Abstract
There are many published models for the process of design or open-ended problem solving. Some of these are represented in diagrammatic form while others are implicit within the text of the publication. Where do these models come from? Upon what evidence are they based and how accurately do they describe the pupil designer? The idea that we should teach pupils a procedure for completing design and make tasks or a strategy for solving problems is an attractive one but is there only one procedure and is this easily transferred to a wide variety of tasks? This article examines the similarities in a variety of published models for the design or problem-solving process including those implicitly described in the development of the National Curriculum for Design and Technology in England and Wales. It finds a surprising consensus of opinion among authors but suggests that there is little research evidence to support their claims.
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Robert Johnsey is a lecturer in primary technology and science at the University of Warwick. He has taught in primary, middle and secondary school both in England and overseas. Before taking up his post at the University of Warwick he was a deputy headteacher in a middle school with responsibility for science, design and technology and information technology. In 1991/92 he was seconded jointly to the SATIS 8–14 project and the National Council for Educational Technology (NCET). He has written a number of books and articles on problem solving in science, science investigations and design and technology for primary teachers. He is a member of the Association for Science Education (ASE) and the Design and Technology Association (DATA).
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Johnsey, R. The design process — Does it exist?. Int J Technol Des Educ 5, 199–217 (1995). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00769904
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00769904