Getting Girls into Design and Technology - a twilight session for D&T teachers
Nationwide, England (Yorkshire & the Humber)
21.06.2012
4.30pm - 6pm with refreshments available from 4pm
With Andrew Carruthers, Design and Technology Teacher, Horsforth School and Teacher Coordinator, RAEng.
Venue: National STEM Centre, University of York
This session will explore the challenge of encouraging and motivating girls into engineering through Design Technology. The twilight session explores some of the issues facing D&T teachers in achieving this aim, a hands-on practical session with a classroom activity kit to take away, and an opportunity to discuss different lesson ideas for KS3.
Introductory presentation
You will look at the teaching resources that the National STEM Centre offers to support D&T and explore the various challenges of encouraging girls into engineering and how we are tackling these issues.
Practical Activity
Man or Machine – Looking at the skeleton bob through the eyes of a female athlete.
This is a team activity that encourages students to consider the importance of design and the user in influencing the performance of a product. You will try out the apparatus and take a kit box home for use in your own school.
Plenary
This is a question and answer session and an opportunity to share project ideas that have been widely received by girls. Andrew Curruthers will bring some examples that have proven popular at his school. Please feel free to bring any resources you may think will useful.