Glossary

This glossary is based on the terms you will find in the National Curriculum Orders for Design & Technology or Information Technology in the Nuffield Primary D&T materials or in a range of other currently available texts / catalogues / websites.

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W XYZ

target audience

a particular group for whom a product or service has been designed; often used in the media industries to describe the group of listeners or viewers

tasting tests

investigations in which pupils taste food in order to evaluate it. Such tests might be concerned with comparing different foods to find out which the taster likes best, to put the foods into an order according to a taste e.g. sweetness, or to find out if the taster can tell the difference between the foods.

teamwork

working as part of a group in which there is a shared goal and to achieve this different members of the team take on different roles

technical advice

there is a technicla advice section in most Nuffield activities - see also related tutorials on this site

template

a template is a device that allows a shape to be drawn accurately and repeatedly onto a sheet of materials e.g. paper, card, fabric. It can be a thin sheet of plastic in the shape of the shape to be transferred, in which case a pencil is held against the outside edge and follows the edge around the shape thus drawing the shape on the sheet of material beneath. Or it can be a thin sheet of plastic in which there is a hole in the shape of the shape to be transferred. In this case the pencil is held against the inside edge and follows the edge around the shape thus drawing the shape on the sheet of material beneath. Children find it easier to use the ‘hole’ template.

temporary joining

a joining process in which the joining is temporary and easily reversed e.g. laces

testing

investigating a product or material to find out how it performs in use

textiles

any materials in the form of a cloth. These may be woven in which one set of threads passes over and under another set of threads at right angles to it to form the fabric, or knitted in which a single thread forms rows of loops which interlock to form the fabric.

texture

the feel of food in the mouth e.g. creamy, chewy or the feel of a surface e.g. hairy, bumpy

tiny task

a short task in a Nuffield activity, usually investigative, disassembly or evaluative

title

text

toolboard

a device to display tools so that they are easily visible, easily accessed and easily checked

tools

devices to cut, shape, form and mix materials

translucent

a translucent material is one that transmits light but you cannot see through it

transparent

a transparent material is one that you can see through

treasury tag

- a device to join papers together. It consists of a short lace and two metal or plastic tags. The lace passes through a hole in the sheets of paper and keeps the papers together because the tags prevent the lace from coming out.

typical outcomes

these are illustrated examples of the sort of product pupils will design and make when they tackle a Nuffield activity