ABSTRACT
Design and technology (D&T) is unlike most school subjects in that it is a construct developed especially for the National Curriculum in England. Most of those who become teachers of the subject have degrees in related areas but these do not always cover the breadth or depth of the construct as developed for the National Curriculum. In deciding what to teach in D&T, it is important to consider both the nature of design and the nature of technology. Design and technological activity requires the use of materials; if someone is going to use materials they will need to know something about them. Making decisions about which materials to use are therefore complex and requires much more than a ‘science’ understanding of materials. In D&T education we want young people not only to learn how to make such complex judgments for themselves, but also to analyse the judgments made by others.
