Why do we teach DT?
Design and Technology is an analytic, imaginative and practical subject. It encourages children to think creatively in order to problem solve as an individual or part of a team. At Bluecoat Primary, we encourage children to use their ingenuity and originality to design and make products as a response to relevant problems within a variety of contexts, considering the needs, wants and values of others. Within a sequence of learning, children are also given opportunities to reflect and evaluate past and present designs, enabling them to become innovators and risk-takers. Wherever possible, we aim to link projects across subjects giving a deeper understanding of entire concepts and a rich purpose for learning.
As society’s needs are always changing, a correct solution today may not be valid tomorrow. In DT, children learn how to take risks, becoming resourceful, creative and curious citizens. Through the skill of evaluation, when analysing past and present technological advances, the children develop a critical understanding of its impact on daily life and the wider world. Design and technology education makes an essential contribution to the creativity, culture and wealth of the world we live in.
How do we teach DT?
Each year group will partake in age appropriate learning for the following units: designing, making, evaluating, technical knowledge and cooking. Below is a breakdown of some of the things covered in each unit, however, these are age dependent to ensure a progression of skills from Nursery to Year 6.
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, cross-sectional diagrams, prototypes, pattern pieces and computer-aided design
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
Technical knowledge:
• apply their understanding of how to strengthen, stiffen and reinforce more complex structures
• understand and use mechanical systems in their products
• understand and use electrical systems in their products
• apply their understanding of computing to program, monitor and control their products
Cooking and nutrition:
- understand and apply the principles of a healthy and varied diet
- prepare and cook a variety of predominantly savoury dishes using a range of cooking techniques
- understand seasonality, and know where and how a variety of ingredients are grown, reared, caught and
DT in Action.
Take a look below at some of the things that we have been getting up to in DT over the last half term
For further information regarding our DT curriculum, please contact our DT Subject Leader, Miss Gilzene.
What do we teach in DT?
To ensure that our children are receiving a broad and balanced curriculum in DT, the content they cover develops in a spiral nature, with children revisiting key themes in greater depth in subsequent school years and being introduced to new themes as they progress through school.
Click on the icon above to see the progression of content taught throughout each year group.