Collaborative Design Work in Technology Education

Abstract

This chapter examines how designing, particularly collaborative designing, could be promoted in technology education classrooms. A few pedagogical models, where the design process is approached through collaborative inquiry, are presented. One approach, Learning by Collaborative Design (LCD) is described in greater detail, because of its unique applicability to technology education. The approach focuses on object-oriented learning, i.e. learning activities organized around the systematic and deliberate pursuit of knowledge-creation by constructing design artifacts. The chapter introduces focal elements of the LCD model, such as authentic design tasks that balance openness and constraints, as well as promotion of mediated and embodied design practices, and discusses their implications for technology education. In conclusion, the linkage between design learning and the maker movement is examined, and directions for future research are proposed.

Training of Future Technology Teachers: Management Tools and Challenges in Current Educational Process

“…Thus, in most Western countries technology education has been developed only in the past two or three decades (Kangas & Seitamaa-Hakkarainen, 2017). There is considerable variation between countries in how this subject is included in the curriculum and used in the classroom (Kelley & Sung, 2017).…”

Open design pedagogy: Revealing openness in early childhood education with digital technology

“…Although design methods and design thinking are established and have been widely investigated by scholars in educational settings (Blikstein & Krannich, 2013;Davies, 2023;Guaman-Quintanilla et al, 2018;Hjorth et al, 2015;Iversen et al, 2015;Kangas & Seitamaa-Hakkarainen, 2018;Korhonen et al, 2023;Lor, 2017;Rusmann & Ejsing-Duun, 2022;Seitamaa-Hakkarainen et al, 2012), few studies exist on design methods developing pedagogical practices in the ECEC context.…”

“…The literature shows a special interest in design as a means to employ digital technologies in learning in a pedagogically meaningful manner (Kangas & Seitamaa-Hakkarainen, 2018;Smith et al, 2015;Tuhkala et al, 2019). An interdisciplinary learning-by-design approach that merges technology education with other subjects is relatively new in educational research, dating back only a few decades (Kangas & Seitamaa-Hakkarainen, 2018). In their study of teachers' conceptions of design, Heikkilä et al (2017) summarise it descriptively:…”

“…The pedagogies of LCD, LI, and DOP underline the processes of collaborative knowledge creation through shared objects. Mediated, situated, and object-oriented learning have their theoretical foundation in knowledge practices (Kangas & Seitamaa-Hakkarainen, 2018). The key aspects of these three pedagogies are summarised in Table 3, as they are described by their original developers in the corresponding literature.…”

“…According to Paavola et al (2012), the complexity of modern society requires interdisciplinary approaches and shared expertise to solve multifaceted problems. To address this challenge, a group of educational scholars developed a variety of pedagogical solutions that employ design methods (Davies et al, 2023;Kangas & Seitamaa-Hakkarainen, 2018;Seitamaa-Hakkarainen et al, 2012;Vartiainen & Enkenberg, 2014) to address the challenges of instruction in interdisciplinary school teaching. They particularly emphasise the use and creation of various tools and artefacts to solve complex problems, and also commonly promote collaboration with peers and participation as active agents in diverse expert communities (Vartiainen et al, 2019).…”