Overview
S1 and S2
In Technical Education the experience for all pupils in S1 and S2 is one that encompasses design, graphics and craft skills. Through practical tasks pupils are taken through the design cycle and using a variety of materials are taught the skills necessary to fashionn simple artefacts.
The craft and design components of the course provide many students with their first 'hands on' experience with common hand and power tools as well as teaching them simple but effective assembly and finishing skills. By working with a variety of natural and man made materials, pupils ;earn through experience about their properties. Safe working practices are taught and emphasised at all times. At the end of each project, pupils are asked to evaluate their work and to suggest areas which could be improved.
To communicate their design ideas, pupils are taught various graphical techniques including freehand sketching and perspective drawing as well as how to use drawing instruments to produce accurate working drawings. Throughout the course they are encouraged to present their work in a visually stimulating way, using colour and various layout techniques and using computers where appropriate.
Craft & Design
The Standard Grade course builds upon the pupil's earlier experiences and more advanced skills and processes are taught along with an awareness of environmental issues relating to the materials used in manufacture. Pupils are expected to follow the design cycle from the initial brief through to the final manufacture and evaluation of the artefact.
Areas of study include aesthetics, ergonomics anthropometrics and safe working practices. The final award at standard grade is derived from a design folio, a manufactured article and a formal examination to assess knowledge of design, materials and processes.
Product Design is offered at Higher and the areas studied include:
- Design Analysis
- Developing Design Proposals
- Manufacturing Products.
The course concentrates on product design and commercial production rather than on developing craft skills. The external element of the course requires an examination and the production of a design assignment. This change in emphasis from Standard Grade allows pupils to enter the course from other areas of study such as Art & Design and Graphic Communication.
Graphic Communication
The Standard Grade course builds on the skills attained earlier and pupils are taught the finer points of sketching and presentation techniques. The more formal aspects of engineering and geometrical drawing are taught using drawing boards and computer aided graphic packages. Pupils are required to produce a folio of best work across a range of techniques and media as part of their final grade.
At Higher and Intermediate 2 the areas studied include:
Technical Graphics 1 - perspective, oblique, planometric, sectional exploded and assembled drawings, geometric constructions and illustration and presentation techniques.
Technical Graphics 2 - orthographic components, dimensioning and knowledge of graphic communication in the company structure. Computer Graphics - orthographic, pictorial and rendered graphics for use in desktop published documents.
The course has a high content of computer work and pupils are expected to produce a folio of work to demonstrate attainment across a range of techniques and computer packages.
