Pedagogy  :  SECONDARY

Aspects of Secondary D&T teaching

There is considerable evidence that those entering PGCE courses in design and technology have different backgrounds and experiences of designing. In schools, Ofsted has reported consistently since the introduction of design and technology into the National Curriculum in England that designing skills lag behind making skills. In 2002 Ofsted reported that in 'some schools, there is insufficient attention to the processes of designing, particularly in Key Stage 3 where pupils' experience of design and technology is merely a sequence of short focused practical tasks with no opportunity to apply their own ideas in a longer design task'.

The overarching nature of D&T in English schools since the introduction of the National Curriculum has resulted in a reassessment of the specialist areas or 'fields' found in courses preparing future D&T teachers. Guidance from The Minimum Competences for Trainees to teach Design and Technology in Secondary Schools (available in the Online Shop) divides subject specific knowledge and skills into a core and specialist 'fields' of food technology, materials technology, textiles technology, electronics and communications technology (ECT) and a set of core competencies. It is intended that all trainees, regardless of the specialist fields they decide to study, cover the core competences integrated into their subject-specific specialist studies. The core competences are based on the process and procedures of 'designing' and are considered essential elements of design and technology

Two TDA-funded studies by David Barlex and Marion Rutland are available here that relate to the development of designing skills in PGCE students. The studies report on the impact of curriculum development designed to provide experience and acquisition of designing skills that could subsequently be used in teaching designing as part of design and technology at KS3 during teaching experience:

• Improving the ability of design and technology PGCE trainee teachers to teach designing.
• Transferring a model for improving the ability of design and technology PGCE trainee teachers to teach designing: designing within food technology.   < LINKS>

New Secondary Curriculum KS3 Design and Technology

Significant changes have been made to design and technology within the New Secondary Curriculum.  Although the programme of study represents a ‘slimming down’ of the requirements, in fact there is much that is new and a change of focus in some respects presents schools with considerable challenges. This article explains some of the changes and discusses ways to move forward.