Technology is a subject that often generates a lack of confidence among primary teachers, but one which children always seem to enjoy. One way for teachers to build up their own confidence and allow pupils to develop greater technological capability is to let the children take the lead.

Teachers can then move away from the idea that technology has to be purely product-based and requires an understanding of complicated and challenging mechanics. Instead, they can focus more on critical evaluation of current products and on the design process to create new ideas for a real market.

A few years ago, while working with a class of 30 Primary 7 pupils, I set up an after-school technology club which served as a test-bed for piloting new resources and teaching approaches. The aim was to find innovative ways of addressing the recommendations in Environmental Studies 5-14, and using approaches previously recommended by the Scottish Consultative Council on the Curriculum and the Design Council.

I began by teaching the children about the work of designers such as James Dyson, and the use of specifications, sketches and prototypes in his and other designers’ work. At the same time, the pupils were introduced to the idea of entrepreneurship and learned about market research, advertising, finance and sales and their place in relation to the work of a designer.

These processes were then linked by introducing the children to the notion of a simple product cycle, which demonstrated the idea of design as an activity framed between management and manufacture. They were eventually asked to create designs and prototypes for new products which could be sold in the local community to other pupils, staff or parents.

Children worked in small business groups and were encouraged to maintain a customer focus by carrying out design evaluations of products in response to market research around the school.

They then created initial ideas for new versions of these products and carried out surveys to see who their potential customers might be. The children’s ideas were wide and varied, from keyrings to desk-tidies and candle holders. Their initial designs were used to create prototypes and these were tested out on the chosen market and altered as a result of customer feedback. Thereby a “draw-make-test-improve” process was very much in evidence, and pupils literally went back to the drawing board in response to customer needs.

A range of data gathering methods was employed to assess the pupils’ changing knowledge and understanding, skills and attitudes during their participation in the after-school club. These included questionnaire-style assessment tasks, fieldnotes and attitude surveys.

There was evidence to suggest that their understanding of the design process was reasonably high by the end of the pilot project, and that it allowed them to work effectively in groups, with efficient use of equipment.

The pupils seemed to have fairly positive attitudes towards technology at the outset, but these became more positive after participating in the club.

The results of this initial pilot have been used to develop similar work with P7 pupils in Woodhill Primary, Bishopbriggs. Here, pupils have again been introduced to the work of Dyson and the way in which his own critical evaluation of traditional vacuum cleaners led to his design of the more efficient “dual cyclone” system. They have spent time comparing and contrasting the Dyson cleaner with the older, more traditional style of Hoover and noting Dyson’s ability to overcome previous design flaws.

Children have also evaluated other household products, identifying drawbacks in their design and creating specifications and drawings to update them. The creation of design boards has given them a stimulus to go on and test prototypes on a real market.

They have come up with simple but imaginative ideas, such as adding a spring mechanism to CD holders to make them easier to open, and a more efficient design of candle holders to catch more candlewax and make them more attractive. Children have also re-designed desk lamps, photograph frames and chairs.

This study illustrates one approach to developing a greater understanding of customer needs, and how these may be met through design awareness.

The use of design workshops, where children are taught about the key stages in the work of a designer and asked to put them into practice for a real market, certainly teaches them about the world outside school and develops opportunities for education-industry links. As a result, the youngsters are able to participate in challenging ventures where they become more enterprising, and appreciate the impact of technology on people’s lives.

And teachers can develop confidence in their ability to address national guidelines for technology without having to become technological experts overnight.

Ross Deuchar is a lecturer in primary education at the University of Strathclyde.