Reviewing Capability in National Currciulum Assessment

It is good practice in design and technologyperiodically to step outside the preoccupyingactivity of trying to get something to work out,and to review what is happening. Thisencourages reflective practice and enables usto take stock, assess how things are progressingand to modify our actions accordingly.This year has seen a considerable amount ofreflective activity as practitioners have beenreviewing the current state of technology education whilst trying to make NationalCurriculum theory work out in practice.This article highlights some of the underlyingdifficulties for National Curriculum design andtechnology and its assessment as they havetypically been experienced by teachers over thelast three years. I also wish to explore some ofthe reasons why the difficulties have arisen, since this helps us to see how practice might beimproved. In so doing I will be drawing on theexperience and insights gained throughworking within the Technology EducationResearch Unit (fERU), Goldsmiths' College,which has brought me into contact withhundreds of teachers and pupils across Englandand Wales