NZGTTA Update November 2015

From t-news issue 83, November 2015

Celebrating our success

Congratulations to all teachers who have successfully completed their technology courses this year. At the time of writing this article the seniors had just left to go on study leave and my thoughts turn to reflection on where my students excelled and also the areas where I need to improve my courses for next year. This time of the year is important as we document thoughts while they are fresh in our mind and especially before we become immersed in junior school teaching, camps and end of year activities. Reflective practice is an essential part of our teaching and informs our future planning and outcomes. Well done to everyone and I hope that the success you had with your students will be celebrated with other teachers in your region and on our forum so that we can collectively improve the teaching and learning in our subject area.

Universal Laser Systems Student Technology Award

This year, Kendall Engraving Supplies offered secondary school students an opportunity to enter the Universal Laser Systems Student Technology Award.

This national competition required students to design and creatively present a design using a Universal Laser System. It was open to all students from Years 9 to 13, with a maximum of 2 entries per category per school.

Students were encouraged to enter work they had completed for NCEA or other school assessment rather than creating extra work. Entries were submitted with a written explanation of the product, inspiration behind its design, development of design and the products uses, details of which components were made on the Universal Laser System and photos.

Entries were judged by a panel including representatives from Kendall Engraving Supplies Ltd, a Technology Teacher and a design industry expert. Judges took into consideration product innovation, design process, practicality and creative use of the Laser system.

The competition was a huge success and will be back in 2016 with some minor improvements as a result of school feedback. All secondary schools with a Universal Laser System are eligible to submit entries. Further information on what schools are achieving on their Universal Laser System and how one might assist your school can be obtained from Kendall Engraving Supplies Ltd.

Placings as shown in images below: Winners - Owl product and bowl; Second– Architectural model by Year 10 student and desk fan; Third– Ball gown and red bar stool.

Towards 2016

Review and Maintenance Programme RAMP

By Melinda Stevenson, Ministry of Education

For a greater part of 2015 the Ministry of Education has been facilitating the Review and Maintenance Programme (RAMP) for the Health and PE and Technology learning areas.

RAMP involves a review of teaching, learning and assessment materials, derived from the NZC, to support the credentialing of student learning for NCEA. There are a number of phases including a review of existing materials by an advisory group, face to face consultation with student and teacher focus groups and an online consultation/survey.

The Ministry of Education had signalled the online consultation/survey would be available in the latter part of 2015 (eg, November). We acknowledge that this time of year is a particularly busy time for the teaching sector with the development of course outlines, programmes of learning, resource development and outdoor activities for junior classes taking priority at this time. With this in mind the Ministry of Education has decided that it would be best to delay the online consultation/survey until the first term in 2016. We believe this would not only be a more convenient time for teachers but would also provide maximum opportunity to reach all teachers from the Health and PE and Technology learning areas.

Scholarship meetings in 2016

Following the success of the Scholarship meetings that were hosted in the North and South Island this year, NZGTTA intend to host meetings of a similar kind again in 2016. After discussion at the AGM it was concluded that a meeting at the beginning of the year would be advantageous, setting the scene for scholarship students and teachers. Additional meetings would follow later in the year providing collaborative feedback to students and teachers on progress of their submissions. Please keep an eye on our forum next year for dates and venues. For those outside of major centres a digital version for the presentation will most likely be available.

Review of 2015 results

Although this seems somewhat premature to mention, NZGTTA regions will begin 2016 with local meetings to provide our members the opportunity to review the previous year’s results. Please keep an eye out for notification of this meeting in your region in early February. The intention is to share good practice and successful student results, as well as identify any concerns you have with student results prior to the cut-off date for reconsiderations. An email will be sent in February by your local NZGTTA VP with dates and locations. This meeting was very successful last year in many regions providing many teachers with valuable feedback and guidance. The opportunity to share marked student work with accompanying mark schedules facilitated valuable discussion.

DVC and CMT Forum

Thank you to all who have contributed this year to discussions on our forum. It is clear from the feedback that NZGTTA has received that this is a valuable platform for sharing our practice and to answers to questions you may have. As with any forum it is only as good as the people that use it, so I really appreciate our members being actively involved in the site. I am sure we are all reflecting on our year so if you have any burning questions about planning your programs for next year or you have experienced success in your programmes then please hop on the forum and share your thoughts.

NZGTTA thanks Glynn McGregor

NZGTTA is grateful for the work that Glynn McGregor has done in ensuring the publication of t-news for many years now. Glynn has been the driving force behind this publication and allowed NZGTTA to communicate to its members in an open and honest manner. We thank Glynn for his continued support of NZGTTA and appreciate the time and energy Glynn puts into ensuring that t-news informs the broadest audience as possible about the progress of NZGTTA and technology in New Zealand.

NZGTTA President’s Report

12 September 2015

2015 has continued to be a busy year throughout the country. It was pleasing to see many regions begin the year by formalising the review of the last year’s results in their branch meetings in February. My hope is that this becomes part of each branch timeline and I believe it is a great way to gather members at the beginning of the year to develop further understanding of our curriculum.

The focus for NZGTTA this year was to provide meaningful professional development for our members. It is pleasing to see that this is occurring in both Islands. As with any voluntary organisation people are under pressure at different times, so organisation of any meetings for our members is greatly appreciated. To assist all regions, NZGTTA needs to put some thought into the access of physical and human resources that enable PD to occur around the country.

What have we achieved this year?

Issues and discussions that NZGTTA have been involved in since our AGM in September 2014:

Inclusion and representation in the RAMP review
Involvement in discussions surrounding the placement of Digital Technologies in the Curriculum
Professional Development – DVC workshops in Auckland, Christchurch and Southland
Applications for the Teacher Led Innovation Fund (part of Investing in Educational Success)
NZQA – DVC L3 workshops in Christchurch, Southland and North Island
Subject Associations meeting
Student moderated work for discussion
Loss of internal moderators for internal DVC standards
t-news
Continuing to grow the NZGTTA forum
Scholarship meetings for staff and students in the North and South Islands
Brief feedback regarding recruitment of teachers from the MOE

Inclusion and representation in the Technology RAMP review

Ron van Musscher represented NZGTTA as a member of an advisory group in the Review and Maintenance Programme (RAMP) of Technology. The meeting included a number of other key persons involved in the Technology sector. The findings from this meeting was put out to a wider consultative group (which included NZGTTA members) for further comment. Following this, recommendations will be put out to the sector.

Professional development

As mentioned in the introduction NZGTTA set a focus on delivering more subject specific PD around the country. Northland and Auckland have led the way with a number of workshops and talks this year which are well attended. Christchurch and Southland have followed suit with workshops for DVC. More recently Saturday scholarship workshops were organised for teachers and students to attend. The aim of these meetings was to uncover the myths behind scholarship, unpack the new 2015 marking schedule as well as critique current student, offering valuable advice to improve their submission. Speaking on behalf of the Christchurch meeting, it ran extremely well and teachers are already insisting on having two meetings next year. For many students it injected new passion into their projects and a number of teachers remarked that students had arrived the next day at school eager to get on with their submission.

As we look towards 2016 I believe that NZGTTA needs to do some strategic planning around the dissemination of NZGTTA PD. My suggestion is that a meeting should be held in late November to establish a strategic PD plan. NZGTTA will look to enlist people with specialist knowledge around the country to assist with the presentation of PD or support of NZGTTA members around the country.

Subject Associations Meeting May 8-9^th Wellington

I attended the annual subject associations meeting in Wellington in the holidays. It involved robust discussion on a range of topics. It began with association introducing current issues in their subject areas. On behalf of NZGTTA I conveyed the following:

Discrepancies in marking
Lack of PD for some standards – being addressed
PD throughout the country – mini conferences
Teacher recruitment and training – CMT main issue, non-trade background a problem
Forum update – 280 members
Misunderstanding of Universities with what is being taught in our subject following the realignment
Distribution of subject specialists/subject leaders and marking panels throughout the country
T & L guides being written to develop continuity between Primary/Intermediate and Secondary

Other topics presented by speakers included:

feedback from a survey of all subject associations,
Pauline Barnes from the MOE presented progress on the advisory group for PLD. A report is online indicating some finding and recommendations of the group.
A session on the low payment of markers for NZQA. This prompted a call for a paper to be written on behalf of subject associations.
Youth Guarantee
A presentation on POND portal
TKI in the future – a review of TKI and requests for input as to its future place and purpose
Tom Robson & Pauline Barnes MOE – feedback from MOE on a range of topics including requests for teachers to create and test digital submission, workload advisory group meeting & funding support

This was generally a good meeting. However, a lack of action points from the meeting means that very little follow up occurs on issues that mean the most to subject associations.

Applications for the Teacher Led Innovation Fund

During the 2014 Christmas holidays information was passed onto NZGTTA members relating to opportunities for funding for research in the field of technology. This followed an inquiry I made with the Ministry about funding PLD. However, there is currently a narrow scope (and little funding) to provide subject specific PLD by request. The IES scheme is one avenue where our subject association can apply for funding and undertake research that benefits and feeds into our subject areas. The requirements for funding are heavily weighted towards catering for priority learners. This issue was bought up at the recent subject association’s forum with a request to widen the criteria for funding applications.

Continuing to grow the NZGTTA forum

The NZGTTA forum continues to grow. The membership is now at 310 members. Feedback continues to remain positive around its function. The proposal of the POND portal which is supported by the MOE generates some discussion around the future of our own forum and whether we consider a move to POND for our association.

Teacher Recruitment/trainee teachers

There has been some movement in the quest to engage the MOE in discussions around teacher recruitment. Contact made with Melinda Stevenson has resulted in the MOE at least undertaking a census of teaching positions to establish the state of our sector with regard to jobs and vacancies. It is anticipated that this will be finished by the end of the first term in 2016.

Although this does not attend to the issue I have also raised with the MOE about low numbers of trainee teachers, my hope is that the data collected by the Ministry will point them towards a shortage of trainees in particular subject areas. I am pleased that NZGTTA has developed a good relationship with staff at the Ministry who are open to discussion on issues we have concerns about and my hope is that this continues.

Looking forward to 2016

Some of the key aims I would like established for NZGTTA 2016 are:

to develop a strategic plan for PD for NZGTTA (possibly a 5 year plan as well as annual plan)
identify the human resource around New Zealand that might assist us with disseminating our PD
Continue to build our relationship with key personnel at the MOE to allow us to discuss matters of concern in our technology sector.
Develop NZGTTA competitions that reward our students and encourage a passion for design and technology
Look for funding or sponsorship

I wish everyone a great end of year and happy holidays.

Chris Hubble
President NZGTTA