Design, innovate, create…

Children will be more innovative and creative in design if they are given plenty of opportunities to discuss their ideas with others

So where does creativity fit into D&T – and what it the true meaning of ‘design’? The scenario on the right may be a fictional one but many teachers share these rather fuzzy views. Mrs Near-Retirement makes an important point: making models in history and geography is NOT the same as designing, and such activities often have very low levels of child choice or design opportunities. The final words of the mission statement for design and technology in the National Curriculum are ‘to be innovators’ – and the idea behind splitting D&T activities into Focused Practical Tasks (FPTs) and Design and Make Assignments (DMAs) in the QCA Scheme of Work is to give children sufficient knowledge, skills and understanding of materials, tools and techniques to be innovative in their designing.