Year 8 students were involved in an exciting unit developing zoo related promotional products that could, in theory at least, be sold at the Wellington Zoo shop. This link was set up by Barbara Knight at Queen Margaret College after a number of highly successful similar projects with Te Papa and her senior students – see Te Papa Souvenirs. In both links, students are involved in the complete process of product development, from identifying need, concept development, design, prototyping, manufacture, packaging and promotion, the latter using the high-end graphic design tools in Adobe Creative Suite. This case study looks at the delivery of this unit by Richard Knuckey in his first-year as E-Learning HoD at the school.

BRIEF DEVELOPMENT
Support students to understand the physical and functional nature required of an outcome and how the key attributes relate to this.

• Indicator: Students can establish the key attributes for an outcome informed by stakeholder considerations.

PLANNING FOR PRACTICE
Provide resources including a range of appropriate stakeholders, materials, components, software, hardware, equipment and/or tools for students to select from and support students to select those that will be suitable for their outcome.
Provide planning tools and support students to use these to record key stages and resources needed, including when they will need to access stakeholder feedback.

• Indicator: Students can review progress at set review points and revise time management as appropriate to ensure completion of an outcome.

OUTCOME DEVELOPMENT AND EVALUATION
Provide opportunities to develop drawing and modelling skills to communicate and explore design ideas.

• Indicator: Students can undertake functional modelling to develop design ideas into a conceptual design that addresses the key attributes.

CONTEXT SPECIFIC SKILLS AND KNOWLEDGE

• Design and Visual Communication principles
• Confidence and competence in application of Digital Technologies

Includes:

• Managing self / Relating to others: self / peer assessment opportunities
• Ecological/environmental sustainability

Wellington Zoo website

Worksheets from Barbara Knight relating to:

• Unit planner
• Investigation
• Planning
• Design
• Evaluation