Awards, challenges and competititonsCompetitions and award schemes can be a very effective means of highlighting D&T work and raising the status of the subject to a broad audience. Whilst they involve considerable effort and organisation they can be of great value to students and provide public recognition for their achievements.
Year of Food and Farming : Great opportunity for schools!The Year of Food and Farming runs through the academic year, from September 2007 to July 2008. It is an exciting campaign to help children and young people find out more about the countryside and where their food comes from through memorable, first-hand learning experiences based around three core areas: visits, growing experiences, and cooking food. Take part and give your pupils the opportunity to:
You can register now at www.yearoffoodandfarming.org.uk and create a Space on the Megamap which will help to build up a picture of all the activity that is happening during the Year, whilst providing individual schools with an opportunity to showcase their related work and achievements. This is your school's opportunity to tell others about your involvement in the Year and to share all your news - about participation in activities or planned projects, photos, blogs and resources, or innovative lesson plans linked to the Year. The portal will gather together events, activities and resources that will support teaching, both inside and outside the classroom, in a range of curriculum areas including PHSE, Science, D&T and Geography. It will also help schools to make connections with local offers and initiatives such as local farms hosting school visits, as well as providing users with an overview of regional and national activity. As the content of the Year of Food and Farming Megamap is user generated it is vital that spaces are as informative and as interesting as possible. If you have any questions about the Year then contact This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it D&T Week: 23-28 June 2008D&T Week provides a focus for all aspects of D&T education. The purpose of Design and Technology Week2008 heralds the seventh annual Design and Technology Week. One of the key purposes is to celebrate pupils' achievements in design and technology through exhibitions of their work. Equally the week provides an opportunity for pupils to be involved in design and technological activities. The activities can range from specific challenges for year groups, to integrated cross phase work as part of an induction process to secondary school education. The QCDA Key Stage 3 scheme of work has a unit of work designed for this purpose. The above purposes relate to individual schools and those that are linked through their intake. However, one of the main purposes of design and technology week is to bring schools in local areas or LAs together, either to celebrate pupils' work and publicise the subject, or to participate in training or conferences. What type of activities can you do?
Where can you get help?From your LA: contact your LA inspector/advisor to see if any activities are being arranged. How do you organise your activities?There are many levels at which these activities can be arranged; at one level in your classroom or department you can have a focus during the week, this can be a common challenge surrounding a design and make activity, an exhibition of work open to parents and the local community or a linked activity with local schools. The following key steps may be worth considering when setting up your activity:
D&T Week ideas for secondary school teachersFor Key Stage 3, look at the Young Foresight website, where you will find suggestions on how pupils might design products and services for the future - a particularly interesting activity for D&T week. There are lots of examples of pupils' work in the Gallery section. For Key Stage 4 look at the Nuffield Secondary Design and Technology website, where you will find a wide range of capability and resource tasks across all focus areas in the Learning Resources section. They are free to download. Designers In ResidenceDesigners in Residence is an exciting new initiative that places young motivated designers with a passion for their subject in UK schools to run design activities. The designers associated with the scheme work in some of the most creative industries in the UK for established brands such as Morphy Richards and Nokia. Designers in Residence would like to offer groups of D&T Association members the opportunity to attend a workshop delivered by practicing designers. The workshop would provide those who attend with a range of structured activities (as well as some resources to take back to the classroom) that link design and technology as a subject area, with some of the most exciting and inspiring products and careers in UK industry. Teachers, working alongside practicing industrial designers, will engage in a timely mix of both core design skills (such as sketching and visual presentation techniques) and ideation exercises which aim to encourage pupils to engage creatively in the world around them. This designers in residence workshop (chargeable) is an excellent way of raising the profile of design and technology in year 9 or as a kick-start to those about to embark upon "design and make" coursework tasks at GCSE and As/A Level. There will also be the option to purchase a variety of discounted resource materials on the day. All that they ask is that the people that attend are Association members and from a comprehensive school.
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Current competitionsActive Kids Get Cooking Special Challenge 2009 - This year’s special challenge is based on one of the Food Standard Agency’s Eight tips for eating well - Don’t skip breakfast. This exciting challenge aims to help promote the importance of eating breakfast, and inspire pupils to create a ‘spectacular’ entry. The closing date is 15th May 2009 to allow you plenty of time to weave the challenge into your planning. To find out all about the challenge, and the free, supporting resources, go to http://www.activekidsgetcooking.org.uk/ Silverstone Innovation Centre Design Challenge - This design challenge is a competition based on the general "design process" which has been developed to encompass a variety of design technology areas. Aimed at Key Stage 3, 4 and 5, students there are five challenges, examples of which include designing a tourist attraction as awe-inspiring as the London eye or a inventing a new clothing range. Participants also produce a business plan to market their product and present it in a team pitch to a panel of judges. Teams are judged on the depth and quality of their work, the final design, team identity and the quality of presentation. Finals take place in May/June 08 and prizes donated by top companies are available in each age group for the overall winner, best presentation, team working, marketing and most innovative design. For further details contact Dianne Wilson. Email: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it Web: www.oxin.co.uk/designchallenge Hotel launches healthy eating competition - A new competition designed to raise awareness amongst school kids in West Fife of the importance of healthy eating has been launched by the Queensferry Hotel. The hotel is asking primary school children to produce a great tasting and healthy recipe for a main course dish, with the winning entry being featured on the children's menu in the hotel's new North Shore Restaurant. For full competition rules and more information, contact Keith Broomfield, NB Media Ltd, Tel: 01383 823333, email: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it Young designers tackle issues faced by South Africa's shanty towns - Three exceptional young designers fought off competition from 500 other designers, to win the Audi Design Foundation's "Designs of Substance" award. The design under-graduates took their innovative product designs to South Africa in September 2007, in the hope that they will help to overcome everyday issues experienced by people living in the township of Mdantsane. The competition challenges students to consider how to use design to improve the lives or situations of people with little or no money, rather than for aesthetically pleasing, high-value objects. It requires undergraduates to look at the reality of life in a specified disadvantaged community and to design a product which could benefit the lives of those people. The Audi Design Foundation joined forces with the United Nations Children's Fund UNICEF to work on the project for 2007. The three winners of Designs of Substance 2007 are:
In September 2007, all three winners went on an all-expenses paid trip to South Africa, where they held trial and focus groups with Mdantsane residents. Entries sought from the UK's leading green schools - The Ashden Awards for Sustainable Energy are calling for entries from inspirational schools within the UK that can prove that the promotion of sustainable energy and the responsible use of energy is a central part of their practice and culture. The award is open to any UK school which has created a sustainability ethos in which the responsible use of energy is a crucial element. The 2008 awards have a first prize of £15,000 and a second prize of £5,000. Winning schools must demonstrate successful practices that can be replicated elsewhere and have clear plans for how to use the prize money to take further their own work on sustainable energy. The Awards will be presented at a ceremony in London in June 2008. Closing date for entries 04 December 2007. F1 in Schools - Have you registered yet for the upcoming 2007/08 Championship season? The 2007/08 Season Event's Schedule, including dates of regional events and the National and World Championships has now been confirmed and full details are available at the website. Do you need cash for your breakfast club? - If so, enter the 2007-08 Breakfast Club Plus Awards, and you could win £1,500. National learning charity ContinYou, in association with Kellogg's, is launching the awards which offers five clubs the chance to win £1,500, with two runners up in each of the five categories receiving £650. Two highly-commended clubs in each category will receive a year's subscription to ContinYou's Schools ETC - a magazine for everyone involved in extending services across the UK. Details and an application form are available from http://www.breakfastclubplus.org.uk/ On-going Awards and challengesBBC Blast Scrap Fashion Eco Competition Active Kids Get Cooking www.activekidsgetcooking.org.uk British Association CREST (Celebrating CREativity in Science and Technology) - BA CREST is a national scheme for project work in the fields of science and technology for 11-19 year olds, its awards encourage students to develop their scientific curiosity, problem-solving and communication skills. http://www.the-ba.net/the-ba/YPP/BACRESTAwards/index.html Engineering Education Scheme - provides students with an opportunity to experience the professional world of science, engineering and technology through group work on a project led by a local company. The scheme is part of the Royal Academy of Engineering's Best programme. See EES website for further information. http://www.thescheme.org.uk/ Young Engineers for Britain - The Young Engineers for Britain competition was an annual initiative of the Engineering and Technology Board (formerly the Engineering Council) and is now run by Young Engineers. It is the biggest event of its kind in Europe. The competition showcases the wealth of innovation and creativity amongst students aged 11-19 in UK schools and colleges. See http://www.youngeng.org/index.asp?page=66 |
2 September 2010, 16:34
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