Unsolved on Purpose: Reflections on the Rubik’s Cube and the Curriculum and Assessment Review for D&T

McLain, M ORCID: 0000-0002-8691-3155 (2025) Unsolved on Purpose: Reflections on the Rubik’s Cube and the Curriculum and Assessment Review for D&T. Design and Technology Education, 30 (2). pp. 5-7. ISSN 1360-1431

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Abstract

This reflection explores the evolving pedagogical and curricular landscape of Design and Technology (D&T) education in England, drawing on recent dialogues with the Department for Education and collaborative academic work. It challenges conventional, linear interpretations of designing, making, and evaluating by proposing alternative frameworks (ideating, realising, and critiquing) alongside key processes such as communicating, researching, and satisficing. Using the Rubik’s Cube as a metaphor, it argues for a curriculum that embraces complexity, ambiguity, and interdependence, resisting the urge for uniformity and predictability. The article advocates for intentional diversity in teaching approaches, encouraging educators to foster creativity, autonomy, and critical thinking in learners. Ultimately, it calls for a shift from a “solved” curriculum model to one that remains productively “unsolved,” reflecting the dynamic and iterative nature of real-world design.

Item Type:	Article
Uncontrolled Keywords:	1203 Design Practice and Management; 1302 Curriculum and Pedagogy; 3303 Design; 3901 Curriculum and pedagogy; 4010 Engineering practice and education
Subjects:	L Education > L Education (General) N Fine Arts > NC Drawing Design Illustration T Technology > T Technology (General)
Divisions:	Education
Publisher:	Liverpool John Moores University Library
Date of acceptance:	3 September 2025
Date of first compliant Open Access:	22 September 2026
Date Deposited:	22 Sep 2026 10:43
Last Modified:	22 Sep 2026 10:43
DOI or ID number:	10.24377/DTEIJ.article3356
URI:	https://researchonline.ljmu.ac.uk/id/eprint/29502

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