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Hyper Design Thinking: Critique, Praxis and Reflection

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Critique in Design and Technology Education

Part of the book series: Contemporary Issues in Technology Education ((CITE))

Abstract

A practice of critique, integrated with design as a ‘disciplinary habit of mind’ (Klebesadel and Kornetsky 2009, p. 99), sustains and hyperextends students’ capacity for design thinking and metacognition. A forward-thinking, design-focused curriculum in design and technology education demands the evolution of such critical dispositions. Reflective thinking and writing practices unite creative and critical analysis with design process, enabling deeper engagement with praxis, metacognition and critique. This chapter observes how these critical, creative and reflective dialogic design-based thinking and writing practices, already employed in design and visual arts education, can augment design and technology curricula. Reflective practice and writing are able to enhance cyclic, critical and design thinking within design and technology curricula through the praxis-based application of critique. Practical methods to stimulate modes of design thinking and communication include critical, creative and reflective thinking and writing. Application of these dialogic methods occurs through opportunities for low-risk exploration through oral and written discourse within a critical and cylic design process. The integration of creative, critical and reflective thinking practices within a design process leads to the sustained reflexive habits and evolving critical dispositions crucial to design and technology education.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    This research was initiated at Goldsmiths college, University of London, UK, through a research project called ‘Writing Pad’ www.writing-pad.ac.uk/; this led to the development of Writing Pad (2007). Journal of Writing in Creative Practice (Intellect, UK). The Writing Pad project included an extensive list of international partner institutions. Another significant research has been published by LTSN Subject Centre for Art, Design & Communication (2002) (Art, Design & Communication in Higher Education (Online) Art, Design & Communication in Higher Education) (Intellect, UK), including a special guest edited a two-part edition (2004) Textual and Visual Interfaces in Art and Design Education and an International Centre for Learning and Teaching in Art and Design (CLTAD), University of the Arts, London conference including (2010) Creative Parternships: helping creative writing and visual practice students to make links between their creative processes and their personal, vocational and academic development (DOI:10.1386/jwcp.3.3.285_1).

  2. 2.

    For more details on e-scape, see Williams (2012) Eds. Special Issue on e-scape in Design Technology Association (1990). International Journal of Technology and Design Education (Online)International Journal of Technology and Design Education, May 2012, Volume 22, Issue2.

  3. 3.

    For the full quote, please refer to http://www.acara.edu.au/verve/_resources/Shape_of_the_Australian_Curriculum_-_Technologies_-_August_2012.pdf, p.26–27.

  4. 4.

    For the full descriptor, please refer to http://www.gsu.uts.edu.au/rules/student/schedule-2.html.

  5. 5.

    For more information, refer to the Metadesigners network: http://metadesigners.org/HomePage

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. National School of Arts, Australian Catholic University, Sydney, NSW, Australia

    Belinda von Mengersen

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  1. Belinda von Mengersen
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Correspondence to Belinda von Mengersen .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Science and Maths Education Centre (SMEC), Curtin University, Perth, West Australia, Australia

    P John Williams

  2. Goldsmiths, University of London, London, United Kingdom

    Kay Stables

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von Mengersen, B. (2017). Hyper Design Thinking: Critique, Praxis and Reflection. In: Williams, P., Stables, K. (eds) Critique in Design and Technology Education. Contemporary Issues in Technology Education. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-3106-9_16

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-3106-9_16

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  • Print ISBN: 978-981-10-3104-5

  • Online ISBN: 978-981-10-3106-9

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