Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn.” Benjamin Franklin
Design and technology prepares children to take part in the development of tomorrow’s rapidly changing world. Creative thinking encourages children to make positive changes to their quality of life. The subject encourages children to become autonomous and creative problem-solvers, both as individuals and as part of a team. It enables them to identify needs and opportunities and to respond by developing ideas, and eventually making products and systems. Through the study of design and technology they combine practical skills with an understanding of aesthetic, social and environmental issues, as well as of functions and industrial practices. This allows them to reflect on and evaluate present and past design and technology, its uses and its impacts. Design and technology helps all children to become discriminating and informed consumers and potential innovators.
Teaching and Learning in Design and Technology
In order to effectively explain each of our subject areas, key documentation is established by the subject leader and shared with all relevant teaching staff. This documentation includes:
- The Subject Policy
- The Subject Long Term Plan
- The knowledge and Skills Progression Document
These documents collate, and clearly outline the expectations, coverage and implementation of the Design and Technology curriculum.
Subject leadership Documentation
In addition, subject leaders are required to monitor the effectiveness of their subject throughout each academic year. In order to do this with effect, the following documentation is updated regularly.
- Subject review – an audit of the subject is completed annually RAG rating the effectiveness of the subject identifying subject priorities.
- Subject Action Plan – Developed using the School Development Plan priorities and the end of year audit to establish next steps as we continue to strive to improve each subject area.
- Monitoring Cycle –Our Learning Enquiry approach ensures the monitoring of Design and Technology. Our carefully scheduled book looks, learning walks, planning/resource checks, pupil voice and staff voice. All findings are collated; feedback is shared and next steps are actioned. Planning and resource checks are completed at the start of the unit for the Design Technology team to ensure no learning is lost.
Delivery of Design and Technology
Our D.T curriculum is taught every other week. This is to ensure sufficient coverage so that the knowledge and skills are taught.
Lesson content
In support of foundational understanding of Design and Technology, key components of lessons have been established in conjunction with teaching performas to support class teachers with consistent delivery lesson-by-lesson.
Our D.T lessons will include in the following order:
- Cross curricular retrieval – A question linked to Art and Design linked to previous assessment gaps or retrieval of current or recent topic.
- Careers in D.T – As each D.T lesson begins, the teacher will explain what Design and technology is being reminded of the skills of a technician, i.e researching, designing, making and evaluating
- Vocabulary – Relevant, design and technology specific vocabulary is shared, defined and repeated by the children. These words will be used throughout the lesson to ensure purposeful discussion.
- Sequence of the lessons: All cycles will follow this process; some stages might last more than one lesson. Before sharing the learning objective, the full cycle will be displayed and the children will be made aware of what stage of the process they are at.
- Research –
- Design
- Skills lessons
- Make (this can take a number of lessons)
- Evaluate
- Edit and improve product
- Core 10 strategies – Evidence based, high quality teaching strategies are employed where appropriate encouraging modelling, retrieval strategies, accurate assessment and purposeful reflections by learners.
Performance and Learning Evidence
Evidence collation is key to support the learning process and the monitoring of teaching and learning by subject leaders and senior leaders. In order to evidence Design and Technology effectively, the following strategies have been implemented:
- EYFS – Tapestry, adult conversations and through general observations.
- Year 1 – Individual D.T books, mostly from spring onwards, the made products and end of unit quizzes.
- Year 2 to Year 6 – Individual D.T books, the made products and end of unit quizzes.
The Class Teacher assesses the performance of children after each unit based on the knowledge and skills they have demonstrated over time. The teachers are encouraged to formatively assess throughout the entire sequence, ensuring proactivity and responsivity to the needs of the children. Feedback can be verbal or written. The use of bespoke end of unit quizzes, that have been designed by the subject leads, also assess knowledge. These judgements will be recorded termly on Arbour following each unit of work. The Subject Lead will moderate assessment judgements in-line with the school’s assessment calendar. All year groups use the Design Technology progression document to plan lessons, ensure progression, and assess learning.