Year 1–2 technologists design for a purpose

Kathy Chandler: The curriculum focus for this activity is about the purpose of technology. It involves designing and making a technological outcome for a specific purpose.

Kathy Chandler: So, we're going to be looking today at my granddad’s motorcycle helmet that I have shown you before, and that was between 90 and 100 years old. And we’ve been looking at James’ helmet. When he drives to school, he wears this. And these are both motorcycle helmets, but they are very different. But just to get us thinking about why people make different things and why they’re made out of different materials, we’re just going to have a quick sorting activity. Right, so I’ve got all sorts of exciting hats in here, tell me one way we could sort all these hats. What do you think Claudia?

Student: How they feel.

Kathy Chandler: How they feel, yeah.

Student: Working out which person wears it, like the police hat.

Kathy Chandler: Yes, according to the use, how else Sarah?

Student: Different kinds of materials.

Kathy Chandler: Different materials, yeah that was similar I think to what somebody else said.

Student: Types of work hats, like the police, the working people that don’t stay at home and go to work.

Kathy Chandler: We could maybe split them up into ones that were made of natural materials and ones that were made from people made materials. Have a look down here and see if there’s any hats you think might have been made from wool from a sheep. ... You think that one? It might be, because it could be wool that’s made a different colour. It could be.

Student: Kathy, I’ve really got a good one.

Kathy Chandler: Alright Aaron. Who would wear that?

Student: A policeman.

Kathy Chandler: And why would a policeman need to wear a hat?

Student: To tell people it’s the police.

Kathy Chandler: So it’s part of a ...?

Student: Job.

Kathy Chandler: Yes, it’s part of its job.

Student: Uniform!

Kathy Chandler: To keep cool, you got that one. To keep dry, we didn’t really have a hat here to keep dry, so for fashion you got that, to dress up you got that, for a uniform. Now the one we haven’t got that we haven’t got a hat here for at the moment is to keep clean.

You’d hardly recognise these as being the same thing. So the technologist that made this, they had to use what materials they had. And they had leather in those days. But they didn’t have what this is made of. So, I’m looking for a super duper person to tell me what they think what materials might have been used to make this helmet. Just have a feel of it. Saskia, what do you think? Yeah, a very hard coat of plastic. This one we decided was that made of plastic too?

Students: Yes.

Kathy Chandler: Yeah but it’s got, this is quite different, this is for an ordinary bike and this is for a motorbike. Why do you think these have been made different? What do you think Erin?

Student: Because the motorbike, you can easily get hurt by the motorbike, that’s why it’s really hard, and that one because you’re just by Dad and if you fall down on the grass it doesn’t really hurt. But that one’s not so hard.

Kathy Chandler: So are you saying that it would be more dangerous riding a motorbike so you need a stronger helmet, is that what you’re saying?

Kathy Chandler: It is, because it is very motivating, it’s often hands on, there’s lots of practical things that they can see and it makes them aware of what they have at home and differences, and it makes them on the lookout I think, and more aware.