Nurturing Collaboration and Support Networks in D&T Education

Subscriber-only episode

In this episode of Talking D&T, I wanted to delve into the topic of collaboration, support, and networks for design and technology teachers. Drawing inspiration from the successful model of the Food Teachers Centre, I discussed the importance of creating spaces where teachers can collaborate and share ideas while maintaining clear standards and boundaries around the subject.

I reflected on how the shift from local authorities to multi-academy trusts has impacted the support and collaboration available to D&T teachers. The Food Teachers Centre has stepped in to fill this gap, providing a moderated space where teachers can come together, share understanding, and challenge each other to maintain high standards in the subject.

I emphasised the need for similar moderated spaces in design and technology, where teachers can be nurtured, mentored, and held accountable for their practice. These networks serve as marketing tools, showcasing the best practices in D&T education, while also providing a platform for teachers to develop and grow.

Looking forward, I shared my plans to launch a moderated space for D&T teachers through the Archer Exchange at Nottingham Trent University. I invite listeners to join the beta version and provide feedback to help shape this new collaborative network. By creating and nurturing these spaces, we can ensure that design and technology education continues to thrive and evolve in the years to come.

(Text generated by AI, edited by Alison Hardy)

Ciaran Ellis posted a thought-provoking question on LinkedIn recently: Do design decisions involve value judgements?

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Transcript

Alison Hardy: 1:03

one of the things that came out from the conversation with dave that I wanted to follow up on is around collaboration, support and networks for teachers. We talked about the success of the food center, which is one of the stakeholders that's sitting around the table at the meetings that Cleve's organising their online spaces that they have where teachers collaborate and where there are clear parameters and boundaries around that support, and what I mean by that is they're holding very clearly in that group a standard of what food teaching is and what the curriculum is around their subject, and I think that's greatly to be admired and it's a fantastic example, I think, to build on about creating spaces for collaboration and networks around design and technology. So I want to pick that a little bit more about what I mean. So there's a couple of things going on when teachers have networks and they have spaces to collaborate and they share. That Is we have to think about in those collaboration spaces is how people outside the subject see the subject as a result of what we're sharing. And so I think when we share in collaboration spaces, spaces, it's what are we saying about the nature of the subject and what the subject is and what is good practice in the subject. And I mean there is the other thing there, to decide who decides what is good practice, and I think that's something really to be commended. Around the food teacher center and their online spaces I think they have, they have a clear identity that's developed over time about what the subject is, what they're doing and how they're representing that to people, to newcomers, as they join the group and to establish people. I'm kind of shifting, nudging people along in their thinking about the subject.

Alison Hardy: 3:04

And I think you know, in England, prior to the development of academies, when we used to have local authorities and we used to have subject specialists in local authorities, that was kind of one of their roles and you know there was national organisations where advisors for design and technology would come together the National Association of inspectors and advisors for design and technology NAIT NAID, I think, is how it was pronounced as an abbreviation. These, these groups would come together and they would share their understanding, share challenges around the subject and then be able to go back out and work with their localities to support those groups. So then, with the change of direction, with government, with multi-academy trusts and multi-academy trusts not necessarily being based on locality but maybe being based on opportunity more than locality, and not necessarily within those multi-academy trusts prioritising design and technology in a way that they could or should some of that collaboration and shared understanding of the subject was lost. So, again coming back to the Food Teachers Centre, I think what they've done there is they've stepped into that space really well over a long period of time, period of time to bring together a network that has a clear understanding of the subject and where it's going and it has a direction, and that's very much what they see themselves as. So you can see how they filled that gap and so where is that gap being filled and how could it be filled for design and technology?

Alison Hardy: 4:40

I think is something that's been at the back of my mind and at the forefront of my mind on and off since I did a presentation at Edge Foundation, or probably back in about 2014, I think, where myself and Matt McLean were asked to do a presentation to stimulate conversation about what scenarios could be for the future, for the next development of design and technology, and we had somebody there who was from an engineering background and was talking about their Facebook groups and was saying how things were moderated in their Facebook groups to kind of again challenge when practice was put up about teaching engineering, about hang on a minute, this isn't really engineering, or is you know? Can we kind of just question this? Can we um critique it and so on. So they had a form of moderation. So that got me thinking about where does that moderation happen in design and technology? Now we don't have local authority support. And again, coming back to the food teacher centre, I think that's where they've brought that in and they have that moderation. And so what you start to see is a more fluid ad hoc people stepping into that space to try and create networks without necessarily always thinking through how they might manage those networks and what those networks are for.

Alison Hardy: 6:09

And again I come back to the food teacher sensor. I think over time they've developed that that really well, and I think the local authority system did that really well for design and technology as well. And so what's happened in England? We've now got these multi-academy trusts made up of different schools, some primary, primary, some secondary, some mixed of primary and secondary, some based on locality, some based on national. Some have a design and technology lead, some don't. How do those design and technology leads come together, like the local authority advisors used to Do. They Can, they Do. We know who they are. How do we hold that picture of the consistency of the nature of design and technology? Should we? Should there be a consistent picture? And again it does. These networks that are formed are seen by outsiders so who are looking for what might be um good dnt. So that starts to show you the the power of um formal networks through lead teachers in multi-academy trusts around design and technology, and I'm you know, I've worked with some absolutely fantastic ones who do that.

Alison Hardy: 7:21

But there might be others who are feeling isolated. Where's their network? And then you, you see people who are really passionate about the subject setting up Facebook groups and discussion groups and then teachers are posting on there. So it's kind of similar again to the Food Teachers Centre. Some of those are moderated, some of them aren't. I've seen some really kind of quite vicious conversations on there, um. So it's again how do these groups and these spaces hold people to account? How do they moderate? How do they bring people in and mentor, how do they represent the subject? And I think this is a really big question for design and technology, because I think these networks um have multiple purposes. So, again, going back to the food teacher centre.

Alison Hardy: 8:10

I kind of sound like I'm a record that's stuck, but I think it is our best example that we're seeing around networks that are public and portraying that space is bringing teachers together, is having a clear understanding about what these spaces are for. So bringing teachers together is having a clear understanding about what these spaces are for. So bringing teachers together through network meetings, knowing what they're recognising as the value and the nature of the subject, do we have a shared understanding? How are we thinking about how those groups then are seen externally to represent people? How are we developing those subjects? Where do people have a voice through those networks? How do we bring in and support and mentor new teachers, teachers that don't have a design and technology background but find themselves teaching dnt? You know, design technology association are doing some really great things there around supporting new teachers. How do we um nudge experienced teachers into thinking about what they're doing and what their practice is?

Alison Hardy: 9:14

So there's all these things, I think, that are really complex when setting up collaborative spaces, some networks, how that happened in order to hold the subject and develop the subject, and that's one of the things that, as I said since this presentation and I'm saying it's 2014, I might be wrong that myself and Matt did and this this person spoke about engineering and you know how they have. Moderation is where do we have that moderated space in design and technology? So that's something that's been puzzling me and and I've been kind of playing around with, and we are looking um with the new unit that I've set up at nottingham trent university, the archer exchange, to set up that moderation space and that moderated space for design and technology teachers, um to nurture, challenge, critique, demonstrate um, allow space to develop and through online. So just watch out for that space. In the next few months. That I'll be, I'll be launching.

Alison Hardy: 10:17

But if you are running a space or hosting a space or looking to set up a space where teachers have a network of collaboration, I think those are some of the key things that I'd be thinking about if you're setting up that. And I think they are needed in D&T because I think they are a marketing tool. I think, going back to the Food Teachers Centre, again, that's a great marketing tool to say, look, we have this space, this is the practice that we have going on, but also it's a tool for bringing people together to share practice, to be nurtured, to be mentored and to be challenged and to hold the people who are delivering the subject to account. So this episode might not be so much about design and technology and specifics, but I think I'm talking here really about spaces that we need that are moderated, that are representing the subject internally and externally for the subject to bring out the best of the subject and develop people, and because I think the demise of the local authority has lost that, I think there are some fantastic people working in multi-academy trusts who've got networks, and I suppose what I'm saying here is from my experience, from looking at the practice of others.

Alison Hardy: 11:42

If you're setting up a network, these are things to think about. We're setting up a network and we're thinking about those things and I'll be inviting you to join the beta version of that to give us some feedback, because you're a subscriber, you'll get first access or amongst first access into that group. But you've got some top tips there Just thinking of developing a network, building a network, or you've got a network and you're thinking how can I make more of this for design and technology? There's some things there to think about. How can I make more of this for design and technology. There's some things there to think about. So just slightly off at a tangent, but something that's been burning away in my heart and my mind for quite a long time, so I hope you find that useful. I'm looking forward to seeing what spaces are developed and how current spaces might be developed even further, maybe based on some of the things that I've raised here today. Thanks for listening.