Design Technologies: Resistant Materials
Elective Unit
Unit Description
Year 9 Design Technologies – Resistant Materials, including wood, metal and plastics, challenges students to apply the design process to increasingly complex and authentic design problems while developing advanced knowledge and skills in resistant materials and workshop production techniques. Aligned with the Victorian Curriculum: Design and Technologies, students investigate how design can improve the quality of life for individuals, communities and environments through innovation, creativity and purposeful problem-solving.
Students engage in the complete design cycle, from identifying needs and opportunities through to researching, generating ideas, developing design solutions, producing products and evaluating outcomes. Emphasis is placed on developing an understanding of how designers and manufacturers respond to functional, aesthetic, economic and environmental considerations when creating products for real-world contexts.
Through practical projects, students refine their technical skills in the safe and accurate use of tools, machinery and materials, while gaining a deeper understanding of material properties, construction techniques and manufacturing processes. Students learn to communicate their ideas through freehand sketching, technical drawing, digital technologies and model making, developing the visual and technical communication skills used by designers, architects, engineers and makers.
Through hands-on design experiences, students develop the technical expertise, creative confidence and problem-solving capabilities necessary to become innovative contributors in an increasingly technological and design-driven world.
Essential Questions
- What is the role of the design process?
- How do designer respond to the needs of end users?
- How are concepts developed?
- At what stages of the design process do I evaluate my work?
