Technology Curriculum - NZ update

For your information:

I wish to tell you about what kind of second tier support will be available initially to support the release of the finalised technology curriculum later in 2007. Please share this information across your communities.

Upon release of the finalised New Zealand curriculum, support for technology will include a package of support materials online at Techlink (www.techlink.org.nz) and hopefully on TKI. This will be in the form of an interactive website with hyperlinks between achievement objectives, indicators of progression, explanatory papers and case studies of current practice.

The first phase of this will coincide with the release of the curriculum most likely in September or October 2007.

The website will include the following:

1. Explanatory papers – one for each of the eight components across the three strands.

• These are clear descriptions of the each component, suggested examples from technology, and suggested learning experiences with a discussion of what student achievement might look like at different levels within different contexts.

2. Draft Indicators of Progression papers: One for Technological Knowledge and one for the Nature of Technology.

• This work was developed from the Ministry of Education contract for research into the two new strands, 2005-2007.
• Each paper looks at the components within the strand, and provides indicators of how these may progress from level 1-8. This progression is based on the achievement objectives of the curriculum.
• Each paper includes a component description (and a cross reference/hyperlink to the explanatory paper), and a description of possible supporting learning environments that might assist student achievement at each level.
• The indicators and supporting environment descriptions for Technological Knowledge and the Nature of Technology are in draft. These will be trialled and revised as part of a three year research project funded by the Ministry of Education.

3. Indicators of Progression paper: Technological Practice.

• This work was developed by Compton and Harwood, from research undertaken during 1999 – 2003, and has resulted in a set of indicators for each of the components of technological practice. This work has been made available to support the reviewed technology curriculum.

4. Discussion Document – Background Information on the New Strands

• This paper has been written to explain the thinking behind the two ‘new’ strands (Nature of Technology and Technological Knowledge) that have been developed as a part of the reviewed technology curriculum.

5. Discussion Document - Design Ideas for Future Technology Programmes.

• This paper suggests a set of principles that could underpin programme design within schooling in keeping with the direction of technology education. This paper supports programme design within schooling that is in keeping with the aim of technology, that of developing a New Zealand student technological literacy that is broader, deeper and more critical in nature.

6. The best practice case studies on the Techlink website will be continually added to over 2007. These case studies are of student work, teacher’s practice and programmes and industry practices in technology.

7. Papers giving guidance to schools for delivery of technology programmes based on the new curriculum.

• This guidance will include implications for Primary, Intermediate and Secondary schools regarding the form and function of quality technology programmes.
• As this advice needs to be in line with general guidelines from the Ministry of Education it is likely that these would be developed later in 2007 or in 2008.

Finally, I would like to invite further feedback from you as to what other support for the technology curriculum might be useful for schooling further down the track.

email address provided

Regards Geoff Keith

Senior Advisor Technology Ministry of Education.

My Notes: One of the things I would like to see is clusters getting together to discuss this, kind of like the introduction to NCEA that we had 5 year ago. that is one of the only ways that this type of new curriculum document will get owned by the teachers. Discussion with others, not Discussion documents is what is needed.