The Design technology inputs have been very interesting this year in semester 2 of MA1.  The first one involved simple manipulative skills such as using scissors and making a ladybird which could be done in many different age groups and classes.  For each ladybird to be different the child can make their own templates which then can be cut out and attached with a split pin. These can be created to make show me boards if laminated, have different numbers or calculations which the children can challenge themselves or others with.  Creating learning intentions for these topics are quite challenging as they have to relate to the skills being used and not the actual activity.

Learning Intention – We are learning to use scissors correctly

Success criteria – I can hold scissors correctly, I can hold the paper steady with my other hand, I can cut around the line drawn…

The next input involved using hammers, hand drills, G Clamp and Browder which can all be used in the classroom with lots of different stages and improve the children’s manipulative skills, fine motor skills and control.  In groups, we had to teach others how to use these items and also discuss what they would be used for.

The follow up to this lesson was creating an item for a play park using a selected mechanism such as cams, pulleys, levers, pnumatics, hydraulics etc.  For this design project, we were split into groups of three and had to create a new piece of equipment with hammers, nails, wood, and the above mechanisms.  Allan, Liam and I created a climbing frame with a pulley system to take sand from the sandpit and take it to the top of the climbing frame to make sandcastles there.  We were happy with our creation and felt that it could be used with a middle or upper class in school over several lessons.