At every moment, you as teacher get to set the conditions that determine how much Teacher Control versus Student Autonomy any activity affords. Figuring out how and when you should give directed instruction or give students time to discover is one of the arts of teaching. In MOVIE 1, Richard Kimbell from Goldsmith College in London talks about this fundamental and tough basic balancing act in teaching.

Design tasks offer the opportunity to have less focus on the teacher. Group work can put the focus of work on students themselves. By testing a products that students designed (Did the kite fly or fall? Did the bag carry the groceries or break?), nature becomes the judge rather than the teacher. As Kimbell says, the same design task can be configured so that it is either highly teacher- or student-centered. This includes who describes what design task to do, how it should be assessed, and what final products are needed for the job to be completed.