KS3: MYP Design & Technology (Design)
Intent
Students in the MYP learn how to research, analyse and communicate information, to explore and develop ideas, find solutions to new problems and evaluate the solutions they produce. These are skills that are useful in further education and any future careers. At its heart, MYP Design is centred upon developing skills in problem solving, one the most important life skills that our students will all be able to apply throughout their own lives.
The value of MYP Design is realised in the way it helps students understand how to apply both practical and creative thinking skills to solve design problems. Encouraging each pupil to explore the role of design in both historical and contemporary contexts, whilst increasing awareness of their responsibilities for the design decisions they make and actions they take.
The objectives of MYP Design are set out as four core Criteria. Each criterion for Design contains four strands; a strand is an aspect or indicator of the learning expectation which students will be assessed on.
Together these objectives reflect the knowledge, skills and learning characteristics that students need in order to apply the design criteria in a variety of contexts, including real-life projects and scenarios, carrying out practical inquiries and communicating their research and design ideas clearly, as well as producing their own solutions and evaluating the success of their outcomes.
Intent
At Key Stage 3, Design Technology is taught through the study of three core subjects; Catering, Design and Engineering. The curriculum follows the MYP framework for Year 7 and is underpinned by the National Curriculum for Design Technology. The MYP Design framework concentrates on Inquiry and Analysis, Developing ideas, Creating solutions and evaluating outcomes. At Leigh Academy Wilmington we believe that the learning characteristics we instil in our students can be as valuable as the subject specific knowledge that they learn. This is an approach that is at the heart of the IB program and is supported by James Dyson, who has stated, “Anyone developing new products and new technology needs one characteristic above all else: hope.”
Year 7 Schedule of Learning:
Students spend every three-module cycle studying the A,B,C,D MYP Design criteria in one of the following three disciplines; Catering, Design, Engineering, on a rotation.
- Module 1: Criteria A – Inquiry and Research, Criteria B – Developing new ideas.
- Module 2: Criteria C – Creating the solution, Criteria D – Evaluating the outcome.
- Module 3: Criteria B – Developing new ideas, Criteria C – Creating the solution.
- Module 4: Criteria A – Inquiry and Research, Criteria B – Developing new ideas.
- Module 5: Criteria B – Developing new ideas.Criteria C – Creating the solution
- Module 6: Criteria C – Creating the solution, Criteria D – Evaluating the outcome.
Intent
At Key Stage 3, Design Technology is taught through the study of three core subjects; Catering, Design and Engineering. The curriculum follows the MYP framework for Year 8 and is underpinned by the National Curriculum for Design Technology. The MYP Design framework concentrates on Inquiry and Analysis, Developing ideas, Creating solutions and Evaluating outcomes. At Leigh Academy Wilmington we believe that the learning characteristics we instil in our students can be as valuable as the subject specific knowledge that they learn. An appreciation of the world we live in, is a value at the heart of the IB Design program and this approach is supported by Naoto Fukasawa, who has stated, “Great design is a multi-layered relationship between human life and its environment.”
Year 8 Schedule of Learning:
Students spend every two-module cycle studying the A,B,C,D MYP Design criteria in one of the following three disciplines; Catering, Design, Engineering, on a rotation.
- Module 1: Criteria A – Inquiry and Research, Criteria B – Developing new ideas.
- Module 2: Criteria C – Creating the solution, Criteria D – Evaluating the outcome.
- Module 3: Criteria A – Inquiry and Research, Criteria B – Developing new ideas.
- Module 4: Criteria C – Creating the solution, Criteria D – Evaluating the outcome.
- Module 5: Criteria A – Inquiry and Research, Criteria B – Developing new ideas.
- Module 6: Criteria C – Creating the solution, Criteria D – Evaluating the outcome.
Intent
At Key Stage 3, Design Technology is taught through the study of three core subjects; Catering, Design and Engineering. The curriculum follows the MYP framework for Year 9 and is underpinned by the National Curriculum for Design Technology. The MYP Design framework concentrates on Inquiry and Analysis, Developing ideas, Creating solutions and evaluating outcomes. At Leigh Academy Wilmington we believe that the learning characteristics we instil in our students can be as valuable as the subject specific knowledge that they learn. Developing independent thinking skills is at the heart of the IB program and is supported by Jonathan Ive, who has said, “The emphasis and value on ideas and original thinking is an innate part of British culture, and in many ways, that describes the tradition of design.”
Year 9 Schedule of Learning:
Students spend every three-module cycle studying the A,B,C,D MYP Design criteria in one of the following three disciplines; Catering, Design, Engineering, on a rotation. Students pick two subjects they wish to study across the academic year.
- Module 1: Criteria A – Inquiry and Research, Criteria B – Developing new ideas.
- Module 2: Criteria B – Developing new ideas, Criteria C – Creating the solution,
- Module 3: Criteria C – Creating the solution, Criteria D – Evaluating the outcome.
- Module 4: Criteria A – Inquiry and Research, Criteria B – Developing new ideas.
- Module 5: Criteria B – Developing new ideas, Criteria C – Creating the solution,
- Module 6: Criteria C – Creating the solution, Criteria D – Evaluating the outcome
Implementation
MYP Design aims to equip all of our students with the knowledge, understanding and intellectual capabilities to access further courses in Design Technology, including Catering, Design and Engineering courses. It also helps to prepare our students to apply the problem-solving skills and presentation techniques that they develop across a wide range of other subjects including science, mathematics, English and business, alongside future workplaces and in their lives beyond their place of work. MYP Design establishes a strong foundation for developing different strategies to solve problems and in this way, it has a wide range of applications beyond the classroom.
Impact
Assessment in the MYP is closely aligned with the written and taught curriculum. Each criterion has four strands that all correlate with the assessment criteria. The Design curriculum has a breadth and depth that supports students to develop their critical thinking skills, knowledge, design and communication skills, as well as their practical skills and the capability to accurately evaluate their outcomes. These skills all prepare students to study any of our Design options at Key stage 4 and Key stage 5. The impact of the curriculum is evident in our excellent exam results, where students have continued to achieve above the national average for our AQA Design GCSE, WJEC Vocational award in Catering and Pearson BTEC in Engineering. Our students go on to successfully study Design subjects at Key stage 5, after which many have gone on to pursue further study at university, whilst other students have secured successful apprenticeships and employment in related Design sectors in the Catering, Design, Engineering and Construction industries.
Students will be assessed under four different criteria:
- Criterion A: Inquiring and Analysing
- Criterion B: Developing ideas
- Criterion C: Creating the Solution
- Criterion D: Evaluation
Each criterion is assessed against a numerical range of achievement levels from 0 to 8. The level descriptors for each band describe a level of student performance against the four strands for each objective. At the lowest level, student achievement in each of the strands will be minimal. As the numerical levels increase, the level descriptors describe greater levels of achievement in each of the strands.
The four MYP criteria will be summatively assessed and reported on twice a year (Modules 3 and 6). A final grade will be provided at the end of the year (Module 6). Further guidance on MYP assessments can be found here:
For more information, please read our assessment recording and reporting cycle.
