John Twyford
J.P.A.Twyford@exeter.ac.uk
Hi, I’m John Twyford, from University of Exeter, UK, lecturing in Design and Technology education. Recently I made a totem pole with my student teachers at a local primary school. The idea was for the students to work with children so that the children designed the totem, and the students carved it. The design idea was to give out a message which says, ‘we are here, and we have made our totem pole as a welcome to our school’. We told a simple story about the animals know to the children - buzzards, hedgehogs, badgers squirrels and foxes. You may have seen our project on our web site.
We do lead a rather stressful life, especially a life which is dominated by technology. I am very pleased to hear that you can lead a ‘laid back’ life style. We have much to learn from this! Making our pole taught us something about creating something which says we did it because we wanted to - because we can work together to make things which tells us we are alive.
I see technology education as a means of revealing to children what it is and how they might know about it with understanding. At its heart are issues concerned with imparting a sense of respect for the capacities of people to create things and to innovate. This is why we looked at making a totem pole. Also, technology education should leave the pupil with a sense of the unfinished business of human power of innovation. And, people need to know how to share in things when they make them. So much of what is made represents objects of desire rather than use, or friendly support for each other. We can make things which we can enjoy and which are useful, but we can also make things which have the power to do us great harm - spiritually.
A totem pole can tell the story of what we are doing and what we know. Our pole was based on a simple decorative theme using well known animals. We had great respect for the peoples who create them. We wanted to know what it felt like to do it. In making it, it did give something to the people involved! They felt that they belonged to the work that went into making the totem pole. Is this how people often feel when they make a totem pole?
I would like to understand more about how people belong to the things they make. I would like to know how people make the designs for totem pole. How do they create the stories? I hope we can talk about these ideas. Also, I am looking forward to see the work of Tim Paul.
With best regards and friendship.
John Twyford
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