A review of how Advanced Biomechanics and Biotechnologies can be successfully used to inspire and motivate students.

The research presented here will illustrate how senior lecturers working in collaboration with a large secondary school in the North West of England have managed to incorporate and introduce the latest advances in bio-mechanics and bio-technologies into the design and technology curriculum at Key Stage 5 (KS5). Currently this study has only been trialed with a modest number of students (n=9) in a single institution as part of integrating; Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) into the curriculum as a whole. Results are highly encouraging and show the importance to those in education of diversifying and using real life situations and the latest technologies available to enhance the experience of learners in their charge

Raising Boys' Attainment

Finding new and innovative ways in which those training to teach design and technology can engage with specific groups of learners is always high on the agenda so when David Allen, St Wilfrid's Church of England Technology College, Blackburn contacted the team at Edge Hill University for support with a unique project we were keen to get involved. This article goes on to detail what was achieved in short space of time and the impact it had on the students

Increasing Student Engagement and Attainment through the Implementation of Technology Enhanced Learning

Technology Enhanced Learning (TEL) has emerged to be one of the latest "buzz" words, but within design and technology does "TEL" really have any significant impact upon improving students learning and subsequently their attainment? This article seeks to share aspects of some of the work recently undertaken by undergraduate trainee teachers from Edge Hill University during their professional teaching placements

Development of an electronic resource (e-portfolio) used to support trainee teachers in providing outstanding evidence in pursuit of Qualified Teacher Status (QTS)

This work presents the findings of a phenomonographic study into the attitudes of Newly Qualified Teacher’s (NQTs) relating to their experience of the Masters in Teaching and Learning (MTL). The work is presented as a means to aid discourse around attitudes towards a funded, classroom based Master’s degree

Prevalence of Helicobacter pylori in patients with gastro-oesophageal reflux disease : systematic review.

Objectives: To ascertain the prevalence of Helicobacter pylori in patients with gastro-oesophageal reflux disease and its association with the disease. Design: Systematic review of studies reporting the prevalence of H pylori in patients with and without gastro-oesophageal reflux disease. Data sources: Four electronic databases, searched to November 2001, experts, pharmaceutical companies, and journals. Main outcome measure: Odds ratio for prevalence of H pylori in patients with gastro-oesophageal reflux disease. Results: 20 studies were included. The pooled estimate of the odds ratio for prevalence of H pylori was 0.60 (95% confidence interval 0.47 to 0.78), indicating a lower prevalence in patients with gastro-oesophageal reflux disease. Substantial heterogeneity was observed between studies. Location seemed to be an important factor, with a much lower prevalence of H pylori in patients with gastro-oesophageal reflux disease in studies from the Far East, despite a higher overall prevalence of infection than western Europe and North America. Year of study was not a source of heterogeneity. Conclusion: The prevalence of H pylori infection was significantly lower in patients with than without gastro-oesophageal reflux, with geographical location being a strong contributor to the heterogeneity between studies. Patients from the Far East with reflux disease had a lower prevalence of H pylori infection than patients from western Europe and North America, despite a higher prevalence in the general population

Technology Enhanced Learning: Application, Adaption and Advancement

This presentation details how the use of Technology Enhanced Learning (TEL) has been integrated into an undergraduate module on an initial teacher training course. The module which was designed to engage student teachers in the design development of a futuristic concept product previously involved the production of a paper based design portfolio and three dimensional solid block model. Using the notion of ?design fiction? as a catalyst for work, the module was developed to include creative and innovative approaches (TEL) which were designed to enable trainees to chart, capture and reflect upon their learning. The presentation goes on to show how trainee teachers have applied these techniques across alternative applications, including their own classroom based teaching of pupils

Facilitating the change: Teaching as a Masters level profession. (Round Table Presentation)

The round table will provide a forum in which delegates can debate the issues that arise as teaching moves into a Masters level profession. We anticipate that colleagues from a range of backgrounds - serving teachers, those currently undergoing initial teacher education and those tasked with delivering teacher education - will make this a valuable and lively discussion

Celebrating Design and Technology in the North West

During the summer of 2010 once again National and Regional Design and Technology (D&T), Science, Technology, Engineering, and Maths (STEM) organisations joined forces to present the North West Design and Technology Festival, a free conference for design and technology teachers. Hosted by the Science & Technology Facilities Council (STFC) at the Daresbury Laboratories, Warrington, the original event was the brain child of Paul Abbot whose concept was to provide a provide a forum where achievements of both pupils and teachers from across the North West could be recognised. This article presents the highlights from the festival and showcases some of the curriculum innovation on display from participating schools

Reducing the practice gap between the design and technology curriculum and the needs of the textile design/manufacturing industry.

This paper discusses the potential practice gap between design and technology needs for a progressive creative society and the perceptions of teachers who work within it. The study, based on work carried out in North West England, compares the viewpoints of two sources; textile technology industrialists who are expert in the fields of high performance textiles, medical textiles, geo-textiles and apparel manufacturing, design and technology teachers who have responsibility for the delivery and content of textile technology within schools and sixth form colleges. Previous work in this ongoing study has examined the changing nature of textile technology in modern industrial societies and the perceptions practising teachers have about STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) applications within the textile technology field, and how these relate to their own ʻtheories-in-useʼ about design and technology teaching and learning. Constructivist grounded theory has been chosen for the research as a whole because its concurrent data gathering and analysis approach allows outcomes from each phase of the study to define the purpose and direction of subsequent research. Thus, this research has been informed by findings from previous work on the role of textile technology and its relationship to modern industrial and design practices (see Hughes et al. 2010; Hughes et al. 2011). This paper describes the purpose of the work and its relationship to design and technology factors such as the needs of modern industry and STEM issues. Details of the constructivist grounded theory approach are briefly discussed and outcomes considered in terms of data gathering methods. Data from the two groups of respondents i.e. industrialists and textile technology teachers are compared to identify the practice gap that may exist between the needs of a progressive, creative textile technology industrial sector and aspects of the technological curriculum which are delivered at the school level. Findings indicate that there is a shift away from textiles teaching based on technologically oriented applications to one predominantly based on art and design. However, it is argued that STEM aspects should underpin design aspects of the textile curriculum to make it applicable to the needs of an advanced and sustainable textile industrial base