Using design thinking to raise the status of technology education

For as long as there has been education, there has been a social current guiding students learning, this can be seen in the lessons teachers' prepare as well as the written and hidden curriculums they teach. This social current is not merely reflected in what is taught in the classroom, it is also echoed in the structure of the Australian education subject classification and hierarchy. The traditional secondary school subjects and their associated prestige, developed during the time of industrial revolution. This historical development impacts heavily on our concept of what education courses entail and our opinion of how important they are. This has resulted in status being placed on subjects, as individuals decide which courses are more important than others. This model almost universally places literacy, in the form of language, numeracy in the form of mathematics and science at the top of the hierarchy, followed by the humanities and the arts. So where does that leave "The Technologies"? As Australia's education system is currently being restructured, moving towards a national curriculum, it is apt to ask the question, is this structure best suited to take forward and use to shape the minds of tomorrow students. Where does "The Technologies" curriculum belong in this structure? Within "The Technologies" we teach: creativity, thinking skills, innovation, communication, reflection and sustainability and we provide experiential learning and research opportunities as well as higher order thinking. This results in experiential learning and life-long learning. Global leading educationalists agree that it is just as important to teach creativity as it is literacy and numeracy, so why, in Australia are The Technologies subjects held in low esteem and what can be done to change this? This paper will examine the current Australian educational status system through the lens of The Technologies, defining its current position and examining the reasons for this. The authors will present insight on how a subject gains status within the community and suggest strategies for increasing the status of "The Technologies" both in schools and in the wider community.