Triple A Learning IB Blogs

Do you find it tricky introducing Unit 10 – Mechanisms in this Digital Age and getting students both to understand and

also find it creative and exciting? Often the first tactic is to use example real world mechanisms around the workshop – whether that be the Pillar Drill and pulleys and gears or Simple Scissors and the idea of the lever. However often it is important to inspire further and I just came across an excellent site at the wonderful Internet Design Magazine – Dezeen called “Dezeen’s Top Ten Machines”

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Image by John & Mel Kots via Flickr

As 2011 amazingly is drawing to a close and 2012 begins to dawn another Olympic year is almost upon us. Why would that be interesting for our Design and Technology Diploma students? Well of course the Olympics over recent years have been renowned for influential and creative architectural and product design. Do you all remember the “birds nest” Olympic Stadium by Ai Wei Wei? Of course you do and the Olypmics in London 2012 also provides great opportunities to introduce real world projects and assessments around the Higher Level Unit 9 – Structures.

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Recent news in the UK, regarding the fabulous and inspirational Design Museum has reminded me to include this in a blog post as a valuable resource for all IB Design Technology teachers. The Design Museum at Butler’s Wharf on the Thames in London is being put up for sale not to close thankfully but so that it can move to a new larger site after so much success over the last 20 years or so. The article did remind me of how useful in terms of inspiration and context a trip outside of the school environment is – to help IB students and give them the impetus and ideas for their projects and especially Major Project in DP2. Their recent “This is Design” exhibition is excellent in many ways – including showing the development of chair designs linked to specific manufacturing processes.

If you are lucky enough to be situated in the UK, or in another city with such wonderful museum resources then I would always recommend taking students along. However the Design Museum itself also runs competitions – that students may enter or can be beneficial in giving teaching and learning ideas and new briefs for projects. Their current Design Factory project/competition – MAKING THE EVERYDAY EXTRAORDINARY is one such example and even if the date for entry is very soon can be utilised in many ways. Some of the resources are wonderful including an excellent slideshow presentation on the Design Process by Samuel Wilkinson recent Dyson Awards winner for his creative and adventurous light bulb design. Great for showing where constructive discontent can lead you. Note they also link to some excellent examples of last years entries in the form of images of design page entries which again can be very useful to show students as examples of good project portfolio work – so make sure to check out the Flickr collection.

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