Design Technology
Design Technology
At Newburgh CE Primary School our design and technology curriculum provides children with a real life context for learning. Through the DT curriculum, children should be inspired by engineers, designers, chefs and architects to enable them to create a range of structures, mechanisms, textiles, electrical systems and food products with a real life purpose.
Our teaching of DT follows the design, make and evaluate cycle. Each stage should be rooted in technical knowledge. The design process should be rooted in real life, relevant contexts to give meaning to learning. While making, children should be given choice and a range of tools to choose freely from. To evaluate, children should be able to evaluate their own products against a design criteria. Each of these steps should be rooted in technical knowledge and vocabulary. DT should be taught to a high standard, where each of the stages should be given equal weight. There should be evidence in each of these stages in the children's sketch books, which should also develop to show clear progression across the key stages as they are passed up through each year group.
In the EYFS this looks like:
Physical Development -
- Develop their small motor skills so that they can use a range of tools competently, safely and confidently.
- Use a range of small tools, including scissors, paintbrushes and cutlery.
Expressive Arts and Design -
- Explore, use and refine a variety of artistic effects to express their ideas and feelings.
- Return to and build on their previous learning, refining ideas and developing their ability to represent them.
- Create collaboratively, sharing ideas, resources and skills.
- Safely use and explore a variety of materials, tools and techniques, experimenting with colour, design, texture, form and function.
- Share their creations, explaining the process they have used.
In Key Stage 1 this looks like:
Design -
- Design should be rooted in real life, relevant contexts to give meaning to the learning.
- Planned through appropriate formats: drawing, templates, talking and mock-ups.
Make -
- Children should be given a range of tools for their projects to choose from.
- Children should use a wide range of materials and components; textiles, construction equipment and ingredients.
Evaluate -
- Evaluate existing products.
- Evaluate their own products against design criteria.
In Key Stage 2 this looks like:
Design -
- Rooted in real life, relevant contexts to give meaning to the learning.
- Researched designs based on functional, appealing products with purpose.
- Planned by appropriate methods; annotated sketches, cross-sectional diagrams, prototypes, pattern pieces and computer aided design.
Make -
- Children can select from a wider range of tools than Key Stage 1.
- Children should use from and select a wider range of materials and components; textiles, construction equipment and ingredients.
Evaluate -
- Evaluations should be in comparison to existing products.
- Children should evaluate against a design criteria.
- Children should understand how key events and individuals have helped shape design and technology globally - products are in context!
