Year 8 IDEAS

In our complex and interconnected world, change is happening quickly and revealing new and often ‘wicked’ problems that require creative solutions. IDEAS (Innovation, Design, Engineering, Art, Science) is a year, multidisciplinary course designed to equip students with the skills and confidence to grapple with these problems. IDEAS is about the 21st century skills of creativity, critical thinking, communication and collaboration. It’s about mindsets like empathy, optimism and experimentation. IDEAS is about design thinking to listen and observe, define, ideate, prototype, seek feedback, resolve, present and communicate. Students engage in increasingly complex real-world challenges and are encouraged to develop their own unique responses.

The course incorporates the foundation for future studies in Digital and Design Technologies. Specialist technologies include:

  • Computer-aided design programs
  • Textile technologies
  • Manufacturing technologies
  • Electronics
  • Virtual Reality
  • Material technologies
  • Digital technologies
  • Graphics technologies
  • Print technologies
  • Computer-aided manufacturing

Structure

Unit 1: Responsible Consumption and Production

Students explore United Nations Sustainability Goal 12: Responsible Consumption and Production.

  • Research, collaboration, and design thinking
  • Consumption practices and their impact on the environment
  • Practical solutions that contribute to a more sustainable future 

Provocation 1: Power to the PEOPLE

How might we use food waste to create new and innovative products?

Provocation 2: Power to the PLANET

How might we repurpose textiles waste to prevent additional items going to landfill? 

Unit 2: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure

This unit focuses on United Nations Sustainability Goal 9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure.

  • Research, collaboration, and design thinking
  • The impact of e-waste caused by various charging cables for electronic devices. 
  • Innovative and accessible solutions that promote efficiency in e-material use for customers and businesses while advancing sustainable practices.

Provocation 1: Power to the PEOPLE

How can we integrate a wireless charging station into a commercial situation so that it is beneficial to customers and the business? 

Provocation 2: Power to the PLANET

How might we be more efficient in the use of e-material and in particular the use of charging cables for phones and tablets? 

Assessment

Project folios, practical prototypes, exam response to stimulus, and multimodal pitches.

Contact

Mrs Natalle Sutton

nsutton@mfac.edu.au

Request our College

Prospectus

Request our Prospectus

Book a Personalised

College Tour

Book Your Tour