What is Design and Technology?
Design and Technology education involves two important elements – learning about the designed and made world and how things work, and learning to design and make functional products for particular purposes and users.
In Design and Technology, children acquire and apply knowledge and understanding of materials and components, mechanisms and control systems, structures, existing products, quality and health and safety. We’ve found that skills learned in D&T also help with learning across the curriculum. Their knowledge about the properties of materials helps in science and the practice of measuring accurately helps in maths. These skills help in IT through the children’s use of computer control and, naturally, in art and design. Design and Technology education helps develop children’s skills and knowledge in design, materials, structures, mechanisms and electrical control. They are encouraged to be creative and innovative, and are actively encouraged to think about important issues such as sustainability and enterprise.
There are three core activities children engage with in design and technology:
Activities which involve investigating and evaluating existing products
Focused practical tasks in which children develop particular aspects of knowledge and skills
Designing and making activities in which children design and make ‘something’ for ‘somebody’ for ‘some purpose’
These three activities are combined in sequence to create a D&T project.
(Data 2015)
