Chapter 4 Learning and Teaching
4.3 Approaches and Strategies
4.3.1 Conceptual framework for learning in the DAT Curriculum
The conceptual framework for learning in the DAT Curriculum (Figure 4.1) involves a study of three interwoven strands: Technological Principles, Design and Innovation, and Value and Impact. Practical experiences, together with the learning of theories, are used to develop students’ understanding, knowledge and skills in DAT. Students can develop the nine generic skills through their learning activities
Figure 4.1 Conceptual framework for learning in the DAT curriculum
Learning and teaching in DAT is structured around enquiry into a range of technological and design contexts. Students should be helped to appreciate the changing, complex and controversial nature of these contexts. Thematic learning is generally adopted to organise activities. As students explore the contexts, they are encouraged to bring in their own experience, and develop the attributes of innovation and entrepreneurship.
The case study and design project learning approaches adopted in DAT guide both the selection of content and the pedagogy for the curriculum. Case studies can be used for investigating tasks. They provide opportunities for students to carry out research in technology by reading, product analysis, interviews, observation and discussion. Design projects engage students in various problem-solving activities. In both approaches,
‘hands-on’ practical activities are essential elements.
The use of such approaches in DAT does not eliminate direct instruction. In fact, the subject calls for a variety of pedagogies, ranging from direct instruction to enquiry learning. The next section elaborates on how to choose appropriate strategies for different purposes in learning and teaching the subject.
• Thematic learning
Thematic learning is a powerful strategy, as people retain integrated information better than fragmented bits and pieces. Meaningful learning occurs when new knowledge and skills are embedded in context, through which students can see the connections among ideas.
As most of the DAT curriculum components and learning elements are interconnected, learning and teaching is best organised through themes.
Themes can also be used to link classroom learning to real-life experience. For example, events that take place in the special room of a school can be linked to those that occur in an industrial setting.
Learning should be personally relevant to students. When faced with authentic challenges that require ‘learning by doing’, enquiring, problem-solving and decision-making, students are more likely to explore a range of relevant possibilities.
Learning activities organised around a theme can provide students with a purpose for learning - a meaningful context - and thus engage them in the activities. In this process, students find enjoyment and develop a sense of ownership and commitment in their learning.
Thematic learning in DAT may involve the exploration of areas of knowledge which are related to each other and include a variety of learning activities such as case studies, design tasks and practical exercises, e.g.
− Investigative and experimental work
− Individual and group activities
− Evaluation of existing products and systems
− Development of systems thinking to deal with problems
− Direct instruction/demonstration/discussion.
Illustration of related areas of knowledge in thematic learning
In a theme such as ‘Gifts and Premiums’, students are required to design and make a souvenir. They need to explore different related areas of knowledge such as product design, graphical communication and workshop realisation. This engages them in using research and development strategies to explore and discuss the design, and act as a designer to introduce an innovative design to potential clients or consumers.
(More information can be found in Appendix 2.)
Flexibility can be allowed in the design of learning activities in thematic learning. The activities can be more demanding in terms of design and technology for more able students, to extend and deepen their learning, or less demanding for less able students.
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4.3.2 The case study approach
Case studies in DAT engage students in developing insights into innovation and in developing skills in research and communication. The outcomes can take various forms, including reports and oral presentations. After completing a case study, students are encouraged, where appropriate, to apply the processes utilised in the development of the innovation to explore and develop their own design projects. Some possible topics for case studies are as follows: (Please refer to Appendix 3 for more information.)
• The impact of technology on society
• Ethical and environmental issues
• Factors that affect the success of innovations
• The work of designers
• The influence of trends in society on design and production
• Quality, innovation and creativity
• The impact of emerging technologies.
Case studies can give rise to:
• Contextual learning
A case study provides a context for studying a real-world design or technological problem that the students and teachers can work through together.
• Interactive learning
In case studies students are required to discuss and explore various facets of each case.
They define the problems and issues, propose solutions and courses of action, and defend their views among their peers. The teachers’ role is confined to keeping the discussion on the topic, and ensuring that meaningful learning is taking place. Students are therefore given the opportunity to:
− learn and develop key skills;
− enhance their learning through group work or online discussion;
− develop skills in gathering information; and
− learn to analyse information critically.
• Multi-faceted learning
Through the case study approach, students are engaged in various activities such as:
− reading relevant articles to stimulate and maintain interest;
− searching for and gathering relevant information;
− reviewing ethical and social aspects of the topic; and
− reflecting or engaging in dialogue with other students.
Example of a case study: the Lantau Link suspension bridge
This case study involves critical analysis of an innovation – Lantau Link. By conducting a detailed study, students will be able to: identify the factors underlying the success of the innovation; analyse ethical issues in relation to it; and discuss its impact on the sustainable development of Hong Kong.
Major aspects of technology and design to be explored in the case study include structure and materials (i.e. technology issues), product analysis (i.e. design issues) and design considerations (i.e. impact and constraints).
• The story – designers and their work
– Identify and describe the work of designers and engineers;
– Describe their styles and the inspiration reflected in their work;
– Compare and contrast factors affecting designing and producing, including:
appropriateness, needs, functions, aesthetics, short- and long-term consequences of cost, structure, the use of the design, sustainability, energy, recyclability, safety, quality, durability, obsolescence and life-cycle analysis; and
– Draw up a list of those who might be affected by the building and operation of the bridge. Use this list to find out if there are any ‘losers’ from the Lantau Link.
• Follow-up activities
Research – technological exploration:
– Find out more about suspension bridges;
– Make a simple sketch of a suspension bridge, and name the most important parts, and make notes to explain how each part helps to support the bridge; and
– Find out about the properties of high tensile steel and how it differs from other forms of steel. Use the findings to explain why the designers chose this material for the cables.
Design project – a suspension bridge
– Apply a design process in the exploration and development of a suspension bridge;
– Look back on something you have designed and made. How did you set about it?
Did you work from concept to preliminary design to detailed design? How did your investigations help you to come to sound design decisions?
– Present the findings and analysis in the group through presentations, debates or other forms of dialogue.
(Details of this example and another example are given in Appendices 4 and 5 respectively for reference.)
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Examples of questions to promote dialogue in a case study
• Would the designer have done the same if he/she knew then what we know now?
• What variables were involved?
• What conflicts of values were there?
• How did the designer deal with these conflicts?
4.3.3 The design project approach
Design projects are usually longer, more open-ended tasks which allow students to apply their technological capability by drawing on their accumulated experience. They give students an opportunity to develop products that meet real needs and wants. Students can develop their own projects according to their interests and the resources available. They apply technological and design processes to create or modify products, production processes, systems, services or environments, and learn through the experience.
Project work should be open enough to challenge current ways of thinking and behaving, and should not be confined to a particular area or context. Each student has to be supported by the teacher throughout the project. Students must know what is required and expected of them for the project to be successful, and their progress should be monitored by teachers through regular interaction with them.
The design project should offer different levels of difficulty, so that students can tackle the task at a level suited to their abilities and previous experience – a new project offers a new challenge but is usually supported by previous tasks. According to the students’ progress, and their level of autonomy and decision-making, the level of difficulty of design tasks can be gradually increased.
Project work is an integral part of the DAT curriculum. It provides students with experience of genuine technological thought and activity as they work through the design cycle. An example is given below to illustrate the possible scope of learning and teaching activities in design projects:
Example of a design project: information kiosks An information kiosk is useful for providing new visitors with information.
Possible learning activities:
• Investigate a range of information kiosks used in different locations for various purposes.
• Propose the possible requirements for an information kiosk in a big amusement park.
• Develop a design strategy and turn it into an action plan with a major component of an information kiosk in one or a combination of the following aspects:
- Physical kiosk: individual or a series for the whole park
- Electronic/automatic display in the kiosk: for communication, decoration, or information display, etc.
- Information in digital media: user interface, media information, etc.
• Design and produce the product.
• Evaluate the design solution and relevant social, economic, technical, legal and ethical issues.
(More examples are given in Appendix 6 for reference.)
4.3.4 Choosing appropriate strategies: from content to pedagogy
In choosing learning and teaching strategies, a teacher should take into account the students’
prior knowledge, experience, learning styles and abilities. A variety of learning and teaching activities, such as direct instruction, enquiry activities, and interactive activities can be suitably deployed to meet the different objectives of individual lessons and the varied needs of students. The most important guideline for choosing a suitable strategy is ‘fitness for purpose’.
Given the wide range of objectives to be achieved in DAT lessons, there is no single pedagogical approach that can fit all the requirements. It is therefore advisable for teachers to adopt a wide repertoire of approaches. The figure on the next page (Figure 4.2) is the basic framework for learning and teaching adopted in the DAT curriculum. It shows the spectrum of pedagogical approaches available to suit different purposes.
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co-construction co-construction
direct instruction enquiry
a product a process
Content knowledge (sources, understanding,
structure and nature) Generic skills
Meaningful learning Learning communities Learning as …
Teaching as …
What is worth learning?
(curriculum) How is knowledge learned?
(pedagogy and assessment)
Case studies
‘Hands-on’
practical tasks
Design projects Figure 4.2 Approaches to Learning and Teaching in DAT
There are many strengths in the learning and teaching practices in Hong Kong classrooms.
Teachers should build on these strengths and widen their repertoire. They should not indiscriminately abandon their effective strategies to accommodate the new ones, however.
• Teaching as direct instruction
Direct instruction is useful for passing on quick information and for modelling the skills to be learnt.
• Teaching as enquiry
The essence of enquiry is to engage students in finding out information for themselves and making sense of it. It implies active involvement in the search for information leading to understanding and the construction of new knowledge. DAT emphasises the development of research skills to acquire new knowledge in a wider context and for problem-solving. DAT requires students to go beyond the accumulation of facts and information to meaning-making and the application of knowledge.
• Teaching as co-construction of knowledge
Teachers and students are partners in the co-construction of knowledge in activities such as design projects. In such projects, students are encouraged to tackle open-ended problems in various contexts with which teachers may not be familiar, and therefore both parties have to search for knowledge and construct it together.
4.3.5 Examples of learning activities
The following examples illustrate some learning activities in DAT:
• Writing a journal
Getting students to write journals in design portfolios allows them to write personal reflections when developing a design project. In the process of writing a journal, students develop knowledge, skills and abilities to make informed, responsible judgments, and they can develop self-awareness and critical thinking skills.
• Presentations
Useful activities include oral presentations, role-play, poster presentations, multi-media presentations, or displays related to design projects.
• Watching or giving demonstrations
Sometimes a teacher may need to illustrate a particular technique or process to a group or an individual through simple demonstrations, rather than using prolonged and complex verbal descriptions of how to carry out a task. Demonstration demands observers to watch attentively, and enough time should be allowed for this. Other than
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• Reading to learn
In DAT, structured activities can be designed to enable students to develop their reading to learn skills. A variety of learning materials are available, e.g. books, slides, video and multi-media. Students are encouraged to get access to information and become more responsible for their own learning.
Possible reading to learn activities
• During the research process: collect and read publications from various sources and compile information to inform the research;
• Self-directed study: read instruction manuals for operating domestic appliances; and
• Project on the impact of technology and design on society: broaden students’
perspectives by reading and exploring the history of technology, good design, technology innovation, enterprise strategy and product analysis, etc.
• Enterprise activities
Students’ learning will be enhanced when they are able to explore and implement a technological solution in response to a challenge that is directly relevant to them. For example, students are encouraged to link technology and design to enterprise activities in which they tackle the development, manufacture and sale of a product in a business-like way. They can establish a market opportunity, design and make a product to meet that need, consider the distribution and sales, decide on an appropriate price, and evaluate how effective they have been.