Logo image
Back
Enhancing the design thinking capabilities of pre-service primary teachers: A curriculum aligned taxonomy for teacher education.
Conference presentation

Enhancing the design thinking capabilities of pre-service primary teachers: A curriculum aligned taxonomy for teacher education.

Leighann Ness Wilson
2024 ATEA Conference (Newcastle, New South Wales, 10/07/2024–12/07/2024)
10/07/2024

Metrics

1 Record Views

Abstract

The research focus or problem: The Australian curriculum recognises design thinking as one of three ways of thinking central to the key learning area of Technologies, crucial to learning in Design and Technologies. Despite this, there is a significant lack of research into how this is being understood and delivered to teachers at a pre-service level. Research into design education tends to focus on tertiary and secondary design subjects, workshop-style, one-off experiences, professional development with in-service educators, or student outcomes. As part of larger project exploring the impact of design thinking in pre-service teacher education, this research examines how a developed understanding of design thinking impacts the capabilities of pre-service primary teachers to deliver the Technologies curriculum. The conceptual framework informing the research: With a social constructivist underpinning, this research draws on contemporary literatureabout design thinking and the signature pedagogies of design. To ensure relevance to Australian teacher education in a primary context, analysis was informed by the structure of the Australian Technologies curriculum and the characteristics of Age-Appropriate Pedagogies, a theoretical framework formally recognised by the Queensland Department of Education and Training. Research methods, including ethics. One of the three data collection instruments in the convergent mixed-methods case study was an assessment task. Pre-service primary teachers enrolled in a 12-week undergraduate unit were tasked with creating a Design and Technologies project for a primary year level of their choice. Deliverables included a project brief and overview, three learning activities and supporting resources, a work sample and a summary of teacher information including curriculum connections. Analysed using a combination of inductive and deductive thematic analysis, the assessment task data provided insights into the capabilities of pre-service teachers to plan teaching and learning experiences for primary Design and Technologies. In total, 86 assessment tasks were collected, de-identified and analysed after the ratification of results in line with the approved research ethics. Key insights or findings, and implications. A taxonomy of pedagogical enactments, based on the findings of this research and aligned to the processes and production skills within the Design and Technologies curriculum are presented. Areas for improved understanding at a pre-service level, such as the incorporation of empathy, problem finding, critique and iteration, all seen as pedagogical enactments that differentiate design-led education are also highlighted. The taxonomy itself offers a practical framework for initial teacher education in Australia that prepares pre-service teachers to meet the requirements within the Design and Technologies curriculum. The opportunity exists within teacher education to harness the potential of design thinking in pedagogy and enhance the capabilities of Australian primary teachers. Through curriculum-aligned instruction, and quality learning experiences at a pre-service level, future teachers can deliver on the overarching idea of the Technologies curriculum; for primary students to create preferred futures.

Details

Logo image