Pre-planning
Implementing the newly aligned Technology standards in 2011 offered an opportunity to refresh the Year 11 DVC course, but instead of just adapting what they had been doing Jez and Hi sung decided to develop a completely new programme. In previous years, students had completed three units: Designing a perfume bottle; Landscape design and Art Deco furniture design. In the new course, students would work on two more substantial units over the year. The first would set them up with the sketching and rendering skills they needed, and contribute some work towards Achievement Standard 1.30 and 1.31 while the second would offer the opportunity to achieve NCEA credits. Jez says that they tried to incorporate as many Achievement Standards as they thought could be successfully integrated into the unit, and that all seven worked together well: "It was like the pieces of a puzzle coming together".
The new Dressing Table Design unit was based on exploring the work of an influential designer. Students would research an influential designer and incorporate the designer's style into their own dressing table design. Jez and Hi sung chose a furniture context on the grounds that it provided the best opportunity to cover as much "different" content as possible – from human factors to scale, sections and exploded drawings, particularly important for students completing the formal drawings for external assessment. They also thought that a dressing table might appeal more to girls than other pieces of furniture although, Jez notes, this could easily be changed to a desk, computer work station or other domestic furniture. They decided, when considering students' prior knowledge, to assume that most would have little, if any, experience of layout design, Photoshop and the work of their chosen designer.
The 19-week unit was divided into four sections:
- Part 1: Introduction to document design, layout and Photoshop skills
- Part 2: Research and present the work of an influential designer
- Part 3: Design for a dressing table informed by the work of an influential designer
- Part 4: Promote the design for the dressing table
DVC teachers had attended a workshop on the new Level 1 standards, run by National Technology Professional Development Facilitator Lesley Pearce, during which they did some practical activities. This included designing a business card for a pet shop, and Jez and Hi sung decided that this could be adapted as an initial skill-building exercise in their unit.
Planning included pre-booking computer time. Although the Technology department has its own computer room, the facility is in high demand so managing availability is essential to ensure students have sufficient time for research and to use software such as Photoshop.
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