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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 10:
Technologies and society
Critically analyse factors, including social, ethical and sustainability considerations, that impact on designed solutions for global preferred futures and the complex design and production processes involved (ACTDEK040)
Explain how products, services and environments evolve with consideration of preferred futures and the impact of emerging technologies on design decisions (ACTDEK041)
Technologies contexts
By the end of Year 10 students will have had the opportunity to design and produce designed solutions for one or more of the technologies contexts below.
Engineering principles and systems
Investigate and make judgements on how the characteristics and properties of materials are combined with force, motion and energy to create engineered solutions (ACTDEK043)
Food and fibre production
Investigate and make judgements on the ethical and sustainable production and marketing of food and fibre (ACTDEK044)
Food specialisations
Investigate and make judgements on how the principles of food safety, preservation, preparation, presentation and sensory perceptions influence the creation of food solutions for healthy eating (ACTDEK045)
Materials and technologies specialisation
Investigate and make judgements on how the characteristics and properties of materials, systems, components, tools and equipment can be combined to create designed solutions (ACTDEK046)
Investigate and make judgements, within a range of technologies specialisations, on how technologies can be combined to create designed solutions (ACTDEK047)
Producing and implementing
Work flexibly to effectively and safely test, select, justify and use appropriate technologies and processes to make designed solutions (ACTDEP050)
Evaluating
Evaluate design ideas, processes and solutions against comprehensive criteria for success recognising the need for sustainability (ACTDEP051)
Collaborating and managing
Develop project plans using digital technologies to plan and manage projects individually and collaboratively taking into consideration time, cost, risk and production processes (ACTDEP052)