The Teaching of Design Technology at St Mary and St Benedict

Intent

At St Mary and St Benedict school we believe that design 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 making products and systems.

At St Mary and St Benedict school children will be given opportunities to learn to produce practical solutions to real problems. Children develop technical understanding and making skills, learn about design methods and investigate their environment and the materials around them.

All of these skills will enable the children to become confident individuals who are able to embrace changes and challenges.

Aims

• To develop imaginative thinking in children and to enable them to talk about what they like and dislike when designing and making;
• To enable children to talk about how things work, and to draw and model their ideas;
• To encourage children to select appropriate tools and techniques for making a product, whilst following safe procedures;
• To explore attitudes towards the made world and how we live and work within it;
• To develop an understanding of technological processes, products, and their manufacture, and their contribution to our society;
• To foster enjoyment, satisfaction and purpose in designing and making.

Implementation of Policy

At St Mary and St Benedict school, through the study of design and technology children combine practical skills with an understanding of aesthetic, social and environmental issues. 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.

The key concepts in D.T are planned a progression for on our curriculum map are as follows:

• Developing, planning and communicating ideas
• Working with tools, equipment, materials and components to make quality products
• Evaluating processes and products
• Mechanisms
• Construction and use of materials
• Textiles

At St Mary and St Benedict school children learn to produce practical solutions to real problems. Children develop technical understanding and making skills, learn about design methods and investigate their environment and the materials around them.

We use a variety of teaching and learning styles in design technology lessons. The principal aim is to develop children’s knowledge, skills and understanding in design and technology, and teachers encourage children to use their knowledge and understanding when developing ideas, planning and making products and evaluating them.

At St Mary and St Benedict school we use a balance of whole class teaching and individual or group activities, giving children opportunity to both work on their own and to collaborate with others. Children are encouraged to listen to the ideas of others, and treat them with respect, to critically evaluate existing products, both their own work and those of others. They have the opportunity to use a wide range of materials and resources, including ICT.

Assessment:

At St Mary and St Benedict school the monitoring of the standards of children’s work and of the quality of teaching in design and technology is the responsibility of the design and technology subject leader. The design and technology subject leader provides the SLT with information through reviewing planning and topic coverage termly and reviewing the progress towards the targets in the school improvement plan twice a year. Samples of work are photographed or collected to build a portfolio of work in design and technology.