| 1. |
- Andersson, Jennie, 1974-, et al.
(author)
-
Visionary Expectations and Novice Designers : Prototyping in Design Education
- 2017
-
In: Design and Technology Education. - 1360-1431 .- 2040-8633. ; 22:1, s. 1-16
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- In information design education, we strive to find methods that provide students with opportunities to explore different ways of learning and designing. We seek to support development of contextual competences that will be helpful in navigating an unknown future of design in society. A challenge in today's design education is to formulate and use methods that support design students in developing competencies in the space between basic form training and context-rich training. The aim of this study was to evaluate prototyping exercises in design education where the focus was in that in-between space. The study is based on 33 prototyping workshops done between 2008 and 2015 and involving 160 students and two design teachers. Four different approaches to prototyping exercises are described, examined and evaluated: "spatial prototyping," "multi-material prototyping," "physical prototyping," and a mix between the latter two, "physical multi-material prototyping." The results show that the prototyping exercises did support the learning of diverse competencies in the in-between space of basic form training and context training. However, the exercises were also counterproductive and met with different kinds of resistance. The results of the study invite to a dialogue on how different prototyping techniques can stimulate learning in relation to future design competences.
|
|
| 2. |
- Axell, Cecilia, 1965-
(author)
-
Broadening the Horizons of Technology Education : Using Traditional Cultural Artefacts as Learning Tools in a Swedish Sámi School
- 2020
-
In: Design and Technology Education. - Wellesbourne, United Kingdom : The Design and Technology Association. - 1360-1431 .- 2040-8633. ; 25:2, s. 192-216
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The aim of this case study was to explore the nature of technology education in a Sámi school setting and to examine how knowledge about traditional cultural artefacts can contribute to broadening the horizons of technological literacy. The participants (teacher and pupils) in the study were all from the same Sámi primary school in Northern Sweden, and the activities connected to the artefacts took place with year 2 and 3 pupils. The method employed was participatory observation, and field notes, recorded conversations, photographs and children’s drawings were analysed using a qualitative content analysis.The findings show that technology education in this school was connected to specific artefacts that are important in Sámi culture. Using these traditional cultural artefacts as a starting point, the pupils were given the opportunity to see that technology is more than modern high-tech; it is an age-old tradition of problem-solving, modification and adaptation to fulfil human needs. Technology education in this school was grounded in a holistic view of knowledge and was largely integrated with other school subjects. Myths and storytelling were frequently used to contextualise the technological content, and the historical aspect of technology was clear since connections between older and newer technological solutions were frequently made. The knowledge system embedded in the technology teaching can be described as collective and related to both artefacts and activities. Technological knowledge, activities and specific artefacts were not only attributed a practical value, they were also given a symbolic value, since a common knowledge base in technology contributes to strengthening the children’s cultural identity.This study confirms that artefacts can play an important role in technology education and that an understanding of the relationship between technology and culture can be regarded as a critical part of technological literacy. A cultural context, in combination with a holistic perspective on learning, gives artefacts meaning and provides a context within which they are used. Including indigenous technological knowledge can thus not only prevent a marginalisation of indigenous knowledge, it can also provide opportunities to broaden pupils’ perspectives of what technology is, how it evolves, and the driving forces behind technological change
|
|
| 3. |
|
|
| 4. |
- Brown, James Benedict, 1982-
(author)
-
Making the studio smaller
- 2021
-
In: Design and Technology Education. - Banbury : The Design and Technology Association. - 1360-1431 .- 2040-8633. ; 26:4, s. 256-268
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The studio is a space apart in the university, an environment unique to creative and design disciplines. As we emerge into the pre-dawn light of the post-COVID era, we should use the insight gained from the pandemic to speculate about the future. This article invites the reader to speculate about the possibility of a smaller design studio in architectural education: one that is smaller in its spatial, temporal, pedagogical and cultural dimensions. What if, instead of demonstrating the plurality of architectural practice through the breadth and diversity of elective studio ‘units’, we reduce the scope of design courses to create space for others?
|
|
| 5. |
- Buckley, Jeffrey, 1992-, et al.
(author)
-
Balancing curriculum intent with expected student responses to designerly tasks
- 2018
-
In: Design and Technology Education. - 1360-1431 .- 2040-8633. ; 23:1, s. 26-39
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Design activities form an extensive part of design and technology education with a link being posited within the pertinent literature between the cognitive activity of learning and the cognitive activity of design. It is therefore critical that design educators’ understand the effects that design constraints can have on the learning process. This paper aims to examine the potential to affect student responses and associated learning from design tasks based on the manipulation of task variables. A study was designed to examine the effects of two modelling systems – one parametric and one non-parametric – on the thought processes and design journeys of the students. The findings suggest that the use of parametric modelling can emphasis student thinking on technical considerations while the use of a freeform moulding CAD system affords a more creative orientation. Qualitative findings demonstrate the capacity of students to select appropriate strategies to complete the design task, further indicating that relaxing design constraints can support student learning in design activities. Considering curricular intentions to develop both technical and creative competencies, this study presents empirical findings illustrating how teachers can strategically design tasks which balance expected student responses with intended learning outcomes.
|
|
| 6. |
|
|
| 7. |
- Citrohn, Björn
(author)
-
A framework for analyzing technological knowledge in school design projects including models
- 2023
-
In: Design and Technology Education. - Liverpool. - 1360-1431 .- 2040-8633. ; 28:2, s. 154-169
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- This study investigates, and further develops, a framework for analyzing technological knowledge emanating from school design projects; a framework that has the potential to be used as a tool for teachers when choosing and planning design projects. The study also intends to answer the research question: What technological knowledge, associated to physical models, emanates from design projects common in Swedish secondary schools. To answer the research question, the framework is used to analyze three design projects common in Swedish secondary schools. The design projects were video-recorded during actual classroom work by using a self-following robot camera. The projects involved three teachers and 70 students in grades 7, 8 and 9. Deductive content analysis of the video-recordings revealed that technological knowledge from four categories–Technical skills, Technological scientific knowledge, Socio-ethical technical understanding and Engineering capabilities–within the framework emanated from the three projects. A new category of technological knowledge was also found, namely Technological research capabilities. This fifth category is related to the capability to search for, and interpret, information about solutions when doing a design. An implication of the conducted study is that design projects are important to enable development of technological knowledge in the school subject technology. However, considering the amount of time a design project requires, there is only room for a few projects in secondary school. Therefore, technology teachers have to carefully choose and combine projects to educate technological literate citizens as well as prepare students for studies and future careers within engineering and technology.
|
|
| 8. |
- Citrohn, Björn, et al.
(author)
-
Affordances of models and modelling: a study of four technology design projects in the Swedish secondary school
- 2022
-
In: Design and Technology Education: An International Journal. - 1360-1431 .- 2040-8633. ; 27:3, s. 58-75
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- This study aims to investigate affordances of models and modelling in design projects in technology education. To learn more about affordances when working with models and modelling, four Swedish technology teachers were interviewed using a narrative approach. Despite a small number of informants data were rich, containing detailed descriptions of sequences where students used models and modelling in ways not planned by the teachers. By using a qualitative, generic inductive approach, the narrative interviews revealed seven different affordances of models and modelling in the projects: "Seeing different solutions;" "Finding possibilities and limitations in solutions;" "Representing an idea, structure or function;" "Communicating solutions with drawings;" "Making problems and solutions visible;" "Trial and error and learning from mistakes" and finally "Taking inspirations from each other's solutions." Some conclusions and implications of the study are that when the students can see and use a wide variety of materials when modelling, they are more creative in finding solutions to design problems. The use of conceptual design in schools, leading to students performing trial and error using models to solve problems, might also be connected to the importance of a variety of materials. In the study, teachers describe how their students used models, trying different solutions, representing ideas, and trying, failing and trying again. All these modelling activities are important parts of a design process and might prove that the doing itself is a process of reflection.
|
|
| 9. |
- Fernaeus, Ylva, 1976-, et al.
(author)
-
Practicing Design Judgement through Intention-Focused Course Curricula
- 2015
-
In: Design and Technology Education. - 1360-1431 .- 2040-8633. ; 20:1, s. 47-58
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- This paper elaborates on how design judgement can be practiced in design education, as explored in several iterations of an advanced course in interaction design. The students were probed to address four separate design tasks based on distinct high-level intentions, i.e. to 1) take societal responsibility, 2) to generate profit, 3) to explore a new concept, and 4) to trigger reflection and debate. This structure, we found, served as a valuable tool in our context for bringing important topics to discussion in class and for actively practicing design judgement. We discuss what we see as the main qualities of this approach in relation to more conventional course structures in this area, with a focus directed more towards aspects of methodology, specific interaction techniques, and design principles more generally.
|
|
| 10. |
|
|
| 11. |
- Schooner, Patrick, 1980-, et al.
(author)
-
Design, system, value: The role of problem-solving and critical thinking capabilities in technology education, as perceived by teachers
- 2017
-
In: Design and Technology Education. - London. - 1360-1431 .- 2040-8633. ; 22:3, s. 60-75
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD, 2013) defines its views on necessary skills for 21st century citizenship and life-long learning, advocating a generic skill set of literacy, numeracy, and problem-solving in technology-rich environments. Other sources also include critical thinking as a vital 21st century skill. There are also those who question the concept of 21st century skills, claiming that, although very important, these skills are in fact old and have been around for decades, or even centuries. Therefore, in many countries, skills such as critical thinking and problem-solving are already addressed in technology education as part of the core subject matter, especially regarding competencies connected to technological literacy. Critical thinking and particularly problem-solving have been well researched in technology education, but seldom from the teacher’s point of view. The aim of this article is to investigate Swedish compulsory school technology teachers’ views on problem-solving and critical thinking as curriculum components and as skills addressed in teaching. Twenty-one teachers were subjected to in-depth qualitative interviews. The findings of the study show that the interviewed teachers can be said to express three approaches to teaching about technology in a critical thinking and problem-solving mode: (1) the design approach, (2) the system approach, and (3) the value approach. Even though the present Swedish technology curriculum does not explicitly mention these skills, the teachers say they incorporate critical thinking and problem-solving in different settings within the subject of technology. Problem-solving and critical thinking are not seen as generic capabilities but they are always connected to and integrated with subject content in technology by the teachers. The teachers mix the approaches depending on the teaching content, especially when teaching about complex technology, although there is a tendency to disregard critical thinking capabilities when dealing with design, and neglect problem-solving skills when addressing values.
|
|
| 12. |
- Seery, Niall, et al.
(author)
-
Considering the relationship between research and practice in technology education: A perspective on future research endeavours
- 2019
-
In: Design and Technology Education. - : The Design and Technology Association. - 1360-1431 .- 2040-8633. ; 24:2, s. 163-174
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Technology subjects are a relatively recent addition to the discipline offerings at post-primary level, and have a short but interesting history in terms of associated educational research. In this paper, an overview of the evolving research agendas that emerged in response to the nature of practice, from the perspectives of the Technology Education Research Unit (TERU) and the Technology Education Research Group (TERG) is presented. A chronological account of their research activities is provided, demonstrating the perspectives, paradigms and foundations of their research endeavours. The purpose of this paper is to provoke reflection on the past, present and future of technology education research and practice, using both TERG and TERU for narrative purposes. Therefore, this paper concludes by sharing the evolution of research in TERU and TERG, so as to help consider and shape the future of relevant, contemporary, and progressive research activity.
|
|
| 13. |
- Sultan, Ulrika, 1977-, et al.
(author)
-
Girls’ engagement with technology education : A scoping review of the literature
- 2019
-
In: Design and Technology Education. - Wellesbourne, United Kingdom : Trentham Books. - 1360-1431 .- 2040-8633. ; 24:2, s. 20-41
-
Research review (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The aim of this study is to review the internationally published scientific literature on the subject of girls engagement in technology education in order to identify the most common descriptions of girls engagement with technology education, girls’ technological activities, and the relationship between girls and technology. After a scoping review of the literature, 20 relevant articles were identified and included in the study; they were analysed using content analysis. The results show that, according to the reviewed studies, girls are less interested in and have less positive attitudes towards technology(education) than boys. They are also less likely to choose a technology- or STEM-oriented occupation. Several of the included studies venture possible explanations as to why this is and refer mainly to cultural factors. Those studies that do define the type of technology used in girls’ activities mostly describe a neutral or male kind of “nuts and bolts” technology. As regards girls’ relationship to technology, there is potential for improving female engagement using apparently simple means, for example, making sure the social context of teaching is adapted to girls. The results of the literature review are discussed in terms of their implications for future research and can be used as a guide for educators and researchers in the area. In particular, the reasons for girls’ lower interest in technology education compared to boys need to be further researched, andresearchers need to study girls in their own right, not in perpetual comparison with boys, in order to come closer to an it may be that answer.
|
|
| 14. |
- Sultan, Ulrika, 1977-, et al.
(author)
-
Technical or not? Investigating the self-image of girls aged 9 to 12 when participating in primary technology education
- 2020
-
In: Design and Technology Education. - : Trentham Books. - 1360-1431 .- 2040-8633. ; 25:2, s. 175-191
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Variance in interest and engagement by gender is a complex and long-standing research agendain the field of technology education. Studies report that girls are more reluctant to participate in technology education, less interested in the subject and more negative towards technology than boys. It is argued that specific attitudes and roles hinder girls from engaging in technology education because technology is presented as a predominantly male domain, which fuels ideas about what technological agency is as well as whose interest in technology and what kind of technology are regarded as legitimate. There is, however, the potential to improve female engagement if we can gain knowledge about what girls do during lessons and how they think about themselves when learning technology. Therefore, the aim of this study is to examine the self-image of girls aged 9 to 12 when participating in primary technology education by using Harding’s (1986) three gender levels: the symbolic, the structural and the individual. The methods used for this study were participant observations during technology classes followed by a focus group interview. From the perspective of Harding’s three levels of gender, the analysis of the the focus group interview reveals that girls confirm the observations an prevailing male norms and conceptions that are linked to what technology is and what it means“to be technical”, despite the fact that the teacher introduces gender-neutral activities. However, there is an ambiguity in our findings because the girls also resist the self-image of not being technical, especially when they work together and have ownership of their work with and learning about technology.
|
|
| 15. |
- Svensson, Maria, 1969, et al.
(author)
-
On young people’s experience of systems in technology
- 2012
-
In: Design and Technology Education: an International Journal. - 1360-1431. ; 17:1, s. 66-77
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Immersed in a technologically complex world, young people make sense of a multi-faceted set of events in everyday life. This article investigates the variation in how Swedish young people experience technological systems and is based on interviews focusing three systems concerning transport, energy and communication – contextualised in relation to bananas, electricity, and mobile phones. A phenomenographic analysis results in five qualitatively distinct categories, describing different ways of understanding technological systems: Using single components, Using the system output, Influencing the system, Interacting with the system, and Integrating the system. The results support that different ways of understanding technological systems implies different ways of understanding the complex nature of technology. The results also point to possible ways of developing teaching for technological citizenship.
|
|
| 16. |
- Svensson, Maria, et al.
(author)
-
On young people’s experience of systems in technology
- 2012
-
In: Design and Technology Education. - 1360-1431 .- 2040-8633. ; 17:1, s. 67-77
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Immersed in a technologically complex world, young people make sense of a multi-faceted set of events in everyday life. Discerning technological systems is potentially useful in this process. This article investigates the variation in how Swedish young people experience technological systems and is based on interviews focusing three systems concerning transport, energy and communication—contextualised in relation to bananas, electricity, and mobile phones. A phenomenographic analysis results in five qualitatively distinct categories, describing different ways of understanding technological systems: Using single components, Using the system output, Influencing the system, Interacting with the system, and Integrating the system. The main contribution of the study is the illumination of how these categories are constituted—primarily in terms of the meaning of the systems the role of humans and how the systems are delimited towards the surroundings. The results support that different ways of understanding technological systems implies different ways of understanding the complex nature of technology. The results also open up possibilities of developing teaching for technological citizenship.
|
|
| 17. |
- Zarin, Rouien, et al.
(author)
-
Using Stop Motion Animation to Sketch in Architecture : A Practical Approach
- 2012
-
In: Design and Technology Education. - : Design and Technology Association. - 1360-1431 .- 2040-8633. ; 7:3, s. 78-86
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Widely acknowledged as an archetypal design activity,sketching is typically carried out using little more than penand paper. Today’s designed artifacts however, are oftengiven qualities that are hard to capture with traditionalmeans of sketching. While pen and paper sketchingcatches the character of a building, it may not equally wellcapture how that building changes with the seasons, howpeople pass through it, how the light moves in betweenits rooms from sunrise to dawn, and how its façade subtlydecays over centuries. Yet, it is often exactly these dynamicand interactive aspects that are emphasised incontemporary design work. So is there a way for designersto be able to sketch also these dynamic processes?Over several years and in different design disciplines, wehave been exploring the potential of stop motionanimation (SMA) to serve this purpose. SMA is a basicform of animation typically applied to make physicalobjects appear to be alive. The animator moves objects insmall increments between individually photographedframes. When the photographs are combined and playedback in continuous sequence, the illusion of movement iscreated. Although SMA has a long history in filmmaking,the animation technique has received scarce attention inmost design fields including product design, architecture,and interaction design. This paper brings SMA into thearea of sketching in architecture by reporting on theplanning, conduct, result, and evaluation of a workshopcourse carried out with a group of 50 students at Umeå School of Architecture, Umeå University, Sweden.
|
|
