Design and Technology at Gordonbrock

Design and Technology is an inspiring, rigorous and practical subject. Design and Technology encourages children to learn to think and intervene creatively to solve problems both as individuals and as members of a team. At Gordonbrock, we encourage children to use their creativity and imagination, to design and make products that solve real and relevant problems within a variety of contexts, considering their own and others’ needs, wants and values. We aim to, wherever possible, link work to other disciplines such as mathematics, science, computing, history, geography and art.

We see Design and Technology as an opportunity to provide authentic learning experiences for our children. Each year the project contexts are adapted to suit real events that matter to the children. This enables greater engagement and better outcomes where children look to tackle real problems and produce a quality product.

When designing and making, the children are taught to:

Design
  • use research and develop design criteria to inform the design of innovative, functional, appealing products that are fit for purpose, aimed at particular individuals or groups
  • generate, develop, model and communicate their ideas through discussion, annotated sketches and cross-sectional diagrams.
Make
  • select from and use a wider range of tools and equipment to perform practical tasks (for example, cutting, shaping, joining and finishing) accurately
  • select from and use a wider range of materials and components, including construction materials, textiles and ingredients, according to their functional properties and aesthetic qualities
Evaluate
  • investigate and analyse a range of existing products
  • evaluate their ideas and products against their own design criteria and consider the views of others to improve their work
  • understand how key events and individuals in design and technology have helped shape the world

On top of skills and knowledge acquisition, these projects aim to build children’s transferable skills in a number of areas: self-management, collaboration, critical thinking and problem solving.

Tony Hall, Technology Co-ordinator

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