Design Technology
At Dunstall Hill Primary School, we believe that Design Technology education promotes and provides the creativity and imagination needed to solve real life problems. Our pupils will learn how to take risks, becoming resourceful, innovative, enterprising and capable citizens whilst developing a critical understanding of its impact on daily life and the ever-changing technology and engineering in the wider world.
Our DT curriculum is designed to be delivered alongside art, science and history, as parts of it directly relate to areas of knowledge which the pupils acquire in these subjects. Units look at concepts which are also addressed in these subjects which allows the children to approach their study of design and technology with confidence and ‘expertise’ and to consolidate their knowledge by creating connections between the different disciplines.
To achieve our aims we have implemented the PKC Curriculum which is split into three different areas: ‘cook’, ‘sew’ and ‘build’. It is designed by subject experts to be broad and balanced so that each year group will complete a unit of work in these three different areas once a year. Two different ‘aspects’ of design are interwoven into the three areas of study: the environment and sustainability, and enterprise and innovation.
In ‘cook’ children learn to cook from recipes which gradually build basic culinary skills, culminating in year six with the creation of a mezze-style meal requiring the them to produce various small dishes. Whilst studying these practical skills they learn about concepts relating to food such as nutrition, seasonality, food production, transportation and food from different cultures.
In ‘sew’ children practise using fabric and thread to learn basic sewing techniques to create objects which demonstrate embroidery, appliqué, weaving and plaiting. Concepts such as the properties and creation of different fabrics, fast fashion, industrialisation, waste, recycling and pollution are interwoven into these activities.
In ‘build’ children learn about the creation of structures and mechanical and electrical devices to create products such as cars, moving cards, toys and books. This culminates with year six learning to consider the user in real life, designing a water wall for children in reception. Once again, the practical process of designing and creating a product is interleaved with learning about concepts which have a bearing on what the children make. These concepts, for example force, motion and the properties of materials are often connected with those encountered in the science curriculum.
THE IMPORTANCE OF DESIGN TECHNOLOGY
Design Technology Overview
Click here to view the Design Technology overview.
Early Years links to Design Technology
Our learning opportunities for Design Technology in EYFS are interweaved throughout our provision.
Children will begin to explore different materials using all of their senses. They will experiment with a range of media through their multi-sensory play. This will allow them to develop their own ideas on how to use materials and which ones they should use to express them by joining them together.
Alongside this, they begin to refine their ideas and begin to express their thoughts and feelings about the media and how they can be used to represent them. This will all be done in collaboration with other through activities such as junk modelling and creating structures etc.