Design and Technology

Subject Statement:

“Design is not just what it looks like and feels like, design is how it works” Steve Jobs

Design and Technology surrounds us in every aspect of our daily lives. Throughout history the innovation of humans has driven our development and made the seemingly impossible possible. 

In 1900 there were no motor cars, but by 1969 Neil Armstrong had walked on the moon.

There is the high technology and high design of the latest phone or gadget and the equally useful and valuable low technology, almost unnoticed design like the Bic Biro.

Designers and Technologists will continue to create, refine and innovate to solve the problems of the future and to make lives easier and more exciting for the global population.

At St Peter’s we have designed a curriculum so that students LEARN a broad and stable foundation across resistant materials, product design, food and textiles in Key Stage 3 following  the National Curriculum. Each specialism shares common themes of Investigate, Design, Make & Evaluate. Our intent is that students develop the key skills of an iterative design approach with confidence to experiment with materials and techniques that fit the solution. 

Our students will ASPIRE to follow a wide range of careers in Design and related industries going on to improve the world through the products and services they work on. We aim to collaborate with local and regional businesses to provide a clear and explicit link between design in school and the world of work.

We support our students to EXCEED their own expectations and develop interesting, creative and inspiring solutions to real world problems. We are proud of our students work and look forward to each new student creating something new.

Design makes a difference to our lives on a daily basis; without realising it we live and breathe creativity, it is all around us – in our homes, transport, the clothes we wear, and the food we eat.

The Design and Technology department is situated in two areas of the school. The Product Design area comprises of one design/research area and two workshops. Hair and Beauty is taught in a custom built salon with industry standard equipment. The Food and Textiles area includes two food rooms, a textiles room and a design/research base.

As a department we believe that Design and Technology is vital because it is concerned with all aspects of how we live and is linked to our intellectual, emotional and physical needs.

• It enables students to take action through working creatively and collaboratively, and engages them in high level thinking and decision making. The skills learnt are empowering, diverse and appropriate to their action taking.

• Design and Technology is delivered in the context of the designed and manufactured world. The decision making and action taking that students engage in will enable them to produce products, concepts, systems or environmental outcomes. Students take ownership of their world and in doing so seek to improve it through enquiry and exploration. The benefits of this to students enable them to contribute to culture, society and industry.
• As a species we stand to face our biggest threats in the coming decades. Over population, lack of resources, rising sea levels and global warming will put strain on every part of the planet. Only designers can help us solve these problems. Without design there is no future for mankind. Without design and technology in schools and universities there is no design. Design and Technology is valuable because it enables an understanding to develop of the affect that we have on environment through the products we consume. It shows how these issues can be addressed through including sustainability and the 6R’s in projects. We want to develop an understanding and use of the sustainable approach to enable students to be socially responsible as both designers and consumers. A more realistic hope for the future and one that needs considerable investment is this; designers solve problems, designers can, and will design products that overcome the problems associated with global warming and the threat to our continued existence.

“Design creates culture. Culture shapes values. Values determine the future” Robert L. Peters – Designer and author

We encourage DESIGN TECHNOLOGISTS to:

• Be innovative and willing to take risks when designing and making.
• To get the WOW factor
• Feel their opinion is valued but know that it must be informed.
• Ask questions and keep asking questions
• Appreciate the nature of research and the need to use judgment
• Be aware of current issues e.g. sustainability.
• Appreciate that there isn’t always a clear answer or one answer.
• Understand Design and Technology because it is necessary to appreciate how it affects all aspects of our day to day life.
• Develop empathy particularly when working in a practical situation.

 

AIMS

The aims of our Department are to develop and extend the following:

• Independent learning that leads to problem solving
• Allow the  students to build up knowledge and skills of materials and processes
• Increase awareness of culture, how technology operates within society.
• Put it in context by introducing current designers and makers.