Design & Technology Help Please

[Guest]

Hi everyone,

Didn't know whether to try SEN or curriculum for this one so here goes,

 

We are intending to run a Twilight training session in the summer term on DT for all staff. We currently use the Equals scheme ( which staff like) but we are keen to ensure that it meets the needs of all our pupils.I am especially keen to promote Designing and Making skills/evaluations. Does anyone have any ideas/suggestions for a suitable person to deliver such training or can anyone suggest useful websites or publications?

We will be holding a whole school D&T day later this term on a Christmas/Winter theme involving a range of activities. Has anyone done this, any advice or dos or don'ts?

We are a primary school for children with complex learning difficulties and autism.

Thanks, Gill in Bolton

[Susan]

Sorry Gill, can't help! Will be interested to see what everyone else thinks.

DT is one of the areas I really feel we don't offer enough off.

Have been trying to find material myself to improve provision, what is the scheme you use?

I have recently bought a new book from the Belair range, I think, but haven't worked out how useful it is yet!

 

Only thought is that sometimes the less academically able in a main stream classroom can surpass the more able at these sorts of activities, although I try not to think of my children in those terms!

 

Susan

[mundia]

Hi there Gill

My hubby is a DT teacher, although at secondary level, but he subscribes to an organisation called DATA. They do have some things for primary level and they have a web site at www.DATA.org.uk. I dont know if it would be of any help to you but it may be worth a look.

There is also a book ' Teaching science and design technology in the early years' by Dan Davies and Alan Howe. Published by David Fulton Publishers I cant personally recommend it as I have not read it but I have heard at least one good review of it.

Sorry I cant be of more help.....

[Jacq]

Hello

 

I plan the DT area in our nursery school. I generally make sure the area is stocked with various junk type resources, as well as glue, sticky tape, staplers, hole punch, etc and then leave it up to the children. Sometimes I work with a small group teaching them a skill such as using the stapler or other tool.

 

What activities/resources/THINGS do other people do with DT? I'm sure I could be more inspirational, but need help!

 

We do not want the children all to be making the same thing, so I don't want to give them a finished model to copy for example. We are moving towards active and independent learning, but that doesn't mean don't show them how to do things, or what can be done when using various tools.

 

I could go on tying myself in knots about what to 'teach' and what to let the children discover for themselves.

 

Any ideas would be great!

 

Jacq

[mundia]

Jacq, hi there. I hope you have been welcomed on board elsewhere. If not then welcome.

I know that Dt is not one of our strengths in our school, but I do know what you mean about 'teaching'. I cant think of anything worse than seeing 30 identical'models' whwre the children have had no input to the 'designing' part of the process.

When Im having a DT moment (not often) I will sometimes just get out various bits of materials and equipment, sit at a table or on the floor and start making something myself. Children being children, will always come over and ask what you are doing and hey presto you have a group making thngs and just as important, talking about what they are doing. I find this one way to encourage them to use equipment correctly, and to make decisions.It also encourages the girls into an area that they are sometimes reluctant to pursue.

Do we have any DT experts out there?

[Susan]

I'm no expert Mundia, but I have just bought an excellent Belair book "DT in the early years".

 

The Goal statement is about skills isn't it, so teaching use of tools and giving children opportunities to use and develop these skills has to be the way to go.

I have found children work better with an end result in mind but perhaps thats just me and how I work?

 

Shall have to think about that and I know DT is one of the areas I need to develop and offer more successfully, so any other ideas?

 

Susan

[Jacq]

thanks Susan and Mundia for yr comments and interest. Some of our chn use the area really well, making some wonderful models and using tools and resources creatively. We (me and chn!) learn a lot by using the wrong type of sticky stuff - glue not tape, etc and I hope they take this knowledge away with them into school. There are many of our chn tho, that just stick whatever they can find together - normally the traditional bits stuck on a bit of paper. I suppose we could argue that they are exploring the resources on offer, but often they do not get any further than this. I am probably expecting too much of them!

 

Susan - you talk about having an end product in mind, but I find that many of our younger chn cannot keep the same idea for very long - a car becomes a plane, becomes a thing to blast a baddy and so on. (all this in itself is great too)

 

I try to suggest they make props for role play in the dt area - maybe a mobile phone or a power rangers thingy.

 

Anyhow, anyone else reading in and suggesting ideas will be read by me with great interest!

 

Jacq