Departments

Technology & Design

“A good designer is a person with original ideas. A good engineer is a person who makes a design that works with as few original ideas as possible. There are no prima donnas in design and engineering”
Freeman Dyson, mathematician and physicist

Teaching Staff

Mr M Patton (HoD)

Miss E Getty

Technical support

Ms Majella Smart

Please click on the link below to access the Technology Department's microsite.

http://technologyanddesign-dhs.weebly.com/index.html

Aims

• To develop competence in using the Design and Technology process through practical and investigative activities, so that human and other needs can be identified and met.
• To develop through active learning the ability to model artifacts or systems in the mind, in graphic, written and three dimensional forms.
• To develop pupils’ personal qualities such as initiative, curiosity, inventiveness, cooperation and empathy for the views and lifestyles of others.
• To encourage pupils to be aware of the needs and benefits of working independently to gather information from other subject areas and from sources beyond school.
• To encourage pupils to see the Technological and Design process as one which is used in a variety of forms to solve problems in “real situations”.

In Down High School pupils as designers are required to consider the aesthetic, functional, and other aspects of an object or a process. This will require considerable research, thought, modeling, interactive adjustment, and re-design.
Pupils are actively involved in idea generation and concept development as well as in  the testing and manufacturing of  products.
We combine Art, Science and other subjects with Technology to create tangible three-dimensional outcomes. Our design process involves:

• Pre-production design
  • Design brief - a statement of design goals
  • Research - investigating similar design solutions in the field or related topics
  • Specification - specifying requirements of a design solution for a product
  • Problem solving - conceptualising and documenting design solutions
  • Presentation - presenting design solutions
• Design during production
  • Development - continuation and improvement of a designed solution
  • Testing -  testing a designed solution
• Post-production design feedback for future designs
  • Implementation - introducing the designed solution into the environment
  • Evaluation and conclusion - summary of process and results, including constructive criticism and suggestions for future improvements
• Redesign - any or all stages in the design process repeated (with corrections made) at any time before, during, or after production.

In Years 8 – 10 pupils follow the requirements of the Northern Ireland Revised Curriculum: Soma cube; Clock design; Electronic games; Architecture ‘Grand Designs’; Robotics; Product evaluation; Competitive technology; Aeroplane design;  Bridge design.

Years 11-12 GCSE Technology and Design NICCEA

Years 13-14 GCE Technology and Design NICCEA specialising in Year 14 electronics.

The Technology and Design suite is located in the Fowweather Building and incorporates two workshops, a systems room and a planning room with a graphics facility in development.
Down High School Technology and Design department delivers excellent GCSE and AS/A level results comparing favourably with other high achieving schools in Northern Ireland. We have had recent successes at GCE A Level with two CCEA first placings and a third-ranked student.
We have enjoyed two consecutive years of success In the Toyota Design Challenge, winning in the national finals.