Choose Teaching

Love design and looking for a rewarding career?

 

If you are a current university student or recent graduate and would like to become a Design and Technology or Systems teacher then please contact your Education Faculty and enquire about what course they can offer you.

Any questions you have about teaching can be directed to DATTA Vic via admin@datta.vic.edu.au

DATTA Vic will be there to support you in your studies and proffesional development throughout your teaching career.

 

Contact Details for Swinburne University

Dr Mick Grimley, Academic Director of Teacher Education and Associate Professor Education

Learning Transformations, Swinburne University of Technology,

BA Building, Level 9, Mailbox H63, Hawthorn 3122, MELBOURNE

Rm BA 906, Ph. 0392145712 or 0415142758

 

Contact Details for RMIT

Mr Liam Fennessy, Program Manager, Bachelor of Design

Architecture and Design

Building 100, Level 5, Room 1

+61 3 9925 5330

liam.fennessy@rmit.edu.au

 

Contact Details for Monash

 

Dr Mark Richardson, Lecturer, Department of Design (Industrial Design)

 

Faculty of Art & Design

Building G, 900 Dandenong Rd, Caulfield East

+61 3 9902 6000

  

mark.richardson@monash.edu

 

Contact Details for La Trobe 

Dr Mike Brown, Senior Lecturer, Faculty of Education

Melbourne (Bundoora)

+61 3 9479 2345

m.brown@latrobe.edu.au

 

Click Here for Teacher Salaries in Victorian Government Schools

 

Teacher Interview

Katherine Harris, Design and Technology Teacher

What did you study?
Bachelor of Design (Hons) with a major in Industrial Design at RMIT University.
 
Why did you choose to study design?
I always felt like a jack of all trades and wanted to rebel against my familial career (they’re all engineers!) I loved the idea of being able to combine my interests in problem solving with my naturally creative inclinations. Industrial design seemed like the perfect synthesis of engineering and art.
 
What do you love about design?
When done well, design solves problems, beautifully. Design permeates all parts of our lives, and often it’s the design we don’t even notice that is the most successful. 
 
What industry experience do you have?
I worked at RMIT, teaching some classes, and did a stint in graphic design, but really struggled to find work in Industrial Design after I graduated. I am constantly frustrated by the lack of Australian manufacturing.
 
Why did you choose teaching?
I always wanted to be a teacher. What can I say, I really liked school! As a teenager I did imagine I would work as a really hip designer for a few years before going into teaching, but things just didn’t work out that way. I also think that I had a lot to offer, particularly as a young person with a practical and academic passion for Product Design. Students definitely recognise when teachers are passionate and competent in their subject areas and, in turn, become more passionate and interested in those areas too.
 
What do you like about teaching?
The students. I love seeing students achieve success, gain new skills and develop confidence both in a particular subject area and in and of their selves. Also, I think teenagers are probably the most hilarious people anyone could hope to work with and building mutually respectful relationships with them is genuinely rewarding.
 
What do you like about teaching Design and Technology?
By nature, the study of Design and Technology lends itself to matching up with best practice teaching principles, in particular Bloom’s Taxonomy. I like being able to assist students in becoming more autonomous learners and problem solvers and Design and Technology is the ideal area to try to achieve these goals in.
 
What would you say to a new graduate that is considering a career teaching Design and Technology?
I don’t want to infringe on copyright, but Nike said it best…Just Do It!
 
 

Teacher Interview 

Antony Benson, Design and Technology Teacher

Why did you study?

Bachelor of  Industrial design then a Graduate diploma of teaching.

Why did you choose to study design?
Was a natural fit for my interest in how things worked and how I could make them work better. It also allowed for a mix of creativity as well as technical expertise.

What do you love about design?
The positive impact it can have on people's lives either when a product "just works" and so life is made easier or when a product makes possible activities that were impossible for a person previously. An ability to engage the human being (body and soul) in the constructed world

What industry experience do you have?
I worked as an independent contractor as well as working for a design consultancy in Melbourne and IXL in Geelong. In a less direct way I also worked in the UK retrofitting an historic building for use as a hostel which also involved the design process and products.

Why did you choose teaching?
I realised that I what I liked best about design was resolving product flaws rather than designing products from scratch, I also discovered during my overseas travels that I really enjoyed teaching others skills that they could use.

What do you like about teaching?
Making a positive difference in a young person's life journey, being part of a school community- sets for school production, art show, school camps, witnessing  the lightbulb moment when a kid "gets it", getting emails from students six months after they have finished my class with a photo of the completed product!!

What do you like about teaching Design and Technology?
Creativity on tap, developing/empowering new designers for our future, keeps you at forefront of technology, the variety of design skills that I use daily. Saying yes to an idea  / concept that nobody has yet thought of, why not,  lets give it a go.
Teenagers don't see boundaries the way adults do, they are still willing to imagine a product without limiting themselves by real world constraints. This means I can be assisting with 20 design briefs that range from cutting edge technology to old world timberwork techniques to 3D printing model making. The variety is extraordinary and the challenge is for me to accept that I don't have all the answers but to facilitate the students use of the design process to find solutions. It empowers students to become masters of their products.

What would you say to a new graduate that is considering a career teaching Design and Technology?
Teaching is not the "easy" option, the fallback position. Teaching Product Design and Technology will challenge you as a designer and as a person but the rewards that you will reap in watching a student achieve their goals, in helping a student resolve a problem you didn't even know the answer to are greater than anything you could hope for in a job.

Teacher Interview 

Peter Murphy, Design and Technology Teacher

What did you study?
Integrated Product Design at Galsgow Caledonian University
 
Why did you choose to study design?
From a young age I have been drawing and making things, from Lego through to tree houses. I loved Design and Technology at school and so studying an Industrial Design related course was an obvious path for me.

What do you love about design?
I love solving problems and identifying opportunities. I also love it when the functionality of the solution helps to form a beautiful product.

What industry experience do you have?
Several years designing retail outlets in UK and some self employed consultancy work in website development and graphics.

Why did you choose teaching?
I have a passion for design and technology and I wanted to work in a creative environment were I could help others discover a passion for the subject.

What do you like about teaching?
I love working with young people - they have no limits and I like being able to help them realise their concepts, they are also just good fun to be around. It's also the closest experience I have had to my university experience!

What do you like about teaching Design and Technology?
It's a rapidly evolving area and one that schools are realising is very important. I also feel I am learning more about design as a teacher than I did working in industry.

What would you say to a new graduate that is considering a career teaching Design and Technology?
Do it! If you feel you have the energy and commitment to inspire and help young people in this exiting area then don't hesitate. You can still pursue your own dreams whilst earning a good salary in very rewarding profession. Design and Technolgy teachers are in great demand and Industrial Design graduates make great, innovative teachers!