[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"doc-seo-600818-105":3,"doc-detail-600818-en":81,"detail-sidebar-cat-0-en-105":99},{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":6},0,"ok",{"site_id":7,"language":8,"slug":9,"title":10,"keywords":11,"description":12,"schema_data":13,"social_meta":74,"head_meta":76,"extra_data":78,"updated_unix":80},105,"en","traditional-tales-and-imaginary-contexts-in-primary-design-and-technology-a-case-study","Traditional Tales and Imaginary Contexts in Primary Design and Technology - A case study","","Working with contexts is central to design and technology education. In England, the national curriculum requires children aged 5–7 to work in relevant contexts, including home, school, gardens, playgrounds, community, industry, and the wider environment. This case study examines how two primary teachers used traditional tales as the context to support imaginative design thinking. Children used the perspective of Billy Goats Gruff to solve a bridge-crossing design problem, with data from interviews and analysis of pupils’ design work.",{"@graph":14,"@context":73},[15,34,56],{"@type":16,"itemListElement":17},"BreadcrumbList",[18,23,27,31],{"item":19,"name":20,"@type":21,"position":22},"https://docshare.wps.com","Home","ListItem",1,{"item":24,"name":25,"@type":21,"position":26},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/","Document",2,{"item":28,"name":29,"@type":21,"position":30},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/research-report/","Research & Report",3,{"item":32,"name":10,"@type":21,"position":33},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/traditional-tales-and-imaginary-contexts-in-primary-design-and-technology-a-case-study/600818/",4,{"url":32,"name":10,"@type":35,"image":36,"author":41,"headline":10,"publisher":44,"fileFormat":47,"inLanguage":8,"description":12,"dateModified":48,"datePublished":49,"encodingFormat":47,"isAccessibleForFree":50,"interactionStatistic":51},"DigitalDocument",{"url":37,"@type":38,"width":39,"height":40},"https://docshare.wps.com/thumbnails/traditional-tales-and-imaginary-contexts-in-primary-design-and-technology-a-case-study/600818.png","ImageObject",300,407,{"name":42,"@type":43},"dhado","Person",{"url":19,"name":45,"@type":46},"DocShare","Organization","application/pdf","2026-10-30","2026-10-15",true,{"@type":52,"interactionType":53,"userInteractionCount":55},"InteractionCounter",{"@type":54},"ViewAction",7,{"@type":57,"mainEntity":58},"FAQPage",[59,65,69],{"name":60,"@type":61,"acceptedAnswer":62},"What role do fictional contexts play in primary design and technology education?","Question",{"text":63,"@type":64},"The study explains that fictional contexts can create “creative spaces” where children speculate, discuss, and develop design thinking through imagination rather than limiting learning to real-world settings.","Answer",{"name":66,"@type":61,"acceptedAnswer":67},"How was the traditional tale Billy Goats Gruff used in the case study?",{"text":68,"@type":64},"Teachers used the story as the project context, presenting pupils with letters from the three goats about “the scary troll hiding under the bridge,” then using follow-up letters to prompt new design ideas as the project progressed.",{"name":70,"@type":61,"acceptedAnswer":71},"How did the study collect data about pupils’ learning?",{"text":72,"@type":64},"Data were gathered through semi-structured interviews and document analysis of children’s design work produced during the activity.","https://schema.org",{"og:url":32,"og:type":75,"og:title":10,"og:site_name":45,"og:description":12},"article",{"robots":77,"canonical":32},"index,follow",{"doc_id":79,"site_id":7},600818,1792208749,{"code":4,"msg":82,"data":83},"success",{"doc_id":79,"user_id":84,"nickname":42,"user_avatar":85,"doc_module":4,"category_id":86,"category_name":29,"doc_title":10,"doc_description":12,"doc_content":87,"file_id":88,"file_url":89,"file_type":90,"file_size":91,"view_count":55,"is_deleted":4,"is_public":22,"is_downloadable":22,"audit_status":22,"page_count":92,"language":93,"language_code":8,"site_id":7,"html_lang":8,"table_of_contents":94,"faqs":95,"seo_title":96,"seo_description":12,"update_tm":97,"read_time":98},5909893218464,"https://ap-avatar.wpscdn.com/davatar_085a072bc5b1113ac321206ff7593b45",8,"Traditional Tales and Imaginary Contexts in Primary Design and Technology: A case study  \nMatt McLain, Liverpool John Moores University, UK  \nMel McLain, St. Michaels in the Hamlet Community Primary School, UK Jess Tsai, St. Michaels in the Hamlet Community Primary School, UK Mike Martin, Liverpool John Moores University, UK  \nDawne Bell, Edge Hill University, UK David Wooff, Edge Hill University, UK  \nAbstract  \nWorking with contexts is a key component to design and technology activity and education. The most recent iteration of the national curriculum programme of study for design and technology, in England, sets out that children between the ages of 5 and 7 “should work in a range of relevant contexts”(DfE, 2013, p. 193); suggested contexts including “home and school, gardens and playgrounds, the local community, industry and the wider environment”. Whilst these are real world and familiar contexts, fictional contexts also provide opportunities for developing “creative spaces”in which to speculate and discuss. This intrinsic case study explores the work of two primary teachers’ development of a design and technology activity, where traditional tales provide the context. Children explore design problems and opportunities through the eyes of the Billy Goats Gruff, as they seek assistance to cross the river. Data was gathered through semi-structured interviews and document analysis of children’s design work. The case study reveals how multidisciplinary and imaginative approaches to teaching and learning in the primary classroom stimulate and nurture design thinking, dialogue and critique.  \nKey words  \ncreativity; design; primary design and technology; traditional tales; design fiction  \nIntroduction  \nThe national curriculum for design and technology (DfE, 2013), in England, states that pupils in key stage 1 (5 to 7 year olds) are expected to:  \n“… be taught the knowledge, understanding and skills needed to engage in an iterative process of designing and making… [and] should work in a range of relevant contexts (or example, the home and school, gardens and playgrounds, the local community, industry and the wider environment) .”  \n(DfE, 2013, p. 2)  \nThis study outlines a project with Year 1 (5 to 6 year old) pupils adopting an alternative approach to the realworld contexts suggested in the national curriculum programme of study. The project grew out of a discussion between the authors exploring novel approaches to teaching pupils about structures, which was considered to be a dry topic to teach. This perceived dryness may, in part, be due to the nature of structures and 'what works', along with the perceived need to focus on structural elements such as stability and reinforcement, or shell and frame structures; rather than creative application of knowledge.  \nAs an alternative to frontloading teaching about technical structures at the beginning of the project, an approach was adopted in this study with the starting point being a context and the initial focus on developing imaginative solutions. In other words, the teaching and learning was frontloaded with contextual and design thinking, rather than technical knowledge. The emphasis was on designing and discursive activity, mediated by a traditional tale as the context, leading onto modelling.  \nThe teachers considered that the previous year’s structures unit of work was unimaginative, and a proposal was made to start with a design problem or context. The pupils had been working on traditional tales as a creative curriculum theme, and ultimately the story of the Billy Goats Gruff (Wikipedia, 2016) was chosen as the context for the project.  \nIn the tradiational tale, three young goats attempt to cross the troll bridge to get to the grass on the other side. The first two, younger, goats persuade the troll that their older sibling will be more gratifying; and the third goat challenges the troll, knocking him into the river.  \nAt the beginning of the unit, the teachers presented","cbCaimsdpnMrBQxu","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCaimsdpnMrBQxu","pdf",476247,15,"English","# Abstract\n# Introduction\n# Literature Review","[{\"question\":\"What role do fictional contexts play in primary design and technology education?\",\"answer\":\"The study explains that fictional contexts can create “creative spaces” where children speculate, discuss, and develop design thinking through imagination rather than limiting learning to real-world settings.\"},{\"question\":\"How was the traditional tale Billy Goats Gruff used in the case study?\",\"answer\":\"Teachers used the story as the project context, presenting pupils with letters from the three goats about “the scary troll hiding under the bridge,” then using follow-up letters to prompt new design ideas as the project progressed.\"},{\"question\":\"How did the study collect data about pupils’ learning?\",\"answer\":\"Data were gathered through semi-structured interviews and document analysis of children’s design work produced during the activity.\"}]","Traditional Tales and Imaginary Contexts in Primary Design and Technology - A case study | PDF",1792091442,38,{"code":4,"msg":82,"data":100},[101,105,109,113,118,123,127,130,135,138,142],{"id":22,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":102,"show_sort_weight":103,"slug":104},"Story & Novel",90,"story-novel",{"id":26,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":106,"show_sort_weight":107,"slug":108},"Literature",80,"literature",{"id":33,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":110,"show_sort_weight":111,"slug":112},"Exam",70,"exam",{"id":114,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":115,"show_sort_weight":116,"slug":117},5,"Comic",60,"comic",{"id":119,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":120,"show_sort_weight":121,"slug":122},6,"Technology",50,"technology",{"id":55,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":124,"show_sort_weight":125,"slug":126},"Healthcare",40,"healthcare",{"id":86,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":29,"show_sort_weight":128,"slug":129},30,"research-report",{"id":131,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":132,"show_sort_weight":133,"slug":134},9,"Religion & Spirituality",20,"religion-spirituality",{"id":133,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":136,"show_sort_weight":133,"slug":137},"World Cup","world-cup",{"id":139,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":140,"show_sort_weight":139,"slug":141},10,"Lifestyle","lifestyle",{"id":143,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":144,"show_sort_weight":114,"slug":145},19,"General","general"]