DESIGN TECHNOLOGY
DESIGN TECHNOLOGY
INTENT:
The overall intent of our Design Technology curriculum at St. Lawrence’s is to encourage pupils to design and make products that solve real and relevant problems within a variety of contexts. We seek to maintain and continually improve a rich, broad and balanced curriculum – giving opportunities for them to acquire subject knowledge and draw on disciplines such as Mathematics, English, Science, Engineering, Computing and Art. We hope that they can acquire sufficient skills, knowledge and vocabulary to serve them well as they move into the next stage of their education.
The intent of Design Technology at St. Lawrence’s is to:
develop imaginative thinking in children and to enable them to talk about what they like and dislike when designing and making,
develop children’s creativity and innovation through designing and making,
enable children to talk about how things work, and to draw and model their ideas,
encourage children to select appropriate tools and techniques for making a product, whilst following safe procedures,
understand and apply the principles of nutrition and learn how to cook.
IMPLEMENTATION:
When teaching Design Technology, we believe that our children need to be given the opportunity to work within three main areas of development during each topic:
1. Investigative:
These activities provide opportunities for the children to explore existing products and to gain skills, knowledge and understanding which can be applied in a design and make assignment.
2. Design and make:
A design and make assignment provides an opportunity for the children to combine their skills, knowledge and understanding to develop products that meet a real need. In all classes there are children of differing ability. We recognise the fact and provide suitable learning opportunities for all children by matching the challenge of the task to the ability of the child.
3. Evaluate:
Investigate and analyse their own and existing products against a set criteria and consider the implication of design in the wider world.
We do this by identifying learning objectives and outcomes for each unit, and ensure an appropriate balance and distribution of work across each term. We plan the activities in Design and Technology so that they build upon prior learning of the children. We give children of all abilities the opportunity to develop their skills, knowledge and understanding and we also build planned progression into the scheme of work, so that the children are increasingly challenged as they move through the school.
IMPACT:
Assessment and Recording
Teachers assess work in Design and Technology by making observations of the children working during lessons. They record progress made against the learning objectives for a unit of work. At the end of a unit of work, children undertake a review of their work that focuses upon an evaluation of the finished product.
By the time the children leave St. Lawrence’s they will have acquired:
creativity, technical and practical expertise needed to perform everyday tasks confidently and to participate successfully in an increasingly technological world,
build and apply knowledge, understanding and skills in order to design and make high-quality prototypes and products for a wide range of users,
evaluate and test their ideas and products and the work of others ,
understand and apply the principles of nutrition and learn how to cook.