Talking D&T
Talking D&T is a podcast about design and technology education. Join me, Dr Alison Hardy, as I share news, views, ideas and opinions about D&T. I also talk about D&T with teachers, researchers and academics from the D&T community.
The views on this podcast are my own and of those I am interviewing and are not connected to my institution. Much of the content is work in progress. As well as talking about D&T, I use it to explore new ideas and thoughts related to D&T education and my research, which are still embryonic and may change. Consult my publications for a reliable record of my considered thoughts on the topic featured in this podcast.
This podcast is independently produced and funded by Dr Alison Hardy. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or representative of Nottingham Trent University. All views expressed are those of the host and guests and do not reflect the views of the University.
Podcast music composed by Chris Corcoran (http://www.svengali.org.uk)
Episodes
215 episodes
"You're going to let me use THAT?" - Empowering special needs students in D&T
Nicola Brown shares her experience teaching design and technology at Springwell Leeds North, an SEMH school catering to students aged 7-16 with social, emotional, and mental health needs. She discusses how building relationships, establishing m...
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Episode 213
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25:42
Beyond Empathy: What the V&A's Design and Disability Exhibition Taught Me
A museum floor changed underfoot and so did my thinking. After a visit to the V&A’s Design and Disability exhibition, I came home energised and unsettled—in the best way—and unpack how inclusive design moves from a nice‑to‑have to the engin...
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Episode 212
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17:20
When outsiders define your field: who decides what counts as value?
In this episode, I share some fascinating early findings from our ongoing survey exploring how people value design and technology compared with art and design. The research reveals both consensus and divergence amongst teachers, lecturers, and ...
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Episode 211
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12:04
Bridging Art & Design and D&T: Values, Overlaps, and Why Differences Matter
Ever been told art and design and technology are basically the same because they share the word “design”? Let’s test that claim with real data and grounded classroom experience. In this episode I unpack how teachers and stakeholders describe th...
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Episode 210
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10:25
Your Voice, Your Subject: Three Ways to Shape D&T's Future
In this episode, I'm excited to share three brilliant opportunities for you to get involved in research that's shaping the future of design and technology education. First, I'll tell you about the Redesigning Design and Technology project I'm c...
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Episode 209
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17:03
Not Ready Yet: The Professor Application That Wasn't
I applied for my professorship at my university and didn't get it despite approval at school level. The feedback indicated I was "not ready yet" due to insufficient sustained activity, impact and income generation.The rejection has force...
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Episode 208
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8:48
What Gets You Out of Bed to Teach Design & Technology?
Reconnecting with purpose is essential when facing professional challenges. In this reflective episode, I share my experience of an unsuccessful professorial application and how it prompted me to rediscover why I'm passionate about design...
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Episode 207
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18:12
[Archive] Talking Design Studio Pedagogy with Alice Hellard and Derek Jones
Recommended read: Studio Properties: A field guide to design education (edited by Derek Jones ,
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Episode 206
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55:57
[Archive] Subject Integrity: When Art Meets Design & Technology
Michelle Gregson, General Secretary and Chief Executive of NSEAD, discusses the relationship between art and design and design and technology education, exploring their distinctiveness while highlighting their shared values and challenges.<...
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Episode 205
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45:49
Behind the Mic: Planning the Podcast's Future
An update on forthcoming podcast episodes and series, including three planned series for the next academic year. This summer has been spent editing live recordings and planning new content that bridges academic research with classroom practice....
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Episode 204
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8:09
[Archive] Shaping the Future: The Evolution and Advocacy of Design and Technology Education with Tony Ryan
If you are interested in helping the Association evaluate their Inspired by Industry programme, sign up here: https://bit.ly/IBIinterestWhat happens when we look beyond textbook proj...
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Episode 203
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44:01
[Archive] Talking about design education in schools and higher ed with Max Pownall
Max Pownall is a product design lecturer at Nottingham Trent University. Find out more about Max and his work:
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40:10
Holistic Evaluation: The True Measure of Design & Technology Capability
Holistic, summative assessment is essential for properly evaluating design and technology capability, drawing on research by Richard Kimball and Kay Stables that predates the National Curriculum and has been tested across multiple countries and...
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Episode 200
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14:06
Beyond the Design Crit: How Students Learn Through Giving and Receiving Feedback
Formative assessment in Design and Technology requires structured peer feedback approaches to be effective. Research shows a significant gap in assessing technological knowledge, with most studies focusing on design knowledge instead.• ...
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Episode 199
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9:51
The Research Gap: How to Assess Knowledge Components in Design & Technology
How do we effectively assess knowledge in Design and Technology education? It's a question with surprisingly few research-backed answers, despite its critical importance to teaching practice.I talk about this assessment gap in the...
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Episode 198
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10:38
Assessment in D&T: An Overview
How do we measure what truly matters in Design and Technology education? The challenge lies in distinguishing between assessing individual knowledge components and evaluating the holistic capability that emerges when students apply their learni...
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Episode 197
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7:30
Deliberate Teaching: The Art of Pedagogical Decision-Making in D&T
What makes for effective teaching in Design & Technology? Returning after a brief hiatus, I delve into the research-backed pedagogical approaches that can transform D&T education. This episode synthesizes my recent exploration of teachi...
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Episode 196
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10:42
Exploring Product Analysis as Signature Pedagogy in D&T
In this episode of the Talking D&T podcast, I explore the pedagogical approach of product analysis, often known as IDEAS (Investigation, Disassembly, Evaluation, and Analysis). I examine how this signature pedagogy helps develop learners' u...
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Episode 195
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11:44
Explicit Modelling in D&T - Moving Beyond Demonstration
In this episode, I explore the boundary between pedagogy and curriculum intent in D&T education. I reflect on how we can make our implicit modelling of design strategies more explicit to enhance pupils' learning and metacognitive awareness....
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Episode 194
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6:19
Beyond Design and Make: Exploring Pedagogical Approaches in D&T
In this episode, I delve into the pedagogical approaches that exist beyond the traditional 'design and make' activities in Design and Technology education. Drawing on research literature and classroom practice, I explore how 'mainly designing' ...
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Episode 193
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16:10
Design and Make: A Critical Look
In this episode of Talking D&T, I explore the complex nature of design and make activities in design and technology education. Drawing on research from Richard Kimball, David Perry, and Robert McCormick, I unpack the pedagogical approach of...
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Episode 192
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13:03
Pedagogy & Design: Clarifying Teaching Methods in D&T
Drawing a clear line between how we teach and what we teach seems straightforward—until you step into a Design & Technology classroom. In this thought-provoking exploration of pedagogy in D&T education, I unpack why teachers often blur ...
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Episode 191
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14:15
D&T knowledge That Sticks: Residual vs Fingertip Learning
Knowledge frameworks matter profoundly in Design and Technology education, yet teachers often struggle to distinguish between what students need to know for a specific project versus what builds lasting capability. This episode tackles that cha...
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Episode 190
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15:35
Thinking Out Loud: How Teachers Can Model Design Decisions
In this episode of Talking D&T, I explore the crucial distinction between using design strategies as pedagogy and explicitly teaching these strategies as curriculum content. Drawing from my recent research on blurred boundaries between peda...
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Episode 193
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6:19
Values in Design and Technology: More Than Just Technical Decisions
In this episode of Talking D&T, I explore the complex role of values in design and technology education. Drawing on research from influential scholars like David Layton, Mike Martin and Rhoda Trimingham, I unpack how values aren't merely pe...
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Episode 189
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16:29