Design+and+Technology


 * D&T New National Curriculum Workshop 9th June 2014**





Links to useful D&T websites: [|www.dandtfordandt.wordpress.com/nuffield-primary-dt-resources/] __ http://wandsworthprimarydesignandtechnology.wikispaces.com/  __

Curriculum 2000 v Curriculum 2014
 * D&T Curriculum 2014**

The meeting on Thursday 7 November started with a very useful practical session – a short packaging project that can be used with pupils or as inset for staff. It captures the essence of designing and making in a very immediate way – taking action with simple materials and tools to produce a novel and useful item. As a short inset activity the task reads as follows
 * Notes from Curriculum Development Group**

Design and make a container to hold 8 marbles. You have these materials One sheet of A4 card and one 45 cm length of masking tape You have these tools Scissors You should be able to lift the container holding the marbles off the table without the marbles falling out The container holding the marbles should be able to stand on the table without falling over You should use your imagination to make your container design unusual

There are elements within this task that meet requirements for design, make, evaluate and technical knowledge in the new PoS

Interestingly this task can be used as a pre cursor to a more extensive task in which the activity is embedded in a particular context and requires the development of a container that meets more criteria- as follows perhaps

//There is going to be an inter school marble competition, held in the Town Hall// //You and your team will need to be able to carry your marbles to the competition. Hence each team member will need a container in which to transport his/her marbles. Use what you have learned in the preliminary exercise to design and make a set of marble containers for your team. It should hold eight marbles and express the identity of the team and individual player.//

Then all members of the group were able to describe the d&t work they are doing in their schools. This was varied and led to the identification of some interesting strategies for d&t curriculum development as follows:

1 A ‘quick and dirty’ task like the one described above

2 Using a shop in the classroom, managed by a TA, from which pupils ‘buy’ their materials and components having been given a limited budget

3 Using the International Primary Years Curriculum which has units of work in which d&t are embedded

4 Running a ‘making club’ to develop pupils skills in a particular area.

This led to a discussion of activities for session 3. The plan is as follows. Each member of the group will identify a unit of work which they would like to be taught at their school, if possible by a teacher other than themselves, and present this unit with a short practical demonstration of a skill required by the unit and a commentary on how it meets the design, make, evaluate, technical knowledge requirements of the new curriculum. A wide range of units to consider is available at this url: [] But you can of course use other units of work.

We have an offer of considering a unit that is supported by a simple sewing task starting with a sock!

I’m happy to demonstrate making a roly poly – year 2, and or a creature called a skillosaurus – year 6.

So we need offers from all course members. Please let Davina know what you would like to do. It would be good if you could bring the necessary resources –(tools and materials) to the session. Ideally we’d like to have some opportunities to try out the skills as part of the session.

This activity should allow all course members to experience a wide range of activities and associated skills in ways that will support the provision of inset and curriculum development in their own schools.

The session will be on Tuesday February 11th.

Also at the session we should think about what we want to do at the following session which will consider assessment.

// David Barlex // Find me on Linked In here Follow me here See my website with Torben Steeg here