Technical briefs are documents produced by Practical Action which are freely available to people in the developing world. They provide detailed technical information on a variety of subjects ranging from how to make jams and pickles to how to build a flood-proof house or an aerial ropeway.

Students can use...

Teaching resources covering a range of issues around water e.g. cleaning water and hygiene set within a global context. Based on Practical action projects in the developing world they are suitable for ages 7-16.
 

Teachers TV was originally a television channel which aimed to provide professional development support for teachers, school leaders, support staff and governors. Many of the programmes were filmed inside real classrooms, with teachers sharing good practice and ideas for lessons.

The videos in this...

This resource, produced by the Design and Technology Association (DATA), contains 24 innovative design and technology units for use in the primary classroom together with a handbook to advise teachers of the best use of the materials. The resource begins by making the argument for including design and technology in...

Produced by the Association for Science Education (ASE), this book looks at technology from an historical perspective and through a series of engaging stories, each of which is linked with possible design-and-make projects. The stories in the book are:

Children of the Grasses In ancient...

Robots are really useful in space as they can do lots of different jobs, some of which are too difficult or dangerous for humans. This activity looks at the different uses of robots in space exploration, with children...

A comprehensive, 60-page PDF guide detailing everything you need to know about 3D printing in the classroom. The chapters included in this guide are:

• An Introduction to 3D Printing
• Getting 3D Printable Files
• Preparing Files for 3D Printing
• 3D Printing Tips for the Classroom...

This is one of a set of resources developed to support the teaching of the primary national curriculum. They are designed to support the delivery of key topics within science and design and technology. This resource focusses on analysing existing products.

Product analysis allows designers to understand how...

The ‘production’ section of the Fixpert's resource focuses on producing a  high-quality working prototype that meets the problem described in the original design brief. Activities that support this section include: ‘hack a toothbrush’, starting points for innovative ideas, and making paper bowls. These activities...

Produced by the Nuffield Foundation, the activities in this booklet use paper carrier bags as a context in which to explore designing, making and evaluating. There are a series of small tasks that encourage children to consider:

[b]The form of products[/b]
Paper carrier bags are usually mass produced...

One of the trial units from the Nuffield Primary Solutions in Design and Technology. In this unit, teachers can examine what children already know about a particular sort of product, some of the values they have with regard to the product and set the scene for them to find out more.

One of the trial units from the Nuffield Primary Solutions in Design and Technology. In this unit, children examine different every day tools, such as potato peelers. The aim of the task is to examine how a number of tools are used and consider how they could be designed differently.

One of the trial units from the Nuffield Primary Solutions in Design and Technology. Children consider testing proceedures to evaluate what food they like and don't like. Testing food products requires a more subjective response than the testing of other products. It is important to develop a considered view of why...