Element 1 - Aspect 1 - Strategies
Teacher Education – Pre-service
Aspect 1: Understanding Technology
Video
Middle Ages Tech Support (2:25)
This short video can be used to engage students, promote discussion or conclusion of lesson – it is a humorous take on technological support in the middle ages.
Strategy 1
Teaching/Learning activity
Download Objects list
This activity is aimed at identifying and clarifying students' perceptions of, and ideas about, technology.
The attached lists, along with images (not included), are used as discussion starters.
The list of objects is considered first with the question "Which of these things do you associate with technology?" Student views are sought either in groups or individually depending on the class size and situation. This leads to considering what the underlying characteristics are of things considered to be technological and likewise for things considered to be non-technological.
Download Jobs list
The list of jobs/professions is later used in a similar way to move on from thinking about artefacts to considering what jobs/professions students consider are associated with technology and/or science. As well as helping to identify students' perceptions of Technological Practice, discussion around classifying the jobs on the list also raises issues about students' perceptions of science and how this relates/compares to their view of technology. This discussion can also lead to considering how art and craft fit with notions of technology and science.
Strategy 2
What is Technology? – What the Research says.
Learning Intention
For you to identify your own perceptions of technology.
Task – What is a technologist?
State which of the following you consider to be technologists. Please make brief notes justifying your answers.
- People who work with trees.
- People who play musical instruments.
- People who deliver mail.
- People who make children's toys.
- People who cook for their families.
- People who go fishing.
- People who design buildings.
- People who make some of their own clothes.
Task
Arrange the following words under the two headings. "I associate this with technology" and "I don't associate this with technology". Make some brief notes as to why you made the particular choices you did.
- computer, baby's rattle, hammer,
- silk dress, brick sunglasses,
- ballpoint pen, glad wrap, email,
- mountain bike, vitamin pills, crinkly lettuce,
- growing vegetables, bulldog clip, yoghurt,
- ice-cream, Lycra gym shorts, spectacles,
- pencil, mobile phone, traffic roundabout,
- sewerage, margarine, gumboots
Forum 1
Record your own personal views about who technologists are, and what they do and why.
Strategy 3
What is Technology?
Learning Intention
You will perceive the need for a common understanding of what technology is.
Following are two quotes that you could consider as you reflect on What is technology?
- "The development of appropriate concepts of technology (by teachers) is crucial for the successful implementation of technology education" (Lewis, T, 1991)
- "an obvious starting point for the curriculum change being suggested is to help teachers arrive at a notion of technology which is congruent with the curriculum approach envisaged." (Symington, D, 1987)
Readings
- Burns, J. (1997). Technology in the New Zealand curriculum: Perspectives on practice (pp. 15-30). Palmerston North: Dunmore Press.
- Industrial Design Society of America (IDSA) (2003). Design secrets: Products (pp. 16-21, 24-27). Gloucester, Mass: Rockport Publishers. ISBN 1564964760
- Ministry of Education. (2007). Curriculum support document.
- Revised Technology Learning area PDF
Forum 2
Why should the development of appropriate concepts of technology be crucial for successful implementation?
How important is it that teachers' views of technology are congruent with that of the curriculum statement?
What might the consequences be if teachers' views were very different from that on which the document is based?
How might teachers' concepts of technology affect the technological activities, processes, and outcomes in a class technology education programme?
Strategy 4
Definitions of Technology
Learning Intention
You will become aware of the views that others hold about technology and explore some definitions.
Task
View three case studies.
Consider the question "What is technology"?
Read the following definitions of technology and identify key words and phrases that are common between them.
Definitions of Technology
- "Technology is a disciplined process using resources of materials, energy and natural phenomena to achieve human purposes" (Black, P., & Harrison, G., 1985)
- "a purposeful activity aimed at meeting the needs or satisfying desires through the production of artefacts or systems and drawing on knowledge, skills and personal qualities." (Medway, P., 1989)
- "the know-how and creative purpose that may utilise tools, resources and systems to solve problems, to enhance control over the natural and man made environment in an endeavour to improve human condition" (UNESCO, 1986)
- "Technology is the use of knowledge, skills, and resources to develop processes or products to meet some sort of (usually human) need." (Ministry of Education, 1993)
- "Technology is the process by which society identifies human problems and seeks to solve them. It includes the design and preparation of a solution, which may be an artefact, process, system or environment, and the evaluation of the solution from the perspective of all those involved." (Burns, J., 1992)
- "Technology is concerned with the design, making and improvement of artefacts and systems to meet human needs, through the use of knowledge, physical resources and skills." (Fensham, P.J., and Gardner, P.L., 1994)
What is technology about?
Source: Ministry of Education (2017) The New Zealand Curriculum (PDF, 9 MB)
Kaua e rangiruatia te hāpai o te hoe; e kore tō tātou waka e ū ki uta.
Technology is intervention by design. It uses intellectual and practical resources to create technological outcomes, which expand human possibilities by addressing needs and realising opportunities.
Design is characterised by innovation and adaptation and is at the heart of technological practice. It is informed by critical and creative thinking and specific design processes. Effective and ethical design respects the unique relationship that New Zealanders have with their physical environment and embraces the significance of Māori culture and world views in its practice and innovation.
Technology makes enterprising use of knowledge, skills and practices for exploration and communication, some specific to areas within technology and some from other disciplines. These include digitally-aided design, programming, software development, various forms of technological modelling, and visual literacy – the ability to make sense of images and the ability to make images that make sense.
Forum 3
Discuss how the definitions of technology supplied resemble or differ from your own views (the one submitted in Forum 1).
Strategy 5
What is Technology Education?
Learning Intentions
To become aware of the three strands that make up the New Zealand technology learning area.
Task
Use the following information to match the strand of the learning area with the associated statement.
Strands
A. Technological Practice
B. Technological Knowledge
C. Nature of Technology
Associated Statements
Students develop knowledge particular to technological enterprises and environments, and understandings of how and why things work. Students learn how functional modelling is used to evaluate design ideas, and how prototyping is used to evaluate the fitness for purpose of systems and products as they are developed.
Students learn to critique the impact of technology on societies and the environment, and to explore how developments and outcomes are valued by different peoples in different times.
Students develop a range of outcomes, including concepts, plans, briefs, technological models, and fully realised products or systems. Students investigate issues and existing outcomes and use the understandings gained, together with design principles and approaches, to inform their own practice.
Task
View three case studies.
This will give you some ideas of how technology is being taught in a range of schools.
Strategy 6
The Aim of Technology Education
You will need to use your New Zealand Curriculum for these tasks.
Read page 32 of the NZ Curriculum (Ministry of Education, 2007)
Forum 4
What are the links between the definition of technology, 'What is technology about?' and the aim of technology education, 'Why study technology', as stated in the NZ Curriculum?
Strategy 7
Example 1
Objects displayed around the room – how do you value these? What is the most important?
Example 2
Give the students a list of artefacts. Ask students to discuss 'if this fits' with their ideas about what a technology is? (see Worksheet 1 [.DOC download, 46kb])
Activity:
- Record four ideas of what you think technology is. Use the coloured paper provided.
- Shuffle and offer your cards to other people at your table group.
- Shuffle and offer to other class members.
- Bring back to your group and collectively decide on the four "best" ideas.
- Create a Pictionary styled image of these ideas… ready for others to guess.
- Present to class.
Strategy 8
What is Technology? – Interactive Introduction
Purpose
Diagnostic activity to gauge current student thinking around "What is Technology?"
Description
This is an introductory activity to gauge student teachers current understandings/beliefs surrounding 'technology' and allow wider views of technology (and or technology education) to be explored. It asks students to record existing perceptions of what technology is, collate and share ideas in small groups and share agreed group understandings/ beliefs with the whole class.
This activity is linked with the J Burns, Chapter 1 article. This activity is given to students after they record their current understandings/beliefs to allow them to critique these before they engage in small group and class discussion. The activity concludes with a class discussion about the diverse nature of what technology is.
Original cards could be kept and revisited at a later part of the programme, to show the student shift in understandings/beliefs surrounding technology.
Supporting Materials
PowerPoint slide of activity instructions or template (Card Sort Activity Questions – .doc file, 12kb)
Submitted by Angela Miller
Strategy 9
Technologists' Practice Case Study Comparison
Purpose
To provide students with an opportunity to compare and contrast different technologists' practice. This allows them to identify that even though this practice often varies between technologists there are also commonalities.
Description
Students are required to complete the template, by comparing and contrasting a case study of technology in industry from the Technology Online website with the practice of a technologist the student is familiar with.
Supporting Materials
- Compare Contrast Worksheet – .doc file, 1.07MB
- Compare Contrast Worksheet (Student exemplar) – .doc file, 1.07MB
Prepared by Wendy Fox-Turnbull