Mathematics is the most abstract
subject of all and the one most likely to inspire children to think “Yes,
but what’s the point? What’s it for?
Whatever subject area pupils concentrate on at any one time, they are always
learning and improving their skills in other areas in the process and this
improvement can include maths skills. Maths is used as a tool in many
subject areas and that is true of the area of Design Technology. This
benefit may go unregarded by the teacher, or it may be anticipated as part
of the learning objectives of the project.
When a group of youngsters come together to plan a design project, they
form a team, co-operate, communicate and work with one another. They may
need to research information from the local environment, books, the internet
and other sources. In the design process they call on a variety of skills:
language skills, thinking skills, social skills, hand and eye co-ordination,
artistic skills, ICT skills and mathematical skills.
Maths can be used in an immediately relevant and practical way in the Design
Technology class. Pupils can demonstrate for themselves while designing and
making, that a design project could never reach completion without using
maths along the way. Design Technology is also an opportunity to use
computer aided design educational software such as
FabLab ModelMaker and Spex, which are full of
mathematical ideas.
The primary objective of a Design Technology project might be to design and
make packaging for a particular product, or to plan the layout of an IT
room. Maths will be employed in measuring dimensions and calculating the
costs of materials. Designing and positioning
2D and 3D Shapes with a CAD
software on the computer screen gives pupils the need to use the language of
3D shapes and spatial positions, and
helps to improve their ability to visualise the movements and rotations of
3D shapes.
A project to make a box to hold toffees can employ a lot of maths skills as
well as Design Technology skills. 3D shape language and concepts will be
well used: “This a pyramid with a square base. This is a cube, and
this is a cube net! This is a
prism with 5 sides, a pentagonal prism. Which one is most attractive? Which
would be suitable to make a box to contain toffees?”
“How could we pack a lot of boxes like this together if we were
transporting them from the factory to the shops? Would they get
damaged?” Pupils could construct ‘virtual’ boxes and investigate
how they might be packed by moving them around on-screen. They could
construct real boxes from card and see how they will pack together.
There is the need to calculate measurements, areas and costs: “How many
toffees are there in 250gm? What volume will they take up? How big will
the box need to be?” “How much card will each different
shape use if we make a net from card, cut it out and make the box? “
“What is the best way of fitting the nets on the card to save card?
Which will be the cheapest box to make?”
By the time the box is designed, commissioned and full of toffees,
children will have seen maths in a different light, as a skill which is
useful and practical. Or perhaps they will not even have thought of it
as maths at all!
“Do we get to eat the toffees now?”
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