What prior experiences are perceived as useful to students following an ITT design and technology course?

Abstract

The focus of this paper is the perceptions of a small group of student teachers of design and technology following a part-time initial teacher training (ITT) course offered by the Open University (OU). All the students considered in the study were over 30 and had followed or were then following employment in other careers. They were interviewed to discover which of those aspects of their prior experiences they considered useful to them in their role as a design and technology teacher. The aim was to investigate the students' perceptions of those prior experiences when they enter the pre-service course and to compare and contrast those opinions with the views at the end of their training. I draw some tentative conclusions in relation to how we view prior knowledge and experiences on ITT courses.