Supporting Learning Environment Level 7

To support students to develop understanding of technological modelling at level 7, teachers could:

• support students to explore how context impacts on the perception of the validity of evidence presented. Therefore, shifting from one context to another can change the status of the evidence provided by technological modelling.
• support students to explore how and why different people and communities accept different types of evidence as valid. That is, the status given to evidence is dependent on a range of factors including ethical views and the perceived authority of people involved in the presentation of the evidence
• support students to understand how decisions underpinning technological modelling based on what should and could happen, rely on an understanding of how evidence gained may differ in value across contexts and/or communities
• support students to understand how technological modelling is used to ascertain and mitigate risk. Ascertaining risk involves establishing the probability of identified risks. Mitigation involves taking steps to reduce the probability of the risk being realised and/or severity of the risk should it be realised
• support students to analyse examples of technological modelling to understand how risk is ascertained and mitigated within particular technological developments. Examples should include the modelling practices of technologists and should include instances where modelling was undertaken to mitigate risk.

Discuss examples to illustrate why the status of evidence gained from technological modelling might change across contexts

Status of evidence

Explore how different technological developments (and their contexts) give different status to the evidence gained from their technological modelling.
e.g. The developers of a AS Colour T-shirt give more status to the evidence gained about environmental impact than the developers of low cost high profit T-shirt.

www.ascolour.co.nz

Explain why different people accept different types of evidence as valid and how this impacts on technological modelling

Differences in people

Brainstorm…

• Why do people view the same thing differently / interpret the same information in different ways?
• What makes one person accept something, when another rejects it.

e.g.…

• Different cultures
• Values
• Socio economic,
• Geography
• Religion
• Education
• Bias and prejudice

Explore examples of different forms of technological models/evidence and identify the advantages and disadvantages of each for identifying and mitigating risk e.g. prototype car being testing in physical environment compared with a the CAD representation of that design.
Explore how different people/groups (based on list above), may approach technological modelling and discuss the reasons for this e.g. an engineer, a food technologist, a packaging designer.

Explain the role of technological modelling in ascertaining and mitigating risk

See Technological product flops/disasters activity in Level 6 above.
Expand to focus on the role of technological modelling in ascertaining and mitigating risk.

Describe examples to illustrate the strengths and weaknesses of technological modelling for risk mitigation

See Technological product flops/disasters activity in Level 6 above.
Expand to focus on the risk mitigation, not just exploration.