Design and technology is unique in the school curriculum in that it poses student with practical challenges to which there is no single ‘right answer’ and require creativity and technical competence. The shift from a craft education to design-driven technology education presents practical, philosophical, and pedagogical challenges. This paper attempts to analyse what would be a suitable teacher qualities for teachers teaching design and technology. To do this, this paper will look into various areas from the subject itself and of course the teachers themselves.
Experience of Design and Technology (D&T) education
Designing is the act of generating, developing and communicating ideas for products, services, systems and environments in response to user needs and wants and/or market opportunities. The nature of design is such that it involves human experience and the environment. At the heart of the matter is the design process. This is the process of problem solving which begins with a detailed preliminary identification of a problem and a diagnosis of needs that have to be met by a solution. D&T is a shared activity, an activity in which many people participate. So, what are the practical consequences of the above activities within school?
In D&T students have an opportunity to experience and participate actively in an inventive and creative process in which new ideas can be developed and old ones modified. Students should be able to see the interplay of knowledge and understanding, how the work of one ‘subject’ compliments and boosts that of another and how problem can be solved with a narrow subject orientation. Students also become aware of the social context of human behaviour. Skilled work is essential and D&T provides a tool ...
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...ality before entering the classroom. This is very true to D&T teachers, who have to continually update and reappraise their subject knowledge as new material and new equipment become available and new processes become available. Despite the importance given to subject knowledge, it is not the amount of subject knowledge a teacher has that is important, it is how he/she integrate, organize and presents the knowledge to pupils that is more important.
Teachers’ professional knowledge is comprised of their subject knowledge, knowledge in pedagogy and knowledge and understanding of their pupil and the school that they work. (Zanker and Owen-Jackson, 2013). However, it is what teachers do with what they know that makes a difference. Teachers who this well, those with deeper knowledge of how to teach as well as what to teach, have a positive impact on pupil learning.
I can help my teachers be professional learners by using observation and evaluation processes, like those found in Danielson’s model, to promote self-assessment, reflection on practices, and professional conversations with them. The Framework can help me have honest, reflective conversations with the teachers about their instruction and I can use it as a guide to help all involved in professional development decisions. In other words, I can use such teacher evaluation models to promote active engagement and encourage professional growth in all
...would be further motivated to love and study their subjects, and not be just thinking only about grades. If all teachers dedicate their human potential to their students, then students wouldn’t be scared to participate in discussions in spite of many stumbling barriers. The issues Ernest Boyer discusses in “Creativity in the Classroom” are of current interest not only in American educational system, but in my country as well. So,I would recommend this article to be discussed at teachers’ meetings in different types of educational institutions because the criteria of successful and creative teaching the author identifies in his article are universal and simple at the same time: just be dedicated to your job, care about your students, and don’t be afraid to learn and use new ideas in your classroom. Hence, creativity in the classroom often begins with a good teacher.
Teacher knowledge has always been the basis to an effective learning experience. Without a knowledgeable teacher, students are not able to receive a quality educational experience. This pillar encompasses the influence teachers have on student learning and achievement, possession of research based knowledge, and effective teaching practices. I thrive to be educated and knowledgeable on the information presented to my students. By having a variety of teaching techniques that work and I use often in my classroom, I am able to mold my instruction around student needs and provide efficient and
As part of the college curriculum, we are taught to use the “creative thinking” process, a fundamental core teaching aspect that students are taught to use. This process is to develop the students understanding of the problem in front of them and come up with varied solutions to the problem, rather than the standard cookie-cutter solutions commonly given.
Using creativity in the classroom will create strong students and help better them for the future. Now, students are just being taught to what is on the test. They do not learn how to be leaders, how to work in groups, people skills, or how to use their mind that is not just for memorizing the information. “The challenge now is to transform education systems into something better suited to the real needs of the 21st century. At the heart of this transformation there has to be a radically different view of human intelligence and of creativity” (Robinson K., 2011, p. 14). Using creativity and technology will allow the students to enjoy learning more. I noticed in my final project, that other students who weren’t education majors, saw this problem too. Many of them did not see creativity in a classroom, they felt that the school system was creating them into robots that taught them all how to think a certain way. Ken Robinson feels that, “we don’t grow into creativity; we grow out of it. Often we are educated out of it.” (2011, p. 49). Teachers should be teaching students how to be creative, and how to think on their own, so students will be able to go far in the future and succeed in any job they
In conclusion to some up this essay the term ‘creativity’ will always cause a debate in the educational system as. There will always be difficulty defining it as many use the term too loosely to have a definitive meaning. It requires risk taking, it is difficult to portray creativity when schools are so obsessed with right or wrong answers for ways of doing things. Society teaches us the risks are bad because the government and its policies interfere with our own choices and decisions.
Technology forms the most vital element of life in the world today. Every aspect of our lives is dominated by technology and its importance in our lives is indispensable. One of the outstanding facts about technology use in schools is its controversial nature. There is no common agreement by stakeholders in technology and educations sectors about the use of technology in schools. There are two different factions, one supporting use of technology as a positive aspect, while the other faction disagrees, citing the detrimental effects of technology in students. However, the use of technology in classrooms catering for children continues to increase, as education develops more interesting ways of enhan...
Additional expected qualities that create the essentials of professionalism in relation to teaching are a high level of cognitive skills and social capabilities together with experienced personal qualities as stated by Marsh (2008) which include sensitivity, compassion, reflective and innovative thinking and commitment and dedication to the job. This support to facilitate such desired moral qualities as respect, caring, integrity, diligence and open communication as outlined by Groundwater-Smith (2009), the relationship of which is reinforced by Whitton (2009 p.47) in defining professionalism in teaching as being “…dependant of correct standards with the right conduct or practice”.
For an effective education creativity needs to be present within all aspects of a primary classroom. So what does it mean to be ‘creative’? According to Sir Ken Robinson “creativity is the process of having original ideas which have value”. Creativity can be demonstrated through the use of technology, problem solving experiments and allowing children the freedom to explore and express new ideas. It is very important to ensure a child can get the best creative education; this is because creativity will give the necessary skills needed for our future. Children must become creative problem solvers if they are in leadership positions as this will help them within society, even though all children may not be in a leadership position it is beneficial for them to have a creative mind-set. Because the world we live in is constantly developing new ideas, concepts and technology, creativity is definitely the most important quality a child can have. Sir Ken Robinson’s, (an international advisor on education) views on creativity in education will be discussed along with New Labour views which includes the National Advisory Committee on Creative and Cultural Education (NACCCE). The 1977 white paper, the open plan for schools, and the 2003 excellence and enjoyment strategy concepts will also be drawn on.
Herein lies the problem. The children that we are educated are and will be faced with new challenges that current education systems all over the world have been failing to meet. It would seem that structures of mass domain education suppress the innately imprinted creativity found in every living person and widely known specialist on the subject, Sir Ken Robinson, goes as far as saying that we are, “educating people out of their creativity” (Giang, 2013). But if the school system is to make adjustments to explore and cultivate creativity more how are they to do so without losing total structure? Robinson acknowledges this by saying that, “in every creative approach some of the things we’re looking for are hard, if not impossible to quantify. But that doesn’t mean that they don’t matter.”
Pro: Students today really enjoy the use of technology. With the teachers help the students should be completely engaged in their quest to find an answer. Like constructivism the students are also in charge of their own learnin...
For the past few years, design thinking has made its breakthrough on education, business, and design fields. Design thinking is basically a new interactive process of thinking, or problem-solving method for the resolution of problems. Which differs from traditional design approaches in specific ways. It involves more creative and user-centered design approach.
Develop teaching expertise is the part of proposition from NBPTS, specifically knowing the subjects they teach and how to teach those subjects to students (1987). One of the methods is continue to pursue their professional development by joining a professional association or organization, attending a workshop, and reading a professional journal, website, or books. These ideas enhance teachers’ cognitive growth by enlarge information of the latest strategies or method, enhance cognitive growth, and learning to help the teachers to become expert in their teaching and influence on student learning.
Furthermore, teachers need proper training and the preparation because if a teacher knows the material very well and gives the students a well-written lesson plan, then the students could know about what is being taught to them. For example, the students could notice about what their main focus is on the subject. Furthermore, when a teacher hands out a handout; then it gets very easy to follow during instructional time in the classroom. Therefore, that is when knowledge of learning and
Being a teacher is not an easy task as many people could think. To be a teacher does not only imply to know the subject to be taught, it also includes being willing to constantly improve oneself integrally, as much as updating the resources and materials one uses in teaching. Reflecting and analyzing over and over again the best way to teach to learn and how to make students to extend what has been learned. The many hours spend in the classroom will never be enough to plan lessons, prepare materials, review pupils tasks and exams, as well, all the administrative requirements one has to cover for whatever institution we work. Besides all this a good teacher, a professional one, will have to find the time to keep preparing to improve oneself.