Delivering the New Design and Technology

Curriculum (England)

The phased introduction of the new secondary curriculum began in September 2008 with the introduction of the new KS3 programmes of study beginning with Year 7 pupils. QCDA have designed a curriculum that:

• reduces prescription over subject content;
• creates flexibility to allow teachers to design schemes of work reflecting their schools' local needs and interests;
• frees up time and space to allow pupils to study some areas in more depth;
• highlights the connections between the subjectsgives a new emphasis to the development of personal and life skills.

This is music to the ears of teachers and particularly those who teach design and technology (D&T). The new curriculum's over arching aims and its discrete subject specific programmes of study provide many opportunities but in particular the chance to examine exactly what we are trying to achieve with our pupils, how we organise the learning experience and also what our curriculum contains in terms of conceptual understanding, skills and knowledge.

Teachers are welcoming the opportunity to take more control themselves and move away from a centrally prescribed programme of study. Once again they can embrace with professionalism the autonomy and responsibility that has been given to them. However for some teachers who qualified since the introduction of the National Curriculum, this may represent a new challenge. No longer can teachers expect to be told what to teach and how to teach it. Instead, as professionals with knowledge of their subject, their pupils and the local context, they are being expected to define their own schools curriculum under a much less prescribed National Curriculum. But this can only be good and it is exciting as it maximises one of the inherent qualities possessed by D&T teachers, that of creativity. As heralded by QCDA this represents a shift from the National Curriculum to our Curriculum.

Key concepts and key processes, the starting point

The new curriculum provides opportunities for teachers to revitalise, in the first instance their KS3 schemes of work and what defines D&T in their schools. It provides the impetus for departments to review what they teach and most importantly how they organise teaching and learning. The guidance materials emphasise that the starting point for this reviewing activity must be the importance of design and technology statement and its associated key concepts and key processes. This is very important, starting from what we are trying to do rather than taking an existing unit of work or project and making it fit.

Timetable implications

The new curriculum encourages schools to explore different approaches to the timetable. We need to explore how best to deliver D&T and use the time that is made available most effectively. It is unlikely for instance that this will mean that all D&T takes place in weekly or fortnightly timetabled lessons. For D&T the fragmentation of time into short lessons (and in some schools the retention of a carousel timetable model) has presented many barriers to providing pupils with opportunities for deep learning. We need to provide opportunity for longer periods of engagement. Whole school curriculum leaders are being advised that subject leaders are being prompted to request alternative arrangements which might for instance include suspended timetable cross curricular events and the condensing of some of the allocated available time into fewer but longer sessions for part of the year. The teaching of food technology in particular will gain from this approach. But also in other areas, the opportunity to vary the activity and really engage with learning over a longer single period of time will contribute to the compelling learning experience that defines D&T. What is vital is that we make demands on the timetable rather than allow activity to be dictated by it. It is inevitable that a number of ways of using time will evolve and this is only right.

The D&T Association welcomes the opportunity to demonstrate again how the subject can be seen as central to the curriculum. Through D&T, learning that takes place in other contexts can be brought to bear in a variety of real, meaningful and tangible contexts. D&T teachers will easily recognise how as a subject D&T can provide a significant contribution to addressing the whole curriculum dimensions and learning approaches that are set out in QCDA's 'Big Picture'. A full explanation of the curriculum and its rationale is available at http://curriculum.QCDA.org.uk/.

• Identity and cultural diversity
• Healthy lifestyles
• Community participation
• Enterprise
• Sustainable futures and the global dimension
• Technology and the media
• Creativity and critical thinking

They can provide powerful unifying themes that give learning relevance and help young people make sense of the world. They can also be used starting points for planning cross curricular activity involving 2 or more subject areas working together for instance over a 2 day 'immersion' activity. An example of this working can be viewed on the new curriculum website.

Curriculum opportunities

The new programme of study identifies a range of curriculum opportunities which should be embraced to ensure a mixed diet of D&T's experience is provided. It lists:

a. the analysis of products;
b. focused tasks and design and make assignments;
c. working in a range of contexts;
d. individual and team work;
e. working with designers and makers;
f. use ICT in a range of ways;
g. making links with other subject areas.

Food technology and cooking

It is now a requirement that all schools move toward providing all pupils with practical cooking experience. It is expected that from September 2008, most schools will be meeting the requirement and doing so through their continued teaching of food technology with D&T. To emphasize the importance of practical cooking and to ensure sufficient time is made available, the requirement to teach industrial aspects of food technology has been removed from the programme.

Moving forward: what departments need to do next

It is important that schools plan carefully and as a team well in advance of September. Together they need to become familiar with the new programme of study, the cross curricular dimensions, have had the opportunity to examine and discuss the new 'vision' for the curriculum provided by QCDA and engaged with the web based generic and subject specific resources. Understanding the role that D&T can play in contributing to the whole curriculum and its specific value is the responsibility of all D&T teachers. However the review and reform of the schemes of work should reflect evolution not revolution. The maxim 'do a little but do it well' applies. It is not intended that the programme will be fully embedded until 2011.The D&T Association recommends that the way forward is to adopt an approach that initially blends much of what is already good in the department's schemes of work into a more varied 'diet' of activity. It also recommends that making explicit the links both between the D&T product areas and also exploring linking with other subjects for part of the time is the way forward. This will be particularly helpful for schools in their addressing the STEM agenda. Planned experimentation leading to innovation is encouraged. Only then will pupils benefit from a modern curriculum fit for the 21st century.

Starting points

The following specific tasks could act as a focus over the forthcoming weeks when planning in the first instance to develop Y7 provision:

1. Begin planning a scheme of work and delivery model that addresses teaching of the key concepts and processes;
2. Plan to ensure that a broad diet of experience is provided that involves pupils working in all of the product areas: food, systems and control, resistant materials and textiles;
3. Discuss with timetabler the possibility of a suspended timetable day/s and also some longer blocks of time;
4. Plan to minimize any rotation of pupils through different teachers enabling individual pupils learning needs to be met;Plan a design & make task that is more 'open ended' and uses as its starting point the exploration of a context or, resource or existing product;
5. Design and lead a cross curricular project working with perhaps two other subject areas and using one of the dimensions as a starting point.

This is an exciting time for the development of our subject and also a time when D&T can demonstrate how it is ideally placed to both inform learning that takes place elsewhere in the curriculum but also provide meaning and relevance for learning in other subjects. D&T is about working in real contexts on real problems in practical three dimensional ways. Perhaps this is why our learners find it so engaging. Let's hope that we can keep it that way and with the opportunities the new curriculum provides maintain the position of leading the world in developing our childrens' design and technological capability.

During the spring term 2008, a number of regional events were held around the country to introduce the new design and technology programmes of study within the context of the new secondary curriculum. The PowerPoint presentation that was used at these events can be downloaded HERE. It includes the QCDA Big Picture thinking behind the development of the new curriculum and sets out the challenges for all those involved in developing the curriculum fit for the 21st century.