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It explains that the institution introduced these modules to support a more creative primary curriculum and to address students’ limited familiarity with integrated teaching and learning. The authors argue that raising D&T’s status requires engaging, relevant learning contexts that connect subject knowledge and skills across curriculum boundaries.",{"@graph":69,"@context":122},[70,84,105],{"@type":71,"itemListElement":72},"BreadcrumbList",[73,77,79,82],{"item":74,"name":75,"@type":76,"position":8},"https://docshare.wps.com","Home","ListItem",{"item":78,"name":9,"@type":76,"position":14},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/",{"item":80,"name":40,"@type":76,"position":81},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/research-report/",3,{"item":83,"name":65,"@type":76,"position":19},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/blurring-the-boundaries-or-muddying-the-waters-research-paper/601573/",{"url":83,"name":65,"@type":85,"image":86,"author":91,"headline":65,"publisher":94,"fileFormat":97,"inLanguage":63,"description":67,"dateModified":98,"datePublished":99,"encodingFormat":97,"isAccessibleForFree":100,"interactionStatistic":101},"DigitalDocument",{"url":87,"@type":88,"width":89,"height":90},"https://docshare.wps.com/thumbnails/blurring-the-boundaries-or-muddying-the-waters-research-paper/601573.png","ImageObject",300,407,{"name":92,"@type":93},"anakgang17","Person",{"url":74,"name":95,"@type":96},"DocShare","Organization","application/pdf","2026-10-30","2026-10-15",true,{"@type":102,"interactionType":103,"userInteractionCount":34},"InteractionCounter",{"@type":104},"ViewAction",{"@type":106,"mainEntity":107},"FAQPage",[108,114,118],{"name":109,"@type":110,"acceptedAnswer":111},"What is the main purpose of the paper?","Question",{"text":112,"@type":113},"The paper reflects on how design and technology (D&T) has been included in cross-curricular modules within initial teacher education, and how strategies and pedagogies are being developed to support students’ understanding.","Answer",{"name":115,"@type":110,"acceptedAnswer":116},"Why did the institution introduce the cross-curricular modules?",{"text":117,"@type":113},"The modules were introduced in response to tutors’ conviction that cross-curricular teaching and learning in primary schools is important for children’s education and well being, and to move toward a more creative curriculum.",{"name":119,"@type":110,"acceptedAnswer":120},"What concern about D&T in the primary curriculum motivates the discussion?",{"text":121,"@type":113},"The paper describes debates about whether cross-curricular approaches will raise D&T’s profile or instead reduce its value and importance, potentially causing the subject to disappear into a “muddy” curriculum.","https://schema.org",{"og:url":83,"og:type":124,"og:title":65,"og:site_name":95,"og:description":67},"article",{"robots":126,"canonical":83},"index,follow",{"doc_id":128,"site_id":62},601573,1792167471,{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":131},{"doc_id":128,"user_id":132,"nickname":92,"user_avatar":133,"doc_module":4,"category_id":39,"category_name":40,"doc_title":65,"doc_description":67,"doc_content":134,"file_id":135,"file_url":136,"file_type":137,"file_size":138,"view_count":34,"is_deleted":4,"is_public":8,"is_downloadable":8,"audit_status":8,"page_count":44,"language":139,"language_code":63,"site_id":62,"html_lang":63,"table_of_contents":140,"faqs":141,"seo_title":142,"seo_description":67,"update_tm":143,"read_time":144},962090883568,"https://ap-avatar.wpscdn.com/davatar_a8503ba1806abce46bf441b54a3ca4cd","Blurring the Boundaries or Muddying the Waters? Sally Aston & Dot Jackson, St Mary’s University College, Twickenham  \nRESEARCH  \nAbstract  \nThis paper outlines reflections by two tutors in Initial Teacher Education on ways design and technology (D&T) has been included in cross-curricular modules at our institution. These modules were a new addition to our courses in response to a conviction by tutors that crosscurricular teaching and learning in primary schools is important for children’s education and well being. We felt that this approach would support a move towards a more creative curriculum. Often we found that students were unfamiliar with cross-curricular teaching and learning and we discuss how we have been developing strategies and pedagogies to support their understanding of this approach. We are convinced that, in order to raise the status of D&T there is a need to provide exciting and relevant contexts for learning subject specific knowledge and skills, as well as those which cross curricular boundaries.  \nKey words  \nCross-curricular, Initial Teacher Education (ITE), primary, design and technology (D&T)  \nIntroduction  \nDesign and technology (D&T) has struggled to gain recognition as a significant subject in the primary curriculum, and recently there have been some important debates about how it should be taught in schools. One such debate concerns whether a move towards a more cross-curricular approach to teaching and learning will provide teachers with opportunities to raise the profile of D&T or only serve to lessen the value, status and importance of the subject, resulting in its disappearance into a ‘muddy’ curriculum. At the time of writing, the primary curriculum is undergoing two comprehensive reviews, one led by Sir Jim Rose on behalf of the government and the second is an independent review led by Robin Alexander. The findings of both reviews are likely to have a significant effect on the future curriculum in primary schools. In this paper we will discuss our own experiences of changing approaches in the teaching and learning of D&T as we move towards a more integrated approach in our practice.  \nOur context  \nAs tutors at an institute of Higher Education, we are responsible for the teaching and learning of Primary  \nDesign and Technology in undergraduate and postgraduate Initial Teacher Education (ITE) programmes. In addition we convene two cross-curricular modules that have been recently introduced into our curriculum.  \nThe national context  \nThe subject-based national curriculum was first introduced to state primary and secondary schools in England, Wales and Northern Ireland following the Educational Reform Actin 1988. It aimed to provide a broad and balanced curriculum for all pupils. One of the subjects newly identified in this curriculum was design and technology (D&T), though activities linked to what we now define as D&T were being taught in primary schools long before its formal introduction in 1990. As Benson (2004:139) states, ‘there were schools in the 1970s and the 1980s that included aspects of design in their curricula; there was art and craft; and some ‘topic work’ was closely aligned to design and make assignments.’ In the National Curriculum (DfEE, 1999), D&T is categorised as a foundation or ‘noncore’ subject, which indicates how D&T is positioned in relation to the core subjects of English, mathematics and science.  \nThe later introduction of the non statutory, yet widely adopted, National Literacy Strategy (NLS) and National Numeracy Strategy (NNS) in 1998 and 1999 initially encouraged teachers to focus on developing literacy and numeracy skills discretely. These strategies, the standardised testing of core subjects at ages 7 and 11 and associated performance tables, gave the subjects of English and mathematics higher status than other subjects in the primary curriculum. Sometimes this has led to what Alexander (1984) described as the two curricular syndrome with ’basics’ as one cu","cbCaipAeQYkKNyyd","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCaipAeQYkKNyyd","pdf",204553,"English","# Abstract\n# Introduction\n# Our context\n# The national context","[{\"question\":\"What is the main purpose of the paper?\",\"answer\":\"The paper reflects on how design and technology (D\\u0026T) has been included in cross-curricular modules within initial teacher education, and how strategies and pedagogies are being developed to support students’ understanding.\"},{\"question\":\"Why did the institution introduce the cross-curricular modules?\",\"answer\":\"The modules were introduced in response to tutors’ conviction that cross-curricular teaching and learning in primary schools is important for children’s education and well being, and to move toward a more creative curriculum.\"},{\"question\":\"What concern about D\\u0026T in the primary curriculum motivates the discussion?\",\"answer\":\"The paper describes debates about whether cross-curricular approaches will raise D\\u0026T’s profile or instead reduce its value and importance, potentially causing the subject to disappear into a “muddy” curriculum.\"}]","Blurring the Boundaries or Muddying the Waters? - Research Paper | PDF",1792092886,23]