The Design and Technology Book Club for Teachers

As a full-time teacher myself and head of design and technology, it was important that the book club did not become a burden but provided an opportunity for personal and professional development. I was keen that teachers of D&T education were welcomed, wherever they were in the world and at whatever stage of their pupils' education. They could sign up for as many or as few meetings as they chose, using an online booking system. To promote a safe environment where everyone felt able to contribute, tickets were limited ensuring that the meetings did not become too overwhelming or chaotic. Each month a book would be voted for by members to read independently, which we would discuss during our subsequent meeting. Due to the high number of bookings, many meetings focussed on the same book, yet the conversations within each meeting and the variety of teachers that attended offered very different insights.

Since our first meetings last December, there have been several highlights, especially the meetings which discussed Redesigning D&T…Talking…Thinking (Hardy and Norman, 2021) and Design Thinking in the Classroom (Lee, 2022). During both of these months, we were kindly supported by the authors of the books. This included visits from Alison Hardy who discussed the future of D&T with members and David Lee who kindly answered some of our questions, to provide further insight into his experiences. 

In this new academic year, we will be broadening our discussions with the addition of journal articles and podcasts. The addition of shorter reads and podcasts will reduce the time spent reading and thus allow the club to become more accessible to all. If you would like to become involved, you can use the contact details below to hear of upcoming events and book your tickets.