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Designing for the World
Creating a Leading Learning Area at FIS
When the Stroth Center for Learning and Athletics opens in March, among the many departments that will benefit is Design Technology, more commonly known as DT. The DT department will expand, and the teaching team is already making plans to create one of the leading DT learning areas in Europe.
Unless you are from the United Kingdom, it is likely that DT is as mysterious to you as the UK’s fascination with tea. However, much like tea, Design Technology is a popular subject within the British Isles, and increasingly beyond. Unlike other subjects, DT is more student-led, and students are actively encouraged to think outside the box rather than be constrained by rules or existing methods. Teachers provide a ‘tool kit,’ which may include the skills to use Computer-aided design (CAD), laser cutters or 3D printing machines. They
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also assist the students in choosing the right method to envisage their design.
At FIS, DT is taught from Grade 6. During their time in the Upper School, students will design a range of products from note holders to automata. The school now also offers an option to take DT as an International Baccalaureate (IB) subject where projects might include multi-purpose furniture or designs for inclusion (people with special needs). Post school, students can use their skills in anything from teaching in the classroom to engineering and architecture.
In the coming school year, DT students will enjoy an additional-purpose built classroom, which the DT team have quite aptly designed themselves using the same skill set that they teach their students. The new lab will not be
constrained by regular class schedules and will give older students the opportunity to use blocks of time for their work. Projects can also be left out while work is in progress, which will inspire other students with their own products. The space will also be a ‘one-stop shop,’ allowing students to complete the entire design process in one area from ideation to prototyping, using the latest manufacturing techniques.
Through DT, students understand that they are not simply a generation of consumers. The new lab will enhance this notion and will help give students the confidence to question the world around them. In doing so, DT develops risk taking, open minded, inquiring and reflective students with the skills to change the world.
Tony Winch, FIS Parent