Technology and Engineering combine the art of Design with the problem solving and understanding of the Sciences. Until specialism takes place late in students' school careers it is rarely taught as a separate subject, instead being wrapped up with its core subjects of Design and Science. However as the topic which results in moving machinery it is perfect for demonstrations, practical workshops and, of course, visits.
The places which schools take trips to immerse themselves in the world of technology typically concentrate on how the modern world is developing and so may feature computers, new technologies such as wind farms and recycling, and their environmental impact, plus
But of course there is a wide range of museums which celebrate how technology has developed over the years, particularly since the Industrial Revolution.
Many of the venues offer the possibility of practical workshops which allow students to create their own versions of the exhibits they have seen and discussed. All of these also present plenty of opportunity to deliver aspects of the curriculum such as PSHE, Politics, History and Citizenship alongside the core aim of Technology.
Main organisations:
Design and Technology Association (DATA)
Inclusion: NASEN
Thought of visiting?
The Museum of Technology, Peterborough
The Wellcome Collection, Euston
Museum of Army Flying, Stockbridge
Come and explore how the curious cogs and machinery of a fully operational watermill work in the grounds of Hardwick Hall.
For centuries, the water wheel at Stainsby Mill has ground flour for the Hall and the estate. The wheel is still turning today, fed by the adjoining Miller's pond. Find out more about this fascinating process at Stainsby Mill.
A delightful piece of late Elizabethan playfulness. Built for banquets and converted into a mill in the 19th century.
One of England’s smallest museums, Mundesley Maritime Museum is packed with exhibits, including lifesaving paraphernalia, ships wheels, and navigation lights.
Prints and other information illustrate over 200 years of the town’s maritime history taking in lifeboats, shipwrecks, fishing, railways and the tragic story of the Mundesley Minefield.
Almost 250 million visitors regardless of age or origin have come from all over the planet to see the metal latticework of the Eiffel Tower since its opening in 1889.
Like all towers, it allows us to see and to be seen, with a spectacular ascent, a unique panoramic view of Paris, and a glittering beacon in the skies of the capital of France.
Captivated by the Coal House series? You’re not alone! The BBC television series, filmed on site, has attracted thousands of new visitors to witness how difficult life was for working families at Blaenavon Ironworks’ Stack Square cottages.
The Royal Welch Fusiliers Museum is housed in two towers of Caernarfon Castle. In it you will discover the history of over 300 years of service by Wales’s oldest infantry.
A 10-km (6.5 mile) underground track between Paddington Station and Whitechapel sorting offices, it was served by a fleet of 2-ft gauge driverless electric trains, once transporting 30,000 mailbags containing four million letters and packets every day.
Set in the internationally renowned Orford Ness nature reserve, the Orford Ness Pagodas are cold war relics on a shingle spit in Suffolk, built to test Britain’s atomic bombs. Here the bombs’ detonators were put in pits and subjected to the shocks they might experience on their way to a target, to ensure they wouldn’t go off prematurely.
Carisbrooke Castle is best known as the place where King Charles I was imprisoned.
Explore the amazingly varied history of Maidenhead at this Heritage Centre with lots of hands-on activities for families.
The permanent Story of Maidenhead exhibition with Roman Dress-Up and other regular family activities is supplemented with five free exhibitions a year in the Sammes Gallery, so there is always something new to see and do.
The Winding House Museum is a bold, glass-fronted structure that has been constructed around the former Elliot Colliery winding house
The Clifton Suspension Bridge, spanning the picturesque Avon Gorge, is the symbol of the city of Bristol. For almost 150 years this Grade I listed structure has attracted visitors from all over the world.
Jaguars have been manufactured at the 112 acre Castle Bromwich site since 1966. A lot of things are changing on site at the moment as JLR invest £300 million on new body shops and other site developments. We are now a state-of-the-art production facility, building high performance, luxury motor vehicles.
At the very heart of the Cornish Mining World Heritage Site sit these two great beam engines, originally powered by high-pressure steam boilers introduced by local hero Richard Trevithick.
Preserved in their towering engine houses, they are a reminder of Cornwall's days as a world-famous centre of industry, engineering and innovation.
Come and study at Bolton Wanderers!
Activities are varied and include a choice of: digital media and design, robot building, music creation, computer game design and animation, to name just a few! There is an emphasis on team-building and leadership skills development too.
Sarehole Mill is one of only two surviving working watermills in Birmingham. The existing building was constructed around 1750, although there was known to be a mill here as early as the Tudor period.
The Bushcraft Company offer residential school trips with a difference, taking students into the wild and giving them real back-to-nature experiences they will never forget.
A 15-year-old boy fell 60ft over the edge of a cliff whilst on a geography school trip, miraculously only suffering minor injuries.