The Design and Technologies (D&T) curriculum combines design thinking with the application of skills to solve personal or societal problems. Design encourages students to think creatively using an iterative process.  Many D&T teachers have embraced the Australian curriculum creating exciting projects for their students to solve.  While others believe the focus should be on skills for vocational trades.

The difference between technical skills thinking as opposed to technological design thinking continues to have an impact on the perception of the subject area by various stakeholders.  Research, as part of a PhD, has examined the experiences of ten D&T pre-service teachers at a Western Australian university.  The study used the qualitative, interpretive phenomenological analysis (IPA) approach, where individual experiences were captured through two in-depth interviews.  This has resulted in rich descriptions of their journey to become a D&T teacher.

Initial findings report the importance of personal school experience as a student encourages people to pursue D&T teaching.  The pre-service teachers experience in their professional placements and the influence of their mentors is pivotal in cementing the type of D&T teacher they plan to become.  The university course structure and lecturers also have an impact on their developing philosophy.