Technology / Engineering

Technology / Engineering

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)

NAACE

​National STEM Centre

Primary Engineer

Inclusion: NASEN

 

Thought of visiting?

Science Museum

The Museum of Technology, Peterborough

The Wellcome Collection, Euston

The RAF Museum, Cosford

Horniman Museum, London

Museum of Army Flying, Stockbridge

The Look Out Discovery Centre, Bracknell

ThinkTank, Birmingham

Museum of Science and Industry, Manchester

 

For a complete list of venues and providers who deliver specialist courses and activities for this subject see below:

Potteries Museum & Art Gallery

Venue Type: 
Museums
Overall Rating: 
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Travel back in time and discover the history of the Potteries and of Staffordshire.

See the largest hoard of Anglo-Saxon gold ever found on display, plus the world's finest collection of Staffordshire ceramics, Reginald Mitchell's WW2 Spitfire, Ozzy the famous pottery owl and all sorts of art and craft.

Enjoy our changing exhibition programme: including family friendly exhibitions and activities throughout the summer holidays.

School Visits

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Teign Heritage Centre and Teignmouth and Shaldon Museum

Venue Type: 
Museums
Overall Rating: 
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Teignmouth and Shaldon are beautiful. They are not, however, just pretty places! Products of a turbulent past and the strivings of succeeding generations, Teignmouth and Shaldon have colourful and absorbing stories to tell. The stories are told in the Museum - what happened, when and who the players were. 

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Iron Bridge

Venue Type: 
Historic Buildings & Monuments
Overall Rating: 
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The world’s first iron bridge was erected over the River Severn here in 1779. Britain’s best-known industrial monument, the bridge gave its name to the spectacular wooded gorge which, though now tranquil, was once an industrial powerhouse and the cradle of the Industrial Revolution. Ironbridge Gorge is now a World Heritage Site.

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Jordans Mill

Venue Type: 
Factory Visits & Industry
Overall Rating: 
0

THIS HISTORIC MILL, HOME TO THE JORDAN FAMILY FOR OVER 150 YEARS, WAS REVOLUTIONARY FOR ITS TIME AND COULD BE COMPARED WITH THE DAWN OF THE INTERNET AGE TODAY…

Milling was once a major industry in Bedfordshire with over 400 mills in the county alone. A fire at the mill in the late 1800s brought about the change from traditional stone milling to metal roller mills. This technological leap enabled the mill to increase production significantly and helped Jordans Mill to become one of the leading producers of flour in the region.

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Strumpshaw Steam Museum

Come and visit us for a yesteryear experience
Venue Type: 
Transport
Overall Rating: 
0

Home to the renowned Strumpshaw Steam Rally, the museum houses a nostalgic collection of traction engines, steam rollers, tractors and beam engines. 

There’s also a Christie cinema organ and fairground organs and you can take a countryside walk or a trip on the narrow gauge railway to explore the grounds of the old hall.

The Museum was opened at this site in 1954 when the engines were moved here from North Walsham where the engine collection as it was then was previously housed, and it was in this year also that the first engine, a Marshall was purchased.

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The Needles Park

Venue Type: 
Outdoor Activity
Overall Rating: 
0

As soon as you think about the Isle of Wight, the iconic image of the world famous Needles Park chairlift immediately springs to mind, transporting guests from the cliff-top above Alum Bay down to the beach below. So, grab a bird’s eye view of the multi-coloured sand cliffs of Alum Bay and the stunning turquoise waters that stretch as far as the eye can see.

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Sir John Soane's Museum

Venue Type: 
Museums
Overall Rating: 
0

The architect Sir John Soane’s house, museum and library at No. 13 Lincoln’s Inn Fields has been a public museum since the early 19th century. Soane demolished and rebuilt three houses in succession on the north side of Lincoln’s Inn Fields, beginning with No. 12 between 1792 and 1794, moving on to No. 13, re-built in two phases in 1808-9 and 1812, and concluding with No. 14, rebuilt in 1823-24. 

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Levant Mine and Beam Engine

Unique steam-powered Cornish beam engine in action
Venue Type: 
Science & Technology
Overall Rating: 
0

Part of Cornwall and West Devon Mining World Heritage Site, this is the only Cornish beam engine anywhere in the world that is still in steam on its original mine site.

The famous Levant engine is housed in a small engine house perched on the edge of the cliffs.

Restored after 60 idle years by a group of volunteers known as the 'Greasy Gang', it is a thrilling experience for young and old alike to see this old engine in action, with its evocative sounds and smells.

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Finch Forge and Foundry

The last working water-powered forge in England
Venue Type: 
Science & Technology
Overall Rating: 
0

The last working water-powered forge in the country nestles in the middle of Sticklepath village on the edge of Dartmoor, near Okehampton. During lively demonstrations see and hear the large water wheel and tilt hammers in action. Demonstrations of the machinery every hour. 

Discover life as an apprentice at the Foundry in the upper gallery and try and guess what all the different tools were used for in the Carpenters shop. Take a peek at Tom Pearse’s summerhouse of Widecombe Fair fame (learn the rhyme too!). 
Shop and tearoom.

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Oxford Bus and Morris Motors Museums

Venue Type: 
Transport
Overall Rating: 
0

All aboard! See how engines work; what buses are made of; go aboard some; see old tickets and uniforms once used. View the workshop and on special days ride on a vintage bus. Morris Museum: see a 1970s police car; 1920s Bullnose Morris and a Mini in the original style.

The Museum has c40 vehicles on show, some of which you can go aboard and on the first Sunday of each month (Apr to Oct), most Bank Holidays and on special event days take a Free Bus Ride (see website).

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