Design & Technology
About
As with the other national curriculum subjects there are four strands to support high quality subject knowledge:
National curriculum importance statements
Authentic sources
Subject associations
Twitter communities
To help us get our bearings, it is worth quoting the purpose of Design and Technology in the national curriculum programme of study: ‘Design and technology is an inspiring, rigorous and practical subject. Using creativity and imagination, pupils design and make products that solve real and relevant problems within a variety of contexts, considering their own and others’ needs, wants and values. They acquire a broad range of subject knowledge and draw on disciplines such as mathematics, science, engineering, computing and art. Pupils learn how to take risks, becoming resourceful, innovative, enterprising and capable citizens. Through the evaluation of past and present design and technology, they develop a critical understanding of its impact on daily life and the wider world. High-quality design and technology education makes an essential contribution to the creativity, culture, wealth and well-being of the nation.
And the aims for design and technology are to ensure that: ‘all pupils develop the creative, technical and practical expertise needed to perform everyday tasks confidently and to participate successfully in an increasingly technological world; build and apply a repertoire of knowledge, understanding and skills in order to design and make high-quality prototypes and products for a wide range of users; critique, evaluate and test their ideas and products and the work of others; understand and apply the principles of nutrition and learn how to cook.
Once the importance statements have been revisited, it is helpful for subject leaders and co-ordinators to discuss and agree with colleagues, the reason why their subject, in this case design and technology, is important for the pupils in their school. One way of doing this, is to draw on a quote, in this case from Stephen Gardiner, ‘Good buildings come from good people, and all problems are solved by good design.’ This kind of prompt allows us to formulate our way of stating the importance of the subject. We might agree or disagree with such a statement and in doing so come to a form of words which expresses our view of the importance of this subject, in this school. This moves us away from the territory of ‘we teach this subject because of the SATS or GCSEs’. While the external tests and exams are important, they are not the totality of the subject.
Professional Communities
Subject associations are important because at the heart of their work is curriculum thinking, development and resources. The subject association for design and technology is the Design and Technology Association and it should be the case that any member of staff with responsibility for a subject should be a member of the relevant subject association, and this should be paid for by the school.
Subject associations are important because at the heart of their work is curriculum thinking, development and resources. The subject association for design and technology is the Design and Technology Association and it should be the case that any member of staff with responsibility for a subject should be a member of the relevant subject association, and this should be paid for by the school.
Twitter subject communities are important for the development of subject knowledge, because it is here that there are lively debates about what to teach, how to teach and the kinds of resources that are helpful. For design and technology it is worth following the D&T Association on Twitter and the hashtags #dtchat #designtech #DandT #supportDT
Links
Myatt & Co Films
Click on the button below to take you to films on Design & Technology on the Myatt & Co website