Two teachers from nearby schools collaborated to develop a Year 11 generic unit that was to be equally applicable to both Materials and Food Technology outcomes. The unit actively fosters more authentic practice by their students, offering a wide range of exploratory/research activities at the beginning of the project – including trips to local industries and school visits by local practitioners – before focussing in on individually identified client-related practice.

BRIEF DEVELOPMENT

Support students to identify a need or opportunity relevant to the given issue and context and to develop specifications and justify them based on key and wider community stakeholder considerations.

• Indicator: Students can identify a need or opportunity from the given context and issue and justify the specifications in terms of key and wider community stakeholder considerations.

PLANNING FOR PRACTICE

Support students to use selected tools to effectively manage resources to enable the outcome produced to successfully meet the brief.

• Indicator: Students can use planning tools to record initial plans and ongoing revisions in ways which provide justification for planning decisions made.

OUTCOME DEVELOPMENT AND EVALUATION

Support students to explore a range of materials / components and to develop the necessary knowledge and skills to evaluate and use them.

• Indicator: Students can evaluate the suitability of materials / components based on their performance properties to select those appropriate for us in the production of a feasible outcome.

The theme of 'Memory catchers' enabled both community and personal/stakeholder values to be explored and meaningfully linked.