NAAIDT Newsletter Summer 2010

From the President

Welcome to this shortened, Summer edition of the newsletter.

We currently find ourselves in interesting times. A change in government and the need to re-balance the nation?s finances has resulted in some significant turbulence around the world of education. The curriculum updates section of this newsletter contains some guidance for members in respect of supporting schools through this challenging time.

The government has signalled that they will begin to review the schools curriculum in the autumn. Therefore this is most certainly the time for us to provide leadership and support to schools in respect to the value and place of design and technology in the curriculum.

All of us are very clear about the value of design and technology both in terms of the rounded development of children and young people but also in terms of wealth creation in the wider economy. All of us can recall examples when individual youngsters have really benefited from the creative fulfilment of a well completed project which they have designed and made. Those of us who have been around a few years can be forgiven a slight smile when we hear modern educationalists extolling the importance of the development of personal resilience or the means to persist with a task and to learn the benefits of deferred personal gratification. Some of us call it ?stickability?. We know that when learned and taught well, design and technology has the capacity like no other subject to deliver this. Therefore in advance of any curriculum review we need to be ready to demonstrate the value of design and technology in schools.

Through our contacts with schools and teachers, we need to identify examples of excellent practice in all key stages. We need to be able to collect this evidence, celebrate it and share it with other schools, politicians and government ministers. Working in conjunction with the Design and Technology Association, we need to be able to collect short sharp video clips which show children and young people enjoying the benefits of design and technology. We need to show the outside world how good and valuable our subject can be and the youngsters are our best spokespersons.

If you know of any schools, individual teachers or any other instances where very high quality design and technology can be captured please contact me and we can begin to build up a resource bank of persuasive materials. Not all of the suggestions you send in will be able to be used, but the more we have the better the final outcome will be.

The 2011 Annual NAAIDT Conference will be in Winchester during 28^th ? 30^th April.

This conference will mark 50 Years of the Association and its predecessors and as such will be cause for great celebration. The conference venues are already booked, some presenters have already accepted invitations to speak and the overall planning is going well. Please keep these dates marked in your diary and more detailed information will be circulated in the autumn

NAAIDT Consultation with membership

You will all be aware of the consultation process currently underway through which we need to find the most effective means of sustaining the excellent work of members of the Association. Please let us have your views about how best you think the Association can move forwards. Please contact John Chidgey at johnchidgey6@googlemail.com directly with your comments, observations, and contributions to this debate. We have had some very thoughtful and analytical messages to date which are greatly valued. However there are a great many colleagues with many years of experience and wisdom amongst our ranks and we need to hear from as many as possible.

Bernard Cooper

Honorary President 2010 / 11

Design and Technology Curriculum Updates

Key Stages 1 and 2

With the demise of the Rose Report and all of the exciting developmental work that came with that, it is important to be clear about what we know constitutes good quality Design and Technology.

When providing advice and guidance to primary schools, the development work completed to date by NAAIDT members and others confirms that well judged links with teaching and learning of science provides benefits to children?s learning and progress for both D&T and science. Science specialists confirm that children?s enduring understanding of scientific principles and their ability to transfer learning improves when the science learning is used in a design and technology activity. Similarly, there is evidence that children?s success and sense of fulfilment is enhanced when their designing work is underpinned with clear scientific understanding of principles such as electricity and forces.

?It is always important to help teachers to understand that good design and technology activities should ensure:

• There is a clear user of the product being designed;

• There is a clear purpose for the product;

• Activities are structured to provide sufficient open ended responses;

• Children are able to make design decisions to solve problems and to respond to opportunities;

• Children are allowed sufficient time and space to be creative;

• Activities are conducted with an awareness of H&S issues.

Teachers need to be helped to understand that design and technology activities can be taught and learned both as stand alone activities and as part of themed events. Care is needed to avoid trying to force curriculum links with too many subjects which can lead to a lack of coherence and superficial activities. The key is to ensure that across the Key Stage that the D&T curriculum is planned based on clear learning progressions.

A PowerPoint providing a valuable summary of the current state of play in the primary curriculum has been produced by Sandie Kendall and is available on the NAAIDT website.

Key Stage 3

Whilst the climate of uncertainty extends to the Governments intentions in relation to the curriculum for Key Stages 3 and 4, the importance of NAAIDT members being able to support schools in articulating a vision for Design and Technology in the 21^st century endures. It is likely that developing links with the STEM agenda will increase in importance in line with the new coalition governments expressed wish to make the UK economy less dependent on Financial Services and to increase the manufacturing sector.

The broad range of responsibilities of Heads of D&T in secondary schools makes it important that they are fully aware of developments in CAD/CAM, Systems and Control technology and Food in D&T through the Licence to Cook initiative www.licencetocook.org.uk.

To help and support schools as they plan for their Key Stage 3 curriculum please note that QCDA has published the Key Stage 3 exemplification material. They can be found at:

http://curriculum.qcda.gov.uk/key-stages-3-and-4/assessment/exemplification/index.aspx

Only recently released, it will be interesting to see what NAAIDT members think of the materials. Any comments will be gratefully received and will be shared via the Association website, and will also be passed on to HMI who are interested in our views on this matter.

A PowerPoint containing a useful checklist for Association members to use when working with secondary schools is available on the NAAIDT website.

NEC Birmingham 18^th ? 20^th November 2010

NAAIDT will be providing the advice and guidance stand again this year.

Members will be circulated later in the year with a request for availability for the rota on the stand.

As with last year, if you can offer any specific specialist advice and support during your watch on the stand, it would be useful to make these known to exhibition delegates.

NAAIDT is sponsoring 3 seminars this year, all innovative and at the leading edge of the development of the subject.

Lisa Hearn will lead a seminar focussing on the development of functional skills in English and mathematics through designing and making in Key Stage 2.

Val Allen from Frankley CLC will describe the successes achieved in her establishment through the Diploma programme.

Finally, Gill Greaney from Beaucamp College will describe how teaching and learning in Design and Technology can be improved through rigorous and well structured reviews by pupils and students.

Health and Safety

For NAAIDT members who are also RDTHSCs, please note that the annual Health and Safety conference will be held on November 4^th 2010. The venue is likely to be somewhere in the Birmingham area. When the venue and times are confirmed, colleagues will be alerted.

Meanwhile you might be interested in the link below:

http://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=E3mzhvMgrLE&NR=1

Ofsted Draft Grade Descriptions

NAAIDT members will be aware that Ofsted published draft subject exemplification for the generic inspection grade descriptions. The intention is that the exemplified grade descriptions will be used during subject survey type inspections, not the Section 5 whole schools inspections.

The materials can be viewed by following the link below:

http://www.ofsted.gov.uk/Ofsted-home/Forms-and-guidance/Browse-all-by/Other/General/Generic-grade-descriptors-and-draft-supplementary-subject-specific-guidance-for-inspectors-on-making-judgements-during-subject-survey-visits-to-schools

NAAIDT has scrutinised the draft materials and along with D&TA has made observations and recommendations to for changes to HMI.

The detailed observations and recommendations from NAAIDT and D&TA are available on the NAAIDT website.

In the main, the draft exemplification materials are a very useful addition to the materials available to Association members when working with schools.

When the grade criteria reach their final form, NAAIDT and D&TA will alert colleagues.