Skills you learn from Electronics (Year 9)

This is one of three lesson plans for teachers covering Electronics with Year 9 students - whether through standalone Electronics or within Design & Technology:

• Jobs that use Electronics (Year 9)
• Skills you learn from Electronics (Year 9)
• Why study GCSE Electronics? (Year 9)

These lesson plans will help you show students how Electronics connects to their future careers.

We recommend using this lesson plan at the end of the autumn term. By this point students will have spent time on electronics work this term, giving them real material to reflect on when thinking about the skills they've been building. Recognising those skills helps students see Electronics as more than a subject to study, and sets them up for GCSE choices in the spring.

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Learning objectives

• Students will understand that Electronics builds a broad range of transferable skills.
• Students will be able to name 2-3 skills they've developed this term and give examples.

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Before the lesson

• You will need a computer connected to the internet and a classroom screen.
• Open the What can you do with Electronics? page and have it ready on the screen.
• Review the Skills that Electronics builds section and think of teaching examples for each one.

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During the lesson

1. What have we studied this term? (5 mins)

• Ask students to call out projects, circuits, or techniques they've worked on this term - circuits they've prototyped, components they've soldered, fault-finding they've done, or sensors they've tested.
• Write the suggestions on the board and highlight any patterns.

2. Skills that Electronics builds (15 mins)

• Bring up the What can you do with Electronics? page on the classroom screen.
• Review the contents of the page with students so that they understand what it covers.
• Scroll to the Skills that Electronics builds section and work through each skill in turn.
  • Ask students which project or circuit from the board involved that skill.
  • Share your own teaching examples if students are stuck.

3. Making it personal (10 mins)

• Ask students to pick 2-3 skills from the list they feel they've developed this term.
• Go round the class, asking each student to name one skill and give an example of when they used it.
• Close by reminding students that these are valuable skills for work and life, not just for exams.

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After the lesson

• Share the What can you do with Electronics? page with students and their parents/carers:
  • www.coffeewith.xyz/subjects/what-can-you-do-with-electronics
• Encourage parents/carers to explore the page with their child and to discuss the contents.
• Use the School Tools / Activities feature to record the lesson activity:
  • Activity name: Year 09 - Skills you learn from Electronics
  • Activity type: Linking curriculum learning to careers
• Read the follow-on lesson plan:
  • Why study GCSE Electronics? (Year 9)