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PrimarySecondaryDesign & Technology

First Principles – 5 reasons why schools neglect design & technology at their peril

Richard Green, Chief Executive of the Design & Technology Association, puts forward five crucial ways in which Design and Technology can help contribute to secondary pupils’ wider education… As a subject, Design and Technology (D&T) provides an essential part of a broad and balanced curriculum. It is also a subject that can contribute in a […]

Richard Green
by Richard Green
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PrimaryDesign & Technology

Richard Green, Chief Executive of the Design & Technology Association, puts forward five crucial ways in which Design and Technology can help contribute to secondary pupils’ wider education…

As a subject, Design and Technology (D&T) provides an essential part of a broad and balanced curriculum. It is also a subject that can contribute in a number of significant ways to the wider education of all young people.

1 Creativity and imagination D&T develops and exercises young people’s ability to be creative and imaginative, enabling them to apply these skills when facing the wide variety of real problems they will likely encounter in both their working lives and leisure time.

‘Design thinking’ is increasingly being seen as an essential business strategy applicable in, for example, the fields of medicine, finance and law, just as much as in design, manufacturing and engineering.

2 Innovative thinking Young people engaged in designing and making activities are given opportunities to think innovatively, by being tasked with creating products, services and systems that may enhance, improve and secure the quality of their own lives and those of others.

The ability to analyse, interpret and respond to the needs of users is a cerebral, rigorous and challenging skill when undertaken thoroughly. D&T is often mistakenly regarded as just a practical subject. In reality, it is a complex mix of action and thought that helps to develop, in the words of Sir James Dyson, polymaths.

3 Understanding of the modern world D&T enables pupils to understand and participate successfully in an increasingly technological world. It equips them with the knowledge needed to critique and make informed judgements about the appropriate use and applications of existing, new and emerging technologies in both their immediate environment and throughout the wider world.

We are very good at teaching young people about the natural world. However, it is the designed and made world with which they will interact far more frequently. We ignore this aspect of their education at our peril.

4 Preparation for a rewarding career D&T provides an insight into the world of design, manufacturing and engineering, and an awareness of related career pathways into these exciting and well-rewarded areas of business and industry.

They are industries that are fast-moving and constantly evolving, offering a range of careers within them that change and expand at a similarly rapid rate. Opening young people’s eyes to the possibilities of these myriad careers is vital if our future skills shortages are to be addressed.

5 Building confidence Studying D&T helps to develop the creative, technical and practical understanding and expertise needed to perform everyday tasks at home and in the workplace with greater confidence.

‘Learning by doing’ is a highly effective learning strategy for many young people. Possessing practical skills and knowledge in the use of tools and materials – and the confidence to employ them effectively – are skills that some would argue have been fast disappearing from the younger generation. D&T can help to address this!

The Design & Technology Association is the UK’s only association for professionals involved in design and technology education, providing training and support services for teachers, advising the government and partnering with industry to provide learning opportunities for students.

For more information and details of its ‘Designed and Made in Britain…?’ campaign, contact 01789 470 007 or visit www.data.org.uk/campaign.

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