Design and Technology
We are all designers at The Avenue! Our Design Technology curriculum encourages children to develop their design skills and implement these into their individual, designer expression and creativity within their curriculum learning. We give the children the opportunity to critically consider a range of designs, architecture and sculptures using the vocabulary of design and construction.
We achieve this goal by:
- During design technology-based topics Know-It Boards are used to display key construction vocabulary that children have been introduced to.
- Design technology Know-It Mats which show the learning that children have accessed throughout the year within design technology.
- Curriculum big books demonstrate how each strand of design technology is taught throughout the year groups, objectives covered, photographs of children creating their products, children’s work and children’s thoughts.
How do we approach Design Technology at The Avenue?
Our design technology curriculum allows the children to have a means of expression beyond that of learning provided in the core subjects. Design technology projects are focused around year group topics so that the products that the children produce are directly linked to other topic learning. This gives the children an immersive, all-round experience throughout each half term.
Children at The Avenue develop their Design Technology skills in these key areas:
- Designing
- Making
- Textiles
- Mechanisms and Electrical & Mechanical Elements
- Materials
- Evaluating
- Technical Knowledge
- Food Technology
- Designer, Sculptors, Architects Study
From Early Years Foundation Stage through to Year 6, children build upon their skills throughout the year groups. Each year, children recap their previous learning as well as develop each skill further.
How do children record the design, making and evaluation of their products?
Each time the children embark upon a design technology sequence of work, they always follow a structured sequence of lessons. Children design their product using a given criteria, they make their product using their design, and then finally, they evaluate their product. By following this sequence of lessons, this allows the children to understand the importance of each step and allows them to consider their choices and critically assess their own work.
Which designers, sculptors or architects do children at The Avenue study?
Each year group takes part in two designer studies per year. The designers have been carefully chosen to include a broad range of study, including those from the local area and designers from different cultural/historical backgrounds. Children are encouraged to consider the designs produced by the designers that they study and develop their own opinions on the designs produced. After they have considered the designers’ work, children are encouraged to consider their style and design, make and evaluate a product inspired by the designer.
To read more about the sculptors, architects and designers we will be studying, please click here
Examples of our Designer Case Studies
For further information regarding he Department for Education Key Stage 1 and 2 Design and Technology Programmes of Study please click here
