The FACETS project: An experiment in Family and Community Education in Technology and Science

Children's attitudes are shaped by their experiences both in and out of school. The FACETS Project aims to use the expertise of a teacher-training institution to influence factors such as the attitudes of parents and family towards technology and science. A series of workshops, run by staff and students of the Centre for Technology in Education, has been offered to children aged 5 to 13 and their parents. These provide a variety of structured design technology, information technology and science related activities, designed and led by students undergoing initial teacher-training in primary education. The project uses links with business and industry to support its work. This paper details the philosophy and organisation behind the project, and evaluates the impact of the project, at the end of its first year, on the attitudes of parents, children and student-teachers towards technology and science.