3.+The+research+project+in+detail

toc

=__**The research project; an overview.**__=

My aim is to bring together DT teachers in Hong Kong to collaborate on issues of mutual interest and benefit. My belief is that we work better together and we have the expertise within this group to guide each other in our development. We have shared issues that we need to talk about and generate consensus. We all like to find out about each others' work and use it to guide and modify our own thinking.

We are all at the forefront of what I believe is one of the greatest vehicles for creativity and great learning...I want to make sure that this becomes more widely understood and that DT flourishes in all of our schools. I have met with many DT teachers in Hing Kong now and the issues we face are ofte shared; class sizes, assessment, integration of ICT, curriculum development, resources...The project is an attenpt to help us all get the answers we seek through collaboration and to ease the duplication of work and uncertainty in decision making. Most importantly, I hope we will simply meet more often and talk more often, all the other things will develop if we take this first step.

The HKDT group is a project that I hope will encourage more region-wide collaboration between us.

The HKDT group project is the result of my own thinking and PhD studies, it is entirely distinct form my work with the ESF and Sha Tin College. Naturally, my role as a Head of Faculty and Curriculum Chair for the ESF enable me to nudge the project more efficiently, but ultimately, it is a group of people who I hope will work together outside of the parameters of their own institutions. Everyone is welcome.

=__**The research project; detail.**__=

Something that I want to understand better is the nature of DT in our schools currently. There are twelve schools in Hong Kong (as far as I know) that teach Design and Technology in the way that I understand it: Designing and Making products. I have been in contact with you all and you have kindly agreed to support me. I will be visiting you all for a chat to find out more about your schools, curricula, issues, needs and approaches. Once I have done this, I would like to see some of your older students learning, preferably aged 15-16, working on their DT projects if possible. This is the part that really interests me most and will help me to understand the nature of the subject currently in Hong Kong. The table in the next par shows the stage that I am at generally and where I aim to be over the next four terms.

Part of this will form my final PhD thesis, but I won't decide on the focus until I have a full contextual understanding of DT in Hong Kong. The thesis in other words, will be a part of this project. It may for example become a study of the relationship between levels of technoical support/resourcing/space/time etc on student performance. It may be something completely different, like the function of Wikispaces in fostering collaborative learning. Who knows, the development of the HKDT group itself may be something that I want to look at in closer detail. This is a normal route to take in contemporary research methodology and I am anxious that the project itself keeps moving forward and drives the thesis, trather than the thesis driving the project. I think this would be wrong.

You are very important people in this whole project. I want to hear what you have to say, I want to know you all on first name terms and support you wherever I can. I hope that in the long term we can organise our own collaborative events. If you have ideas, let me know!

You are welcome to contact me by email or by 'phone:

tf@shatincollege.edu.hk

Work: 2699 1811 ext 131

Sha Tin College, Lai Wo Lane, Sui Wo Road, Fo Tan, Sha Tin.

=__Ethical issues and responsibilities.__=

This is important so do take time to read it. The project's success is utterly dependent on goodwill, honesty and sincerity. There is no hidden agenda and my motives are purely based on a desire to share and nurture the great potential that DT has in all its forms to be the ultimate learning pathway. I am reliant on you to accommodate me in your schools and without exception, you have all been a delight to work with. I have no doubt that this will continue to be the case. I have kept your principals informed about the project and they are aware of what is happening. However, they may need reminding from time to time, they are busy people after all, so do keep them up to date if you can about how the project is going.

If you are concerned about any aspect of the project, just call me up. It's far better to have a chat nice and early than to worry unnecessarily. If you have ideas that you want to talk about, I'd love to hear them. None of my work involves making judgments; if I am able to see you and your classes at work I will simply be writing down what I observe. As a group, we may want to look at the ways in which DT is delivered at a later stage and discuss the merits of the various models I will no doubt see. That's something to think about towards the end of this academic year. I record my thoughts and discussions using a personal journal which only I and my supervisor at Bristol University have access to. I will make notes when we meet using Google docs. and you will be able to see these notes as I write them. The purpose of the journal and the notes is purely to help me keep detailed track of what I have done, what has been discussed and where I need to go next.

This may all sound rather formal but I hope it will reassure you of the sincerity and integrity of my work.

=__**Where are we up to?**__=

I have now met with you all and made personal contact. Some of you by email as I know you and your schools already and some of you by a personal visit to your schools which I have now been into for the first time. I will contact you again in September to arrange a meeting with you. I will want to get some more detail about your curriculum, classes etc. so that I can begin to draw up a schedule of visits. I will aim to visit each of you at least once over this next academic year. I anticipate we will need between 1½ - 2 hours for this meeting. There is always a lot to talk about!

Yellow text: Already done. Green text: Current item.

|| Formal research begins, start of Y11 project. Possibly extended with questionnaires & interviews. || || Pilot observations – watch some project lessons being delivered. Any themes emerging? || Continued as above.
 * 2008-2009 || 2009-2010 || 2010-2011 ||
 * Term 1 from September || Term 1 from September || Term 1 from September ||
 * || Initial enquiries to participant schools in HK. When are you intending to start your project work? When do you intend to finish? How do you structure your time?
 * Term 2 from January || Term 2 from January || Term 2 from January ||
 * Establish relations with participant schools; UK & HK. Introductory letter, basic data gathered i.e. term dates, contact details, subjects delivered in DT.

||
 * Term 3 from April || Term 3 from April || Term 3 from April ||
 * Arrange to speak personally with key staff members with curricular responsibility. Gain consent to participate || Establish focused questionnaire for research based on qualitative data (observations). What key issues have emerged? || Continued analysis of quantitative data and interviews.

Conclusions continued. || || Conclusions continued. Study completed. ||
 * June - August || June - August || June - August ||
 * || Reflection and identifying themes and issues for closer scrutiny.

=Back to the HOME PAGE.=