The Technological Practice Strand Explanatory Papers Updated May 2010
Outcome Development and Evaluation
Junior Primary (NE-Year 4)
Learning experiences
The following learning experiences have been provided to support teachers as they develop their understandings of the Outcome Development and Evaluation component of the Technological Practice strand. There is no expectation that these would form the basis of any specific unit of work in technology. The learning experiences have been summarised from classrooms across New Zealand and provide examples of student achievement across a range of levels. This stance reflects the majority of classrooms, within which it is expected that students will demonstrate a range of levels of achievement.
A group of students worked alongside a practicing engineer and local kaumatua to design and develop a concrete taniwha, to serve as a seat that would provide a meeting space and support discussions for the envirogroup and others in the school. It was situated outside in the garden, and a range of design ideas was trialled to strike a balance between functional and aesthetic attributes. For details of this unit please see the Ministry of Education’s Connected Series 2005 Volume 2 – Meeting Seating.
Students achieving at level 1 could:
- draw design ideas for a seat, and develop models out of clay to represent what a selected idea may look like;
- carry out assigned roles in developing the seat; and
- evaluate the taniwha seat, in terms of how it looks in the garden setting and how comfortable it is to sit on.
Students achieving at level 2 could:
- draw design ideas and create a model of the selected design that communicated the 'look' of a potential outcome;
- develop a mock-up to test material use and construction techniques;
- identify the strengths and weaknesses of design ideas and be involved in discussions to select an appropriate design; and
- evaluate the taniwha seat in terms of how it met the needs of the envirogroup.
