Abstract
This paper reports on findings related to the Nature of Technology from Stage Two of the Technological Knowledge and Nature of Technology: Implications for teaching and learning (TKNoT: Imps) research project undertaken in 2009. A key focus in Stage Two was the trialing of different teaching strategies to determine how learning related to the components Characteristics of Technology (CoT) and Characteristics of Technological Outcomes (COTO) could be supported. These components fall within the Nature of Technology (NoT) strand of technology in the New Zealand Curriculum (NZC) (Ministry of Education, 2007) and as such, reflect a philosophical understanding of technology as a discipline. During this stage of the research further exploration was undertaken to determine how student understanding of these two components of technology education progressed from level 1 to level 8 of the NZC (Ministry of Education, 2007). Common misconceptions and partial understandings related to these components are identified and explained and four case studies are presented to illustrate strategies employed by teachers and their impact on student learning related to these two components. The Stage Two outcomes resulted in the revision of the Indicators of Progression for CoT and CoTO in order to clarify the progression expected of students in each component and provide increased teacher guidance to support such progression.
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Notes
The New Zealand Curriculum currently differentiates 8 levels of learning across years 1–13. These are loosely aligned to 2 years of learning from levels 1–5 and then single years from levels 6–8. However, it is acknowledged that students’ progress at different rates, and as such, any age-level relationships are indicative only.
This is a different framework to the New Zealand Curriculum. The NZQF levels run from Level 1–10 and provide pathways into the tertiary sector up to Doctorate level. There is an overlap between these two frameworks with Level 6 NZC equating to Level 1 NZQF, Level 7 NZC equating to Level 2 NZQF, and Level 8 NZC equating to Level 3 NZQF.
Level 1 Achievement Standards will be available as assessment tools in 2011, Level 2 Achievement Standards will be available as assessment tools in 2012, and Level 3 Achievement Standards will be available as assessment tools in 2013.
NCEA is a standards based qualification. It was introduced in New Zealand in 2002 and replaced the previous norm-referenced qualification system.
The components of the Technological Knowledge strand are: Technological Modelling, Technological Products and Technological Systems. The components of the Nature of Technology strand are: Characteristics of Technology and Characteristics of Technological Outcomes.
We are using ‘ideas’ here as a collective term—in some cases the ‘ideas’ are rather a lack of ideas or an inability to identify or differentiate.
See Compton and Compton (2009) for details of this analysis.
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Acknowledgments
We would like to thank all the teachers and students involved in this research. Their willingness to share their thinking with us was critical to the success of this project. We are thankful to the New Zealand Ministry of Education for funding the TKNoT: Imps research specifically, and acknowledge the high level of support they provide technology education through funding ongoing research and curriculum development.
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Compton, V.J., Compton, A.D. Teaching the nature of technology: determining and supporting student learning of the philosophy of technology. Int J Technol Des Educ 23, 229–256 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10798-011-9176-2
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10798-011-9176-2