Technology at John McGlashan College

These are the questions we get asked the most during parent interviews, and I wanted to take the time to communicate with the college's community exactly what we do in technology here at John McGlashan College.  

The subject technology is very broad, here at John McGlashan College we have decided to specialise in furniture design technology at senior level, so the boys understand exactly what is expected from them. At a junior level, however, it is all about the boys following the design process to manufacturing artefacts which allow them to gain confidence in a very specialist area of the curriculum.  

Currently, our Year 7s are completing a fidget spinner project; they are enjoying the challenge and using native New Zealand timber to manufacture their designs into a working prototype. 

The Year 8 boys have been developing kitchen utensils with a focus on developing a solution that will fulfil the needs of the design brief. This again covers the elements of the design process and allows the boys to advance their skills on from Year 7.

One of our Year 9 projects involve the boys making a storage solution for everyday products; they focus the outcome around the specific dimensions of the items they wish to store. We touch on anthropometrics, and boys use this data to develop a solution that is fit for purpose when judged against the original specifications.

As a department, we have been incredibly impressed with the products the boys have been producing, and it is clear to us that the students enjoy the subject and value the need to be creative. In the past, we have simply told the boys what they will be making and then given them plans to follow. However, we want to promote a subject area in which the students take charge and drive their project, out of a real life needs. We have found that giving the students this ownership has led to them producing much more personalised and original prototypes. 

In senior technology or FDT, we have witnessed simply stunning outcomes that show what the boys have learnt throughout their journey in technology. You only have to look at the outcome that Thomas Sime has created to see the level of detail and creativity we promote. Thomas's project will be entered into a nation wide design competition, and we look forward to seeing the results.

Furniture design technology allows the boys to complete NCEA achievement standards that are UE recognised and show how far the subject has come and the various directions our boys can go in their futures.

We are always looking for new and exciting projects for our boys to complete so if you have ideas, please don't hesitate to contact me at simon.white@mcglashan.school.nz.