Supporting Learning Environment Level 4

To support students to develop understanding of technological products at level 4, teachers could:

• provide students with the opportunity to discuss what is meant by materials being formed, manipulated and transformed. Forming refers to bringing two or more materials together to formulate a new material resulting in a different overall composition and structure to that of the original materials. This results in different performance properties. For example: mixing flour, water and salt to make dough; mixing wood fibres, resin and wax to make MDF; glass fibre and a polymer resin combined to form fiberglass or fibre reinforced polymer (FRP). Manipulating materials refers to ‘working’ existing materials in ways that do not change their properties as their composition and structure is not altered. For example: cutting; molding; bending; jointing; gluing; painting. Transforming refers to changing the structure of an existing material to change some of its properties, but in terms of its composition, it remains the same material. For example: felting; beating an egg white; steaming timber to soften its fibres and allow it to be manipulated (bent)
• guide students to understand that for materials to be selected for use in a technological product, their particular performance properties must align with the desired specifications of that product.
• guide students to recognise that during the development of a product, specifications are established that will require the manipulation, and in some cases, transformation and formation, of materials.
• provide students with a variety of technological products to explore and guide students to identify examples of when materials needed to be manipulated, transformed and/or formed to enable material linked specifications of the product to be met and contribute to the product’s fitness for purpose.
• provide students with a scenario outlining technical and acceptability specifications for a product and support them to explore and research materials to determine what material would be suitable and how they could be manipulated and/or transformed to meet product specifications
• support students to communicate material related details effectively. Material related details include such things as what materials would be feasible and how they would need to be formulated, manipulated and/or transformed. Effective communication uses specialised language and symbols.

Describe examples to illustrate how the manipulation of materials contributed to a product’s fitness for purpose

Examine a range of products made from the same materials to discuss how/why the materials have been manipulated in the way that they have.

Move from products using the same materials, (e.g. several products made from plastic) to those made from different materials, (e.g. something made from plastic, something made from wood and something made from stainless steel).

Examine a range of products made from different materials and discuss how/why the materials have been manipulated in the way that they have

Examine a range of products that have more than one material and discuss how the materials work together to enable the product to be fit for purpose

Allow students opportunity to play with the products and use them for their intended function. From this encourage them to describe how the why materials they are made from are joined allow the product to function.
Suggest what would happen to the products fitness for purpose if the materials they were made from were joined differently e.g. how fit for purpose would the product be if the materials were glued together instead of being bolted together?

Look at examples of how materials have been joined

Technology student website – scroll down to joints

Examine a range of products that have been finished in different ways and discuss:

• the way they have been finished to enable the product to be fit the purpose
• the benefits of them being finished in this way

Students look at a range of different surface finishes applied to materials used in a product and discuss how these finishes enable the product to be fit for purpose.
Discuss what might happen to the product if the material was finished in a different way e.g. cardboard coated with wax to make waterproof

Describe examples to illustrate how the transformation of materials contributed to a product’s fitness for purpose

Analyse existing products to identify the materials they are made from , how they were transformed to enable the product to achieve its physical and functional attributes

Use a range of existing products comprise two – three materials that have been moulded, shaped, bent polished

Describe examples to illustrate how the formulation of new materials contributed to a product’s fitness for purpose

Analyse existing products to identify the materials they are made from , how they were transformed to enable the product to achieve its physical and functional attributes

Use a range of existing products comprise a material(s) that has been formulated – e.g. fibre glass, cake, brass tap

Communicate, using specialised language and drawings, material related details that would allow others to create a product that meets both technical and acceptability specifications.

Analyse existing working drawings, recipes to identify the symbols, language used to communicate technical information (including specifications) about materials/ingredients

Students use specialised language and drawings to communicate information about a product. Other students required to make the product according to the information provided

Students swap information and make each other’s products

Students use specialised language and drawings to communicate information that describes an existing product (use a different product for each student)

When each student has completed a description for one product mix the products and descriptions up and have students sort to match descriptions with product