Ministry of Education Guidance
Recommendations for Teachers
When developing your implementation plans over the next three years, it is recommended that you consider the following:
In 2008-2009:
- Focusing teaching and learning on the Technological Practice strand.
- Only assessing and reporting student achievement in terms of the three Technological Practice achievement objectives.
- Exploring the Nature of Technology and Technological Knowledge strands to provide depth and breadth to students' technological practice. Using the five achievement objectives provided under these strands primarily as discussion tools.
- Beginning to explore the development of programmes that include all three strands.
From 2010
- Incorporating all three strands into technology programmes.
- Focusing teaching and learning on all three strands.
- Assessing and reporting on student achievement using all eight achievement objectives.
To support the vision for seamless quality technology education, it is essential that technology teachers in early childhood centres and primary, intermediate and secondary schools have a shared understanding of technology education and what progression in technology learning looks like.
Working from the technology curriculum in The New Zealand Curriculum (2007), student achievement can be enhanced by effective assessment strategies guided by the achievement objectives. Data providing evidence of individual student achievement can then be recorded and provided to subsequent teachers to ensure 'next step learning' is communicated across different learning sites. This will support the dismantling of hurdles that exist at transition points for student learning in technology and will ultimately enhance student achievement in technology at senior secondary school and improve performance in technology standards for NCEA.
Years 1- 6 Recommendations for consideration by teachers:
- Ensure links are made to entry and destination programmes and develop reporting mechanisms to support seamless learning for students;
- Draw from their existing pedagogical strengths to ensure they provide technology learning experiences that focus on progressing student learning in technology;
- Develop their own specific knowledge and skills to support a broad range of contexts;
- Work with their local community to access available resources and expertise;
- Plan to use technology learning experiences to provide authentic contexts that allow for the development of key competencies and for supporting values education;
- Plan to use technology learning experiences to enhance student general literacy and numeracy; and
- Plan to use technology contexts that encourage links to be made with other learning areas.
Years 7- 8 Recommendations for consideration by teachers:
- Ensure links are made to entry and destination programmes and develop reporting mechanisms to support seamless learning for students;
- Draw from and expand their existing knowledge and skills to ensure they provide quality learning experiences for students in keeping with the new achievement objectives and allow for a broad range of contexts;
- Develop their pedagogical strategies to ensure effective use is made of specialist equipment, resources and facilities to support progression based learning for students in technology;
- Increase links between specialist technology and generalist classroom teachers to enhance programme planning and encourage links to other learning areas; and
- Make clear links for their students to technology related careers.
Years 9- 13: Recommendations for consideration by teachers:
- Ensure links are made to entry programmes and use reported data from these programmes to support seamless learning for students;
- Draw from and expand their existing knowledge and skills to ensure they provide quality learning experiences for students in keeping with the new achievement objectives and allow for a broad range of contexts;
- Develop their pedagogical strategies to ensure effective use is made of specialist equipment, resources and facilities to support progression based learning for students in technology;
- Work alongside other technology teachers to ensure coherency between learning experiences and coverage of a broad range of contexts as part of year 9 and 10 compulsory technology programmes;
- Work alongside teachers from other learning areas and/or subjects to ensure increased depth of student learning in technology is appropriately supported in year 11, 12 and 13 technology options;
- Make clear links for students to technology related careers and support students in their future education and/or career pathway planning; and
- Increasingly use mentors from communities of technological practice and encourage students to work with real clients as appropriate.
- For further explanation of the ideas presented in this paper, please refer to the other papers contained in the technology curriculum support package.
