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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 for teachers 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.
Year 5 Never too young to be Moneysmart with clothes
Year 6 The fun begins: Plan, budget, profit!
Year 6 It’s raining cats and dogs... and chickens?
Year 9 English – smart consumers 4 a smart future – Smart arguments
Year 9 Mathematics – smart consumers 4 a smart future – Solar sums
Year 9 Science – smart consumers 4 a smart future – My eco-kitchen rules
Year 10 Science – smart consumers 4 a smart future – Decisions by the stars
By the end of Year 2:
Technologies and society
Identify how people design and produce familiar products, services and environments and consider sustainability to meet personal and local community needs (ACTDEK001)
Technologies contexts
By the end of Year 2 students will have had the opportunity to create designed solutions addressing the three technologies contexts below.
Engineering principles and systems
Explore how technologies use forces to create movement in products (ACTDEK002)
Food and fibre production and food specialisations
Explore how plants and animals are grown for food, clothing and shelter and how food is selected and prepared for healthy eating (ACTDEK003)
Materials and technologies specialisation
Explore the characteristics and properties of materials and components that are used to produce designed solutions (ACTDEK004)
Producing and implementing
Use materials, components, tools, equipment and techniques to safely make designed solutions (ACTDEP007)
Investigating and defining
Explore needs or opportunities for designing, and the technologies needed to realise designed solutions (ACTDEP005)
Generating and designing
Generate, develop and record design ideas through describing, drawing and modelling (ACTDEP006)
Evaluating
Use personal preferences to evaluate the success of design ideas, processes and solutions including their care for environment (ACTDEP008)
Collaborating and managing
Sequence steps for making designed solutions and working collaboratively (ACTDEP009)