Friday, March 13, 2015

Informed Design

Burghardt, M. & Hacker, M. (2003). Informed design: A contemporary approach to design pedagogy. Retrieved from https://www.e-education.psu.edu/drupal6/files/sgam/pedagogy_ctl_informeddesign_003.pdf

Informed design is a pedagogical approach to design that was developed and validated through the NSF-funded NYSCATE Project (New York State Curriculum for Advanced Technological Education) (Burghardt and Hacker, 2003).
Informed design enables students to enhance their own related knowledge and skill base before attempting to suggest design solutions. In this way, students reach design solutions informed by prior knowledge and research, as opposed to trial-and-error problem solving, where conceptual closure is often not attained. Informed design emphasizes design challenges that rely on math and science knowledge to improve design performance. The approach prompts research, inquiry, and analysis;
fosters student and teacher discourse; and cultivates language proficiency.
Engineers and other designers do not always follow these steps in a sequence. As with most design
cycles, the informed design cycle is iterative and allows, even encourages, users to revisit earlier
assumptions and findings as they proceed. It was created with knowledge gained from works in cognitive science and learning.
The phases of design are described as follows:

Clarify design specifications and constraints.
Research and investigate the problem: Complete a series of guided knowledge and skill builder activities that will help students identify the variables that affect the performance of the design, and inform students’ knowledge and skill base.
Generate alternative designs:. Don’t stop when you have one solution. Approach the challenge in new ways and describe alternatives.
Choose and justify optimal design.:Rate and rank the alternatives against the design specifications and constraints. Reflect on what is the best design; justify your choice based upon ratings, and new learning acquired from knowledge and skill builders. Your chosen alternative will guide your preliminary design.
Develop a prototype.
Make a model of the solution. Identify modifications to refine the design, and make these modifications.
Test and evaluate the design solution
Redesign the solution with modifications
Communicate your achievements.

Complete a design portfolio or design report that documents the previously mentioned steps. Make a group presentation to the class justifying your design solution.

Developing sound Conceptual Knowledge

From: Lunn, S., Davidson, M. & Murphy, P. (2002). Developing an effective pedagogy for creative problem-solving in design and technology. Design and Technology Association International Research Conference, 12-14 April, pp. 51-55. Retrieved from https://dspace.lboro.ac.uk/2134/3170

Roger described problem-solving as follows: they can see the need in their mind ... they can then focus their mind on ways of fulfilling that need to solve that problem .... sometimes complicated to make ... but they always come up with ideas: why can’t we do this that and the other. I say well because we haven’t got the facilities here to do that but try and keep it simple …and they are quite good about discussing and bringing their ideas into something realistic. And that's problem-solving.

His comments suggest he understood the need to maintain the students’ autonomy by providing them with support to reflect critically on their ideas.

The key elements of Roger’s pedagogy that enabled him to provide a supportive environment for problem-solving were judged to be:

(i) An effective introduction to the task that included: a discussion of need in the context of charities; the opportunity for the students to share their knowledge of charities and their personal experience of commercial collecting boxes; a critical examination of similar boxes made by earlier classes; and discussion and explanation of how the effects were produced.

(ii) Support for conceptual knowledge by provision of model mechanisms and circuit diagrams which students could adapt to their situation.

(iii) A style of interaction with the students that supported their thinking processes but left decision making with them and so maintained their autonomy.

Problem solving in D&T

Lunn, S., Davidson, M. & Murphy, P. (2002). Developing an effective pedagogy for creative problem-solving in design and technology. Design and Technology Association International Research Conference, 12-14 April, pp. 51-55Retrieved from https://dspace.lboro.ac.uk/2134/3170

Research into learning continues to advocate a central role for problem-solving activity. This advocacy embraces two distinct educational aims. First, problem-solving is seen as a crucial means by which students construct conceptual meaning. Second, problem-solving is seen as a goal in itself, i.e. students need to learn how to problem-solve in context as part of the process of enculturation into a domain such as D&T. The link between problem-solving and creativity also has two distinct aspects. First, perceiving a problem is in itself a creative act of an agentive mind. In addition, problems are not given, they are personally experienced and shaped, and in seeking to understand, communicate and solve problems students improve their own practice.

Our views of the nature of knowledge and learning (discussed more fully elsewhere, see Murphy & McCormick, 1997) lead us to suggest the following conditions for creative problem-solving across the curriculum:

· students are engaged in activities which are authentic, i.e. relate both to the actions of design in the real world and are personally meaningful;

· the problems are dilemmas that the students perceive, they cannot be given;

· the students are active, reflective, purposeful and knowledgeable: the knowledge that they use integrates both procedural and conceptual knowledge;

· students draw on social resources that develop as they collaborate with each other and the teacher to achieve common goals.