Introduction
Connected is a series designed to show mathematics, science, and technology in the context of students’ everyday lives. The articles are intended to stimulate discussion and to provide starting points for further investigations by individuals, groups, or a whole class.
A shared or guided reading approach to using these texts will support students in understanding the concepts and technical vocabulary. (See the introduction to the School Journal Teachers’ Notes for suggestions on approaches to reading.)
- Connected 1 is designed to appeal to year 3–4 students who are working at levels 1–2.
- Connected 2 is designed to appeal to year 4–6 students who are working at levels 1–3.
- Connected 3 is designed to appeal to year 5–8 students who are working at levels 2–4.
This site provides Teachers’ Notes for the Connected series. From 2008, printed Teachers’ Notes are no longer distributed with each issue of Connected, but are available online. You can download and print out copies of these notes from this website.
PDF files of Teachers’ Notes for issues of Connected published prior to 2008 are provided on this website.
Connected and the key competencies
The relationship between the learning areas of science and technology and the key competencies
The overarching goal of the science and technology learning areas is to develop students’ literacy in each discipline. Scientific and technological literacy requires students to understand:
- the big ideas of science and technology
- how scientists and technologists work
- the influences on and impacts of the work of scientists and technologists
- the purpose of science and technology as human endeavours.
Each of the key competencies identified in the New Zealand Curriculum can be related to developing the goal of such literacies.
Science programmes that focus on the Nature of Science substrands (Understanding about science, Investigating in science, Communicating in science, Participating and contributing) will provide many opportunities to foster the key competencies.
Technology practice, in a range of varied contexts, provides opportunities for students to develop capability in the key competencies and use these capabilities to support their learning in technology.
Fostering scientific and technological literacy
Science and technology students will benefit from a supportive environment that is informed by the kind of effective pedagogy described in the New Zealand Curriculum and is based on knowledge about, and inquiry into, the teaching–learning relationship.
This supportive environment provides learning opportunities that:
- make connections to prior learning and experience
- facilitate shared learning
- encourage reflective thought and action
- enhance the relevance of new learning.
Science and the key competencies
Thinking
Investigations in science require students to think creatively about what they observe in the world and how this thinking aligns with or challenges the scientific understanding they already hold.
Students need to develop a philosophical and metacognitive perspective on their thinking processes – for example, understanding the distinction between making observations and making inferences based on those observations. It is essential for them to see how their thinking processes compare with those of scientists.
In this way, they will come to see the knowledge of science as durable and dependable. At the same time, they will recognise that science knowledge is subject to change as new evidence is discovered, different questions are asked, and new perspectives challenge existing theory.
Using language, symbols, and texts
Science is a way of explaining the world. The validity of an explanation is measured by the science community’s acceptance of the explanation. Work in science requires students to:
- interpret existing scientific language, symbols, and texts
- communicate their ideas and understanding in ways that recognise the existing codes of representation and ways of communicating in science.
Managing self
Learning in science requires students to engage with the world, their peers, their teachers, and science communities.
Science investigations include the need for students to take responsibility for planning and carrying out their own learning experiences. Teachers can provide scaffolding as students learn to manage themselves in this context.
Developing an understanding both of the ideas of science and how science knowledge is developed (Nature of Science) is likely to involve:
- teamwork and cooperation
- establishing distinct and complementary roles in shared investigations
- having the conviction to present and argue one’s own explanation as well as listening to, and taking into account, the explanations of others.
Relating to others
As well as active listening, recognition of different points of view, negotiation, and idea sharing, students need to develop an understanding of science as knowledge and a way of doing things that are subjective as well as socially and culturally embedded. This understanding will help them to recognise that their existing ideas and the ideas of others affect how they explain what they ‘see’ in the world.
As they develop this more complex understanding, they will begin to value the importance of human inference, imagination, and creativity in the development of science ideas.
Participating and contributing
Learning in science equips students to make informed decisions and to assess what implications applying the ideas of science would have, with respect to their own lives, to the lives of others, and to the environment.
Programmes of work in science must reflect the links between science ideas and ideas about science to the communities and the world the students live in.
Science is a socially valuable and valued knowledge system. Many socio-scientific issues can form the basis of relevant and dynamic science programmes.
Learning in science challenges understandings and attitudes, and provides an objective basis for participatory actions that can help to sustain, nurture, or improve our lives and our world.
Technology and the key competencies
Thinking
Skills in critical and creative thinking are essential to technological practice, understanding the nature of technology, and developing technological knowledge.
Students working in the learning area of technology must also develop an awareness of the nature of the thinking that underpins assumptions and decisions. Being able to step back from a situation and answer questions such as “What is happening?”, “Why is it happening?”, “Should it be happening?”, and “How could it be done differently?” rely on sophisticated thinking skills.
Students need thinking skills to be able to make informed decisions based on ethical and functional grounds. As well as understanding and knowing how to assess fitness for purpose, they will be aware of the need to explore the fitness of any stated purpose.
Increasingly sophisticated technological practice in a range of contexts will help students to develop their perception of technology’s role in the modern world and society.
Using language, symbols, and texts
Students need to understand the specialised language, symbols, and texts of technology in order to engage in technological practice and analyse and evaluate technological outcomes. They will also use the language of technology to communicate and justify their thinking.
Technology operates in a variety of contexts and draws knowledge and skills from a range of learning areas and disciplines. Students will benefit from opportunities to compare and learn from the different uses of languages, symbols, and texts in these varied contexts and disciplines.
Managing self
Developing skills in self-management is essential for students working alone or in a group as they plan for and undertake technological practice.
Considering how technological practice can take account of social and environmental factors, in a range of situations and settings, will contribute to individual students’ understanding of themselves in the world and to their sense of self-worth.
Relating to others / participating and contributing
Undertaking technological practice in groups will foster students’ skills in relating to each other. They collaborate in finding solutions that meet the opportunities in and manage the constraints on their practice.
Technological practice may involve making connections with representatives of other knowledge or skill sets. For example, in the course of their practice, students might engage with one or more valued experts. In order to meet an identified need in their school or community, they might work alongside other groups within the school or from the community.
- Opportunities to develop relationships with, and better understand, a wide range of people and groups will foster students’ competency in relating to others and their ability to participate in and contribute to both the local and wider society.
References
Driver, R., Leach, J., Millar, R., and Scott, P. (1996). “Why Does Understanding the Nature of Science Matter? In R. Driver et al. (eds). Young People’s Images of Science (pp. 8–23). Buckingham: Open University Press.
Matthews, M. (1994). Science Teaching: The Role of History and Philosophy of Science. New York: Routledge.
Ministry of Education. (2007). The New Zealand Curriculum. Wellington: Learning Media.
Online support
View the paper on Technology and Key Competencies in the Curriculum Support package on Techlink.
Acknowledgments
Connected is published on behalf of the Ministry of Education by Learning Media Limited. These online Teachers’ Notes are developed for the Ministry of Education by Learning Media Limited, Box 3293, Wellington, New Zealand.
http://www.learningmedia.co.nz
The Ministry of Education and Learning Media wish to thank all of those involved in preparing these Teachers’ Notes.