Delivery
Year 7-8 trial
Students preparing ingredients.
The Toolbox was trialled in Jacquey's year 7-8 classes and Diana's year 9-11 classes.
Jacquey noted that she found it very empowering seeing where her programme fits into the Toolbox framework. It confirmed that she was already covering all those sections and providing a good range of activities. She has constructed a table showing where each of her programmes of learning fits into the Toolbox.
She colour coded each topic. For example food chemistry in orange shows as being covered in each programme of learning in a different way.
In the Food preservation: Space nuggets case study, the class looked at what happens during dehydration and tested for pH levels in food. The table serves as a reminder to cover certain things in a programme of learning.
Year 9 trial
Preparation.
Year 9 classes worked on a technology programme of learning (instead of food and materials technology) taught by Diana and hard materials teacher Geoff Craig. Diana incorporated the Toolbox in teaching her section of the cool foods programme of learning.
Implementing the Toolbox for years 11 and 12
Diana, trusting that this new approach to curriculum design would benefit her other classes, decided to implement the Toolbox with her years 11 and 12. Diana spent the first two terms teaching students the knowledge they would need for the year. Rather than starting a project and working the skills and knowledge into it. This meant the students had the knowledge, whether it related to technological practice, food technology knowledge and skills. This ensured students were equipped for NCEA assessment. As the year 12s hadn't done this the previous year, there was catch-up built into their programme.
The year 11 class worked on a lunchbox project, in which each student designed a food product to meet the needs of a particular target market. See the Student showcase Spud in a tub.
In the year 12 food to fit project, students had to identify an issue related to a key food or health trend and develop a food product to suit this.
See Outcomes for the results of the trials.