Design & Technology
What is
Design & Technology
?
Design and technology is an exciting subject that will give you the skills and abilities to engage positively with the designed and made world and to harness the benefits of technology. You will learn how products are designed and manufactured, how to be innovative and to make creative use of a variety of resources including digital technologies, to improve the world.
Why is
Design & Technology
important?
Design and technology is a practical and valuable subject. It enables you to actively contribute to the creativity, culture, wealth and well-being of your community and your nation. It will teach you how to take risks and become more resourceful, innovative, enterprising and capable. You will develop a critical understanding of the impact of design and technology on daily life and the wider world. Additionally, it provides excellent opportunities for you to develop and apply value judgements of an aesthetic, economic, moral, social, and technical nature both in your own designing and when evaluating the work of others.
Our vision
At the end of their time within the Design and Technology department at Penyrheol Comprehensive, we want all learners to be ethical, informed and valued citizens who can contribute and live successful, happy and progressive lives in a technological society.
The Design & Technology department are committed to delivering a forward thinking and progressive curriculum which is interesting and informative. We will develop self-motivation and a genuine passion for discovery and learning.
We aim to ensure learners are confident in developing technical and practical competencies as well as wider skills that are valued by employers. We will develop a mindset where making mistakes is not something to be feared thus building resilience.
The Penyrheol Design & Technology department will:
- Develop skills with tools and equipment which are valued by employers and will benefit learners for life;
- Develop resilience and a desire to produce products to the very best of learners’ ability;
- Develop an understanding of how products are made and the ethical and environmental issues that can affect these;
- Develop an understanding of the needs of consumers and use that understanding to produce ideas and products;
- Develop an understanding of the importance of targeted research when faced with a problem or design task;
- Develop an understanding of the importance of planning in order to make quality products.
Big questions in
Design & Technology
How do the Sustainable Development Goals affect us?
How do we turn our ideas into products?
How do we use tools and machinery to produce products?
How does what we buy and use impact on the environment?
How can we use design thinking to solve real world issues?
What will your journey in
Design & Technology
look like?
Throughout Key stage 3 you will have opportunities in 3 distinct subject areas. Namely, Product Design, Fashion and Textiles, and Food and Nutrition. You will have half a year in two of the three areas during years 7, 8 and 9. This has a distinct advantage in that you are really able to stretch your skills and knowledge during your time in each area. All the areas are very different and you will be able to explore each area as you visit them.
What will the study of
Design & Technology
encourage you to think about / do?
Studying Design and Technology will give you an understanding of why materials and products are designed and manufactured the way they are. It will enable you to become a discernible consumer who is able to critically analyse products throughout your life.
What opportunities for learning does the
Design & Technology
curriculum provide?
During your time in Design and Technology you will look at many of the Sustainable Development Goals as set out by The United Nations. This will provide you with many opportunities to look at and learn about the products and materials we take for granted and use daily. How we can manufacture using the materials in a sustainable way, so we do not impact the environment. There will also be devoted lesson time to practical activities in which you are able to use many resources such as computerised sewing machines, laser engravers, 3D printer and a wide range of hand tools and machinery.
What skills will you learn in your study of
Design & Technology
?
You will grow confidence as you learn how to handle and use tools in three different classroom environments.
In product design you will use hand-tools such as saws, chisels, try squares and machine tools like pillar drills and sanding discs. You will also learn how to use computer aided machinery such as laser cutter/engravers and 3D printers. You will have opportunities to use these tools and combine them to produce fun, exciting products.
In food and nutrition, the focus will be on learning about eating for good health and wellbeing and how you could plan nutritious meals for yourself, friends and family. You will learn how to use basic kitchen equipment and knife skills to prepare simple dishes.
In fashion and textiles, the focus is on the impact of fashion on the environment and people all around the globe. You will learn about these real-world issues through various activities but will discover solutions to the problems through hands on and fun practical activities such as tie dyeing and printing and sewing skills both by hand and on the sewing machine.
How can you deepen your knowledge and understanding of
Design & Technology
?
There are many things that you could do to enhance your knowledge and understanding in design & technology. Perhaps the most important skill of all is the ability to listen. Listening to customers and their wants and needs is vital, the more you do this, the more you become empathetic to their desired product you could create. Keeping an open mind and exploring a range of ideas is also important, the ability to consider all angles when solving problems is vital. Being aware of the products we use in our daily lives, the resources that goes into making them, the cost to the planet all these factors could be read about on social media such as YouTube and Instagram.
How does your study of
Design & Technology
support your study in other subjects?
Studying design and technology helps you in other subject areas too! As you often have to develop your own ideas, you become more independent, more able to think for yourself and a more confident learner.
How can
Design & Technology
support you in the future?
With its many branches of study, design and technology can help you after you leave Penyrheol Comprehensive. Whether your path in life is to progress your studies in sixth form college and perhaps University or to study for an apprenticeship, the skills and knowledge you learn in design and technology will benefit you. You will learn real skills that are invaluable to prospective employers.
The skills you learn will also benefit you for life, being able to complete small maintenance tasks in your home, being able to fix and repair clothing and being able to prepare food for your family are incredibly useful for everyone.
Some jobs/careers linked to Design Technology are:
- Graphic designer
- Interior designer
- Costume designer
- Industrial designer
- Art director
- Web developer
- Civil Engineer
- Robotics engineer
- Architect
- Aeronautical engineer
- Construction manager
- Carpenter/joiner