James Dyson Foundation: Free Primary D&T Course

Published 26th June 2023

The James Dyson Foundation, renowned for its support of engineering and design education, recently hosted an engaging and informative full-day primary Design and Technology (D&T) course at its headquarters in Malmesbury. This free course, aimed at primary school educators, was devised to bridge the gap between industry processes and the D&T curriculum taught in classrooms. Attendees had the opportunity to learn from industry experts and explore valuable resources offered by the James Dyson Foundation.

The primary D&T course featured Mark Johnson, Senior Principal Engineer at Dyson, who shared insights on supporting Neurodiverse pupils in the field of D&T. Participants were introduced to various resources provided by the James Dyson Foundation, gaining practical experience through hands-on activities with Dyson's ‘Challenge Cards.’ The course also emphasised contextualizing D&T lessons to ensure engaging and relevant learning experiences for students. The group were also taken around the site and given some hands-on practical activities.

Objectives

The primary D&T course focused on achieving several key objectives, including enabling educators to contextualise D&T within their schools, discussing strategies to support neurodiverse pupils in D&T, providing practical CPD opportunities using James Dyson Foundation resources, and enhancing knowledge of the work and processes at the James Dyson. Educators also gained valuable insights about implementing an iterative design cycle in their teaching.

Support for Attendees

To facilitate attendance, the Design and Technology Association offered to cover supply teacher costs up to £150, allowing educators to focus on their professional development without financial constraints.

Feedback

There was positive feedback from participants with attendee Helen Mitchell from White Waltham CofE Academy stating that, “The course was brilliant - really thought provoking and lots of useful and practical advice to take back to school. Great to hear about the range of resources Dyson has to offer schools too.”

Keren Wynn of Colerne CofE Primary School explains, “The meeting was excellent and so worthwhile. All the speakers were brilliant. The venue was amazing and we were all looked after really well. I came away thinking

The primary D&T course hosted by the James Dyson Foundation at their Malmesbury headquarters proved to be a highly valuable opportunity for primary school educators. By linking the James Dyson Foundation's innovative work with the D&T curriculum, teachers gained new perspectives, learned practical strategies, and accessed valuable resources to enhance their teaching and engage students in the exciting world of design and technology. The event exemplified the James Dyson Foundation's commitment to supporting education and fostering creativity among the engineers and designers of the future. Danya Walker, James Dyson Foundation Project Manager comments, “For us it was a great day, an opportunity to share our resources and demonstrate how the challenge cards could be used within Primary schools.”