Design and Technology at Hylands
At Hylands, we teach DT through our Cornerstones Creative Curriculum and follow the National Curriculum. In each DT project, all children are given the opportunity to design and make products that solve real and relevant problems in context. In DT, our pupils acquire a broad range of subject knowledge as well as skills, building on from one year to the next. Central to the teaching of DT lie our core values. Pupils are encouraged to: think creatively at the design stage; use pupil voice to challenge their design ideas and the ideas of others through questioning and testing; take risks with their designs and the materials they choose; show resilience and resourcefulness in their thinking; and working by trying ideas, adapting, rethinking and making improvements as they progress in their work - characteristics that are fundamental to success in school and beyond.
Each DT project is based on three key elements: that a product is being designed and made for somebody and for a particular purpose.
DT projects at Hylands start by examining ‘real life’ products in today’s world through handling trays, photographs and video clips; thus closing the gap between pupils in terms of what they already know.
Products are evaluated and discussed at the start of each project and children are encouraged to share and express thoughts about the effectiveness of the design and the materials used. Challenge is built in by encouraging pupils to put their own creative stamp on their product, to test and make changes in order to strive for excellence in their product and to justify reasons for their alterations, choice of materials and ways of working. We encourage our pupils to think like real life designers with the understanding that sometimes we fail at the first attempt but we keep going and keep looking for ways to make the product even better. We model the use of technical vocabulary and expect our pupils to use it too. We develop technical competence by encouraging pupils to apply measurements and use tools with growing accuracy.
Health and safety is of paramount importance and built into every stage of a DT project. Children are shown how to handle and use objects, materials and tools correctly and the need to be aware of others is highlighted.