Aimed at primary level, this resource provides a design and technology project which links to work on the properties of materials and aspects of environmental geography. Children design and make a model of a pond and discover more about the work of engineers throughout the process. In the first lesson the context...

Produced by the Learning and Skills Improvement Service (LSIS), these case studies describe work done by practitioners to disseminate knowledge. The academic study of KTT recognises that sharing learning is much more than simply moving information from ‘A’ to ‘B’; the successful transfer of knowledge and technology...

This Topic Brief was published as part of the ASE’s LAMP Project. This unit was developed from work carried out with non-academic boys and girls in the age range 14 to 16 years. It was tried with some success on groups of between 12 and 15 in an urban comprehensive school of 1750 pupils. The average reading age of...

The Learning and Skills Improvement Service (LSIS) is concerned with post-compulsory education and training.These case studies describe the work of providers in the sector and are a valuable source of information on a range of strategies for improving performance. Case studies are from providers throughout England...

The Learning and Skills Improvement Service is the sector-owned body that aims to accelerate the drive for excellence in the learning and skills sector. It builds on the sector’s own capacity to design, commission and deliver improvement and strategic change. These materials include action research reports, case...

These technical briefs focus on manufacturing on a small-scale. It is an important livelihood for many people in the developing world and businesses are usually run by a family or a small group within the same community.

Technical briefs are documents produced by Practical Action which are freely available...

This booklet is part of the ‘Innovations in Practical Work’ series published by the Gatsby Science Enhancement Programme (SEP).

Metals have been used for many thousands of years, but it was only in the 20th century that an understanding developed of how their properties could be explained in terms of their...

This resource uses the context of the British Challenge for the America's Cup to explore composite and nano materials.  The video uses the challenge to build the highest performing racing yacht as an introduction to composite materials and how they are designed to improve their properties for a specific use.  This...

A case study from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) archives which considers fingerprinting and DNA profiling, the cornerstones of crime detection. Now new techniques, pioneered by EPSRC-supported researchers, are set to take these methods to a whole new level. The Light It Up project...

The Inventive podcast uses storytelling to encourage listeners to find out more about engineers and what they do.  In each episode, Professor Trevor Cox interviews an engineer, and then a writer uses that interview as inspiration for a piece of fiction. The podcast brings...

The Nuffield 13 to 16 project grew out of an investigation set up by the Nuffield Foundation Science Teaching Project in 1974. This was CESIS: Curriculum and Examination Systems in Integrated Science. The main finding was that what teachers needed was a project to help them make the best use of all the resources...

The 10 Further Science ('D') units in the Nuffield 13-16 programme each included enough material for eight double periods. Together they provided for a double-award in science by covering the content of a second Science course when combined with three X units. Schools were expected to cover about two and a half...

This Catalyst article looks at metals and alloys which play an important role in construction at the Olympic site, both in sports equipment and in medals. Designers must consider the properties of the materials used to make both sports equipment and buildings. These include strength, density, toughness, ductility...

In this SATIS Revisited resource, students examine data, perform a risk assessment, and see how risks are sometimes reported in the media.

This unit focuses on the consumer and considers whether or not we should be concerned about any pesticide residues that may be found on fruit and vegetables. In the first...

This resource contains a series of lessons which are designed to extend students’ knowledge and understanding of plastics and plastic waste on a global scale. Linking to materials and their properties, the environment, recycling and design and technology, they contain investigations and activities aimed at both...