Enabling learning through meaningful classroom experiences has always been a challenge for teachers. Bringing about a balance of the "conceptual" and the "hands-on", along with contextual embeddedness in problem-solving situations, broadly characterises the experience of development and trials of three Design and Technology (D&T) education units reported here. D&T education is a novel contribution to the curriculum and is in alignment with the values and ideas put forward in the National Curriculum Framework (NCF) 2005 (NCERT, 2005), particularly the need for making appropriate connections across disciplines and fostering meaningful learning. The article describes the outcomes of a systematic effort to develop, implement and theorise D&T education pedagogy along with an emphasis on cognitive and curricular dimensions.