Design and Technology (DT)
“There are three responses to a piece of design- yes, no, and WOW! Wow is the one to aim for.”
Milton Glaser, American Graphic Designer
Intent:
Design and Technology is about providing opportunities for children to develop their capability. Children like making decisions for themselves and doing practical work. They love creating products they can see, touch – and even taste – for themselves. At Bedfont Primary School, Design and Technology allows children to keep up with the rapidly changing world. We offer a practical hands-on approach to the subject where children are actively involved in researching, designing, creating and evaluating products.
Design and Technology provides pupils of all ages with opportunities to explore ideas; to design and make products to solve problems. In doing this, pupils learn how to use tools and equipment to create designs and work with a range of materials. In this subject, the children go on a journey of investigating, designing, making, modifying and evaluating. It provides unique experiences for the children to work independently and with others to solve problems set by themselves or the teacher. Children can gain a thorough understanding of what it is to design a product, what technology is and how it can be used in their world.
DT within Bedfont Primary School aims to allow children to solve real and relevant problems within a variety of contexts whilst considering other's needs, wants and values. DT enables lots of links to core subjects as well as a focus on creativity. There is a strong focus on teaching children a variety of skills including: construction, cooking, sewing and mechanical systems, which we hope children can use throughout their journey at Bedfont Primary School and beyond.
Implementation
At Bedfont Primary School, the teaching of Design and Technology across the school follows the National Curriculum and it is supported by Kapow. The use of Kapow allows children to use the three main stages of the design process, which are: design, make and evaluate. Each stage of the design process is underpinned by technical knowledge which encompasses the contextual, historical, and technical understanding required for each strand. Cooking and nutrition is implemented throughout the school with children developing an understanding of where food comes from, the importance of having a varied and healthy diet and how to prepare this. With the support of Kapow, we are able to revisit children’s previous knowledge and understanding, which enables children to build on their existing knowledge.
Design and Technology is an important part of the curriculum and learning and it is with this reason Bedfont Primary School is dedicated to teaching and preparing well-resourced Design and Technology lessons, which enable children to relate this to real life experiences. Lessons incorporate a range of teaching strategies from independent tasks to group work, including practical and hands-on tasks. This variety of tasks ensures children are engaged with their learning and makes lessons engaging to those with a variety of learning styles.
Design and Technology encompasses Bedfont Primary School’s core values. It aims to be an inspiring and practical subject which promotes creativity, co-operation, confidence and curiosity. Pupils will be given the opportunity to design and make projects that solve real life problems or relate to real life experiences. Through Design and Technology, children will learn to take risks, be reflective, innovative and resilient. Through the evaluation of past and present technology, children can reflect on the impact of Design and Technology on everyday life and the wider world.
Each year group will complete a project on rotation on a half termly basis. Most classes will block out a whole week to complete a project or split this into one lesson per week until the project is completed. All children will be taught the objectives set out in the progression map document, however differentiated tasks can be made for children who are unable to access these objectives. Challenge questions and tasks will be planned for in topics to help children think in greater depth about a project.