Lesson at a Glance | He Tirohanga Whakamua
NgΔ WhΔinga Ako | Learning Intentions
Students will know
- Evaluating alternative concepts against physical, functional, and sustainability criteria.
- Using multi-criteria decision matrices to compare design performance objectively.
- Selecting and justifying a leading conceptual design for further refinement.
Students will demonstrate
- Score all 3 concepts against Environmental, Social, and Economic criteria.
- Identify key design trade-offs and potential failure points.
- Select leading concept and write selection rationale in Design Log.
β‘ Whakaoho | Do Now: Context & Issue Audit (10 mins)
Analysing design trade-offs: How does material durability impact end-of-life recyclability? How does production cost affect equity?
π₯ Media Anchor & Pedagogical Scaffold
Sustainability Evaluation: Life Cycle Assessment
Video Source: "What is Life Cycle Assessment?" β ecoinvent (Runtime: 2m 07s)
π§ 1. Before Viewing (Activate & Predict)
What does a product's "life cycle" cover, from raw material to disposal? Predict one stage where an unsustainable design choice is easy to hide.
ποΈ 2. During Viewing (Watch With a Job)
Watch the full 2-minute clip once through, then note:
- The stages of a Life Cycle Assessment the video names (from raw material through to end-of-life).
- One environmental impact an LCA can reveal that isn't obvious just from looking at a finished product.
- One way this maps onto the Environmental pillar of your Tri-Pillar Sustainability Matrix.
π£οΈ 3. After Viewing & Kaiako Move (Process & Apply)
Kaiako Move: Connect the LCA stages students just captured to the Tri-Pillar Sustainability Matrix (Environmental, Social, Economic), then to the Kaitiakitanga Systems Framework β this is the lesson's own framework, not a claim about what the video itself covers.
Immediate Task: In your Design Log, evaluate your top 2 candidate concepts using both the Tri-Pillar Matrix and the Kaitiakitanga Systems Framework.
π Activity 1: Tri-Pillar Evaluation Matrix & Concept Down-Selection (15 mins)
Score your concepts against the criteria you set BEFORE scoring, with a written reason beside every number. Then change one weight and see whether the leading concept survives. If it flips, your decision is not robust and your justification must say so.
βοΈ Activity 2: Design Log Workshop (25 mins)
Score candidate concepts against the tri-pillar matrix (Environmental, Social, Economic) and select the leading concept for further development.
- Score each concept 1β5 in the tri-pillar matrix (environmental, social, economic) and total the columns.
- Write one sentence per concept defending its lowest score β is the weakness fixable, or built into the idea?
- Select your leading concept and record why in your log: the matrix informs the call, but your reasoning must go beyond the numbers.
π― Poroporoaki | Exit Ticket & Portfolio Check (10 mins)
Write two sentences on what happened when you changed one weight in your matrix: did your leading concept survive, and what does that tell you about your decision?
π design portfolio Milestone: Lesson 5
Ensure your design log entries for Lesson 5 (Evaluating Concepts Against Criteria) are saved and updated with annotated sketches, stakeholder notes, and sustainability justifications.
π§ Kaiako Planning Notes & Assessment Guidance
Assessment note: this unit is not tied to a live NCEA standard β check current NZQA Technology standards before promising credits. Teach it as Year 11 technology design thinking.
- Technological Practice: Δkonga develop a conceptual design for a sustainable-technology outcome.
- Differentiation & Scaffolding: Provide physical component samples and sentence frames for stakeholder interviews and justification writing.
- Extension (outstanding work): Challenge students to conduct a full Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) tracing raw material extraction through to end-of-life e-waste processing.
- Te Ao MΔori Integration: Ground material choice in traditional ecological knowledge (mΔtauranga taiao) regarding resource extraction and seasonal renewal.