Nelson cluster
Nayland and Garin Colleges
Nelson's Nayland College and Garin College worked across the areas of food, materials and electronics and control to explore, among other things, links between literacy strategies and achievement in technology education.
In 2006 the cluster developed a leveled assessment matrix based on the Components of Technological Practice (COPs). This was used in the assessment of student work to identify the levels they were working at and to identify the next steps for planning and teaching to progress students to the next level. The intention was to revise programmes of teaching to effectively use the COPs as a standardised assessment tool so that student achievement and progression is is transparent and easily tracked .
At Nayland College, professional development focused on sharing teaching strategies for teaching aspects of Technology. Faculty meetings at Garin College were also used for this purpose. Teachers in the wider Technology department/faculty at both schools grew progressively more receptive to sharing ideas and strategies for teaching Technology as their confidence increased.
With an assessment matrix in place and better staff understanding of how to use it, improved processes for reporting of student achievement were developed in 2007, under a broad Technology banner rather than being based on a context area.
A generic unit of work – Memory Catchers – was developed for Level 1 NCEA and implemented at both Nayland and Garin College across both the Food and Materials contexts . This unit gave the opportunity to link community resources into the unit and this encouraged and enabled students to identify and use additional outside experts/practicing technologists within their own practice, resulting in more authentic practice and the gathering of naturally occurring evidence. It also allowed for multiple outcomes and more dynamic thinking and an appreciation of fitness for purpose in the outcomes produced.
Garin College has an ongoing relationship with Sealords leading to project work focused on developing fish based products in the Year 13 Food technology class. "Working with a practicing technologist has been really good for student motivation," says Jo Calt of Garin College, "as they have a responsibility to a real company and have to meet their deadlines and expectations."
Work on developing literacy strategies wasongoing in both schools. PD within the technology departments took place using strategies such as literacy dice and instructional resource cards. Common wall displays for technological language were created for all technology classrooms and structured literacy activities was embedded into planning for technology courses in 2007.
Work of the Nelson Cluster schools can be seen in the following case studies:
Nayland College
Student Showcases: Taxidermy stand
Garin College
Enterprise Links: The Garin College / Sealord Link