Innovation and risk-taking in primary design and technology: issues arising from the evaluation of the pilot phase of the curriculum development project ‘Butterflies in My Tummy’

Developing the ability to innovate is at the heart of design and technology education. Innovation and risk-taking go hand in hand as novice designers have to deal with the uncertainty involved in creating something new. However, there has been little research undertaken into this important area with primaryaged children. This paper reports on the evaluation of a pilot project which sought to combine the teaching of designing skills with Social and Emotional Aspects of Learning (SEAL), an area which currently forms part of the national primary strategy in England. ‘Butterflies in My Tummy’ was developed by The Design and Technology Association in collaboration with Shropshire primary schools, supported by funding from The National Endowment of Science, Technology and the Arts (NESTA). The pilot stage (2007-8) involved trialling activities and teaching strategies with 506 children aged 8-11 and 18 teachers based in 18 different schools. Data was gathered from teachers and children through questionnaires at the outset of the project and towards the end of the trial period. Follow up interviews with children and teachers were carried out in a sample of 4 schools. This paper discusses the findings from the evaluation of this project and identifies issues that need to be considered when incorporating specific activities and strategies into curriculum planning to support the development of innovation and risktaking.