PATT2017 - Philadelphia

This week I've been in Philadelphia with many D&T education colleagues at the PATT2017 conference. Today I'm presenting a paper that takes a sideways look at some of my PhD data.

This research compares special interest groups’ and students’ rhetoric about the value of Design & Technology (D&T) in England, specifically in relation to learning about technology, employment and creative endeavors.

Drawing upon the Design and Technology Association (D&TA) campaigns and interviews with students, I identify the values these two ascribe to D&T. These values will be compared with the values implied in the English National Curriculum for D&T: the current version (Department of Education, 2013b) and previous iterations since its inception into the National Curriculum in 1990.

Analysis of the two groups’ values demonstrates a disparity between the two groups’ views of the value of D&T. Whilst D&TA and students concur on some values, there are noticeable differences. Generally, students place greater emphasis on D&T’s value to their everyday lives, future employment, and personal fulfillment, whereas the D&TA campaigns focus on how D&T engenders both personal and national economic benefits; creativity is valued by both groups but in different ways. These findings imply a discord between them about the contribution D&T makes to an individual’s education and future life.

By comparing the values of these two stakeholder groups, who have no direct power to influence the enactment of government policy (Williams, 2007), this research provides an insight to some of the potential divergences that may occur as D&T teachers, who do have the power, interpret the National Curriculum using D&TA’s materials to advocate the value of D&T to their students. This research could help other special interest groups explore how D&T is valued and how they lobby government for future curriculum change.

The next stage to this study is to explore how the D&TA’s rhetoric about D&T, and the values discovered in this study, are enacted in classrooms.

Putting the case to senior leaders for D&T

This post came about after a discussion on Facebook about the decline in the number of pupils studying D&T to GCSE. Another teacher has also been asking - how do we convince senior leaders that D&T is an essential part of a child's education?

So this is my response - its not a solution because I don't think there is a quick fix. But, whilst I've been sat listening to Diana Choulerton's key note at the D&TA Summer School this morning she has raised some valid points about what D&T is for (I"m hoping her presentation will be uploaded to SlideShare soon & I'll add a link when it is). 

(Thanks for the shout out Paul Woodward on Facebook which prompted this post). 

There are a number of things edu-politically at play here that have directly and indirectly affected D&T which have led to the decline in number of students taking GCSE D&T (be careful not to equate decline in D&T with less student numbers at GCSE - that's a whole other area for discussion). There are some exceptions (well done to James Smith for the increased in numbers - it would be good to know what's led to this. I suspect its a combination of good GCSE D&T results, a senior leadership who recognise how D&T benefits a child's education (not just about getting a job) and a well managed school budget (b/c D&T can be an expensive budget & austerity is biting school subjects)). I've recently written about progress 8 and D&T (see https://www.researchgate.net/publication/317689722_The_consequence_of_school_performance_measures_Inequality_of_access_and_opportunity) and the Ebacc and D&T (soon to be published by Loughborough Press). 

Fighting to get D&T as part of the Ebacc is a distraction in my opinion because of the reasons why the Ebacc came into being and why some subjects were 'in' and others 'out'. The 'in' arguments from the government will always exclude D&T; this is not because D&T is not valuable but because of the conservative government's view of social justice and cultural literacy (read E.D. Hirsch if you want to know more - Gibb and Gove did). So we have to look at D&T being 'in' progress 8.But ... D&T will only be 'in' progress 8 if the GCSE results are good. And as Diana Choulerton has reported for the last 2 years at the D&T summer school - the national picture for D&T GCSE results is not great. There are all sorts of reasons for this (budgets, difficulties with getting D&T teachers) but this is the position.

Also, the arguments for D&T being part of the National Curriculum tend to focus on the economic (helps you get a job) or instrumental (looking after yourself) rather than about becoming an educated citizen (look at the NC aims). Plus, there is only anecdotal evidence that D&T does help the country's economy or without D&T children would not be able to DIY or cook (the government likes 'evidence' (look at the ascendency of ResearchEd) and there's not a lot of that about for D&T). So - is there a way to reverse the trend? Yes, I think there is.  But, I think it has many parts - its not a simple solution. 

Firstly, I think its important to know why you think D&T should be taught because this informs how you talk about it SLT, students and parents. I believe D&T is an essential component of a child's general education - its not just about the economy or learning skills to look after yourself. It's about the intrinsic value and being part of a community (and more).  

Secondly, if I was still a head of department I'd be looking for strong cases studies of former students who had succeeded because of D&T. I'd be looking becoming them getting a D&T related job. This would give me concrete examples to share with senior leaders.

Then I'd be looking longer term at my curriculum. What is the long/ medium term plan in my department that reflects what we as a team value about D&T that benefits all pupils, not just some?

None of this is a simple answer, and will take a long time (2-3 years to work through). I appreciate its easy for me to write this and as I'm no longer working in a school I don't have to face the devaluation of D&T as a consequence of the Ebacc and other policies. 

But, if I can help, I'm happy to be work with D&T colleagues to put together persuasive arguments and case studies.