Victorian engineering research

Inspired by the theme of the Victorians, this activity supports the teaching of design and technology in context by investigating the key inventions made during the Victorian era, and how they have influenced engineering today.

In this classroom activity learners will learn about the Victorian era and the changes to how people lived and worked. They will then discuss how technology and engineering moved forward during the Victorian era, before researching at least one engineering invention made during that time. They will then present their findings to the class.

This teaching resource activity could be used as a main lesson activity to teach learners about the impact of Victorian inventions on modern engineering and society as a whole. It could also be used as part of a wider scheme of learning focussing on the history of design, technology and engineering, alongside other Victorian themed IET resources.

We’ve created this teaching resource design activity to support the delivery of key topics within science, history, design & technology (D&T) and engineering.

Activity: Using the internet to research engineering inventions that were made during the Victorian era.
Learners will discuss what the Victorian era was, when it occurred and why it was such an important period of time. They will then go on to use the internet to research one engineering invention that was made during the Victorian era and produce a short presentation about it which they should make to the class.

Tools/supplies needed:
Computers with internet and presentation software
Whiteboard projector or interactive whiteboard

The Engineering Context
Understanding about the history of engineering and design helps engineers to learn from past successes and mistakes. For example, learning about early photography or electric lighting helps us to understand the science behind these ideas and how this can be used and developed to make better products in future.

Suggested learning outcomes
This resource combines Design and Technology and Engineering with History, Literacy and Computing/ICT with the aim that the learners will be able to research engineering inventions that were made during the Victorian era and understand the impact of Victorian inventions on engineering and society today.

Download our activity sheet and other teaching resources
All classroom activity sheets and supporting teaching resources are free to download, and all the documents are fully editable, so you can tailor them to your students’ and your schools’ needs.

The activity sheet includes teachers’ notes, useful web links, and links (where appropriate) to the national curriculum in each of the four devolved nations; England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales.

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