Design & Technology
“The best way to predict the future is to design it” – American architect Richard Buckminster-Fuller. This quote has become the ethos of design & technology at CCCS and is echoed in the work that the students produce. Design & technology is all around us, every product or service that we use has been designed in some way. It is designers and engineers who make the world what it is today.
Design & Technology is not just a ‘creative’ subject it’s cross-curricular and goes hand-in-hand with other subjects including science, mathematics, art and design and information technology, the humanities and economics.
At CCCS design and technology is one of the subjects that students enjoy the most. Mainly because they have the opportunity to have fun in a different classroom environment, whilst completing activities which involve analysing, designing, modelling, manufacturing and evaluating a range of different products. They also use a range of different tools, equipment and machinery including Computer Aided Design (CAD) and Computer Aided Manufacture (CAM).
The department is housed within the design technology block consisting of three workshops and a computer suite with 16 computers. In addition to the standard machines found in design technology workshops the department also has an A0 scale full-colour printer, laser cutter and 3D printer.
Course description
KS3
Students study Design & Technology for half the year, rotating to Food & Nutrition for the remainder. They attend three lessons per fortnight and complete projects covering; Timbers, Polymers and Papers & boards. Whilst the majority of the projects have a practical outcome they are also underpinned with the theoretical knowledge and understanding of design and technology. 学生们 also investigate famous designers and design careers which assists them in the GCSE options process.
KS4
Students in years 10 & 11, attend 5 lessons per fortnight over the two years, studying the EdExcel Design & Technology course, which enables students to understand and apply iterative design processes through which they explore, create and evaluate a range of outcomes. Students use their creativity and imagination to design and make prototypes that cover the material areas including Polymers, Timbers, Metals, Papers & boards, Fibres & textiles & Systems. 学生们 are also expected to apply their knowledge from other subjects, including mathematics, science, art and design, computing, business and the humanities to solve real and relevant problems, considering their own and others’ needs, wants and values.
KS5
学生们 have the opportunity to continue their study of Design & Technology through the EdExcel A-level Product Design course, further enhancing their knowledge and skills working with a choice of Polymers, Timbers, Metals, Papers & boards, Fibres & textiles & Systems. The course is structured over 10 lessons per fortnight for the two years and the student’s complete projects which continue to equip them with design skills for the future. They begin to be able to recognise design needs and develop an understanding of how current global issues, including integrating technology, impacts on today’s world. Creativity and innovation is encouraged so that the students have the confidence to innovate and produce creative design solutions as they develop their own design brief with a client.
What will you learn about?
• Materials and components; their uses, properties and performance characteristics
• Manufacturing and production processes including the application of digital technologies
• Factors influencing product development
• Project planning
• Health and Safety
• Sustainable design
• The integration and use of control systems in design solutions
To be successful in this subject students will need to be good at and enjoy:
• Lateral thinking – problem solving through an indirect and creative approach that uses reasoning that’s not immediately obvious and involves ideas that may not be obtained by step-by-step logic
• Thinking outside the box – thinking differently or from a new perspective
• Analysing products looking at their strengths and weaknesses leading on to further improvements
• Designing using an Iterative approach – the process of continual improvement, of a concept, prototype, design or product
• Developing and applying their knowledge and understanding gained in other subjects such as; maths, science, humanities, business etc. to design and produce successful products
• Learning about design and past designers/engineers/inventors who have influenced the world in which we live
• Demonstrate their ideas using hand sketching techniques as well as CAD including
• Working with a variety of materials and practical tools and equipment to realise a prototype product
Progression routes & career opportunities
学生们 who study Design & technology could go to follow a range of subjects at degree level including Product Design, Design Management, Automotive Design, Architecture and Engineering. Other students may choose to take the Apprenticeship route seeking work with the engineering and design sectors.
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Useful websites:
- Technologystudent – www.technologystudent.com
- BBC Bitesize – www.bbc.com/bitesize/subjects/zvg4d2p
- Design & Technology on the web – www.design-technology.info
- Design Museum – www.designmuseum.org/design#