Globalisation on the go: implications for Design and Technology Education @ 2003

Whatever might be meant by globalisation, it may not be what we perceive it to be. Nor may it be beyond our influence as educators. This is not to suggest that, if it is a single linear inexorable force, the nascent field of design and technology (D&T) education is going to halt it or change its course. Rather, this paper argues that, in recognition of the fact that something called globalisation may be happening, it is worth looking at what this means for D&T education. The paper explores the nature of globalisation, arguing that it is neither a singular homogenous phenomenon, nor is it something towards which D&T curriculum cannot contribute. However, such a contribution begs the question of the nature and quality of the curriculum we chose to offer. By taking a critical perspective on both globalisation and on D&T curriculum, the paper sets out a variety of understandings of global forces and global alternatives and articulates a series of considerations which might be applied to an appropriate D&T education in a globalising context.