Teach Design Magazine Design & Technology and Engineering Education

ISSUE #1

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02 | teach design

Welcome:Teach DesignBy Teachers, For Teachers...

The Teach Design magazine is free to every UK secondary school. There are three editions per academic year (September, January and April), plus one special edition focusing or a particularly important topic. The magazine is edited by the Teach Design Team, and supported by our partners.

As the fi rst edition of the magazine, we see this as the signal in a new era for Design & Technology and Engineering education in the UK. The Teach Design team is made entirely of D&T and Engineering teachers, with an ethos of “for teachers by teachers”. Our aim is to raise the profi le, improve the quality and modernise Design & Technology and Engineering education across the UK.

D&T teachers, designers and engineers contribute to this magazine. We hope it becomes an invaluable opportunity to share resources between departments across our subject. With this in mind, we hope that you too will contribute to this CPD resource and share your own good practice. We thank all our partners and supporters who have helped make Teach Design a reality.

Every D&T teacher will no doubt be familiar with the new National Curriculum for D&T. We believe this an exciting opportunity for the subject to evolve and David Barlex provides us with some thought provoking discussion questioning “just what is D&T” [page 04] to help us take ownership of what’s in our curriculum.

Mark Shayler justifi es our subject in a fantastic must read article “design is a super-power” [page 08]. Be sure to share this one with your students!

Hope Valley College showcases their “mood monster” project as a great way to introduce PIC controllers at KS3 [page 20] and Archbishop Holgate’s School demonstrate the impact of free CAD software in the form of Autodesk Inventor [page 12].

VEX robotics is really taking off across the UK. Not only is it hailed as a breath of fresh air for teachers of engineering, systems and control and our colleagues in computing, but it’s great fun for the pupils too. Saint Olave’s Grammar School [page

18] take you through how their D&T department launched the best club ever!

The James Dyson Foundation continues to provide outstanding teaching and learning resources for use in the classroom. We are delighted to be working with them to deliver FREE CPD workshops [page 36].

Looking to network face to face with other teachers? Then why not attend or setup your own TeachMeetDT [page 34]. If the thought of our initiative has really excited you - why not get involved and apply for our Foresight Teacher Project [page 27].

Finally before you enjoy your fi rst taste of the Teach Design magazine, we hope that you will become more than just a reader and visit our website at www.teachdesign.org.uk, to register and also join the discussion on Facebook and Twitter.

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Just what is D&TThought provoking questions asking “just what is D&T?”

Design is a Super-powerOur subject justified

IsoSketchNo more “I can’t draw!”

Autodesk Case StudyScooters designed & tested using industry standard software

Departmental ShowcaseHope Valley College D&T share their ethos

Getting started with VEX roboticsDesign, build and program robots!

Project ShowcaseA ready to go project focusing on microcontrollers

New CurriculumHow engineering must regain its status

Foresight Teacher ProjectAn exciting opportunity

Why I dropped D&T?A student’s take on the subject

Stop, Collaborate and ListenThe importance of teachers working together

The End Game?Thunking about D&T with the Circular Economy

Teachers inspiring TeachersTeachMeetDT introduces the best sources of CPD

Teach Design in ActionA summary of what we have been up to

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ISSUE #1CONTENTS

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“Science teachers can represent the knowledge of their

subject but D&T teachers can’t!”

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So just what is D&T?

David BarlexEducation Consultant with D&TforD&T www.dandtfordandt.wordpress.com

The problem is we don’t know what we‘re about..

John Williams, a well respected academic and colleague of mine, carried out an interesting enquiry. He asked a number of relatively new to teaching science and design & technology teachers what they thought were ‘enduring ideas’ in their subject and how these might be taught. The science teachers had no difficulty about agreeing on the first part of the task and were soon discussing how to teach such tricky ideas as the particulate nature of matter and elements and compounds whereas the design & technology teachers spent all the allocated time disagreeing about the nature of design & technology and what might or might not be ‘enduring ideas’.

To those of us who know design & technology teachers this might not come as a surprise but this lack of unanimity is a cause of great concern. The expert panel, set up to advise Michael Gove on the National Curriculum, had difficulty fathoming design & technology and as a result recommended to the government that it should not be a subject in the National Curriculum on the grounds of ‘weak epistemological roots’ and a lack of disciplinary coherence. Fortunately the campaign led by the Design & Technology Association persuaded the minister to reject this advice and with a sigh of relief we all greeted the news

the design & technology was ‘in’. But the proverb ‘Be careful what you wish for’ played out strongly when the government announced the consultation Programme of Study. It was a complete hotchpotch of miscellaneous and unconnected content that seriously lacked disciplinary coherence and compounded the Expert Panel view of weak epistemology.

Of course there was immediately extensive lobbying for the suggested Programme of Study to be completely scrapped. Dick Olver, chairman of BAE Systems, one of the UKs biggest companies, was particularly critical. He said the draft proposals for design & technology did “not meet the needs of a technologically literate society.

Instead of introducing children to new design techniques, such as biomimicry (how we can emulate nature to solve human problems), we now have a focus on cookery. Instead of developing skills in computer-aided design, we have the introduction of horticulture. Instead of electronics and control, we have an emphasis on basic mechanical maintenance tasks. In short, something has gone very wrong.” The lobbying was successful and we now have a Programme of Study that is fit for purpose but to ensure that we don’t find ourselves in this position again I think it is worth trying to identify enduring ideas relevant for design & technology.

@DavidBarlex

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Ideas about materials One enduring idea must be the nature of materials as most if not all design & technological activity requires the use of materials. And if someone is going to use materials he or she will need to know something about them. So what would need to be known? Clearly the idea of properties with different materials having different properties is essential. Given the importance of eco footprint then it will be useful to know something about sources of materials and how they are refined to the state where they are useful. And given the finite nature of the material world it would be useful to know something about the estimated reserves of materials, especially those that are particularly useful and in short supply.

Ideas about manufacture

And the next step of course is to be able to do something with these materials so we immediately see manufacturing as an enduring idea. In broad sweep terms manufacturing can be divided into four main methods: subtraction, addition, forming and assembly and overlaid on each of these would be methods of finishing. At the moment addition is receiving considerable attention as additive manufacture is being used to produce items of both simplicity and complexity at very different scales to the point where it will almost certainly be possible to ‘print’ organs for transplant. And inexpensive 3D printers are available to schools.

Ideas about function

Most of the made world has to ‘work’ so some knowledge of achieving functionality is required. Three categories spring to mind: powering, controlling and structuring. Controlling is moving on in leaps and bounds with the embedding of electronic intelligence into everyday products becoming commonplace and the technology to achieve this is within the reach of schools through microcontrollers such as picaxe and arduino.

Ideas about design

And very little comes into existence except through designing. So knowledge of design is crucial and teaching designing has long been seen as the Achilles heel of the subject. Four broad methods will be needed: identifying peoples’ needs and wants, identifying market opportunities, generating and developing design ideas and evaluating design ideas. This set of methods taken together and used sensibly enable people to envisage outcomes that do not as yet exist and create them through choosing and using materials and embedding function. Sub sub title

Ideas about critique

The question that immediately follows is to what extent are these outcomes of worth? How do they affect the lives of those who use them and those that make them? How do they affect the planet? Here we immediately see the need for critique. This is different from evaluation as defined in evaluating design ideas. Two broad areas of critique are stewardship and justice. Critiquing for steward ship involves considering life cycle analysis and speculating about different economic models – the currently predominant linear economy and the circular economy as espoused by, for example, the Ellen MacArthur Foundation. In a just world all people should be able to live in freedom from hunger and fear and have shelter from harm. They should have opportunities to pursue happiness and make the best of their lives. The made world full of deliberately designed products, environments and systems must be held to account by critique. So critiquing the outcomes of others than themselves is an important pupil activity.

These five enduring ideas are concerned with ideas of design & technology and are summarized in Figure 1. They are arranged in a pentagon so that all of the ideas can interact indicating that a holistic view of design & technology will require engagement with all the ideas. Through ideas of design & technology pupil will be able to engage with designing and making and experience the anxiety and elation that accompanies such activity.

What ideas of design & technology will be enduring?

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The above is concerned with ideas of design & technology and whilst these are very important there is another set of ideas of equal significance. These are ideas about design and technology as follows

// Through design & technology people develop technologies and products to intervene in the natural and made worlds

// Design & technology uses knowledge, skill and understanding from a wide range of sources especially but not exclusively science and mathematics

// There are always many possible and valid solutions to technological and product development challenges some of which will meet these challenges better than others.

// The worth of technologies and products developed by people is a matter of judgement.

// Technologies and products always have unintended consequences beyond intended benefit which cannot be predicted by those who develop them

Ideas about design & technology which will give them a voice with regard to how design & technology is deployed in their world. This will give pupils a perspective on the way technology has developed, is developing and might develop in the future such that they can gain insight into ‘how technology works’. In addition this should enable pupils to consider how technology might be used to provide products and systems that helps create the sort of society they wish to live in.

I believe it is important that through learning design & technology at school young people acquire both sets of ideas. I don’t think these ideas are epistemologically weak or lacking in disciplinary coherence but an essential question we must consider is, “To what extent is this epistemology reflected in practice – the practice of teaching in schools or the practice of assessment?” I think we know the answer and it is all our jobs to work towards changing the situation.

What about enduring ideas about design & technology?

MATERIALS

CRITIQUE

DESIGNFUNCTIONALITIY

MANUFACTURE

Addition Subtraction, Forming, Assembly, Finish

Power, Control, Structure

Identify needs, wants and opportunities

Generating and developing ideas

Evaluating

JusticeStewardship

Properties, Source, Footprint, Longevity

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Mark has been working in the design field for 23 years. He’s not a designer but he designs. He’s not a philosopher but he thinks. He’s not a businessman but he runs a business. He believes design is the most powerful environmental tool that there is but he also believes that anyone can design; that designers don’t have a monopoly in creativity; and that design needs democratising.

He has worked with clients including Coca Cola, Ecover, Samsung, RS Components, ASDA, Proctor and Gamble and Unilever. He has saved his clients over £100 million. He is a Design Council Design Associate, a MAS advisor, a WRAP advisor and helps run the RSA’s Great Recovery project.

Mark is a founding partner of the Do Lectures and author of the book “Do Disrupt: Change the Status Quo or become it”.

“The truth is that we can’t afford bad design.”

Design is dead important. Honestly. I don’t mean designer clothes. Or the latest mobile handset. I mean the need to use design to make things better and to make better things. Design determines how we feel about products, spaces, and places. Good design is astonishing. It is emotional. It is functional. It is sustainable. It helps you love a product. It makes using a

service easy. It is sometimes not even noticeable. Bad design results in wasted resources; products that don’t make people’s lives better ; products that become waste too early; it makes services second-rate; it fuels our take, make, use dispose world; bad design is bad for people, profit and planet.

I believe design is a super-power.

It can save our world and change people’s lives. But like any superpower it can be abused. There is a good and a bad side to design. But designers don’t want to create a bad anything so how do bad products emerge? We produce some of the world’s best designers. We have some of the world’s greatest design schools. We are pretty damn good at this design stuff. But we let design be controlled by accountants; by procurement; by marketing. We compromise. We penny pinch and forget the pounds. Expensive design is a lot cheaper than cheap design. In the end. Designers respond to briefs, and this is the problem. The briefs ask the wrong questions. If you want a better answer you need to ask a better question. We don’t need any more cheap cack in the world. We don’t need to be let down by poor service design. We don’t want to live in spaces that encourage poor behavior. We don’t want to live in homes that gobble resources and energy. Enough. Is. Enough.

Imagine if we utilized the UK’s design skills for good. If we stopped all pointless, meaningless design activity and used that brain power to make things better. What would that look like? What would get worse? Ok, some people would bleat that we cant afford great design. Just. Stop. Think that through. We can’t afford great design?? The truth is that we can’t afford bad design. We are running out of things. China has control of 97% of all rare earths. World economic power is moving. With every cheap pair of hands comes a great brain and these brains will soon be designing. If we want a role in the world (if we want a world) we need to manufacture here in the UK again. We need to make great products that last. We need to change economic models. We need to change the way we feel about products. We need to do more with less. We maybe need to be happier with less.

But remember, stuff doesn’t make you happy, it’s the things you do that make

you happy.

Design is central to the re-birth of the UK, of our relationship with things, of emotional design, of sustainable design, of making things better. No small challenge. But remember, designers are super-heroes.

Use your gift well.

Mark ShaylerThe Tickety Boo Company@greenape

Design is a Super-power

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“At last, some fantastic new technology that doesn’t need to be plugged in!”

IsoSketch® is available to purchase direct from The Drawing Tool Company online at: www.thedrawingtoolcompany.com

IsoSketch® 3D Drawing Tool: £4.99IsoSketch® Classpack (Stack of 30 tools & Resources): £80

Visit: www.thedrawingtoolcompany.comEmail: info@thedrawingtoolcompany.com

Facebook, Twitter, YouTube: TheDrawingToolCo

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IsoSketch:A pocket-sized cure for “I can’t draw!”

Mark Wemyss-Holden Director: The Drawing Tool Company

As the director of The Drawing Tool Company, I’m the first to admit it might be early to think of IsoSketch as a standard piece of school kit. Although after numerous media appearances and growing orders, this may well be a name to remember.

Being a designer at heart and a teacher by trade, one sound always guarantees to send a shudder of frustration down my spine. The sound in question is that of a defeated pupil, throwing their pencil to the desk when faced with a design task, exclaiming “I can’t draw!”

I knew something was missing. As educators, we continually devise new ways to ‘tool-up’ our pupils, creating stepping-stones to allow them to expand their knowledge, understanding and skills. Yet for me, a genuine solution to the “I can’t draw” headache just didn’t seem to exist. Isometric paper or underlays are an option, but do little to help build actual skills, much in the same way tracing does not help you become an artist. It seems that outside the classroom, the big stationery companies just don’t perceive this as a problem; a gap in the market had revealed itself...

After thorough testing and development, the IsoSketch 3D drawing tool was put into production as the first compact isometric drawing tool on the market. IsoSketch is designed to fit neatly into

a pocket or pencil case, replacing the need for bulky 30/60 set squares, ellipse templates and rulers when creating isometric drawings. On top of size, simplicity also seems to be winning fans. As one secondary school teacher put it, “At last, some fantastic new technology that doesn’t need to be plugged in!” Testimonials and positive reviews have been numerous, perhaps none more inspiring than this account from an enthused teacher:

“A feed on twitter that said “Say NO to I can’t draw” couldn’t have come at a more apt moment; I had literally just walked out a meeting with a year 10 parent who had been quite forthright in explaining that her son couldn’t draw and there was nothing I could do about it, saying she was not allowing him to attend any extra sessions as it would be a waste of time. I ordered an IsoSketch tool that night and with the realisation of how quick and easy it was to get results, I ordered a school pack. I have now used the IsoSketch tools and video tutorials in a number of lessons, including those with the student mentioned before. The students have been totally willing to use them and have been buzzing about developing their own sketches. IsoSketch gives students the confidence to have a go and is such a quick way of understanding the concept of drawing in three dimensions.”Queen’s School, Bushey, Hertfordshire.

Using IsoSketch with my own pupils

across the key stages has confirmed the wider appeal of the product. I remember doing an experiment with Year 7 pupils to see if the concept of the tool was suitable for their age range, discovering that not only was this the case, but also that ability didn’t seem to affect creativity. Not to mention engagement; pupils poured over their work with levels of concentration and positivity, demonstrating how lower ability pupils felt comfortably ‘tooled’ to have a go, while more able pupils saw IsoSketch as a platform from which to create more detailed and accurate work than they would otherwise have been capable of.

That said, I’ve yet to see a finer example of isometric sketching than that produced by one Year 12 student, who when presented with an IsoSketch tool went ahead and created the most incredible space station design without even stopping to think. In actual fact these two experiences showcase the product in just about very possible way; ease of use, effectiveness of the product, relevance to all ages, potential for higher ability levels and promoting engagement.

Versatility is the key and perhaps this is why the product was recently featured on BBC 2 as part of the CBBC’s version of the ‘Genius of Invention’ series. Our dream of IsoSketch becoming part of every pupil’s standard stationery kit is perhaps not so ridiculous after all…

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Autodesk Case Study Scooter

Introduction

Using the Scooter Resources, Archbishop Holgate’s School has quickly established the use of the software as a major part of their Design and Technology department.

Format

For pilot purposes, we taught the scooter project to all Year 10 and 12 Engineering pupils. We were able to shorten the recommended teaching times (16 hours) to around 12 hours at Year 10 and 8 hours at KS5 without compromising on what had been learnt. All pupils completed the scooter specifi c tasks, however, the short “apply” tasks were essential for clarifying pupils understood the skills they were learning. Pupils enjoyed creating scooter specifi c parts like the wheel, however it is essential that pupils understand that these skills can deliver other answers and not just a wheel!

Inventor Skills The Scooter resources teach the fundamental skills essential for any 3D CAD project including: extruding, revolving, sweeping, lofting, fi llets, chamfers, orthographic drawings, assembling parts and rendering. However, it is great to see a project from start to fi nish, which shows how these work together.

KS4 Curriculum

We provide the Engineering Diploma and BTEC qualifi cations at both KS4 and KS5. Using Inventor allows so many areas to be accessed in a very modern and realistic way. In addition to these resources we also purchased four scooters for disassembly. This proved hugely benefi cially and enhanced the overall learning experience.

3D Printing and Testing

Moving on from the initial resources, we begun asking pupils to redesign parts of the scooters we had purchased. Autodesk Inventor allowed us to quickly and easily export to SLT fi le types and then rapid prototype out of ABS using our 3D printer. Pupils were then able to effectively modify and improve and then “test to destruction”!

FEA

Inventor’s FEA (Finite Element Analysis) features mean that testing for stress and displacement in components is easy. Having set up the initial force parameters the part itself can be easily modifi ed. This means that KS5 pupils were able to continually improve their parts.

Student Thoughts

“The most enjoyable part of the project was designing and creating parts of a product, which everyone in my class is familiar with. I downloaded the software at home for free straight away and used tutorials from the student community.”

Steven ParkinsonArchbishop Holgate’s School

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“The scooter resources were easy to use in the classroom straight after my own training course. Everything was

ready to go and within four weeks our students were all proficient users of Autodesk Inventor. The breadth of

skills they develop are broad, allowing a firm platform for independent use and personal progression.”

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This month’s department focus is on the Technology department at Hope Valley College. Jim Smith, HOD, explains the department’s strengths and how they have evolved their curriculum and teaching to develop their students to become independent and creative learners.

Hope Valley College is an 11-16 academy with 700 students based in the heart of the Peak District, Derbyshire. The Technology department is one of largest in the school with 5 full-time teachers, 2 part-time teachers and 3 technicians. The department has a long tradition of producing strong results in all level 2 and GCSE courses offered and plays an important role in whole school development with outstanding teaching highlighted by OFSTED at the last inspection, October 2012. We are an innovative, dynamic and creative department with a great blend of skills and experience. We seek to use all aspects of design and technology to enhance students’ learning experience and further their understanding of the ever increasing technology world.

Without doubt the way in which a Technology department is resourced and funded plays an important role in offering a wide curriculum; we are fortunate to have a supportive senior management team, who believe in the importance of STEM education, an area we play a core role in. This senior management support means that we are reasonably

resourced with 2 workshops, food room, textiles room, heat treatment area, computer suite, CAD/CAM suite with 3D printer, 3D CNC router, laser cutter, sublimation printer, plotter, CNC miller & lathe. However, like every Technology department in the country we are always looking for new cutting edge technology to bring into the department and are never happy with what we have got!

Over the past decade the department has been fortunate to work with and advise the SSAT, QCA, Nuffield foundation, DfE, AQA, Manchester Met University, Nottingham Trent University & Design Council on a number of projects including KS3 Secondary National Strategy, KS3 National Curriculum, keep connected initiative, Technology and STEM conferences & advisory INSET. This has enabled technology staff to have an impact outside of HVC and improve both our and others’ practice. This is encouraged by senior management and we work with a number of secondary and primary schools, assisting them with their curriculum and teaching development, as well as working collaboratively on projects.

KS3 Curriculum

Our KS3 technology curriculum is based around two years, where students rotate around different specialist disciplines including: Product Design, Systems & Control, Food, Textiles and CAD/CAM.

As a department we have reviewed the rotation system many times but feel that it works extremely well and allows the students to be taught by experts in each field rather than diluting the curriculum. Student engagement, through student voice, tells us the variety and ability to work with different teachers are popular. This stance isn’t fashionable and goes against national body advice, but it works for HVC and our students. Each student at KS3 has 3 hours of technology a week, allowing them to develop their understanding and engage in complex projects and schemes. The Ks3 curriculum allows students to analyse, design, make and evaluate products in order to become informed consumers. Hope Valley students are never backward in coming forward and want to tell you what they think and how they could improve others ideas and designs. We feel that we have a great set of schemes of work and projects that engage students and push them to the limits in terms of independent & creative learning.

Schemes range from PIC programming and SolidWorks CAD to casting and 3D printing. There is always a fine balance of developing exciting and up-to-date projects and funding them, at the moment we feel that we have the balance just right.

Y9 Pathways

For 9 years we have allowed students at end of Y8 take a pathway throughout the whole of Y9, this allows students

Departmental ShowcaseHope Valley College Derbyshire

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“Outstanding teaching is at the core of what we

do.”

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to develop their skills, knowledge and understanding in one technology subject area. We offer the following area pathways: Product Design, Textiles and Catering.

The work produced and the learning that takes place are of a very high standard and it has allowed teachers to push their students in order to get them ready for technology at GCSE. Throughout the pathways students develop their skills around creativity and independent learning which really challenges them and enables them to design and make their own ideas rather than working within restrictive design briefs and tasks. The students love this and reported In a whole college student voice, that they liked to focus on a subject area they enjoyed and preferred being able to work on their own ideas rather than all doing the same thing. The Y8/9 option process starts in May and allows students to make an informed decision on which pathway they will take, communication with students and teachers is fundamental to this to ensure that the pathway system works.

KS4 Curriculum Although we are a small school we are able to offer a large range of level 2 courses that meet the needs and interests of our students. We offer 8 popular courses and numbers have remained strong since the Ebac was introduced; this has been due to how we teach students and the strong reputation we have built with parents. We teach our GSCEs over one or two years allowing students to be able to take more than one technology option. If students take a GCSE over 1 year they have 5 hours of technology a week that allows them to work and focus on their controlled assessment work as well as developing knowledge and understanding for their exam. As a department we were sceptical of how the 1 year option would work but in practice it really does work well and ensures students don’t lose focus or forget anything for the exam. Our Y9 pathway systems enables us to offer the 1 year GCSE option because a lot of the foundation learning work is covered during Y9 and allows the students to hit the ground running at GCSE. Our GCSE

& BTEC courses aim to further extend pupils knowledge and understanding of the material world through the design and manufacture of quality products. There are 8 courses on offer : GCSE Resistant Materials, GCSE Engineering, BTEC Engineering, GCSE Textiles Technology, GCSE Catering, BTEC Construction, GCSE Project and GCSE Graphic Products.

The work the students produce always surprises me in terms of quality and creativity and we have a range of ideas and projects that are manufactured. Every student designs & makes something different, within the constraints of the exam board tasks, engaging the students. Results are strong across the department and students enjoy lessons and their controlled assessment work. Construction has been a major strength in engaging with disaffected students across the college as well as students wanting to enter the construction industry. The work produced is of an exceptional standard allowing students to work with our construction teaching team to work on real projects around school.

Resistant materials work is creative and innovative, a ‘let’s give it ago’ approach is taken by students and staff. The way the course is taught allows students to work across different material areas and processes. Students are continually exposed to new design and concepts in industry which is reflected in the students’ work. Textiles students are always pushing the boundaries of sustainable design, researching and using waste materials in their projects. The work produced is innovative and the same approach to analysis and design as in resistant material is taken, which the students engage with. In catering, professional chefs are used to give the subject a real life context in the classroom and students produce industry standard dishes and menus, achieving excellent results in national and local competitions.

Teaching & Learning

How we as technology staff teach is the foundation of the departments and students success, without question. We spend a lot of our departmental time focusing on how we teach and assess

developing a sharing and progressive relationship between staff. Over the past year we have focused on questioning and literacy in lessons; observations between staff, learning walks and student voice have been used to share good practice and to evaluate the impact on learning. It is fundamental that the department is at the forefront on teaching & learning within the school to ensure that students remain engaged and give the subject some gravitas in uncertain times. The department leads whole school INSET on Afl, feedback and progress checking, outstanding teaching at the core of what we do.

Quality, Quality, Quality

The whole department challenge students to meet high standards. Ensuring the bar is set high and exemplifying past students’ achievements engages students’ competitive nature, resulting in sustained exceptional performance in students’ of 3 or 4 levels of progress at GCSE. Students want to meet the Technology staff ’s standards and their enthusiasm to develop new ideas and concepts is shown in lessons.

Always evolving

As a department we are always looking ahead and wanting to develop the content and delivery of our curriculum. Every year we change our curriculum, keeping it fresh and up-to-date; this approach has prepared us and put us in good stead for changes to the national curriculum and GCSE developments. Schemes of work are always in a state of change and development; this reflects the staff ’s commitment to developing the technology curriculum. The new KS3 curriculum comes in September 2014 and we have already made changes in preparation for this, allowing us to see what works and what needs developing.

SSSh don’t tell anyone!

At Hope Valley College the Technology staff and students love designing and making things. The HOD of Maths, at HVC, said to me the other day in the staff room ‘All you do in technology is have fun making things’ and my response was ‘yes you are right but don’t tell everyone!’

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“we are always looking ahead and wanting to develop

the content and delivery of our curriculum.”

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As a traditional grammar school that is forward looking, St Olave’s has a reputation for being outstanding in Mathematics and Science. But have you heard about the Technology department? Probably not. Despite the fact the department sees annually 100% A-A* grades at GCSE and A-Level, the department struggles to recruit pupils and suffers for being a small department with a small budget. As the Head of department, my mission when I arrived was to help the department punch alongside its STEM cousins.

When I met Paul McKnight, head of VEX operations for the UK and Europe, for the first time, it was at a VEX training course in York. It took a whole 2 minutes for me to realise that the contents of the course was going to be ideal for my mission. During the course, which is now available UK wide through the Teach Design website, I was able to work with the VEX system and basically make an awesome wirelessly operated robot (how many courses can you attend and say that I wonder?).

At the end of the course I made a bee line for Paul, asked him how soon I could get my hands on kits (next day delivery if you want to know) and headed back to London very excited.

So what is VEX? On the face of it you would compare it to the Meccano kits

you might have played with as a child. Stamped out metal parts coupled with neat motors, wheels and axels, all presented in a slick dark racing green finish, much like a quality Jaguar. The parts align perfectly during assembly, and to get started there is a step by step build instruction booklet for the new Clawbot product. The brain of the robot, called the Cortex, is operated using an X-Box style controller either wirelessly, and once you are confident in the build, you can programme the robot using Easy C, Robot C, or Flowal 4 as your options.

Once I was back at my school after the course, I asked Paul to send me through a sample robot kit, which he duly obliged. It was easy to build in around 1 hour. As a kit it was neat, tough, and moved quickly on the floor as I drove it around trying to pick up a bean bag. Armed with the robot, I arranged to meet with our very active parents association (PA). During my pitch I outlined that:

- the robot kits are fun, engaging and challenging to build and design with - pupils of all ages from Year 7 through to 13 will love working in teams on these - we can run the club supported by the Science and Maths department teachers - we can enter teams of pupils into regional and national competitions which is great marketing for the school - with just 6 kits we can work with 30 pupils

Having listened to my pitch, there came the question back “If we pay for 6 kits you can work with 30 pupils, but if we double that to 12, could you work with 60 pupils?”. I smiled knowing that they saw exactly what I did. As it turned out, as an on-going funded club I was one third the cost of our chess club, and it would reach twice as many pupils. This was the clincher for the funds. I left the meeting with £2000, more than enough money to launch my club!

Having secured funds my next issue was staffing. Needless to say I was going to run this club but I needed more staff on hand to provide advice otherwise I would be overrun with 30 pupils in one room! I decided to approach the Head of both Mathematics and Science. Both are fantastic supporters of STEM, so asking them for a “keen” staff member from their own faculty now and again was not an issue. Longer term commitment was not guaranteed, so I took the approach of filling in a STEM Ambassador request form.

The key to a successful application, I was advised by the local representative, is to state exactly what you want an ambassador to do, when, and for how long. I did so, and within two weeks I had secured a local engineer who was keen to work with robotics and our boys!

Getting Started with VEX RoboticsPhil HoltonSt Olave’s Grammar School

teach design | 019

Once the kits had arrived, I took time to organise them. 6 Clawbots meant I had 6 teams of pupils, plus a license for Easy C and some extra sensors to make the robots autonomous. I registered one team for the UK competition also. This was £75, but my registration came with a box of Hexbug toys which I could sell to raise £110. Whilst this could refund my competition entry, I ended up reinvesting in some spare parts and tank tracks for the boys. To sell the Hexbugs, I approached the Head of Economics, who agreed to advise pupils on how to sell them and where, and with the opportunity through VEX to buy more Hexbugs at cost price to sell around school, there is now ongoing sales throughout the year.

To organise the club, I labelled kits A to F, and provided pound shop mini tool box trays, into which I organised the smaller screws, nuts and other parts that each robot uses to assemble.

Having secured the kit, organised them, and entered a team into the competition, my next hope was to seal the Head Masters approval. This happened to be the easiest of all my efforts. With one short presentation of a robot, he announced that our school “Must be big in robotics”. With that I knew I had his support to take the pupils out of school to local competitions and the national competition, but also look at the option

of using the kits as part of the curriculum and sell Hexbug toys around the school all year round.

To launch the club and control demand I placed in every tutor group pigeon hole a poster about the club and 4 application forms. The forms required pupils to come up with a team name and roles of each pupil in the team, and the task was set “Design a robot that could sweep snow from a path”. This was an exam question from an Arkwright Scholarship exam last year, and perfect for challenging the pupils. Leaving the task open allowed pupils to respond with drawings, CAD models, or actual made robots in whatever manner they felt suitable. Doing this filtered out the best most creative teams, and resulted in 15 applications. I chose the 6 teams and launched my club. In the first session we went through videos about the American and UK based National competitions to play through Youtube.

Around the department, I put up a VEX banner, and on our department TV I put a rolling video from the competition which pupils could watch whilst waiting to go into class each day.

At the point of writing this, our club is three weeks into action, and we have managed to help 6 teams all make a Clawbot, compete over a small competition field to pick up and gather bean bags, which is the theme of last years

National competition called “Sack Attack”, and we are now at the stage of selecting the best team to go to the National competition at the Excel in London. Each team is ready to disassemble and redesign their robots, and each are now looking at how they are going to sell Hexbugs to buy new kit parts to adapt their design. As a school with the full Autodesk Suite installed onto our PC’s (free through the Autodesk Education community to all schools in the UK), we have also begun to support pupils in modelling their robot designs in Autodesk Inventor. With all the parts in a library in the programme, we are simply teaching pupils how to assemble parts together, and then bring them into a virtual competition field to check they will be able to reach the goals at different heights, or be able to travel under some of the obstacles.

Our school ICT department have offered a Lego based robotics club for a number of years, but with the obvious limitations to the kits resulting in pupils only designing and making line following “bots”, VEX has really captured the imagination of those looking for something a lot more fun, challenging and dynamic.

020 | teach design020 | teach design

Project Showcase...In each edition we will share and look to equip you with resources and ideas you can use to introduce modern technologies into teaching and learning in design and technology.

Shopping List8 PIN DILMini PCB Right Angle Switch5mm Ultra Brightness LEDsAA Battery

3.5mm Stereo PCB SocketBattery Box 3x aaPicaxe-08 ChipNORPS 12 LDRM3 Slotted Head Screw 16M3 NutsPedagogy

The primary focus for this unit is to develop a product that uses programmable microcontrollers. The unit introduces the students to microcontrollers and how to program them. This will be delivered through students working independently to design and make a Mood monster (mood light). Students will use PIC

logicator software to program their PIC chips and enable students to develop a program. Students by the end of the unit of work will be able to using PIC logicator software to design PIC programs and they would have worked independently to produce a fi nished product.

Mood Monsters

The new draft curriculum is out

there and with the recommendations

includes the use of electronics and

microcontrollers. For some, this may

mean moving into the electronics area

for the fi rst time , or perhaps be a little

daunting for those needing new CPD to

make it happen.

Design Brief

Electronic novelty gifts are very popular. A gadget company have asked you to design and make a novelty mood light using PIC technology.

#1Vinyl “expressions” are cut out using CAD/CAM

#2Higher order thinking, pupils designing PIC programs

teach design | 021teach design 021

Shopping List8 PIN DILMini PCB Right Angle Switch5mm Ultra Brightness LEDsAA Battery

3.5mm Stereo PCB SocketBattery Box 3x aaPicaxe-08 ChipNORPS 12 LDRM3 Slotted Head Screw 16M3 Nuts

teach design | 021

How we do it...For this project we created our electronic CAD fi les and then sent them to a PCB manufacturing company. The company were able to add graphics and values to increase their professional look.

Project Aims:# Use of printed circuit boards in electronics# Soldering safely.# Use of CAD/CAM # Introduce the use of PIC chips.# Introduce the use of PIC Logicator.

#4High quality products produced by all pupils

#3PIC programming software is used to write a program which is

then downloaded on to a PIC chipPIC programming software is used to write a program which is

then downloaded on to a PIC chip

#2Higher order thinking, pupils designing PIC programs

#4High quality products produced by all pupils

Higher order thinking, pupils designing PIC programs

Links to New Curriculum

This type of project is ideal for the

“Technical Knowledge” section of

the new national curriculum. It gives

opportunity for pupils to explore

advanced electronic systems

and apply computing to embed

intelligence in products!

022 | teach design

Design &Technology Science Maths Art & Design Music & Drama

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Request an education catalogue, email your full details to marketing@rapidelec.co.uk quoting TD

M0198 Teach design advert:Layout 1 15/8/13 13:53 Page 1

teach design | 023

Vex advert1page

Simple, flexible, powerful.The VEX IQ system was designed to be simple and easy

for students to use. Structural pieces snap together and

come apart without tools, allowing for quick build times and

easy modifications. A variety of gears, wheels and other

accessories allows for complete customisation of VEX IQ

projects and mobile robots.

The Robot Brain takes high-end, powerful technology and

simplifies it for educational use while keeping the high end access.

Smart Motors and a variety of sensors can be connected to

any of the 12 Smart Ports on the Robot Brain. VEX IQ robots can

be controlled by drivers using the Controller or programmed to

move autonomously.

Expand learning potential with ourtechnology and education partners.FREE graphical programming software, powered by Modkit, allows for custom

robot commands, sensor interaction and more. ROBOTC for VEX IQ, created

by Robomatter Inc. and supported by Carnegie Mellon Robotics Academy,

allows robot programming in C.

VEX Assembler, powered by Autodesk 123D, adapts the power of Autodesk's

advanced 3D modeling tools, giving students the ability to assemble and test

VEX IQ mechanisms and robots virtually in this FREE software.

VEX Robotics is a registered trademark of VEX Robotics, Inc. © Copyright 2013. All Rights Reserved. All other product names referenced herein are trademarks of their respective companies.

www.vexrobotics.com/vexiq

A STEM education revolution.VEX IQ is a robotics platform designed to transform STEM learning

for young students and their teachers. Students as young as 8 can

jump right in and snap robots together using this intuitive,

tool-less platform while educators can utilise the FREE

VEX IQ Curriculum to help teach them valuable lessons

and skills that are needed in today's changing world.

The VEX IQ Starter Kits are £199.99 and include everything

needed for use in the classroom, inc. batteries and chargers! There

are no hidden extras after purchasing. FREE curriculum mapped to the

new UK D&T curriculum is also available

Launching in the UK in September 2013 - the next generationof robotics has arrived for the 21st Century D&T classroom!

024 | teach design

“Engineering has to regain its status, and

be recognised not only as an academic

subject, but also as one which is

hugely practical and creative.”

teach design | 025

New CurriculumAlison WatsonDirector: Class of Your Own

Last September, Michael Gove declared the end of more than two decades of ’dumbing down’ of academic subjects through the current examination system.

The construction industry has suffered the same fate over the last 20 years and more. In particular, the lack of promotion of engineering careers to the general public has resulted in a poor image and low social status compared to other professions. Whereas in countries like Germany where the status of engineer is still highly regarded, even revered, most young people in Britain refer to the engineer as “a man who fixes cars”, or more generally “a man who fixes ‘things’”. It’s no surprise that the industry as a whole is struggling to recruit young British talent when the devaluation of the word “engineer” has hit an all time low.

Engineering has to regain its status, and be recognised not only as an academic subject, but also as one which is hugely practical and creative, and accessible to boys and girls alike. A low carbon future needs ingenuity, empathy, innovation, teamwork and more than anything, a strong desire to improve the quality of people’s lives. Engineering is so much more than a higher degree in Maths and Science…Sir John Parker, president of the Royal Academy of Engineering has this to say about engineering, industrial policy and STEM skills:

“It’s a very exciting profession with a great future. But I think the time is right for society to re-evaluate the importance of engineering. It’s encouraging that the government is becoming increasingly positive about the need for an industrial strategy. There’s a growing recognition that engineering is an essential profession that can solve many of this country’s technical problems. And there’s an increasing appreciation that engineering- and technology-led sectors are critical traction engines for the economy.”

It is very clear that a new curriculum model which inspires academic and vocational progress must not follow its predecessors that are focused on construction trades, and indeed, it must not have a title which reinforces an existing perception of the industry. It must instil excitement and enthusiasm in teachers and students alike, and indeed give parents the confidence that their children are studying a programme which will give them a progression route to a wealth of professional career opportunities.

026 | teach design

And that’s why the Design Engineer Construct! curriculum is aimed at the generation of young people who are tech savvy, but who need much more help to grasp the application of pure subjects and how they relate to solving some of the world’s greatest challenges in sustainable living. The construction industry, according to the CBI, is ‘vital to the UK’s economic growth’, but vital to the construction industry is a home grown bank of bright young things who recognise and aspire to be part of it.

“Teaching to the Test”

Design Engineer Construct! was written as an introductory programme to inspire and challenge 11-14 year olds, however, at the request of a number of high achieving schools, we have incorporated a framework which provides a Level 2 qualification, equivalent to a GCSE and on the 2014 and 2015 performance tables. In today’s world of league tables and targets, teachers understandably see the qualification as a huge bonus. Fortunately, the programme is exciting, demanding and robust in its own right to withstand any change in education strategy – it is the beginning of an increasingly challenging, productive journey for young people, harnessing 21st century technology and processes. Design Engineer Construct! sits alongside academic subjects and provides real life meaning to trigonometry and algebra, scientific concepts, principles and patterns. Schools should never underestimate the power of mentoring by real professionals in preparing students for the world of work and making informed career choices,

and so there are significant opportunities for industry intervention, not only through inclusive workshops but also through regular local and national challenges and competitions, genuine work experience placements and contact with potential future employers.

However, a teacher training initiative is fundamental to the success of the programme. We believe in providing recognised qualification routes and offering a variety of events and opportunities for students, but also continuous professional development for teachers. We have developed a training scheme and are investigating links with teaching schools/universities to provide CPD accreditation.

We are also working on a recognised scheme which is endorsed by Mott MacDonald – one of Britain’s most respected multi- disciplinary consultancies, which encourages teachers to feel they are a part of the industry. Teachers, like their students, are also learning techniques and technologies used by professional engineers, but so often have a fear of ‘not having a construction background’ (or in many cases, any work background). We are helping them get over this hurdle by breaking down the technical barriers and delivering effective training and mentor support in partnership with industry specialists.

“Exam boards’ rivalry to be ditched”

We sincerely hope that a system where subjects are set by just one provider includes the support of industry, where the skills demanded by employers

are in accordance with 21st century requirements. We EXPECT high standards in the Built Environment sector. We work to them every day, and yet we are failing to recruit the right people.

For too long, subject criteria has been devised and evaluated by experts who are not necessarily in tune with the careers to which subjects can lead. Design and Technology is an obvious example here, where teachers are sometimes still referred to by their colleagues as ‘the brown coat brigade’ reminiscent of the teaching of CDT in bygone years in the school woodwork and metalwork workshops.

Our own approach to developing criteria with Universities and ‘learned societies’ (in our case, industry leaders) delivers a specification that is up to date and in demand by the very people who will employ our children.

teach design | 027

What is the project?

We are seeking to create a team of dynamic teachers in Design & Technology and Engineering education. The team will meet (face to face & digitally), network and collaborate to develop innovative ideas to inspire teachers during the exciting transition which Design & Technology and Engineering education fi nds itself in.

The proposed new national curriculum for Design and Technology is the seed of something potentially special. However, the roots are still to form and we strongly believe that teachers for teachers can do this.

Who should apply?

We think this will be a unique opportunity for those seeking to accelerate their career progression, whether an NQT,

an aspiring head of department or even aspiring to an SLT position. Ultimately, if this opportunity makes your mouth water then you are absolutely the right candidate!

Meetings will be once every half term and take place on Saturdays. Locations of meetings will vary across different parts of the UK. Members of the team will be reimbursed for travel and accommodation.

What will the team do?

Our overall aim is to provide assistance with the modernisation of Design & Technology and Engineering education. We fully expect the team to develop an array of foresight ideas, along with resources and training courses. Everything will help departments get ready for the new national curriculum. Importantly, everything developed will then be FREE

for all UK D&T teachers.

How is the project funded?

Teach Design is a non-for-profi t organisation. Money generated from other projects is reinvested in to things we think are really important - the Foresight Teacher Project being a really big one! We are lucky to have some very supportive partners who see the value in teacher engagement and because of this are willing to sponsor us too.

How to apply?

We are looking to recruit committed D&T and Engineering teachers from all material areas. The application process is easy - “write no more than 300 words on what you would bring to the team”. Further information on the application process can be found at www.teachdesign.org.uk/foresight.

Foresight Teacher Project

028 | teach design

Why I dropped D&TBut want to become an Engineer?

Charlie, A2 student and no longer studying D&T.

D&T is an immensely enjoyable subject and provides you with hands on making skills which are applicable to the real world. It also helps with planning and time management while more up to date courses enable students to learn and master a form of CAD. D&T A-level has many benefits and for design based degrees it is a must. However having just gone through the process of selecting and applying for Universities, and selecting my A2 options to match these, it is most definitely not for Engineering degrees.

The AS level enables students to build a foundation in professional level design whilst giving them time out of the classroom and in the workshop. Universities though, have their own ways of doing things. For example, there is little point in learning a different CAD program to the one used in a degree, or mastering the wrong laser cutter. University Engineering courses are looking for mathematics and physics skills from subjects that give you the raw knowledge which the Universities can then take and apply to Engineering.

For me, D&T A-level is almost irrelevant to Engineering ar university. I am about to apply to study Engineering at four Russell group Universities and at every open day, taster day and application talk I have been to, D&T A-level has not come up,

as a necessity or even as a recommended subject.

While D&T A-level has its benefits, especially for those considering a primarily design based degree, the skills learn’t and cultivated throughout the A-level are not what Universities consider to be necessary or directly applicable to Engineering degrees. Maths, Further Maths and Physics, with a strong supporting subject, are all that’s needed for almost all Engineering degrees. You may as well take an A-level that you enjoy (as I have done) and will prosper in than spend all of Year 12 and 13 doing coursework, then preparing for your exam immediately after.

I took D&T AS level not only because I enjoyed the GCSE but because I enjoy D&T in general. Having 60% of your AS level completed before exam season is extremely attractive to many. But no matter how much I enjoyed GCSE, at AS Level the coursework was constant and required an incredible amount of hours spent at home and in the workshop. I was made fully aware of the effort involved before hand but as a teenager, there are A-levels which require far less work and are just as useful if not better than D&T when applying for an Engineering degree. I took D&T AS level presuming it would contribute massively to my University application, however I soon found this not to be the case. I was told by visiting engineers, careers advisors and course providers that the hours of work that I

would put in to D&T beyond AS Level would not equal a worthy reward, and so chose to continue my other supporting AS level, Classical Civilisation, into Year 13. Not only does this widen my possibilities and prevents the cliché of “putting all my eggs in one basket,” but it allows for a respite from technological based study, while providing a talking point at interviews.

Many students this year and beyond will take an AS level D&T wrongly believing that it will strengthen their University application and is the subject they need to be successful. People take subjects they don’t necessarily want to, or are passionate about and having a love for a subject is the easiest way to ensure success. For an engineering degree, D&T is not necessary and so students should use their fourth AS level to take a subject they actually want to.

NB: Charles achieved an A* at GCSE in D&T. He chose AS Level on the back of his teachers’ advice to support his career path into engineering. Charles, like 10 other pupils in the D&T group, has now dropped the subject at A2, to study a none technology based subject, but stills plans to study Engineering at degree level.

Does this sound familiar to you? How have you negotiated at situation like this to keep your students, or are you too losing them to other departments because of the messages coming from Universities?

teach design | 029

“A-level D&T is almost irrelevant to Engineering at

university.”

030 | teach design

Part of my one of my favourite poems says; “Today well lived, makes every yesterday a memory of happiness”. So ask yourself, is your ‘today’ well lived? Are you making the student’s ‘yesterday’ a memory of happiness? And by well lived, I mean are you providing the best possible lessons and projects? I’ll hold my hands up. I haven’t always. I’ve worked my proverbial off, but the projects and lessons haven’t been as good as they could be. That’s because I struggle with finding the time needed to create all the resources and projects. We all know how long it takes to create schemes of work, lesson plans, resources etc. That’s if you can think of a new project in the first place. It’s no wonder some departments are stuck in a rut and taught the same projects for 30 years. Is that fair on the students? I don’t think so. So what’s the answer? I think I have it.

Collaboration and sharing is the answer. It isn’t always easy to attend networking events but there are different and more instant ways of collaborating. Twitter is a fantastic way to do this. Follow me (@Mr_Al_Robinson), look at who I follow and follow them too. Constant CPD and new project ideas, instant contact with other D&T teachers, a weekly #dtchat and even somewhere to share resources in #dropbox. Teach Design in partnership with The National STEM Centre have created an online group. This group will give us the seeds from which we can

grow our own ideas and will also allow us to share full projects complete with schemes of work. After all, if you aren’t embracing technology, how can you expect to teach relatable and modern content to pupils?

Do you prefer going into a shop rather than calling up to get help, when you need to upgrade your phone? Meeting other teachers face-to-face is the same. You get more from the time that you have conversing. And once you have another like-minded teacher it makes it much easier to stay in touch and share resources. The thought of turning up to an event and not knowing anyone would strike fear into most people. But you must see past that and sum up the courage to go, or how do you expect to develop your teaching beyond tweaking your current projects? Once you have poured yourself a cuppa and asked someone how they are getting on with their year 11s, you will find you have more in common than you realise. Go to a networking meeting prepared to share some of your own successes. Take a memory stick and some resources. If 20 people attend, that’s 20 new ideas or projects. I run the meets in the North East, tweet me for details; I would love to see you there.

Who says that your ideas for projects need to come from other teachers? There are a huge number of local (or national!) businesses out there who would love

the opportunity to tell schools what they need future employees to be able to do. They would love even more the chance to be able to help that happen by teaching skills or providing funding for equipment. So why not collaborate with them? The real life experience for the students is invaluable and does wonders for switching them on to the subject. Get some emails sent out!

Collaboration and sharing is the answer. Today alone, I saw a project idea on twitter and contacted the teacher who sent me the resources. I then had a Facebook message from another teacher and I sent them 3 ideas for systems projects I got from another teacher when I visited their school. Finally, tonight I spoke on the phone to another teacher about a new KS3 approach at my new department and we are meeting up to share pedagogical ideas. So that’s at least 4 different projects that have been shared as a result of today. Think of the affect it will have on the students.

To finish off the quote from earlier, “Today well lived, makes every yesterday a memory of happiness and every tomorrow a vision of hope. Look well, therefore, to this day....”.

StopCollaborate and Listen

Al RobinsonHead of Product DesignBenfield School

teach design | 031

032 | teach design

The end game is the transition from a linear to a circular economy.

At present the dominant economic model is ‘take-make-dispose’. Fuelled by cheap fossil fuels, cheap materials and easy credit, companies make their profi ts through selling stuff and then selling more stuff. But this cannot work long-term; we are now faced with simultaneous crises such as the end of cheap energy, materials, and easy credit. Add this to the evident environmental costs and an economy where growth in the West is essentially jobless (the same or increased output with fewer workers). So what has gone wrong?

When we look at natural systems we see a very a different model. A plant grows (growth powered by the sun) and its branches and leaves, petals and fruit all provide a complex infrastructure for other species. A leaf drops, rots down and provides the nutrients for new life. There is no waste. The natural economy both evolves and works long-term.

The good news is that there is a new way of thinking on the table. It is gaining traction rapidly among multinational companies, small entrepreneurs, regional and national governments and supranational bodies such as the European Union. Called the ‘circular economy’ it is different mindset from the old ‘take-make-dispose’ way of seeing the world and its future. In a model circular

economy, products and services are designed so that waste is eliminated. At the heart is the notion that waste = food. All materials should ideally be of two sorts; those which can safely re-enter the biosphere and those, technical materials – metals, polymers etc. - which are designed to circulate at high quality in a technical cycle.

The economic drivers are important. Extracting extra use from a product, enabling business models around repair and refurbishment, or making material recovery easier all offer design driven business advantages. A couple of examples. Renault can sell a light van with a four-year warranty and can make a profi t. However, if they buy the van back after three years and 100,000 kilometres, refurbish it with genuine (remanufactured) Renault parts, they can sell it again with a four-year warranty, at a lower price for the buyer, but still at signifi cant profi t for the company. This is possible because valuable parts are not being scrapped. When you think about it, it is crazy that sophisticated products such as mobile phones are ground up or burnt. Surely it is better to design them so that everything can be recovered and there is no waste in the fi rst place?

Another example is the electric drill. B&Q are now investigating the pros and cons of renting drills rather then selling them (the typical drill is bought, used very occasionally and spends most of its time

on a garage shelf). In a circular system the option includes a company retaining ownership of the product and designing the drill for easy maintenance, upgrading and repair.

Circular economy thinking is taking root and this has massive implications for design education. There is so much to be redesigned so that it fi ts extended product life business models, through to design for disassembly and onward materials pathways (recovery). This offers a whole new context for designing and already some schools have transformed their D&T schemes of work to refl ect this. The result? There is a new level of motivation and positive thinking as students realise the design challenges and opportunities that this offers.

The Ellen MacArthur Foundation has been leading the thinking with two major reports. Their website showcases companies and products, with videos and short animations that explain the principles of circularity in a simple and accessible way. They have also developed several suites containing hundreds of free teaching resources including activities for D&T. Download System Reset at www.ellenmacarthurfoundation.org/education/resources.

There is a growing community of D&T teachers who see this approach to design as the way forward. Will you be part of them?

Thunking1 about D&T

James PittEllen MacArthur Foundation

1. A thunk is a simple-looking question about everyday things that stops you in your tracks and helps you start to look at the world in a whole new light.

The end game?

teach design | 033

034 | teach design

Have you ever been to a course where the best thing about it was the lunch? With expensive courses not led by teachers or current practitioners it is sometimes hard to find the value. Well this can’t be said for the TeachMeet movement!

A TeachMeet is an organised but informal meeting (in the style of an unconference) for teachers to share good practice, practical innovations and personal insights in teaching with technology. The format of TeachMeetDT will be a little different than a normal TeachMeet with the proposed format;

Micro Presentations - These are 7mins long. You could talk about things that have happened in the classroom. Don’t worry if it is just about showcasing a product, a piece of software, free or otherwise, or a tool or a strategy to improve learner interest or engagement or for teachers’ professional learning.

Nano Presentation - These are 2mins long, over in a flash. Talk about experiences from the classroom/workshop

‘Pass it on’ Project ideas - All teachers attending TeachMeetDT are asked to

bring a project that they are proud of to showcase on the day.

One to One - Everyone who attends will talk about an idea they have used in the classroom one to one with a fellow TeachMeetDT attendee, that they don’t know.

In partnership with The National STEM Centre, we have developed TeachMeet’s with a Design and Technology focus to help develop how D&T is taught along with project and lesson ideas. It is simple; D&T teachers spreading and sharing good practice, it doesn’t matter how big or small your ideas are, share them!

Over the next 12 months there are going to be lots of TeachMeetDT’s across the country. The success of TeachMeetDT is down to the number of D&T teachers who attend & present, so please do get involved! We want to empower other D&T teachers to organise and host their own TeachMeetDT and will support you in making this happen.

The first one is in partnership with the National STEM Centre in York on Saturday 28th September between 10am until 1pm. To attend this TeachMeetDT

sign up under collaboration on our website.

Be sure to follow @TeachMeetDT and @NtlStemCentre on twitter and check our website for more details. If you want to get in touch or host a TeachMeetDT then contact jim@teachdesign.org.uk

For information on future TeachMeetDT events and to share ideas and resources throughout the year, please join the D&T Group on the National STEM Centre website.

Register for free at; www.nationalstemcentre.org.uk/signup

Teachers inspiringTeachers

TeachMeetDT

teach design | 035

“How many teachers have fantastic ideas & practices which stay in their classroom? I know a lot of teachers

where this is true. I think it is a terrible waste of expertise.”

036 | teach design

Teach Design in Action

In July we kicked off our FREE CPD events in partnership with The James Dyson Foundation. Events were hosted at The National STEM Centre in York and The Design Museum in London.

Both days were energetic and packed with 5 workshops! David Barlex, a leader of Design and Technology education started each workshop. David gave delegates a lot to think about when considering planning 21st Century curriculums. Are your projects: designing without making, making without designing, design and making or exploring the technological society? Splitting up what D&T is into these 4 areas was an outstanding and thought provoking start to the day!

Next up was Phil Holton who led a fast paced, hands-on and action packed workshop where delegates built and programmed a VEX Clawbot! Robotics are going to be huge in D&T over the next few years and delegates really loved this workshop!

The Iso Sketch from The Drawing Tool Company is an effective tool that gives high quality 3D Isometric sketches in seconds. The great thing about the tool was now only how easy it was to use, but also how it could be accepted by either novice or experienced drawers! This literally will improve the quality of 3D drawing in your department! Delegates competed for the classroom set of tools.

Well done to Darren from Birmingham and Louise from Sheffield.The Engineering box provided by The James Dyson Foundation contains machine heads from a DC22 which can be disassembled. The class set of heads teaches so many different elements of engineering. Did you know there is PP, PC, ABS, NP6 and TPE plastics in this small and neat product? What a way to teach material properties to young people! The box is available on a free loan from the foundation so make sure you book yours for some point over the next year!

Finally to wrap up the day, Steve Parkinson ran a Teardown Workshop similar to those he and Ellen MacArthur hosted across the UK in December 2012. The Ellen MacArthur Foundation are a charity which promote and teach about the Circular Economy. Design & Technology and Engineering have such an important role to play in the Circular Economy. This quick introduction gave delegates a real thirst for getting this into their curriculums!

Teach Design will be offering lots more FREE events next year. Course booking and information can always be found on our website however we also advertise these through Facebook, Twitter and our monthly newsletter. Ensure you don’t miss out by registering with Teach Design at www.teachdesign.org.uk/register.

Using Circular Economy Cards designed by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation

Rapid Prototyping components and casings using the MakerBot Replicator

A disassembled turbine head from the James Dyson Foundation engineering box

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“I loved the workshops! I was totally engaged all day and came out inspired about D&T.”

038 | teach design

Autodesk advert1page

Ideas brought to life.Autodesk’s Design the Future program offers FREE Autodesk software and resources to all UK Secondary Schools to support design and technology subjects.

www.autodesk.com/designthefuture

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www.penandpaperdesigns.co.uk

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Pen & Paper

Pen and Paper is made up of a team of enthusiastic graphic designers and teachers.

They work closely with schools, colleges and organisations to create visual and refreshing educational resources to engage and inspire pupils.

Graphics in education is so important. If you think about it, graphics make learning environments look and feel great, but good graphics do a lot more than that.

Good graphics underpin the ethos and values of a school. Good graphics make students take pride in their work. Graphics don’t just stick to the wall, they peel off to become part of a lesson. Graphics can be central to teaching and learning.

A picture is a thousand words, good graphics are much more. Graphics help to make learning outstanding. P

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