D&T: Integrating Technology in Design-Based Problem-Solving Education

Design and technology (D&T) education could be the key to unlocking a problem-solving mindset from an early age. It provides context to problems and removes the abstractness often found in “pure” maths and science, which can baffle many students. We’ve already looked at how design thinking drives technological development and vice versa. This next instalment in our D&T series explores exactly how technology can help kids develop design-thinking mentalities and become exciting young innovators.

Technology in the Classroom

In order to combine the creative expression of design and the innovation possible with technology, students must have access to hardware and software that supports this combination. We’re talking about tools, apps, and devices or kits that let children take a hands-on approach to problem-solving.

Gone are the days when D&T meant designing a bird box and sawing and gluing a few bits of wood. Today, students want to learn about robotics, machine learning, automation, and coding. They need engineering skills that they can take into the manufacturing industry, or user-interface design skills that might help create the next generation of smartphones. D&T classes should enable young learners to bring ideas to life and iterate upon their designs, learning about continuous improvement and how to integrate feedback.

STEM education in the United Kingdom is under increasing pressure, with recent research indicating that only 22% of students enter a D&T GCSE or related subject. Factors impacting this include costs, space in school settings, lack of qualified or passionate staff, and most importantly, disinterest from students. Addressing this latter point might be the easiest obstacle to overcome, by providing these children and young people with technology that inspires them and their curiosity.

CAD — Computer-Aided Design

CAD means using computers to design objects that could be made in the real world. These usually start with 2D drawings and progress to 3D models that create a virtual representation of a concept.

Because CAD is purely digital, it allows designers to make as many modifications as they want before moving on to manufacturing their design. This encompasses multiple important skills including:

Collaborating on improvements
Documenting changes during a project
Carefully considering design and how it impacts a finished product
IT skills
Design-thinking
Problem-solving

Schools that invest in CAD software can utilize it for just about any aspect of D&T. While heavily associated with construction and manufacturing, there are CAD tools with many uses, including designing circuit boards.

3D Printing

3D printing is a major aspect of the fourth industrial revolution, disrupting traditional manufacturing. It ties in neatly with CAD as 3D-printed items are always designed using a computer. Schools that invest in 3D printers give students the chance to genuinely bring their imagination to life.

3D printing works by layering plastic polymers or other materials over and over, to create components, parts, or even entire objects. It promotes curiosity and creativity but also helps cement scientific and engineering principles.

Imagine the satisfaction of designing every single gear within a machine, then printing each one and putting the whole device together. Combining 3D printing with robotics, electronics, or coding empowers students to follow a project through from conception to completion. And, if parts or components don’t work, students can spend time exploring why. This helps build resilience and prepares them for handling setbacks after the school years have finished.

Prototyping Platforms

Prototyping tools or platforms provide opportunities to try a concept out and tweak it over and over until it’s just right. These software-based solutions are used by major tech companies all over the world. They can run prototypes of everything from websites to mobile apps to smartphone user interfaces.

Young learners benefit greatly from the chance to deploy a concept in a safe environment. Persistent failure leads to persistent self-doubt. Prototyping tools provide constructive feedback on what’s not working and, in some cases, why, helping children learn and grow rather than struggle.

Some prototyping solutions encourage collaboration, allowing several users to input ideas until everyone is happy with the final product. There are even mobile prototyping tools, allowing students to work on devices that are already familiar to them.

What Parents Can Do

D&T classes across the United Kingdom are sadly not equal. While the D&T Association advocates heavily for improvements in education, not all children have access to actual technological opportunities in their schools. Parents can give feedback and consult school governors, or even contact their local education authority if they feel the school is not fulfilling the syllabus they’ve promised.

There are other options for families wanting to ensure their kids can enjoy hands-on fun with tech. Peer-to-peer tech education groups like Girls Into Coding offer free events introducing children to new technology—or in some cases, letting them learn more about a device or technique they’re already passionate about. Seeing others engage with robots, computers, and 3D printers teaches kids that those opportunities aren’t closed off to them.

Take a look at what Girls Into Coding achieved in 2023 helping girls in STEM and tech topics excel, meet role models, and use technology to increase their design skills.

Here at Girls Into Coding, we’re constantly exploring the design thinking process and encouraging our attendees to find new ways to innovate. We help inspire the girls in tech of today to become the women in tech of tomorrow! Find out more about our peer-led FREE events here