What Do We Teach In Design Technology?

In Design Technology, the children are taught the process of designing and making through a range of creative and practical activities and we follow the Early Years Framework and the National Curriculum.  There are two separate strands:

• Designing and Making - this could be a structure, a mechanism, using textiles or electrical systems
• Cooking and Nutrition

The children complete three projects each academic year, and within each project, the following areas are covered:

• Designing
• Making
• Evaluating
• Technical Knowledge

During Design Technology, we challenge the children to design and create products for a specific purpose and a specific audience.  Most projects begin with the children examining and evaluating real-life or pre-prepared examples of the product they will be making.  As part of this process, they agree the design criteria for their own product, deciding how they will know that they have been successful at the end of the project.  Usually, the children then move on to a focussed task, which allows them to deelop the specific technical knowledge or understanding they will need to complete the project.  For example, if they are going to be preparing some food, they might learn how to cut vegetables safely, or if they are going to be working with textiles, they might learn how to do a running stitch.  The children then move on to design and make their final product.  At the end of the project, the children are encouraged to evaluate their own work and that of the other children in their class, considering how they could further improve their final product.

We choose projects which we think will motivate the children and, where appropriate, that tie in with other things they are learning about.  However, to ensure that the children are given the opportunity to develop the skills they need in a wide range of contexts, we choose projects which fit in with the scheme below.