[Design and Technology] thanks for link and exam feedback

[VERSTRAETEN Gabriella]

Hi Lorraine
Thank you publishing the link regarding feedback for the exam survey. I had a chance on the weekend to look more closely at the exam and had a couple of comments I was keen to feedback.  It was very timely as I had just finished typing up my response when your email came through.  I have pasted my comments below and would be interested to hear from any other teachers especially textiles in they felt the same as me.

What I feedback:
Overall, I felt it was a good exam that covered a lot of areas.  However, I do have a minor and major concern. My minor concern is Section B, Question q. Even I struggle to understand how to answer the question.  I understand the difference between 'effective' and 'efficient,' it's subtle (which a number of students wouldn't get. I would have to ask here, is this an English comprehension exam or a design and product based exam?) Where in the study design is the comparison between these articulated, especially in reference to the planning and production activities.
My major concern has to do with the Constraints given in the Design Brief to the Costume option which gave Textiles students a distinct disadvantage that none of the other mediums were constrained by.  This is very unfair to the textiles students. It all comes down to one sentence, "Note: Jude dislikes stretch materials." The brief also states, "The costume needs to allow for ease of movement" due to "some jumping and gymnastics" routines. That constraint screams stretch fabrics. You tell me what gymnastic outfit isn't made of a stretch fabric - it has to allow for stretch, comfort and ease of movement, which is the exact nature of a stretch/knitted material. That is their core characteristic, ease of movement. Any tracksuit, swimwear, tights, underpants, t-shirts etc. are all made of stretch fabrics. Just by the way, I'd like to know how Jude, male or female, is going to stop his or her jiggly bits from jumping around uncomfortably throughout the routine without the support of stretch fabrics in their underwear!  So this is very unfair to rule these fabrics out.  While the brief doesn't say that you can't use stretch fabrics, it says "Notes: Jude dislikes stretch materials." If the note said "Jude dislikes red materials and materials with a textured surface" as a designer you wouldn't design Jude a red outfit nor an outfit of textured fabric.  In response as a designer you aren't going to use stretch fabrics.  So the textiles students needed to design an outfit allowed for gymnastics in its construction, i.e. gussets or loose fit. So there was a degree of difficulty there for textiles students.  Now, I wouldn't have minded this if the same constraints were then placed on all the other materials.  For example, "the body adornment that Jake didn't like plastics and resins." This would be fair. But they weren't, not one of the other 5 materials listed were presented with such a constraint.  Clearly that comment was added in by someone who didn't appreciate the significance of the statement or someone who deliberately wanted to undermine the scores of textiles students.  It is disappointing and unfair. So, that was my major concern.

Cheers
Regards

Gabriella


Gabriella Verstraeten
Head of Technology

Thomas Carr College
35 Thomas Carr Drive,
Tarneit, VIC 3029
(P) (03) 8734 2444
(F) (03) 9748 4388
(E) gab.verstraeten at thomascarr.vic.edu.au

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