A wide range of contexts

Worthwhile projects in design and technology may arise from a wide range of contexts, for example:

• arts - entertainment, literature, music, theatre, cinema, TV, fun, fabrics, sculpture, installations, architecture
• communication - telephone, wireless, graphics
• community - care aids, hospitality
• education - younger pupils
• health - in the home or in hospital
• home - furniture, equipment
• industry - manufacturing, services (water, gas, electricity), energy, agriculture, horticulture, machinery, catering, textiles
• product design - furniture, models
• science - support for science, applying science to science or other contexts
• sport - leisure, camping, games, training and coaching, golf, sailing, football, cycling, skateboarding, snowboarding
• transport - rail, road, air, water.

The full range of possible contexts for design and technology is, of course, limitless. The contexts chosen will depend on students' interests and skills and on teachers' expertise and contacts.

For examples of projects based around the different contexts, see the links to the left.

Planning for contexts

A course in design and technology may be planned around particular contexts or it may be kept general in order to allow students to follow their own individual interests, especially in the later years in school or college.

Regardless of the context, courses may have their own focus, such as graphic products, systems and control, textiles or food. But these could all be set in any of a range of contexts.

A project may fall into several contexts. A chair might be designed for a particular location in a house (context: home) or it may arise from an interest in designing and making furniture (context: product design).

The need for clarity of context lies in the importance of being able to recognise and value the student's understanding of those features of the context which the student has studied for the purpose of the project. In the case of a chair, this study may have focused on the historical or technical features of chairs; or it may have focused on the physical, architectural and social environment for which the chair is to be designed. Either way, the student's understanding of the context should be recognised and valued.
It may well be that a particular project is based in more than one context and the student has studied all aspects of its contexts.

For teachers, the importance of contexts is that they may choose to base their teaching schemes around specific contexts of their own interests or in the cultural ethos and environment of the school. For example, a rural school may base its design and technology teaching on agriculture (its machinery, structures, propagation, veterinary and marketing strategies), while another may use the arts as the context for teaching design and technology.

Either way, it is important for students to develop the ability to describe, in detail, their understanding of the context of their project and to explain how their design takes account of the many features of the context which gave rise to the need, or opportunity, for their chosen design project.

For this reason it is important to recognise the ability of students to approach experts in the field in order to find out more about the context in which they are working. This is not obtaining unfair help; it is an essential strategy of design and technology and should be rewarded as such.

Contexts also provide a challenging framework for learning about the cultural and economic influences of design and technology over the centuries. There is no difference between the nature of design and technology as applied to building the pyramids, or constructing the irrigation schemes of Mesopotamia, and its application to solving our medical and industrial problems today.

Selecting contexts for designing and making

It is important to remember that design and technology is used in virtually every area of human activity. This means that whatever is of interest to you, it is likely that you can find something that you can design and make in support of it.

Remember: knowledge and real understanding of the context of a project are essential parts of the discipline of design and technology. It is pointless proceeding with a design and technology project if you have no understanding of the context of the problem you are trying to solve.