Design Technology is exciting from the start, when children are planning what they are creating and then fulfilling each of the steps to ensure the end product is what they envisaged! There is not one child who does not enjoy Design Technology!
In the Early Years Design Technology is embedded throughout as children learn through a range of play. Whether it is building, constructing, painting or exploring how things work.
The characteristics of effective learning are how we want the children to learn. They describe the behaviours our children use in order to learn. To learn well, children must approach opportunities with curiosity, energy and enthusiasm. Effective learning must be meaningful to a child, so that they are able to use what they have learned and apply it in new situations.
Three characteristics of effective teaching and learning identified by the EYFS are: playing and exploring - children investigate and experience things, and 'have a go'; ... creating and thinking critically - children have and develop their own ideas, make links between ideas, and develop strategies for doing things. These are also the very essence of our Design Technology curriculum.
Once the children enter key stage 1 and key stage 2 each year group have their own creative ideas based on the key skills that are required from the National Curriculum. The skills are essential to follow but also can be transferred to any part of a process; they overlap into many different areas of the curriculum.
For example:
- Science- through testing
- Maths- through measuring and number calculations
- Literacy- through writing up the plans and seeing them through to the end
- Art- through drawing, planning and designing
- Computing- through research
The children also have to work effectively together and discuss their findings, this creates peer on peer modelling and learning.
The process is Design : Make : Evaluate.
These are essential skills that could be embedded in cross curricular learning supporting children in being able to self-assess their learning in any area.
What do they need to begin? What is working well? How can I make it better?
The skills become more complex and challenging as the children get older. As a result, the skills become embedded as they take on each new DT project in each year group.
It is not only about building and creating, our curriculum also involves cooking. As part of their work with food, pupils should be taught how to cook and apply the principles of nutrition and healthy eating. Instilling a love of cooking in pupils will also open a door to one of the great expressions of human creativity. Learning how to cook is a crucial life skill that enables pupils to feed themselves and others affordably and well, now and in later life.
Our teachers ensure our children can plan effectively, so that their plans are achievable so that our children are able to create their design/recipe. This includes demonstrating how to use certain tools, ovens, cutting tools, glue guns, making sure resources are ready available and planning the right amount of time for those creative minds to flourish.
Our curriculum and the opportunities it provides ensure that our children are more than ready for their next steps into the world of STEM!
