Professional Focus Paper
Course: Design and Technology
1.
Level: National 3
Who is this paper for and what is its purpose?
This paper is for teachers and other staff who provide learning, teaching and support as learners work towards
Design and Technology National 3. The paper is intended to stimulate professional reflection and dialogue about
learning. It highlights important features of learning that are enhanced or different from previous arrangements at
this SCQF level.
Curriculum for Excellence is a unique opportunity to raise achievement and to ensure that all learners are better
prepared than they have been in the past for learning, life and work. The new curriculum gives real scope to build
learning 3–18 in a joined-up, seamless way, and as a result, progression in learning can be much stronger. There
is a clear focus on attributes and capabilities, skills (including higher-order thinking skills), and knowledge and
understanding. These are delivered through the experiences and outcomes of the 3–15 Broad General Education
(BGE) and through Senior Phase programmes that build directly on the BGE leading to qualifications. Because of a
strengthened focus on the nature and quality of learning experiences, self-motivation is likely to be increased and
learners consequently more engaged and enthused. To ensure continuity and progression, qualifications at the
senior phase have been designed to embrace this unambiguous focus on high-quality learning.
Curriculum for Excellence has the flexibility to meet the needs of all learners in their local circumstances, enabling
each to achieve their very best. For example, some centres may take the opportunity to offer qualifications over two
years which might involve learners bypassing qualifications at a given level, whereas others may enable learners to
work towards qualifications within one year. In both cases, the advice in this paper is relevant to the learning and
teaching approaches that learners will encounter. This paper, then, is intended to stimulate professional reflection
and dialogue about learning.
How will you plan for progression in learning and teaching, building on the BGE?
2.
What’s new and what are the implications for learning and teaching?
Design and Technology National 3 is a new course and consists of three mandatory Units. These units provide
learners with the opportunity to develop and apply skills, while increasing their depth of knowledge and
understanding.
 Graphics for Design
 Designing and Modelling
 Constructing and Testing
To achieve a full course award for Design and Technology National 3, learners must pass all Units. National 3
courses are not graded.
DESIGN AND MANUFACTURE
What are the key aspects of Design and Technology National 3?
Integrated approach to skills development
The new Design and Technology National 3 course builds on the skills developed in the BGE. Learning
experiences will enable learners to develop basic skills and techniques in designing and in communicating design
ideas. Learners should progressively develop knowledge of design and practical technologies. In this course, and
its component units, there will be an emphasis on developing knowledge and transferrable skills. These include
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producing and interpreting sketches, drawings and diagrams
practical model making and construction
testing and simple evaluation of models
safe working practices in a workshop or similar environment
knowledge of basic engineering ideas
The Units can be taught and completed as free-standing components or as part of the full National 3 course.
All design and practical work should be closely linked, from the outset, to the areas of graphics, design and
engineering and learners should observe the methods and contexts in which professional practitioners work.
Wider range of evidence of learning
There is a focus on assessment as an integral part of learning and teaching. Assessment should be ongoing and in
dialogue with the learners. Staff can collate evidence from a wide variety of forms including, for example, sketch
books, notes, transcripts of key points from group discussions, presentations, reviews and product evaluations.
Assessment evidence should be relevant and purposeful.
What are the key features of learning in Design and Technology National 3?
Active learning
Learning in this course should be primarily practical, hands-on and experiential in nature. It should be delivered
through the fullest range of learning and teaching strategies in order that all learners can engage with what will be
interesting, exploratory and experiential learning activities for them.
How will you ensure there are opportunities for young people to explain their thinking to show their understanding
of processes and concepts?
Learning independently
Outcomes are less prescriptive, focus more on skills and applying learning, and offer greater scope for
personalisation and choice. Learners, therefore, have the opportunity to experience a wider range of learning and
teaching approaches in different contexts that can better meet their needs and build on their experience and
achievements in the BGE. Throughout their experiences in the Units, learners should have opportunities to tap into
their natural inventiveness and their desire to create and work in practical ways. Regular reviews of learner
progress should help to build confidence and allow the learner to set their own targets and take control of their own
learning.
In order to develop independent thinking skills and learning, teachers should give greater emphasis on choices and
decisions made by the learner, based on their expertise and skill level.
DESIGN AND MANUFACTURE
To further promote personalisation and choice, design and technology provides frequent opportunities for active
learning in creative and work-related contexts. The Units provide learners with opportunities to develop, use and
extend skills that are essential components for life, work and learning, now and in the future, including planning and
organisational skills.
Responsibility for learning
Practical tasks should encourage learners to take personal control of their own learning. Opportunities for learners
to reflect on and discuss their own progress should be built routinely into all planned learning experiences. To
ensure that learners are able to take full responsibility for their own learning, learning intentions and success
criteria should be explicit and shared fully with learners. Learning and teaching approaches should promote the
development of learners’ skills in self- and peer group evaluation.
How will you ensure that learners are making informed decisions about where they are in their learning and what
they need to do to progress?
Collaborative learning
Partnerships have a particularly important role to play in delivering programmes of learning in design and
technology. For example, there will be relevant expertise among staff in other areas of the curriculum. Tasks within
the school and community, for example, designing a seating area for the schools new eco garden, can also lead to
productive partnerships within and beyond the school. Learners could work with a range of different businesses to
investigate the use of design software, strengthening appreciation of the use of specific software in real-life
situations.
How will you work with partners in school and the local and wider community to support young people’s skills
development?
Applying learning
The Units and overall experience of the course enable learners to develop, consolidate and demonstrate their
ability to design and manufacture a solution to a problem. Within the wider community, links with design studios,
architects, construction and manufacturing businesses can bring significant benefits, real contexts and additional
sense of purpose to learning.
How will you ensure that pupils can reflect on their learning and make relevant connections with other subject
areas and the world of work?
How are you developing learners’ skills for learning, life and work, as outlined in the course specification?
DESIGN AND MANUFACTURE
3.
Qualification information
The SQA website provides you with the following documents:
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Assessment Overview
Course Specification
Unit Specification
Support Notes
Course Assessment Specification
Unit Assessment Support Package
Full information on arrangements for this qualification is available at the SQA website:
http://www.sqa.org.uk/sqa/48586.html
4.
What other materials are available on the Education Scotland website which staff
could use?
http://www.educationscotland.gov.uk/learningteachingandassessment/curriculumareas/technologies/index.asp
http://www.educationscotland.gov.uk/learningteachingandassessment/curriculumareas/technologies/principlesandp
ractice/index.asp
T +44 (0)141 282 5000 E enquiries@educationscotland.gov.uk W www.educationscotland.gov.uk
Education Scotland, Denholm House, Almondvale Business Park, Almondvale Way, Livingston EH54 6GA
© Crown copyright, 2012
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