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The potential of collaborative group work to increase pupil learning in the implementation of design and technology in the National Curriculum
Author(s) -
Hendley Dave,
Lyle Susan
Publication year - 1995
Publication title -
the curriculum journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.843
H-Index - 36
eISSN - 1469-3704
pISSN - 0958-5176
DOI - 10.1080/0958517950060306
Subject(s) - design and technology , curriculum , competence (human resources) , collaborative learning , mathematics education , context (archaeology) , design technology , national curriculum , pedagogy , design thinking , engineering ethics , sociology , engineering , computer science , psychology , human–computer interaction , systems engineering , social psychology , paleontology , biology
Design and technology is a relatively new subject in the National Curriculum for England and Wales. This paper presents a theoretical consideration of design and technology and argues that it has the potential to provide a classroom context which encourages critical thinking and analytical competence in pupils. This claim is based on the view that design and technology requires a type of classroom interaction that is different from that most commonly practised in our schools, both primary and secondary. Learning in design and technology depends upon collaboration between teacher and pupils, and between the pupils themselves, and as such is ideally suited to the development of collaborative learning, a method of learning which encourages decision making after a period of critical enquiry and experimentation. We further argue that the successful implementation of the design and technology curriculum hinges upon the development of classroom talk, because talk plays the central role in the development of critical thinking, reflection and evaluation, all important features of design and technology.