Strategies for teaching
designing skills
in food technology
Strategies for teaching designing
The following two slides list a number of ways in which
students designing skill can be developed and improved
through focused tasks. These are followed by a number of
examples of how these strategies may be used in food
contexts.
These represent only a sample of strategies - there
are more and similar that may be incorporated into
any D&T assignment or unit of work, in order to
help students to generate and develop ideas. Many
of them may be useful as lesson starter and
plenary activities. They be used by the teacher for whole
class teaching with use of a projector or interactive
whiteboard, or may be used directly on the PC with students.
Adopt these or develop your own!
Strategies for teaching designing
• Use storyboards and style sheets as a starting point for
ideas
• Brainstorms, starbursts, thinking chains, grids or tables
• Show videos to set a context for designing
• Modify and redevelop existing ideas rather than always
starting from fresh
• Develop part of an idea, rather than the whole
• Change the context, egs. the season, user, price, style,
finish, when and where eaten, appearance, shape, texture
• Add an element of competition, or beating the clock, hitting
a target
• ‘This is your life’ – build a profile of the end user
and use this for designing
• Fusion - take successful elements from two existing
products and “fuse” together to make something new
• Product morphing – analyse an existing product, list
sensory attributes, change and apply these to a different
product
• Word association – design in relation to words, images,
adverts
• Add an…(ingredient, component, function or feature)
• Use a … (specific tool or process)
• Reduce the … (cost, weight, fat content)
• Have you thought about… (provide a specific user
requirement, environmental issues, product maintenance)
Introducing the Potato-topped pie
Potato-topped pies are
popular ready meals in the
chilled and frozen food
compartments of shops.
There are many variations
on the basic recipe.
How could you vary the topping and the base of
the basic recipe to create a potato-topped pie
that would suit different needs and occasions?
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Developing ideas for potato-topped pies
who for?
base
topping
vegetarians
children who don’t like
‘bits’
those on a reduced fat
diet
a special occasion
(luxury pie)
the economy market
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Next steps
In a group of 4, take it in turn to talk about your
ideas. Each person in the group will make helpful
suggestions for you to consider.
Then look at all the possible developments you have
suggested in your group. Thinking about the comments
from your group, circle or underline those that you
think are the best ones to develop.
4x4
This next activity involves using an A3 sheet set out like this
slide. In groups of 4 with a product idea, or existing product,
placed in the centre each student takes a turn to develop
the idea before passing it to the next to take the previous
idea further or in a different direction. Alternatively the
activity could be done electronically in PowerPoint. The
following example develops a Shepherd’s Pie in a number
of directions to generate a range of ideas.
4x4
Development 2
Development 1
potato topping
Shepherd’s Pie
minced beef, vegetables
& gravy base
Development 3
Development 4
4x4
Development 2
Development 1
Shepherd’s Pie
Development 3
Development 4
Development 1
potato and cheese topping
individual ceramic pots
minced beef and peas
4Development
x4
2
potato topping mashed
minced beef
mashed potatoes
minced beef
Development 3
tomato garnish
sweet potato mash
filling of vegetables, parsnips
carrots, chickpeas
4x4
Development 4
veg served separately
sliced potato
minced beef and
fried onions
Layered pies
This layered pie contains
spinach, red cheese and
mashed parsnips –
yummy or yucky?
What’s in your layered pie?
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Layered pie ideas
Type of pastry?
Layer 1
Layer 2
Layer 3
Finish/glaze?
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Layered pie plan
Ingredients needed
Equipment needed
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Layered pie production
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Doing the Mash
Is mashed potato all that
it seems?
Look at these different
types. What do they tell you?
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Doing the Mash
mustard
apple
horseradish
pesto
What would go in your mash?
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Doing the Mash
These are the ingredients I would use to give my mash its:
taste
texture
aroma
appearance
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Making my perfect mash
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Multi-cultural cuisine
This Indian Meal for one
includes a range of
traditional Indian dishes:
Makhani vegetables
Tarka Daal
Pilau Rice
Mini Poppadoms
What selection of dishes would you have in the
following meals for one?
go
Multi-cultural cuisine
Greek
Lebanese
French
English
Spanish
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Cannelloni cuisine
Cannelloni (pasta tubes)
filled with spinach and
ricotta cheese, served
in a rich tomato sauce,
but the tube, filling and
sauce could all be
changed to create a
very different dish.
Take this basic recipe and develop it.
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Cannelloni cuisine developing ideas for the:
tube
filling
sauce
Roast dinner favourites
This Roast Dinner includes:
Roast turkey
Roast potatoes
Sausage
Slide 14 Carrots
Sprouts
Gravy
What is your favourite roast dinner and how
would you prepare it?
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Making my Roast Dinner
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Pasta parcels
Look at this flavoured
handmade pasta with a
range of different fillings.
Develop ideas for your own handmade pasta
parcel and filling.
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Pasta parcels
My pasta parcels could be:
My parcel filling could be:
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Making my Pasta parcels
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How I would serve my Pasta Parcels
What do the labels say?
Compare the baked bean information on the
next slide.
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What do the labels say?
Values per 100g
Energy
Protein
Carbohydrate
(of which sugars)
fat
(of which saturates)
fibre
sodium
Standard
baked
beans
75kcal
4.7g
13.6g
(6.0g)
0.2g
(trace)
3.7g
0.5g
Superm arket
own bra nd
organic baked
beans
80kcal
4.4g
14.7g
(6.3g)
0.4g
(0.1g)
4.1g
0.5g
‘Healthy
Balance’
baked
beans
68kcal
4.7g
11.9g
(4.3g)
0.2g
(trace)
3.7g
0.3g
Compare the three products. In particular, study the
difference in fat, sugar and salt content. Which product
has the most health benefits? Is organic necessarily
best?
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What do the labels say?
Answer: The Healthy Balance product is lower in sodium (salt)
and sugar than the standard baked bean and overall has fewer
calories. The organic product has the same amount of sodium as
the standard product, slightl y more sugar and fat and a highe r
calorific value. Although organic food may have some health
benefits, thi s product does not score as well on fat, sugar and
salt.
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What do the labels say?
Values per
100g
Energy
Carbohydrates
Fat
Sodium
Potato crisps
530kcal
49g
34g
0.7g
Reduced fat
potato crisps
483kcal
58g
25g
0.3g
85% fat reduced
crinkled potato crisps
441kcal
71.5g
13.0g
0.9g
Look at the following information comparing standard potato crisps and two
different reduced fat crisp products. Which product comes out best in health
terms?
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What do the labels say?
Answer: Both the reduced fat crisps, whilst reduced in
fat, are higher in sugar. So, whilst they score well in
terms of fat content, they provide more sugar than a
standard crisp. The 85% fat free crisps come out best
for fat content and calories, but this is outweighed by
the increased sugar.
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What do the labels say?
Values per biscuit
Energy
Carbohydrate
Fat
Standard digestive
biscuit
87kcal
11.5g
4.0g
Reduced fat digestive
biscuit
70kcal
10.9g
2.4g
Compare the standard and reduced fat digestive biscuits for fat
content.
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What do the labels say?
Answer: The reduced fat product is lower in fat than the
standard, although it has about the same amount of carbohydrate
which includes sugar. It is worth checking all the ingredients on
the label, because reductions in one ingredient do not necessarily
mean good news all round.
Eating together
At meal times family and friends eat together.
What do you and your family like to eat? Mark the foods that
your family likes to eat. When you have carried out your survey,
analyse your results as a graph or chart. What do they tell you?
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breakfast
lunch
tea
cereals
sandwiches
fish and chips
fruit
samosas
burgers
toast
pizza
fish fingers
marmalade
wrap
chicken nuggets
jam
beans on toast
casserole
eggs
salad
bangers and mash
bacon sandwich
soup
pasta
rice
Healthier recipes
Roast Beef Sandwich Ingredients
2 slices white bread
Butter
3 slices roast beef
Mayonnaise
salt and pepper
Suggested improvements
Lasagne ingredients
Suggested improvements
1 x 15ml spoon fat
for frying
1 large onion
1 clove garlic
500g minced beef
1 can chopped
tomatoes
1 x 5ml spoon mixed
herbs
1 x 5ml spoon sugar
180g lasagne sheets
50g parmesan cheese
For the
sauce:
25g butter
50g flour
200g cheddar
cheese
Salt and
pepper
Lamb Curry Ingredients
1 onion
1 clove garlic
1 x 2cm piece of fresh ginger
75g ghee (a type of fat like butter)
for frying
100g diced lamb
15g peas
1 carrot
white rice
5ml spoon dried cumin
5ml spoon dried coriander
salt and pepper
Suggested improvements
Redeveloping a product
Manufacturers regularly look for ways to maintain
sales of their products.
You may have seen new, improved versions of familiar
products. Sometimes redeveloping an existing product
is the way a company stays in business.
Sort the statements on the next slide into up to 5
different groups - different approaches to
redeveloping a product.
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1. Change the package shape
2. Use environmentally friendly
packaging
3. Use cheaper components
4. Make sure there is a picture
of the product on the packaging
5. Decide how the redeveloped
product will differ from the original
6. Change the product season or user
7. Don’t make any changes
to the original
8. Keep the same characteristics
9. Think of a new name
10. Do an advertising campaign
11. Use genetically modified
components
12. Make it in different sizes
13. Trial the redeveloped
product before release
14. Experiment with lots of different
Ideas before deciding which to use
15. Make sure it’s pink
16. Stop all advertising of the
Original product
17. Identify the range of users
18. Aim the product at teenage boys
Redeveloping a product
Discuss the different versions of Smarties
shown here with a partner. What strategies
have been used to maintain the Smarties brand?
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The biscuit with famous friends – you’ll
love them together!
This new product introduces a familiar
friend in a new format.
It plays on already successful products and
gives them a new twist.
This generates renewed interest and
creates a new market.
Other examples include cakes into cake
bars, confectionery into ice creams.
Choose a familiar product and use this same approach to develop new
ideas.
Thinking around the task
You have been asked to develop a new food product for a child.
Produce a design specification of up to 5 points using the list below.
Work in a group for this. Which points would be most helpful to know? Be
prepared to explain the reasoning behind your group’s specification to the
class.
Food safety issues
Processes available
Equipment available
Food preferences of the child
Existing products that are popular
Where the food will be eaten
Nutritional value
What colors are
stimulating to a young child
Financial constraints
Age of the child
Ingredients available
What textures children like
What makes a good food designer?
From the list below highlight what you think are the most important
qualities of a food designer. You must only choose 6, but you can add
2 of your own.
young
caring
scientific
good cook
male
able to use computer
not interested in money
enthusiastic
innovative
has flair
unique
able to draw
has lots of ideas
understands food properties
reflective
well-organised
Goldfish Bowl
The goldfish bowl strategy is used whenever critical decisions need to be
made when designing.
Sit round a table with a part-finished product or idea in the centre, looking
into the goldfish bowl.
Each individual offers their opinion, eg. “I think it should have a cheese
sauce because …” or “I don’t think it would be a good idea to make it too
spicy because…”
When each person in the group has stated their view, others can challenge
or question the reasons for the decision, egs. “Why do you think…” or “What
material would you use…” or “Why would you…”
SCAMPER
Take ideas and use the acronym to provide more possibilities:
S Substitute
C Combine
A Adapt
M Magnify,
modify,
minimise
P
Put to other
uses
E Eliminate
R Reverse,
Rearrange
Alternatively come up with your own acronym!
Talking points
How do you know that people really
need what you are making?
Are you doing about your project in the best possible way?
Which people have you talked to about what
you are developing and why?
Which factors did you think about
when you designed your product?
Which people will be affected by your product and how?
What technical problems have you
had & how did you solve them?
If you could change one thing about
your design what would it be?
Is your product marketable?