“Design is not just what it looks like and feels like. Design is how it works.”

Steve Jobs, Co-founder of Apple, Inc

 

Design Technology Lead- Mrs Dickens

Subject Intent:

Our high-quality DT education will engage and challenge pupils, equipping them with the knowledge and skills to grow ideas, and turn them into working, functional products. It provides opportunities to think critically and demonstrate resilience in solving problems and shows a way of understanding and responding to the world. It gives pupils the opportunity to communicate thought processes and ideas into products using skills learnt in science, technology, engineering, art and maths.

Our pupils develop a culture of understanding that design technology education is more than a completed product and that it is a process, that it uses reflective skills to modify and refine the design process. These skills allow them to consider shaping their environments through design activities, learn how to make a series of links from the design to the manufacture and explore ideas and meanings through their exposure to the other designers and design concepts and inventions through history.

Subject Implementation:

Our curriculum is developed from the National Curriculum Design Technology Programme of Study. It is continuously developed and adapted to suit the diversity of our pupils, so all pupils, including our SEND and those in vulnerable groups, from EYFS to Year 6 experience quality design technology education.  Class Teachers use a three-tier vocabulary document to assist in developing their Medium-Term Planning, to immerse the pupils into subject specific language, this vocabulary is also placed into design journals on a title sheet to give pupils access and build confidence in its use.

Design Technology is taught in every year group by the Class Teacher using the year groups Long Terms Plans. The plans have been developed by the Class Teacher with the support of the Subject Leader to ensure coverage of techniques, methods and materials and to build on previous knowledge ensuring progression through the school.  The Subject Leader works alongside teaching staff to develop skills confidence, offer inspiration and ideas on building learning journeys. This ensures that our Design Technology environment includes exploring and developing ideas and evaluating and developing work.  Wherever possible, our Design Technology curriculum is taught cross curricular to deepen knowledge and understanding.

Subject Impact:

By the time pupils leave Green Oaks, they will:  

• understand and appreciate the impact design technology has on modern day living and how it can shape the future.
• know how to take risks, and be resourceful, innovative, enterprising and capable citizens.
•  leave armed with a high-quality design technology education and be able to make an essential contribution to the creativity, culture, wealth and well-being of the nation.

 

“You need to design to challenge yourself.”  Year 2  pupil

“You can change your mind when you design. I changed my mind. I was going to use a paper clip but then found it didn’t really work so changed my design.”  Year 4 pupil

“Designing is lots of things. We research what are good models. Speak about people having different opinions of inspiration.  I was inspired by one method but couldn’t use that because there weren’t the materials available. So, I looked again and changed”  Year 5 pupil