Design and TechnologyYear 8 options for study in Year 9 |
Design and Technology is creativity with strategy which will give students in Year 9 the chance to build on the foundation of skills they have learnt in Years 7 and 8. Students work in A3 sketchbooks to design, develop and make a range of outcomes. The practical experience of learning how to safely use the tools and equipment to aid their design and manufacture of a product for a target user is crucial in succeeding at GCSE. Using creative starting points and various sources of inspiration, students will explore how they can meet the needs of a client and design with that person in mind. They will respond by designing, refining, experimenting and developing outcomes that meets the needs of their client. Students will begin to problem solve and create innovative answers to needs they have identified.
This course aims to: |
- Provide candidates with the opportunity to develop and explore a range of making and designing skills.
- Encourages candidates to creatively respond to design briefs combining designing and modelling skills.
- Investigate and research a design problem, analyse different people’s views and develop a creative design in response.
- Create and develop a portfolio of designing whilst developing and experimenting with different materials and processes.
- Use a range of tools and equipment to manufacture, test and evaluate a product along with the opportunity to use CAD and other new and traditional media and materials.
We will be studying: |
Designers and their use of inspiration from previous design movements which will help to drive ideas for these GCSE style projects. Students will then explore and learn how to model effectively with card and other modelling materials to communicate their ideas. Students will learn how to use a range of tools and equipment that will give them an understanding of how to create a design with real world experience of the tools and processes. This will include use of CAD/CAM and focus on woods and plastics. Students will then be taught different ways to communicate their designing and present their work in a portfolio of their outcomes. Students at GCSE will have the choice to design and make a product that meets their own self-generated design brief from a given exam context.
Why study? |
This course is designed so students have chance to design and make original products through experimentation and to follow a creative process. Students will be enthused by the range of practical opportunities available. The course encourages students to develop their design and make skills alongside the theoretical learning that will underpin their own design decisions. The course allows for a diverse range of outcomes and encourages students to take risks and explore what is possible when designing and making.
What career options are opened up by the course? |
This course is suitable for students who are interested in careers in product and industrial design, engineering, manufacturing and architecture. This course promotes not just practical skills but understanding of the design process. More widely this course would also benefit students who are interested in careers that require an ability to make decisions, solve problems, think divergently and creatively.
Key Contacts |
Mr Foster - Cook - Head of Design and Technology
email: harry.foster-cook@wrenacademy.org
Find out more about this subject |
New course specification can be found here:
http://www.aqa.org.uk/subjects/design-and-technology/gcse/design-and-technology-8552