Teaching resources from Practical Action which help students to understand sustainable development. They explore aspects of contemporary issues. Suitable for classes in science or technology, ages 7-16

Practical Action teaching resources which embed sustainability issues into all aspects of D&T. They unpack sustainability terms such as the 6Rs’, present a range of design briefs/STEM challenges set in global context and evaluation tools. Suitable for ages 11-16.

Technical briefs are documents produced by Practical Action which are freely available to people in the developing world. They provide detailed technical information on a variety of subjects ranging from how to make jams and pickles to how to build a flood-proof house or an aerial ropeway.

Students can use...

Teaching resources covering a range of issues around water e.g. cleaning water and hygiene set within a global context. Based on Practical action projects in the developing world they are suitable for ages 7-16.
 

A comprehensive, 60-page PDF guide detailing everything you need to know about 3D printing in the classroom. The chapters included in this guide are:

• An Introduction to 3D Printing
• Getting 3D Printable Files
• Preparing Files for 3D Printing
• 3D Printing Tips for the Classroom...

This Catalyst article looks at 3D printing, a new technology which is rapidly finding applications. Although probably too slow for mass production it is useful for producing prototypes and tailor-made items. In a 3D printer, layers of polymer beads are printed one on top of the other. Heat melts the polymer beads...

In this 5 hour STEM Clubs teaching pack students examine ways in which communities can put measures into place to make sure people and properties are safe, and look at how the IoT can bring additional benefits to this safety.

It is recommended that, prior to this...

This five hour teaching pack supports students to research, design and prototype their own Internet of things product to enhance the working lives of firefighters.

In this project, students use Autodesk Homestyler to design a living space for a disabled client. The design must include a ground floor living space with outdoor landscape. The overall plot must not exceed 25m x 60m and the living space must not exceed 10m x 40m. Students create a customer profile to base their...

A presentation to support a project to design and make a useful item that incorporates throwaway materials. 

This resource from Practical Action includes a presentation and worksheets which give Key Stage Three and Four students opportunities to understand more about the impact of existing and new products on people and the environment. The presentation is packed with useful activities to reinforce students' learning. The...

St Bonaventure’s School met with a STEM Ambassador from the BBC. She discussed her career and the various different jobs involved in product creation.
Using a TED talk as a starting point students worked through the activities with the STEM Ambassador.
As an extension activity, students then used the...