Head of Design, Technology and Computing

Steven Marsh

I value build logs that capture a design choice, its reason and what a student may reconsider, adapting the record to the evidence each practical or technical task needs.

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A little about me

A design decision is easier to understand when the student records why it was made, not only what the finished object looks like. I lead Design and Technology, Computer Science and Food Preparation and Nutrition, where students move between different kinds of practical and technical work.

Those subjects share workshop space and machines, so planning has to account for access as well as learning. I am interested in build logs that capture decisions as they happen: the choice made, the reason for it and what the student might reconsider. A record like that can support reflection across a project without prescribing a single answer.

The same template will not automatically suit every subject. A useful log should make a decision visible while leaving room for the kind of evidence each task calls for. I also have to coordinate equipment use across the workshops, so clear schedules and well-structured records matter to my work as a department lead.

How I approach a lesson

  1. Capture the reason behind a design choice while the work is in progress.

  2. Shape build-log prompts around the evidence each subject needs.

  3. Plan shared machine access across the three workshop subjects.

Templates I'd use with my class

Explore these templates and decide what fits your own setting.

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