Episode Overview
In this special DATTA QLD Conference preview episode, Stephen Anderson speaks with three presenters exploring practical and research-informed approaches to Design and Technology education.
First, Leighann Ness Wilson shares insights from her PhD research into Design and Technologies education and discusses how teachers can more confidently enact the Australian Curriculum through practical pedagogical frameworks aligned to processes and production skills.
The conversation explores disciplinary capability, curriculum alignment, teacher confidence, and the importance of supporting both pre-service and practising teachers in the Design and Technologies space.
The second conversation features Sarah Pavy, who explores student engagement in trades and design classrooms. Drawing on extensive experience working with vocational education and classroom engagement, Sarah discusses the unique opportunities these learning environments provide for students seeking more hands-on, applied, and authentic educational experiences.
Finally, Dominique Falla from Griffith University discusses smarter curriculum design, AI-supported teaching workflows, and practical visual communication techniques for the design classroom.
Dominique shares practical strategies for improving student sketching and ideation while also demonstrating how AI tools can support educators in curriculum planning, assessment design, and presentation development.
This episode offers valuable ideas for teachers looking to strengthen engagement, improve classroom workflows, and support creativity and confidence in Design and Technology education.
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About the Bridge Building Podcast
“This is the place where we dissect and then discover the many ways ITD teachers all over this country are using their passion to create passionate students. We talk of measuring and manipulating a multitude of materials of design and divergent thought, of creation with our minds and with our hands. And most of all, we talk of growing great young people because of course that is what we do.”
So what does that mean other than I like to show off my alliteration skills? Since coming back to teaching a few years ago the thing that strikes me most, and frankly scared me most is how lonely this job is. How little we know about what is happening in our subject area. The classroom next door, a class in the next school, let alone the next town are a mystery to me. I know there are teachers out there doing incredible things and this (the podcast) is a way for me to find out and be inspired. I would like to invite you along to listen and learn, to be inspired by some of the sensational teachers I speak to on the “Bridge Building Podcast – from technology to the trades”
About the Podcast Host
Stephen Anderson is a Design Technology, Trade Training and accidental Science teacher at a small high school 2 hours North West of Brisbane.
Over To You
If you know someone who is doing something spectacular or just great fun in design and tech or in trade training, I would love to know about them.
Contact me through my email osaerial@gmail.com
Music by:
Viola Pink