Design and Technologies
The Australian Curriculum: Technologies has a significant role in developing consumer and financial literacy in young people. The Design and Technologies subject supports the development of the dimensions of consumer and financial literacy as shown in the diagram below.
Approximate proportion of the dimensions addressed in Design and Technologies
By learning to identify opportunities for designing solutions, participating in the investigation of technologies, generating design ideas and processes, and working collaboratively to make designed solutions in Design and Technologies, students acquire the enterprise skills of design thinking, creativity and innovation. They also learn to become responsible consumers by evaluating the success of design ideas, processes and solutions based on a range of criteria including sustainability. Most design projects require budgeting and consideration of the trade-offs necessary when selecting resources.
Becoming responsible and ethical consumers is underpinned by an understanding students acquire about the use and development of designed solutions, and the impact of the solutions on people’s lives. Designing involves social, ethical and sustainability considerations as well as the identification of preferred futures. The evaluation of resources, processes and designed solutions requires students to identify and manage consumer risks to individuals, families and the broader community and environment.
The making of designed solutions opens up possibilities for students to apply their skills to real-world contexts through which consumer and financial literacy can be developed. Students consider their innovative designed solutions for their marketing and commercialisation potential.
MoneySmart Teaching provides a number of interdisciplinary units and interactive activities that include aspects of the Design and Technologies subject. Access a list of relevant resources that link to the Australian Curriculum: Design and Technologies using the right-hand menu.
Technologies and society
Examine how people in design and technologies occupations address competing considerations, including sustainability in the design of products, services, and environments for current and future use (ACTDEK019)
By the end of Year 6 students will have had the opportunity to create designed solutions addressing the three technologies contexts below.
Engineering principles and systems
Investigate how electrical energy can control movement, sound or light in a designed product or system (ACTDEK020)
Food and fibre production and food specialisations
Investigate how and why food and fibre are produced in managed environments and prepared to enable people to grow and be healthy (ACTDEK021)
Materials and technologies specialisation
Investigate characteristics and properties of a range of materials, systems, components, tools and equipment and evaluate the impact of their use (ACTDEK023)
Producing and implementing
Select appropriate materials, components, tools, equipment and techniques and apply safe procedures to make designed solutions (ACTDEP026)
Investigating and defining
Critique needs or opportunities for designing, and investigate materials, components, tools, equipment and processes to achieve intended designed solutions (ACTDEP024)
Generating and designing
Generate, develop and communicate design ideas and processes for audiences using appropriate technical terms and graphical representation techniques (ACTDEP025)
Negotiate criteria for success that include sustainability to evaluate design ideas, processes and solutions (ACTDEP027)
Collaborating and managing
Develop project plans that include consideration of resources when making designed solutions individually and collaboratively (ACTDEP028)