Blurring the Boundaries

Abstract

In the call for papers for this special edition, we noted that '…times suggest that the notion of the 'subject' is under pressure and that it is the demands of the education of the whole person, that is, general education rather than specialist education to which attention is being directed, developing successful learners, confident individuals and responsible citizens. ' There is an irony in the expectation that something called a 'subject' (with, by definition, some kind of boundaries to it) should also be capable of providing for such a rich education. If one seeks to explain the term 'subject' in its schooling sense the answer is sometimes found in terms of a body of knowledge (which D&T can't readily present) or in terms of activities (which D&T can readily present). It isn't that D&T doesn't require knowledge to pursue its activities, quite the reverse but that knowledge has to be acquired and constructed in response to the task in hand. But as D&T practitioners well know, some subjects are, to borrow from George Orwell, more equal than others; some are established and dominant in the curriculum (and in the public psyche) and some not. D&T, for its part, has travelled a long and interesting journey and continues to do so. Clearly, in name, it is a subject but how is it faring in the bigger curriculum picture and what are the possibilities, challenges and opportunities for it in the future? We suggest that two key dimensions of any analysis of a curriculum area such as D&T are those of identity and integrity. D&T needs its name and its profile (in many forms) to be recognised. Visibility and 'brand' are currencies of the moment. But identity is not enough as the identity will surely be probed for substance and rigour and this is where D&T's integrity comes into play. Not only does D&T present itself as a worthy enabler of quality specialist education but it also scores well on its general education potential too. When the demands are made for education in civics and citizenship, creativity, sustainability, thinking dispositions and other priorities, D&T can deliver. However, such demands are often (ironically) set against a backdrop of calls for 'back to basics' which, when probed, include notions of basics being the 'old subjects'. Interestingly, D&T has a great capacity to give many forms to its identity and this can be both an …