“If you’re not prepared to be wrong, you’ll never come up with anything original.”
– Ken Robinson
Powerful Knowledge in Design Technology
Powerful knowledge is the realisation that most of the items we interactive with on a daily basis are designed by humans, for humans for a reason. Real world problems are used to develop students’ understanding of the huge impact and improvements that designers can make to housing, transport, communications and everyday objects that we use. The projects taught provide opportunities to learn about:
- Important design movements and their origins such as; Bauhaus, Art Nouveau, Art Deco, Modernism (early, late, post).
- Materials and their properties. Their original source and the benefits and challenges they may have.
- Manufacturing techniques and what technological advances are available in order to prepare for future challenges.
- The responsibilities of a designer to consider social, moral and environmental implications.
- The safety, suitability and quality of products for a consumer, including ergonomics and anthropometrics.
Curriculum Features
Our KS3 curriculum aims to secure the learning that has taken place by retrieving and applying knowledge, skills and understanding to a range of real-world contexts. Each project incorporates all or parts of the iterative design process (research, design, develop, test and evaluate). This runs parallel to learning knowledge in order for students to successfully design valid, informed and logical solutions. Projects include elements of Graphics, Product Design, Textiles, Engineering and Systems and Control. This ensures that a wide breadth of content can be studied.
The subject encourages students to explore their individual ideas and become enterprising, resilient, innovative and resourceful individuals. They will:
- Research influential designers past and present to aid the generation of new ideas such as; Alberto Alessi, James Dyson and Harry Beck.
- Develop the ability to present, justify and communicate design ideas through drawing, modelling and verbal presentations, enhancing confidence in oracy and rhetoric.
- Critically test and evaluate outcomes to identify areas for improvement.
- Apply knowledge to prototype valid design solutions using a range of tools, materials and equipment.
- Apply skills in literacy, numeracy, computing and scientific knowledge within the subject.
Co-curricular Enrichment
We offer electives that aim to enrich the work students produce in Design Technology lessons. There will be opportunities to enter school based and national competitions such as ‘F1 in Schools’ and ‘The Roller Coaster Challenge’ run by Siemens. Within the curriculum and through extra-curricular activities we encourage students to consider potential career paths and provide opportunities to work with employers and experience projects that are relevant and current.