Fridge magnets are OK but skillies pose problems

In an in-service sessions teachers have tried out the primary solutions units 'What should be stuck on your fridge?' and 'Is your creature fierce or friendly?' Their verdict, 'The difference in the demand of these two units really shows progression in D&T'.


In the morning session all delegates had great fun designing and making layered fridge magnets using coloured corrugated card. Working in groups they decided on a theme and then each member of the group designed and made a fridge magnet that reflected the theme.

Overall agreement that this was a challenging task for Year 2 with sensible suggestions as to the support that could be provided for less able and less dextrous children plus good ideas about using the interactive white board as a means of providing good visual stimulus for themes.

In the afternoon the atmosphere changed. The delegates worked in collaborative pairs, with each individual designing and making their own skillosaurus but on hand to help their partner. Initially there were frowns and sighs of frustration but soon followed by cries of enlightenment as they realised how to control the shape of their creature through two or three simple card manipulation techniques. A few of the more adventurous spirits attempted to make a large scale skilly - definitely not a trivial task.

Although the materials and tools used in the two units are virtually identical - mainly card, scissors and pva glue - they are at different ends of the spectrum when intellectual and practical demands are considered.

The follow-up discussion concentrated on the nature of this increased demand noting the move from 2D to 3D, the larger number of structural components, and the level of constructional skill needed, all of which reflected the overall complexity of the product and the greater challenge of the design decisions needed to be made by the pupils.