Designers in Action: An evaluation of the impact of the Design Museum workshop series

Prof Richard Kimbell Goldsmiths, University of London
Kay Stables Goldsmiths, University of London
Juliet Sprake Goldsmiths, University of London

Abstract

Consistently over the last five years, Ofsted reports on schools' performance in design and technology have drawn attention to the weakness of teaching the processes of designing. The criticism is that this process is unimaginative, unduly regimented (being both linear and mechanistic), and unnecessarily embroidered (prettied-up) with irrelevant graphic embellishment simply to influence examiners. There is an extensive and ever expanding literature providing ample testament to this problem and it is regularly highlighted as an issue in annual design and technology Ofsted reports.

'many still spend too much time on superfluous decoration of their design folders rather than on real design development.' (Ofsted 2002/a)

The Design Museum decided to tackle this problem by initiating a series of' D

Author Biographies

Prof Richard Kimbell, Goldsmiths, University of London

Professor of Technology Education, Technology Education Research Unit (TERU)

Kay Stables, Goldsmiths, University of London

Technology Education Research Unit (TERU)

Juliet Sprake, Goldsmiths, University of London

Technology Education Research Unit (TERU)

How to Cite

KIMBELL, Prof Richard; STABLES, Kay; SPRAKE, Juliet. Designers in Action: An evaluation of the impact of the Design Museum workshop series. Journal of Design & Technology Education, [S.l.], v. 7, n. 2, july 2009. ISSN 1360-1431. Available at: <https://ojs.lboro.ac.uk/JDTE/article/view/550>. Date accessed: 09 june 2023.

Citation Formats

Issue

Vol 7 No 2 (2002)

Section

Research