Scotch College

Professor Richard Kimbell...
...our '97 Foundation Fellow

At the start of a new term, Scotch College Staff usually come together and are addressed by Dr Donaldson.

At the beginning of Term 2 he introduced Professor Richard Kimbell who then removed his coat, and for the next hour and a half fired the imagination of all present in the room.

His personal charm, clipped British accent and ready wit, captured his audience. His presentation on the development of design education in the United Kingdom was extremely interesting. The clear manner in which he outlined this field of study, made the lecture easy to follow and his ideas came across as logical and motivating.

Scotch College has been moving down the path of problem solving with practical solutions since 1993, when Design Technology was introduced.

However, the British Education System has led the way in developing this field. It was fascinating to learn of the extent to which the subject had become entrenched in the curriculum, in the short period of twenty years.

Many of the Staff were surprised to hear that all boys and girls in the U.K, were involved in design technology as a compulsory part of their education from Prep to Year 10, when it becomes an elective subject.

Professor Kimbell is the Director of the Technology Education Research Unit, at Goldsmiths College, London University.

After launching several major curriculum research projects in the late 1980's, he founded the Technology Research Unit in 1990. An example of the nature and scope of this work is the 'National Curriculum Stage 3'. The British Secondary Examinations and Assessment Board, wanted to streamline the then, rather cumbersome method of evaluating students in Design Technology, and engaged Professor Kimbell to find the solution. He selected a team of nine research staff and set about overhauling the entire system, a task which took three years, with a budget of 1.8 million pounds.

In September this year his eighth book 'Assessing Technology', will be released. As an educationalist of international standing, he has published numerous papers and reports, including reports for the United States Congress, UNESCO and NATO.

Professor Kimbell has recently completed a series of television programmes for the BBC, and has been interviewed in the UK, New Zealand and South Africa on his ideas and personal philosophy on design education.

Needless to say we have been very fortunate to have a man of such international renown available to us for three very full weeks.

Professor Kimbell has been very busy meeting with the Foundation Executive, School Administration, Year Level Heads and Teaching Staff.

He has addressed a packed house of Parents at the Foundation AGM, as well as speaking to eighty 4th Year Visual Arts Students from Melbourne University and ninety three teachers from The Technical Teachers Association and Art Craft Teachers Association at two further lectures. He met with the senior staff of the Melbourne University's City and Hawthorn Campuses; visited RMIT's Campus meeting with the Dean and Faculty Heads.

The School Community owes a debt of gratitude to the Scotch College Foundation for having the foresight to make such substantial funds available for this purpose.

This level of support allows for the ideas and inspiration of a Foundation Fellow to be shared not only within the College, but beyond amongst the parents and wider community.

Foundation President Peter Joyce commented 'the visit of Professor Kimbell has contributed enormously to the development of design education at Scotch. He was an inspirational presenter, a fine teacher and a first class motivator.'

Mr Christopher R Taylor