Home Search Sitemap Contact Bookmark

Free Dissertations - Education Dissertations

The Methods Of Design: From The Initial Concept, Through Development To The ...

The methods of design: from the initial concept, through development to the client, is an important area that cannot be ignored. The various materials and structures that are used in modern construction have to be described, discussed and evaluated to inform the pupil. For without the correct delivery and strategies adopted, progression with Design and Make is slow and inhibited.
Neither, the Collaborative or the Interventionist strategies allow pupils to develop valid approaches to designing, where both compromise progress in different ways. The former being slow with great detail in the process at the expense of well designed outcomes, and the latter being all speed at the expense of development, and complete innovative designs. Yet both strategies are required by the pupil in Key Stage 4 as the progress is always that both boys and girls work beyond their technological capability.
Despite the quality of School A's fuse tester being far superior to that of School B, the end result is the same; a device to test whether a fuse has blown. There cannot be many pupils that can be enthused about making a fuse tester. Electrical appliances are fairly reliable nowadays and a blown fuse is a rarity. The fuse tester will, more than likely, end up in the junk drawer with its battery robbed to power something else. A battery tester would have been a far more useful project altogether.
A somewhat more involved idea for a project would be to make a Peripheral Interface Controller (PIC) orientated project using the PICAXE PIC chip, a UK sourced microcontroller system that is a computer-on-a-chip which is used to control devices, a type of microprocessor that highlights self-sufficiency and cost-effectiveness.
Microcontrollers are exciting new electronic ‘single chip computers' that are rapidly being used in industry and education. The ‘PICAXE' system is an extremely powerful, yet low cost, microcontroller programming system designed to simplify educational and hobbyist use of microcontrollers (Picaxe, 2006)
These Interface Controllers are being used increasingly in schools for all kinds of projects: electronic dice, mobile phone ringtone generators, cyber pets, all kinds of alarms and sensors, simple electronic games or flashing LED circuits can be made. The possibilities are endless.
Although the pupils wouldn't understand 100% how the circuits work, this isn't necessary. There is sufficient scope for designing and making to fulfil the national curriculum requirements and, perhaps more importantly, to enthuse the pupils into wanting to complete them and take well deserved pride in their achievements.


Thanks