Consumer and financial literacy: Design and Technologies

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Design and Technologies

The Australian Curriculum: Technologies has a significant role in developing consumer and financial literacy in young people. The Design and Technologies subject supports the development of the dimensions of consumer and financial literacy as shown in the diagram below.

Approximate proportion of the dimensions addressed in Design and Technologies

By learning to identify opportunities for designing solutions, participating in the investigation of technologies, generating design ideas and processes, and working collaboratively to make designed solutions in Design and Technologies, students acquire the enterprise skills of design thinking, creativity and innovation. They also learn to become responsible consumers by evaluating the success of design ideas, processes and solutions based on a range of criteria including sustainability. Most design projects require budgeting and consideration of the trade-offs necessary when selecting resources. 

Becoming responsible and ethical consumers is underpinned by an understanding students acquire about the use and development of designed solutions, and the impact of the solutions on people’s lives. Designing involves social, ethical and sustainability considerations as well as the identification of preferred futures. The evaluation of resources, processes and designed solutions requires students to identify and manage consumer risks to individuals, families and the broader community and environment.

The making of designed solutions opens up possibilities for students to apply their skills to real-world contexts through which consumer and financial literacy can be developed. Students consider their innovative designed solutions for their marketing and commercialisation potential.

Moneysmart for teachers provides a number of interdisciplinary units and interactive activities that include aspects of the Design and Technologies subject. Access a list of relevant resources that link to the Australian Curriculum: Design and Technologies using the right-hand menu.

   

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Technologies and society

Recognise the role of people in design and technologies occupations and explore factors, including sustainability that impact on the design of products, services and environments to meet community needs (ACTDEK010)

Technologies contexts

By the end of Year 4 students will have had the opportunity to create designed solutions addressing the three technologies contexts below.

Engineering principles and systems

Investigate how forces and the properties of materials affect the behaviour of a product or system (ACTDEK011)

Food and fibre production and food specialisations

Investigate food and fibre production and food technologies used in modern and traditional societies (ACTDEK012)

Materials and technologies specialisation

Investigate the suitability of materials, systems, components, tools and equipment for a range of purposes (ACTDEK013)

Producing and implementing

Select and use materials, components, tools, equipment and techniques and use safe work practices to make designed solutions (ACTDEP016)

Investigating and defining

Critique needs or opportunities for designing and explore and test a variety of materials, components, tools and equipment and the techniques needed to produce designed solutions (ACTDEP014)

Generating and designing

Generate, develop, and communicate design ideas and decisions using appropriate technical terms and graphical representation techniques (ACTDEP015)

Evaluating

Evaluate design ideas, processes and solutions based on criteria for success developed with guidance and including care for the environment (ACTDEP017)

Collaborating and managing

Plan a sequence of production steps when making designed solutions individually and collaboratively (ACTDEP018)