Project-based Technology
News article about the 'Wearable Artis in Valley Schools' project
(Click image to enlarge)
Level: Year 12-13
School: Wainuiomata High School
Teacher: Simon Croft
Category: Raising student achievement
Year 13 students in the Project-based Technology class at Wainuiomata High School exemplify the adage "success breeds success". The opportunity to work across learning areas and gain NCEA credits has given them a sense of accomplishment to the benefit of both their Technology and their ambitions for the future – with most of the 2009 class planning to go on to tertiary study.
The attitude was quite different when teacher Simon Croft arrived at the school in 2001 – the year two local colleges merged to become Wainuiomata High School. He says he had students in his classes who lacked Technology knowledge and skills, including some with extremely poor reading and comprehension skills, and that there was a strong belief in failure.
NCEA was also launched in 2001 and the Wainuiomata High School Technology team made the commitment to offer achievement and unit standards, with the intention of raising student expectations to improve student work and allow successful students the option to use these studies for university entrance. The effort to raise student achievement to a higher standard was made harder, says Simon, by the students who considered themselves 'dumb' and had given up. Reasoning that everyone can think, he looked at what to focus his students on to help them succeed. Reflecting on a comment made by educationalist Jack Shallcrass that Technology is the root of every subject, it crosses with everything, Simon started thinking about how he could incorporate other aspects of learning into his programme.
It was at this point that a colleague asked if he could somehow teach some maths to a few students during the Hard Materials class. Chatting to these students brought forth the response, "We can't do maths, we're too thick," which, Simon points out, didn't reflect how they were doing in other subjects. Teacher cunning was required to reverse this defeatist attitude, and Simon asked the students to do him a favour and make some storage boxes. He gave them the dimensions and, when the task was completed, apologised for making a mistake and requested more boxes to hold half, double, and a third of the contents "Would you have a quick squiz at the calculations and make these?" On completion of the task, Simon showed the students how they'd covered measure, volume, capacity, algebra, etc., in a variety of Level 1 NCEA maths unit standards and could gain a number of credits.
"These guys didn't know they were learning, so they learnt. So, if they don't know they're learning, don't tell them. You've got to make it fun; make it something else. So I thought, 'Right, what do I do next?'"
Simon had been asked to teach a one-term option class in CAD (Computer Aided Design) and decided to incorporate it in a project, taught with the Graphics teacher, in which students worked on Hard Materials, CAD, and Graphics. He comments that although he was regularly told that there was no way the students could cope with the level of work they were doing and that he was being unfair, they rose to the challenge and completed a successful project.
News articles about the Parkway Playground project
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While considering what else he could build into his programme, Simon was asked to take on an inter-school wearable arts show with the support of the Hutt City Council. The show itself was great, he says, but a bit of a disaster in terms of back stage work. "The main benefit was that the show allowed the students to see that they could achieve a pretty decent success and gave them the drive to undertake the 2008 show. A hidden benefit was that it demonstrated to the students that they could achieve at a high level and were not held back just because they were [at that time] a decile 3 school."
The 2008 Wearable Arts in Valley Schools (WAIVS) "was a total success, with the students working nights and weekends to make it happen". The Year 12 Project-based Technology class which worked on the WAIVS show incorporated aspects from various curriculum areas:
- Hard Materials – developing a staircase, walkway and mobile changing room;
- Graphics;
- CAD;
- Enterprise Studies – managing the production;
- Maths – incorporated in design work;
- Journalism – writing about the production;
- English – writing reviews/reports about the production; and
- Drama – for drama students managing the production.
Simon taught and assessed – with moderation from other faculties when required – all the extra components. This was a lot more work but the results were rewarding when students gained 15 to 60 credits from their project. This integrated learning approach focussed on individual students and what they wanted to do, so the achievement/unit standards for each learning area weren't necessarily attempted by everyone and Simon notes there were some who didn't really achieve much. "This is not going to get kids who don't want to work into working – it's for those kids who don't know they can work and who will get working."
Simon adds that while the students might think they worked on a standard for five hours, it was actually planned much earlier on and he had fed them information during discussion throughout the term and integrated them into the particular area of design being worked on at the time.
The following year these students worked on the 2009 Year 13 Parkway Playground project, in which they designed a new playground for their client the Hutt City Council, which funded the redevelopment. Costing the project allowed the students to work towards additional unit standards in Economics. They also managed the Year 12 Technology class which was responsible for the WAIVS production.
Some of the Year 13 class have also done work with WelTec and achieved Level 4 in Digital Design together with credits in Electronic Media and Computer Generated Imagery. Simon has also established a Memorandum of Understanding with WelTec, in which two scholarships for the Bachelor of Creative Technologies are available (dependent on success) to the students in the Project-based Technology class every year. Additional Weltec scholarships relating to this area are currently being planned in Engineering and Product Design.
Final outcome of the Parkway Playground project
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Simon points out that the success of his programme also relies on allowing students to fail. "The basis of this whole class is that they take responsibility, not me. When they ask what happens if they don't do something my answer is 'then you'll fail'. We go through a process where they take a huge responsibility for what they're doing, to the extent that if a class member is not performing the other students will move that person out of their group."
Although, having said this, Simon quietly ensures he has covered everything, just in case. "This whole process, of allowing or recognising that students can actually learn from failure and also have the ability to manage their own learning, can be terrifying for the teacher and you always have to be aware there are students who cannot do it. These are the ones you have to be ready for with an alternative learning process, but be ready for them to wake up and take control. The amazing thing is how many make the leap to manage their own learning."
In 2010, the Year 13 class will work on phase 2 of the Parkway Playground project – a 150 metre wetland-style walkway with lighting and landscaping – building on the work their predecessors accomplished and maintaining the relationship with the local council. The Year 12s will develop a kitchen garden for the school's award-winning hospitality programme and will be able to work towards achievement in:
- Mathematics (US);
- English (AS);
- Physics (US and AS);
- Technology (AS);
- CAD; and
- Economics (US).
The Project-based Technology class has changed student expectations and Simon says most come in expecting to do the extra work. He says that helping students achieve enough credits to obtain Level 2 or 3 NCEA, even if they don't get university entrance, is important for their career prospects. "When I talk with tradesmen they say they're looking for smart apprentices who can think, plan ahead, and have a work ethic and nowadays they want someone who has, at a minimum, Level 2. The more aware kids are realising they need Level 3 to count on getting into the trades."
Increased enthusiasm from other faculties within the school to support the process has been, says Simon, one of the major reasons the process works. The students see how they can be comfortable when they are giving a speech about something they have done, the physics process proves the design will work, be safe, and get Council approval. "The whole process works together and gives students the confidence to be confident."
Simon believes that Project-based Technology complements the modern career path, in which people will have more than one kind of job, and allows students to come out with lots of knowledge and skills rather than specialising too early. His 2009 students are heading off to be builders, architects, plumbers, accountants, lawyers, electricians, and teachers. Simon says that he doesn't go in for boosting self-esteem but self-belief – "Self belief is 'of course I can figure it out'," – and that his students' success is evidence of this.
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