Teaching Design and Technology Creatively

Book excerpt: Packed full of practical ideas, Teaching Design and Technology Creatively is a stimulating source of guidance for busy trainee and practising teachers. Grounded in the latest research, it offers a wealth of suggestions to foster creative development in D&T and supports teachers in providing their students with more authentic, enjoyable experiences. Providing a wealth of ready-to-use ideas for creative lessons, key topics covered include: Understanding links between D&T and creativity Creating a foundation for D&T in the early years Using objects, books and real-life contexts as imaginative starting points Developing designerly thinking Making the most of construction kits Helping children draw to develop their ideas Encouraging dialogic talk in D&T to drive learning Exploring food as a creative resource Practical approaches to embedding IT and programming in the curriculum Taking learning outside the classroom. Teaching Design and Technology Creatively provides practical teaching suggestions to ensure teachers of all levels understand how to teach for creativity. It shows how learning experiences in D&T have the potential to extend children’s technological knowledge, and to promote problem-solving and evaluation skills. Drawing on examples from real-world projects, this text is invaluable for all those who wish to engage students in D&T and encourage creative classroom practice.