Strategies for teaching designing skills

in food technology

Strategies for teaching designing

The following two slides list a number of ways in which students designing skill can be developed and improved through focused tasks. These are followed by a number of examples of how these strategies may be used in food contexts.

These represent only a sample of strategies - there are more and similar that may be incorporated into any D&T assignment or unit of work, in order to help students to generate and develop ideas. Many of them may be useful as lesson starter and plenary activities. They be used by the teacher for whole class teaching with use of a projector or interactive whiteboard, or may be used directly on the PC with students.

Adopt these or develop your own!

Strategies for teaching designing

• Use storyboards and style sheets as a starting point for ideas

• Brainstorms, starbursts, thinking chains, grids or tables

• Show videos to set a context for designing

• Modify and redevelop existing ideas rather than always starting from fresh

• Develop part of an idea, rather than the whole

• Change the context, egs. the season, user, price, style, finish, when and where eaten, appearance, shape, texture

• Add an element of competition, or beating the clock, hitting a target

• ‘This is your life’ – build a profile of the end user and use this for designing

• Fusion - take successful elements from two existing products and “fuse” together to make something new

• Product morphing – analyse an existing product, list sensory attributes, change and apply these to a different product

• Word association – design in relation to words, images, adverts

• Add an…(ingredient, component, function or feature)

• Use a … (specific tool or process)

• Reduce the … (cost, weight, fat content)

• Have you thought about… (provide a specific user requirement, environmental issues, product maintenance)

Introducing the Potato-topped pie

Potato-topped pies are popular ready meals in the chilled and frozen food compartments of shops. There are many variations on the basic recipe.

How could you vary the topping and the base of the basic recipe to create a potato-topped pie that would suit different needs and occasions?

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Developing ideas for potato-topped pies

who for? base topping

vegetarians

children who don’t like ‘bits’

those on a reduced fat diet

a special occasion (luxury pie)

the economy market

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Next steps

In a group of 4, take it in turn to talk about your ideas. Each person in the group will make helpful suggestions for you to consider.

Then look at all the possible developments you have suggested in your group. Thinking about the comments from your group, circle or underline those that you think are the best ones to develop.

4 x 4

This next activity involves using an A3 sheet set out like this slide. In groups of 4 with a product idea, or existing product, placed in the centre each student takes a turn to develop

the idea before passing it to the next to take the previous idea further or in a different direction. Alternatively the activity could be done electronically in PowerPoint. The following example develops a Shepherd’s Pie in a number of directions to generate a range of ideas.

4 x 4

Shepherd’s Piepotato topping

minced beef, vegetables & gravy base

Development 1 Development 2

Development 3 Development 4

4 x 4

Shepherd’s Pie

Development 1 Development 2

Development 3 Development 4

Development 1

individual ceramic pots

potato and cheese topping

minced beef and peas

4 x 4Development 2potato topping mashed

minced beef

mashed potatoes

minced beef

filling of vegetables, parsnipscarrots, chickpeas

sweet potato mashtomato garnish

Development 3

4 x 4

veg served separately

minced beef and fried onions

sliced potatoDevelopment 4

Layered pies

What’s in your layered pie?

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This layered pie contains spinach, red cheese and mashed parsnips – yummy or yucky?

Layered pie ideas

Type of pastry?

Layer 1

Layer 2

Layer 3

Finish/glaze?

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Layered pie plan

Ingredients needed Equipment needed

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Layered pie production

Doing the MashIs mashed potato all that it seems?

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Look at these different types. What do they tell you?

Doing the Mash

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What would go in your mash?

apple

horseradish

mustard

pesto

Doing the Mash

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taste texture

aroma appearance

These are the ingredients I would use to give my mash its:

Making my perfect mash

Multi-cultural cuisine

This Indian Meal for one includes a range of traditional Indian dishes:

Makhani vegetablesTarka DaalPilau RiceMini Poppadoms

What selection of dishes would you have in the following meals for one?

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Multi-cultural cuisine

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Greek

Lebanese

French

English

Spanish

Cannelloni cuisine

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Cannelloni (pasta tubes) filled with spinach and ricotta cheese, served in a rich tomato sauce, but the tube, filling and sauce could all be changed to create a very different dish.

Take this basic recipe and develop it.

Cannelloni cuisine developing ideas for the:

tube filling sauce

Roast dinner favourites

This Roast Dinner includes:

Roast turkeyRoast potatoesSausageCarrotsSproutsGravy

What is your favourite roast dinner and how would you prepare it?

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Slide 14

Making my Roast Dinner

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Pasta parcels

Look at this flavoured handmade pasta with a range of different fillings.

Develop ideas for your own handmade pasta parcel and filling.

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Pasta parcels

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My pasta parcels could be:

My parcel filling could be:

Making my Pasta parcels

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How I would serve my Pasta Parcels

What do the labels say?

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Compare the baked bean information on the next slide.

Values per 100g Standard

baked beans

Supermarket own brand organic baked beans

‘Healthy Balance’ baked beans

Energy Protein Carbohydrate (of which sugars) fat (of which saturates) fibre sodium

75kcal 4.7g 13.6g (6.0g) 0.2g (trace) 3.7g 0.5g

80kcal 4.4g 14.7g (6.3g) 0.4g (0.1g) 4.1g 0.5g

68kcal 4.7g 11.9g (4.3g) 0.2g (trace) 3.7g 0.3g

What do the labels say?

Compare the three products. I n particular, study the dif f erence in fat, sugar and salt content. Which product has the most health benef its? I s organic necessarily best? go

Answer: The Healthy Balance product is lower in sodium (salt) and sugar than the standard baked bean and overall has fewer calories. The organic product has the same amount of sodium as the standard product, slightly more sugar and fat and a higher calorific value. Although organic food may have some health benef its, this product does not score as well on fat, sugar and salt.

What do the labels say?

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Values per 100g

Potato crisps Reduced fat potato crisps

85% fat reduced crinkled potato crisps

Energy Carbohydrates Fat Sodium

530kcal 49g 34g 0.7g

483kcal 58g 25g 0.3g

441kcal 71.5g 13.0g 0.9g

Look at the following information comparing standard potato crisps and two different reduced fat crisp products. Which product comes out best in health terms?

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What do the labels say?

Answer: Both the reduced f at crisps, whilst reduced in fat, are higher in sugar. So, whilst they score well in terms of fat content, they provide more sugar than a standard crisp. The 85% fat f ree crisps come out best for fat content and calories, but this is outweighed by the increased sugar.

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What do the labels say?

Compare the standard and reduced fat digestive biscuits for fat content.

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Values per biscuit Standard digestive

biscuit Reduced fat digestive biscuit

Energy Carbohydrate Fat

87kcal 11.5g 4.0g

70kcal 10.9g 2.4g

What do the labels say?

Answer: The reduced fat product is lower in fat than the standard, although it has about the same amount of carbohydrate which includes sugar. It i s worth checking all the ingredients on the label, because reductions in one ingredient do not necessarily mean good news all round.

What do the labels say?

At meal times family and friends eat together. What do you and your family like to eat? Mark the foods that your family likes to eat. When you have carr ied out your survey, analyse your results as a graph or chart. What do they tell you?

Eating together

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breakfast lunch tea

cereals sandwiches fish and chips

fruit samosas burgers

toast pizza fish fingers

marmalade wrap chicken nuggets

jam beans on toast casserole

eggs salad bangers and mash

bacon sandwich soup pasta

rice

Roast Beef Sandwich Ingredients Suggested improvements

2 slices white bread

Butter

3 slices roast beef

Mayonnaise

salt and pepper

Healthier recipes

Lasagne ingredients

Suggested improvements

1 x 15ml spoon fat for frying

1 large onion

1 clove garlic

500g minced beef

1 can chopped tomatoes

1 x 5ml spoon mixed herbs

1 x 5ml spoon sugar

180g lasagne sheets

50g parmesan cheese

For the sauce:

25g butter

50g flour

200g cheddar cheese

Salt and pepper

Lamb Curry Ingredients Suggested improvements 1 onion

1 clove garlic

1 x 2cm piece of f resh ginger

75g ghee (a type of f at like butter) f or f rying

100g diced lamb

15g peas

1 carrot

white rice

5ml spoon dried cumin

5ml spoon dri ed coriander

salt and pepper

Redeveloping a product

Manufacturers regularly look for ways to maintain sales of their products.

You may have seen new, improved versions of familiar products. Sometimes redeveloping an existing product is the way a company stays in business.

Sort the statements on the next slide into up to 5 different groups - different approaches to redeveloping a product.

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8. Keep the same characteristics

6. Change the product season or user

1. Change the package shape

9. Think of a new name

2. Use environmentally friendly packaging

3. Use cheaper components

4. Make sure there is a pictureof the product on the packaging

5. Decide how the redeveloped product will differ from the original

7. Don’t make any changes to the original

10. Do an advertising campaign

12. Make it in different sizes

11. Use genetically modified components

14. Experiment with lots of differentIdeas before deciding which to use

15. Make sure it’s pink

13. Trial the redeveloped product before release

16. Stop all advertising of theOriginal product

17. Identify the range of users

18. Aim the product at teenage boys

Redeveloping a product

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Discuss the different versions of Smarties shown here with a partner. What strategies have been used to maintain the Smarties brand?

The biscuit with famous friends – you’ll love them together!

This new product introduces a familiar friend in a new format. I t plays on already successful products and gives them a new twist. This generates renewed interest and creates a new market. Other examples include cakes into cake bars, confectionery into ice creams.

Choose a familiar product and use this same approach to develop new ideas.

Thinking around the taskYou have been asked to develop a new food product for a child.Produce a design specification of up to 5 points using the list below.Work in a group for this. Which points would be most helpful to know? Be prepared to explain the reasoning behind your group’s specification to the class.

Age of the child

Food preferences of the child

Food safety issues

What textures children like

What colors are stimulating to a young child

Equipment available

Processes available

Financial constraints

Where the food will be eaten

Existing products that are popular

Ingredients available

Nutritional value

What makes a good food designer?

From the list below highlight what you think are the most important qualities of a food designer. You must only choose 6, but you can add 2 of your own.

young caring

scientific good cook

male able to use computer

not interested in money enthusiastic

innovative has flair

unique able to draw

has lots of ideas understands food properties

reflective well-organised

Goldfish Bowl

The goldfish bowl strategy is used whenever critical decisions need to be made when designing.

Sit round a table with a part-finished product or idea in the centre, looking into the goldfish bowl.

Each individual offers their opinion, eg. “I think it should have a cheese sauce because …” or “I don’t think it would be a good idea to make it too spicy because…”

When each person in the group has stated their view, others can challenge or question the reasons for the decision, egs. “Why do you think…” or “What material would you use…” or “Why would you…”

Take ideas and use the acronym to provide more possibilities:

S Substitute

C Combine

A Adapt

M Magnify, modify, minimise

P Put to other uses

E Eliminate

R Reverse, Rearrange

SCAMPER

Alternatively come up with your own acronym!

How do you know that people really need what you are making?

Are you doing about your project in the best possible way?

Which people have you talked to about what you are developing and why?

Which factors did you think about when you designed your product?

Which people will be affected by your product and how?

What technical problems have you had & how did you solve them?

If you could change one thing about your design what would it be?

Is your product marketable?

Talking points