Integration a revelation
Level: Years 7-8
School: Auckland Normal Intermediate
Teacher: Rachael Hancock and Moana Thorn
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Since early 2010, Auckland Normal Intermediate has made several significant changes, heading toward International Baccalaureate certification, and the subsequent curriculum revamp and remodelling of the Technology areas has had a dramatic effect on the Technology department. This has enabled an entirely new approach to classroom teaching, with seamless Technology areas and learning, and a radical move towards integration of Technology with other learning areas.
Background
Technology at Auckland Normal Intermediate is taught by teachers Rachael Hancock and Moana Thorn, who have combined their separate expertise and experience to integrate Technological Practice with the enquiry model, as well as initiating integration of Technology within the entire school. This has seen classroom teachers joining Rachel and Moana to take an active role in the Technology classroom.
Moana is a New Zealand trained primary teacher, who after spending several years overseas began starting at Auckland Normal Intermediate. For Moana, teaming up with Rachael in Technology was a huge learning curve. "I'm not trained in Technology at all but I do have knowledge and experience in enquiry. So that's how we work together – Rachael has the specialist training and I have the enquiry model."
Rachael Hancock worked as an architect in the UK before beginning her training as a Technology teacher with a speciality in electronics, resistant materials, graphics and fabrics. In 2006, Rachael moved to New Zealand and began teaching Technology at Auckland Normal Intermediate.
At Auckland Normal, Years 7 and 8 are each broken into two large teams of approximately five classrooms, with the Year 8s learning Technology in the first half and the Year 7s in the second. During each term, the International Baccalaureate programme has themes that lead the enquiry both in the classroom and in Technology. For example, in 2010 Moana's group's theme was 'celebrations', with the students creating a product in Technology within that theme.
The new facility – integrating the Technology areas
Auckland Normal Intermediate's previous Technology space was comprised of three separate rooms for Food, Fabric and Science and a separate workshop at the other side of the school for Metal, Wood and Art. In the revamp, the three rooms were opened out into a long open-plan space to incorporate the wood and metal workshop facilities at one end and a food room at the other. In between, two interior spaces were created for Fabric and Design with the use of large glass sliding doors. This new layout means that students and teachers can move effortlessly between the different Technology areas, something impossible before.
This led to the development of a new programme that integrates the learning areas in Technology. "In this new programme, the students choose the area in which to develop their product: hard materials, fabric, a combination, or in food. The idea is that they can work anywhere within the department and have control of where they want to go and what they do, as long as it's answering the enquiry," Moana explains. "We're seen as facilitators for this, though we do also go through the technological process with them."
"There was no way we could do this sort of programme before. The new space has opened things and really changed the way we can deliver the program and that integration would have been impossible with the previous physical space where the areas used to be totally separate", Rachael says. Also the previous rooms were really old and they needed upgrading to fit in with the curriculum and the enquiry model, because even though they are good kids there was no way you could monitor them properly before."
Integrating Technology with other education areas
Another important development at the school is the integration of Technology with other education areas, with classroom teachers sharing their classroom programmes with Rachael and Moana as well as attending Technology classes with their students. This has been of significant advantage to both learning areas.
Classroom teacher Lesley Lee was excited about the possibilities of integrated team teaching from the beginning. "I thought it was a great idea – there was so much I could learn from being with the Technology teachers. Before, I felt like I wasn't a part of a student's whole learning experience because I did not have the whole picture. This way I'm part of what is happening to them the whole time," Lesley says. "Also I think having several teachers in the room really helps because there is guidance – more sounding boards."
For Rachael and Moana there are many benefits to having the classroom teachers in the Technology room. On a basic level, they agree that simply having another teacher on hand to guide the process and be "another pair of hands and eyes" in the workroom has been a real blessing, especially with the large student numbers in the classroom.
Integration has also helped in the development of student/teacher understanding. "As Technology teachers, we develop relationships with students but this is just a snippet of their whole school life, whereas the classroom teacher is with them all the time," says Moana. "Sometimes you may not understand why a particular student can't do something, but the classroom teacher will know their whole story. With integrated learning you get important information on a student that you would not otherwise get."
Moana feels this is particularly useful for identifying the different strengths of each student."I think you get a more holistic view of the students – those who really excel in Technology and practical areas but not so much in the classroom can be given the right feedback because you know more about them."
Lesley has also found her involvement in an area of the student's lives she previously knew very little about extremely rewarding. "It's amazing to see a child who is quiet and doesn't say much in your classroom suddenly come alive in the Technology room because they know machines inside and out."
Integration has also helped to improve understanding, and strengthen the relationships, between Technology and classroom teachers. "Before it felt like it was 'them and us', but now we attend the team meetings and we've become part of a bigger team and whatever it is they're doing," Rachael says.
Lesley also feels that this new integration has wider advantages for the whole school. "Doing things together has made our entire staff more cohesive, so we've all benefited from this"
Challenges
Moana explains that certain barriers had to be broken down for the classroom teachers initially, many of whom had little experience with Technology. "It's about getting those teachers more comfortable with the space and the machines," Moana says. "So we had a professional development session at the start where the teachers had to do a mini project themselves where they had to be hands-on with the machines. That broke down the barriers for a lot of them."
Lesley admits to at first being intimidated by her own limited experience with Technology, but feels that while her 'rapid up-scaling' in some of her technical skills was a challenge for her, this has had some positive effects on classroom dynamics.
"There are instances when you think 'I don't understand what's going on', but now I know what my kids feel," Lesley says. "And I'm a big believer in students seeing you make a mistake, because then they know it's okay to make a mistake themselves, and they can focus on what to do better next time."
Another challenge for Lesley as an experienced classroom teacher was learning to take a back seat in the technology room. "You're not the lead teacher anymore and the tech teacher's in charge, especially if it's a health and safety issue, so you have to abide by their rules, but that's not a bad thing and I think it's good for the children to see."
Advice
Although it has been challenging, Lesley highly recommends integrated learning through classroom teacher involvement with Technology and has some advice for others thinking about getting involved: "Just try to remain as open as possible to everything that's going on. And if you are not sure about something, ask – because that's what I always tell the children to do – otherwise you won't know."
Rachael and Moana both feel there are significant advantages to their new set-up, although it might have to be altered for different schools, particularly in regards to the enquiry model.
"It depends on the students really. The students here are self-managing and have a very clear idea of what they want to do so they are basically let free, but for some classes you may have to have more of a structure and guidance," Moana explains. "But in saying that, I would recommend the way the rooms are – getting the classroom teachers involved and working as a team – to any school because it makes Technology part of the whole school. Now everybody's speaking the same language and has the same idea of what they're doing so we're all in the same place and working as one."
What's next
For 2011, the students have been given even more ownership of their enquiry projects, with the four classes split over the Arts and Technology areas. Students can then choose which department they want for the term to answer their enquiry. Classroom teachers will still be attending classes in this new system, but are now able to choose where they feel their help would be most needed.
"We are working towards there being no timetable at all," Rachael says. "Eventually students will be booking in to a time when they need a specialist, depending upon the enquiry they choose to do."
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