Design and technology
Design specification: a desk tidy
Write a design brief and measurable ACCESS FM specification that respond to a user’s stated needs and can be tested.
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Teaching Assistant, Design and Technology and Computing
Josh Renshaw
The wording has to fit the work underway, whether a student is setting up equipment or following a sequence in a computing task.
Explore the collectionA little about me
My work is based in Design and Technology and Computing workshops. I support students during practical lessons, where clear equipment routines and safety guidance need to sit close to the task itself.
A generic differentiation sheet does not tell me what this student needs to do next. I look for prompts that break the current activity into manageable actions and give me a useful point to check understanding. The wording has to fit the work underway, whether a student is setting up equipment or following a sequence in a computing task.
My role is to support access to the lesson while keeping the practical expectation in view. A short, specific prompt can be more useful than a long list of adjustments that is detached from the activity.
How I approach a lesson
Place safety and equipment instructions beside the practical step they govern.
Break the current task into actions that fit the student and activity.
Use check-in prompts to identify the next step without taking over the work.
Templates I'd use with my class
Explore these templates and decide what fits your own setting.
Design and technology
Product testing and evaluation
Test a prototype against specified criteria, record results and use evidence from tests and user feedback to justify an evaluation.