DT

Welcome to the department of Design and Technology (D&T)

What's new in DT

The year 7 classes have been making multicultural photo frames to reflect there own cultures and nationalities.

The year 8 classes have been learning about mechanisms and making automata toys.

The design and technology department includes Food Technology, Resistant Materials and Design skills.

WHY D&T?

Design and Technology prepares you to learn and think to intervene creatively.

You will look for needs, wants and opportunities and respond to them.

Through D&T you will learn how to reflect on and evaluate present and past design and technology.

Design and Technology prepares you to participate in tomorrows rapidly changing technologies.

You will learn how to develop a range of ideas and make products.

Design and Technology allows you to become autonomous and creative problem solvers, as individuals and as part of a team.

Lessons at Key stage 3

In years 7, 8 and 9 Design Technology is taught through

- Theory work, where specific knowledge is learned.

- Practical work where specific practical skills are learned.

- Project work

Students’ project work involves:

Working to a design brief

Researching information

Developing design ideas

Making what they have designed.

Evaluating what they have made.

How our students are taught

During the year students have one term working in one of the three technology areas of Food Technology, Resistant materials and design skills.

Students have one double lesson a week and will be involved with designing and making with food, wood, metal, plastic and graphic materials.

A range of teaching and learning strategies are used in Design Technology. These include whole class lessons, group work, independent work and using a range of ICT and Computer aided design (CAD) Computer aided manufacture (CAM).

Students are regularly assessed in each subject throughout Key stage 3 and will be clearly told their next steps to improve.

Design and Technology is optional at KS4 as a full GCSE.

We presently offer in two areas: Resistant Materials and Graphic Products.

As well as coursework these courses involve written examinations

Whitefield School Report

Click Link for Full PowerPoint Presentation Whitefield's School.pps

Whitefield and Willowfield

Year 9s have been working extremely hard in their Resistant Materials class with Mr Eves to create simple objects for Whitefield Specialist School’s sensory walk. For those of you who don’t know, in Whitefield School there are disabled children as well as children with special needs. The children leave school at the age of 19.

Recently, our group of budding Willowfield’s World journalists and photographers went to Whitefield School, to discuss the Sensory Walk project.

On arrival, we met Mrs North, a member of staff from Whitefield School, who gave us a tour around the school. The school offers many specialities that our school doesn’t. The students use certain parts of the building to identify where they are. These include places such as the nature area, where the students locate their positions from the smell of the lavenders. Other examples include the lifts, where a wooden switch has been placed for the students to touch so they are aware of where they are and special noises that sound when a door is opened.

Afterwards, Mrs North showed us her class. Classes are relatively small, with approximately six students in each. Many sensory resources were around the room, such as silver Christmas decorations which help children with visual impairment. We also saw a fish-tank which lights up with the touch of a button which encourages children to feel different textures.

Now, back to the sensory walk. The sensory walk is basically a stroll around the school and garden allowing children to hear noises, play with special toys and enjoy the different coloured objects that will be placed at Whitefield thanks to Willowfield.

Mrs North and two of her students took us to look around the current sensory areas of the school. When we asked her what she hoped her students would benefit from the project, she said “I hope it will make them use their five senses more often”. She also explained to us how one of her students uses sounds to also identify where he is, for example, pupils use items such as wooden spoons and bang it on a shed. We arrived in the Sensory Garden, an area of the school where our brilliant Year 9 work is expected to be kept. Here, items such as small water fountains, plants, and small toys are held for students to use.

When we asked a student from the school what he would like from the Sensory Walk he commented “I think I would like more things to feel”. We also enquired whether he enjoys his school, and he said “I like school because we have a routine”.

Mrs North explained to us that staff use certain words to let pupils know what time it is. For instance, in Mrs North’s class, she says ‘hiya!’ in the morning to inform her students that it is the beginning of the day.