer-aided designing and creativity, but there is a lack of systematic enquiry to gather empirical evidence concerning such links. This paper reports an indication of findings from other research studies carried out in contexts beyond general education that have sought evidence…

This paper explores ways in which data collected during designerly activity in a Secondary Design and Technology Classroom in the UK, can be analysed with a view to ascertaining the features of the classroom interactions which facilitate the development of designerly activity in "fledgling designers" (Trebell, 2007). The paper builds upon earlier…

This paper has emerged out of the author's life-long passion for Design and Technology (D&T), which she will refer to as D&T from now on, her on-going research which has informed her practice as a teacher of D&T in England over the past 45 years, and in particular her practice as a trainer of D&T teachers for the past 20 years. In this paper, the…

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…

This article presents a tentative framing that has emerged out of one person's theorised and reflective professional practice with pre-service primary and secondary Design and Technology teachers as well as with practising teachers, school leadership teams and curriculum policy designers and writers. Over many years, several curricular and…

This paper presents the strategies employed by Indian middle-school students working in groups to identify three unfamiliar artefacts. The activity described in this paper was aimed at sensitising students to the close link between form and function and to bring a certain amount of uncertainty in the tasks before the actual design task. It was…