The cultural meaning and significance of design and technology, and the expectations and opportunities for it in the national curriculum and beyond, outlined in Design and technology and the discipline of the national curriculum, demand a fundamental appraisal of its place in the school curriculum. It is too simplistic to view design and technology as, merely, the woodwork, metalwork and electronics of the 21st Century (although these have their essential roles to play). 'Design and technology is a disciplined process, using scientific, material and human resources to achieve human aspirations'. This over arching definition is be handled comprehensively by individual teachers (let alone by students!); it could (can, should) be interpreted and applied in a myriad of different ways. This is also its grea attribute in the education of individuals.

There is both a place and a need in design and technology for everybody to participate. From the mathematical analyst and scientific interpreter, to the visionary, inventor, designer and entrepreneur, to the implementer of practical solutions and constructions at the highest standards of production; they are all absolutely essential to the cultural and economic progress of mankind. It is design and technology that provides the common framework of learning for entry into the adult world of creative achievement.

The centrality of design and technology in human culture demands at least an understanding of its significance and value by the whole population. It is not acceptable for any person, particularly those with authority and influence, to be ignorant of what shapes our material world and how those with technological capability (in whatever context and with whatever particular skills, knowledge and understanding) are prepared and educated to make their special input to the overall evolution of our culture and physical needs.

The potential role of design and technology in the school curriculum must be clearly expressed, understood and respected. The responsibilities and opportunities of individual subject teachers should be asserted transparently (whether or not they are always understood and taken up).

It is only on such a basis of commonly formulated general principles that the roles of individual subjects and programmes can be properly specified.

This same common basis is also essential for clarifying the so called 'academic' and 'vocational' pathways thatcan provide both coherent and progressive routes into continued and lifelong, learning.

Alternative roads

"The academic is not the only road by which good minds can travel".

"15 to 18", (The Crowther Report), 1959

The high quality of mind of the successful apprentice has long been recognised by those involved in their teaching and training and by their employers but the connection and comparison of this quality of mind with that of the academic performer is less well appreciated.

In the field of design and technology this connection is bound to be made and it is often considered that the practical apprentice has a deeper insight into the behaviour of materials, structures, components and machinery than his or her academic counterpart. There are crucial problems in knowing how to teach and how to assess such alternative ways of knowing.

What is perhaps of most importance is keeping an open mind about what constitutes good thinking.

It is also important to keep an open mind about students' fields of interest which may not be the same as those of their teachers. Part of the role of a teacher is to seek out the interests, enthusiasms and aptitudes of individuals and to relate to these when teaching new knowledge and skills and developing new fields of understanding.

This part of the RECORDAT web site seeks to support teachers who wish to engage their students to the full in a progressive and coherent curriculum for design and technology, which excites them and prepares them for further learning in fields that are relevant to them and to the cultural and economic environment of the school or college.

With this intention in mind, teachers are referred to the four pages which form the educational foundation of the web site, namely:

Evidence of design and technology from our cultural heritage
The discipline of design and technology
Capabilities in the discipline of design and technology
Design and technology and the discipline of the national curriculum

Teachers are also referred to supporters of real design and technology who organise extra curricular activities and competitions etc. They are also referred to further and higher education institutions, and employers, who particularly value capability in real design and technology and are referred to exemplars and role models who are able to illustrate products and devices from the adult world which illustrate the range, quality and diversity of real design and technology.