Design & Technology

Technologies enrich and impact on the lives of people and societies globally. Society needs enterprising students who can make discerning decisions about the development and use of technologies, develop solutions to complex challenges and contribute to sustainable patterns of living. Technologies can play an important role in transforming, restoring and sustaining societies and natural, managed and constructed environments.

The Western Australian Curriculum: Technologies describes two distinct but related subjects:

  • Design and Technologies, in which students use design thinking and technologies to generate and produce solutions for authentic needs and opportunities
  • Digital Technologies, in which students use computational thinking and information systems to define, design and implement solutions. In an increasingly technological and complex world, it is important to develop knowledge and skills to analyse and creatively respond to design and/or digital challenges.

Through the practical application of technologies including digital technologies, students develop dexterity and coordination through experiential activities. Technologies motivates young people and engages them in a range of learning experiences that are transferable to family and home, constructive leisure activities, community contribution and the world of work.

Technologies provides students with authentic learning challenges that foster curiosity, confidence, persistence, innovation, creativity, respect and cooperation. These attributes are necessary when using and developing solutions to make sense of complex ideas and relationships in all areas of learning. Technologies helps students to be regional and global citizens, capable of actively and ethically communicating and collaborating.

The Western Australian Curriculum: Technologies aims to develop the knowledge, understandings and skills to ensure that, individually and collaboratively, students:

  • investigate, design, plan, manage, create and evaluate solutions
  • are creative, innovative and enterprising when using traditional, contemporary and emerging technologies, and understand how technologies have developed over time
  • make informed and ethical decisions about the role, impact and use of technologies in the economy, environment and society for a sustainable future
  • engage confidently with and responsibly select and manipulate appropriate technologies – materials, data, systems, components, tools and equipment – when designing and creating solutions
  • critique, analyse and evaluate problems, needs or opportunities to identify and create solutions.

Learning