Ministry of Education Guidance
Overall Guidance
Technology is one of the eight learning areas included in The New Zealand Curriculum (2007). State and State Integrated schools are required to provide all students in years 1-10 with effectively taught programmes of learning in technology as part of a balanced school curriculum. The development of all learning programmes in technology should seek to align with the principles, vision, values and key competencies of The New Zealand Curriculum (2007). Decision making about knowledge, skills and competencies in all learning programmes in technology, should be based on the achievement objectives of the technology curriculum in The New Zealand Curriculum (2007).
The National Educational Goals (NEGs) and the National Administration Guidelines (NAGs), support the importance of technology for a balanced school curriculum. For example, the development of technological literacy is key to the development of the knowledge and skills needed by New Zealanders to compete successfully in the modern ever-changing world (refer to NEG 3).
School programmes in technology should also provide access for students to a nationally and internationally recognised qualifications system to encourage a high level of participation in post-school education in New Zealand (refer to NEG 8). Technology is now included in the canon of subjects for university entrance. Senior secondary programmes should therefore be developed, where possible, to provide appropriate pathways for students with the potential to further their technology education in the tertiary sector.
Quality teaching and learning in technology classroom curriculum should also seek to be in keeping with The New Zealand Curriculum (2007) including its curriculum design and pedagogical guidelines, and the NEGs and NAGs. In particular, planned learning experiences should allow for excellence to be achieved in technology through the establishment of clear learning objectives, monitoring of student performance against those objectives, and the development of learning opportunities to meet individual needs (refer to NEG 6, NAG 1).
A range of assessment practices should also be employed to gather information that is sufficiently comprehensive to enable the progress of students in technology to be evaluated and reported; to students, their parents and subsequent teachers (refer to NEG 2, 6, 7, 9 and 10, and NAG 1, 2 and 6).
