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Carrying the torch - can student teachers contribute to the survival of design and technology in the primary curriculum?
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posted on 2008-06-24, 13:32 authored by Daniel Davies, Maggie Rogers, Bridget A. Egan, Mike MartinNot since the statutory introduction of design and technology as a foundation
subject at Key Stages 1 and 2 in the National Curriculum for England and
Wales in 1990 has there been more pressure on its survival in primary
schools than at present. The ‘deregulation’ of the non-core curriculum to make
way for the introduction of National Literacy and Numeracy Strategies has,
according to Rogers and Davies (1999), had a devastating effect upon the
classroom time it is currently allotted in many schools. The situation is, if
anything, more acute in primary initial teacher training (ITT), where the impact
of a series of government circulars, culminating in Department for Education
and Employment (DfEE) Circular 4/98, has reduced total course provision in
design and technology for the majority of students to a few hours.
Although some hope may be on the horizon – in the shape of the new
rationale for the subject in the Secretary of State’s proposals for Curriculum
2000, and the positive exemplification provided by the national Scheme of
Work (QCA/DATA, 1999) – the situation is currently very difficult for primary
student teachers required to teach design and technology during their school
experience. Unless these opportunities are made available, a generation of
primary student teachers may emerge from training with little or no experience
of classroom or college design and technology, thus risking undoing much of
the good work in teacher development undertaken during the last decade. It
may then be too late to undo the damage done to the concept of a ‘balanced
curriculum’ in which design and technology has a significant part to play.
History
School
- Design
Research Unit
- D&T Association Conference Series
Citation
DAVIES, D. ... et al, 2000. Carrying the torch - can student teachers contribute to the survival of design and technology in the primary curriculum? IN: Kimbell, R. (ed.). Design and Technology International Millennium Conference. Wellesbourne : The D&T Association, pp. 47-52Publisher
© DATAPublication date
2000Notes
This is a conference paperISBN
1898788480Language
- en