Suggested Learning and Assessment Examples for Levels 1 and 2

These learning and assessment examples are suggestions which teachers could develop further into units of work.

Example 1: Letterboxes
Contexts: Home; Business; Environmental

Main Areas: Materials; Structures; Information and Communication

The postal system provides opportunities for a variety of technological observations and activities which relate to all three curriculum strands. The community links can be built from the outset, through discussion with the local post office about the proposed range of activities and the part that staff might take in fostering students' knowledge.

Technological Knowledge and Understanding

• Students list the purposes served by letterboxes.
• They examine a variety of letterboxes to identify similarities, differences, and key features.
• They discuss how different letterboxes operate and are used.
• They prepare and ask questions of the postie, focusing on the types of letterboxes they prefer, and why.
• They identify what they think is the best letterbox in their neighbourhood, giving reasons for their choice.

Technological Capability

• Students collect and present data about letterboxes examined in a particular location.
• They find out about the types of improvements the postie and owners would like to make in relation to letterboxes.
• They brainstorm ideas about the type of letterbox best suited to group members which also meets the needs of the class's postal system and which accounts for constraints identified by the teacher and themselves, such as materials and time.
• They identify needs and possible difficulties associated with the designing and making of their own letterboxes.
• They discuss how their design/product meets identified needs and constraints.

Technology and Society

• Students discuss reasons for their selection of a design and materials for their group's letterbox/their letterbox at home/letterboxes in their neighbourhood.
• They discuss what it would be like if there were no letterboxes, and what other methods of mail delivery might be possible.

Assessment

The main focus in this example could be on the production of the letterbox, and teachers may choose to concentrate assessment on the objectives of the capability strand, mainly in terms of the choices made for a well produced solution, including choice of suitable materials.

Example 2: The Supermarket
Contexts: Home; Community; Personal; Business

Main Areas: Electronics and Control; Food; Information

Technological Knowledge and Understanding

• Groups of students observe, collate information, and share ideas on specific sections of the supermarket in operation for the purpose of recreating the system in the classroom, considering:
  • storage of different types of goods, including controlled temperature environments;
  • the systems in use for receiving stock, stacking shelves, re-ordering goods, packing at point of sale;
  • the layout of different goods within the store;
  • the work done by different staff members &; supervisors, check-out operators, shelf fillers, managers of different areas, packers;
  • the electronic and other systems operating for calculating customers' bills &; bar-codes, weighing machines, EFTPOS, cheques;
  • the security and control systems in use &; exit and entry lanes, mirrors, cameras;
  • promotion and communication strategies, including signs, and labelling, positioning, and packaging of goods.

Technological Capability

• Students identify needs and opportunities by observing and talking to staff about layout and different types of services, such as being personally served.
• They share ideas about how to arrange products and organise services in the supermarket.
• They sketch, model, or role-play some solutions to problems identified and evaluate the quality and usefulness of these.

Technology and Society

• Students talk with family, friends, and supermarket staff about their views on various changes in shopping, such as developments in self-service, different methods of payments, bar-codes, methods of display.
• They look at photographs of shops from other places and times, or visit other kinds of shops, and discuss the similarities and differences to shopping in a supermarket.

Assessment

Example 3: Pet Houses
Contexts: Home, School; Environmental

Main Areas: Materials; Structures; Control

Technological Knowledge and Understanding

• The teacher arranges a visit from a veterinarian, zookeeper, or RSPCA representative for the students to ask about important considerations in housing pets at home or school.
• Students depict their understandings about the key features required in a house for a specific pet.
• They share ideas about proportions, materials, location, and other factors that are necessary for animals' comfort and health.

Technological Capability

• Students survey teachers, parents, and friends to identify the needs of particular animals, in terms of hygiene, warmth, and adequacy of food.
• They brainstorm ideas for a suitable cage or feeding device for their chosen animal, and select one, explaining their decision to other groups.
• They plan and produce a prototype of a pet house for a particular pet, learning about the qualities of different materials and the use of a variety of tools.
• They test their product, checking that it meets all the requirements that they identified, and discuss their findings with others, modify their prototype and complete the project.

Technology and Society

• Students discuss why people keep pets.
• They identify the most popular kinds of pets.

Assessment

Example 4: Milk Foods
Contexts: Home; Personal; Community

Main Areas: Biotechnology; Food; Materials

Technological Knowledge and Understanding

• Students identify as many milk products as they can. They share ideas about how milk might turn into, for instance, cheese or yoghurt.
• The teacher demonstrates the idea of a culture through a common example.
• The teacher might arrange a visit to a cheese factory or from a dairy technologist.
• The class makes junket and separates curds and whey, identifying the processes involved, problems, and developing improved procedures.
• Students examine the information on the labels and packaging of the milk products they have identified, with a view to incorporating aspects into the packaging of their milk product.
• They collect a range of advertisements relating to milk products, and identify the key features.

Technological Capability

• Groups of students develop a survey to identify preferences among a specific group of users, such as younger children, and share the results.
• Students explore adaptations and modifications of milk products and select one to develop, such as a flavoured yoghurt or cheese with herbs.
• They design and make a packaging that will be suitable for storing or carrying their product.
• They explain the process they have been involved in, try out each other's products, and comment on them.

Technology and Society

• Students identify and investigate a variety of specialised milk products, and discuss why these have been developed.
• They talk to friends and family, or refer to selected resources, to identify why these have been developed.

Assessment

Teachers may wish to focus on the problem-solving aspects of this example, and the ways students express and respond to the ideas of others in relation to their products.

The level of understanding of the way milk is modified through the use of cultures could be assessed through noting students' ability to explain the process and conditions required for success.

Example 5: Electronic Devices
Contexts: Home; School; Personal

Main Areas: Electronics and Control; Information and Communication

Technological Knowledge and Understanding

• Students describe and demonstrate the use and operation of some familiar electrical and electronic devices in the classroom and home, for example, a video recorder, showing understanding of the different controls and systems.
• Groups look at instruction sheets and other informational material about some of the examples, and write operating instructions for one example, such as a tape recorder, presenting it clearly and with diagrams, if necessary.

Technological Capability

• Students survey, collate information, and prepare a report on the electronic devices and systems which school staff and family members find most useful and what might be improved, for example, the instructions for use.
• Students share ideas and, with the teacher's help, select a simple electrical or electronic system or device to make.
• Using simple components, such as cells, tinfoil and wires, students make a prototype or model of a device to meet some aspect of identified needs, and write accurate instructions for its use.
• They answer questions about how they constructed their device or system, and evaluate each other's instructions.

Technology and Society

• Students interview a number of adults about the changes they have observed in electronic devices during their lifetimes, exploring and preparing a report on:
  • how they feel about specific aspects of these changes;
  • the impact of some of these devices on their daily lives.

Assessment

Students could assess how their understanding of familiar items has changed during these activities. For example:

• teachers could listen to students' explanations about how an electronic device works, noting, for example, their description of inputs and outputs;
• teachers could note the level of understanding shown during students' presentations of their work and in their written instructions;
• the Technology and Society strand could be a focus of assessment in terms of students' understandings of the impacts of technology.

Example 6: Recycling and Waste Disposal
Contexts: Home; School; Community; Environmental; Industrial

Main Areas: Biotechnology; Materials; Process

Technological Knowledge and Understanding

• Students investigate and draw a simple diagram, with captions, to show how the current system for disposal and recycling of rubbish operates in their class or home.
• They talk to parents or the school caretaker and others involved in the school environment to find out how they deal with waste.
• They identify and discuss the signs, containers, and information around the school and neighbourhood concerning litter and waste disposal.

Technological Capability

• Students identify and classify items of rubbish, according to the type of material.
• They identify problems with the current systems for the collection and disposal of rubbish at home and school.
• They share ideas about possible improvements to recycling and waste disposal systems, selecting some for development.
• In groups, students design and make models, diagrams, instructions, or prototypes of their solutions.
• They present their solutions and modify them according to the responses.

Technology and Society

• Students discuss why waste disposal systems are necessary.
• They ask people for their views about different systems of waste disposal.

Assessment

Teachers may wish to focus assessment on students' understanding of issues involved in waste disposal, noting how well ideas generated in the Capability strand reflect these understandings. For example:

• after this topic is studied, students could evaluate the changes in their behaviour about dealing with litter and rubbish.

Example 7: Protective Clothing
Contexts: Recreational; Community; Personal

Main Area: Materials

Technological Knowledge and Understanding

• Students identify protective clothing worn for particular activities.
• They describe features of the clothing which offer protection.
• They match examples of protective clothing to specific occupations and write to users to ask about the effectiveness of the clothing.
• The teacher demonstrates, and students practise, ways of joining and fastening different materials.
• The teacher could arrange a visit from a person whose occupation requires special clothing, such as a farmer, nurse, fire fighter.
• Students collect advertisements relating to special clothing, for example, rainwear, and discuss key features.
• They test a range of materials for specific qualities, for example, resistance to water, heat retention, heat deflection.

Technological Capability

• Relating their ideas to information gained from their activities so far, students brainstorm particular situations where they require protective clothing.
• Groups explore ideas for a simple modification to a garment or for a new garment, and select an option to develop.
• They identify suitable materials and equipment, with teacher guidance, and design and produce their chosen solution.
• The garment is modelled and evaluated by other students, according to the need identified in the initial brief.

Technology and Society

• Students refer to books or talk to other people to gather ideas about garments worn for particular occupations and activities in other times and places.
• They suggest how the requirements for protective clothing might change in the future.

Assessment

Teachers may wish to focus on capability in this unit of work, giving students opportunities to explore textiles, and other materials, including flax, to produce hats, aprons, scarves, or similar protective garments. Assessment could be in terms of suitability of design and materials, correct use of tools, quality of the outcome. For example:

• students could peer- and self-evaluate, according to the criteria of the initial brief.

Example 8: Paper and Paper Products
Contexts: Personal; Home; School; Community; Industrial

Main Area: Materials; Communication; Mechanisms

Technological Knowledge and Understanding

• Students examine a wide range of papers, identifying similarities and differences.
• They explore and discuss the process of making paper by hand.
• Groups consider the effectiveness of various papers and card designs for different purposes.
• They discuss how retailers display paper products, and why they are displayed in particular ways.
• They suggest modifications to paper or paper products to meet the needs of a particular user group.

Technological Capability

• Students identify different types of paper and the ways in which they are used to meet the needs of specific communicators and audiences.
• Each group selects an opportunity and explores ways in which the communication could be achieved, giving reasons for their choice.
• They plan, design, and make their preferred product, which may involve making the paper and developing the product using handwriting, stencils, drawings, collage, or a computer.
• They share their progress and outcomes, responding to suggestions for improvement.
• The product is used as planned, and students evaluate their success, in relation to the identified need.

Technology and Society

• Students gather information about past and present paper products and cards from homes, shops, or museums.
• Students consider the materials, texts, and designs in terms of the purposes, and share ideas about how these have changed over time.

Assessment

The focus could be on capability, with the fitness for purpose and quality of outcomes being assessed as students present and use their solutions. For example:

• students could talk about the successes and problems they encountered when undertaking these activities.

Example 9: School Lunches
Contexts: Personal; Home; School

Main Area: Food

Technological Knowledge and Understanding

• The teacher arranges a visit to a lunch bar or by a dietitian or health expert to identify key considerations when preparing and packaging food.
• Students examine and comment on the advertising and packaging of foods commonly selected for lunches, noting the implications for food handling.

Technology Capability

• Students collect and collate data about the school lunches eaten by their peers over several days.
• Students collate information about preferences for sandwich fillings and other lunch ingredients, and about the factors that make a school lunch appetising.
• Groups share their survey results.
• They use this data to identify lunch preferences and develop a plan for a nutritious lunch.
• Each group lists and assembles the ingredients or materials and prepares the selected products.
• Groups present their solutions to others, explaining the reasons for their decisions, responding to questions, and asking for feedback.
• The class could review their products and prepare these in quantities sufficient to test the market elsewhere in the school, with suitable labelling, packaging, and promotion.
• They could create school lunch menus which reflect their findings and meet standards of nutrition.

Technology and Society

• Students identify foods preferred by a variety of cultures, noting similarities and differences.
• They investigate and report on the school lunches that were customary among their parents' and grandparents' generations.

Assessment

Example 10: Toys and Games
Contexts: Personal; Community; Home; Recreational

Main Areas: Materials; Structures and Mechanisms

Technological Knowledge and Understanding

• Students observe and analyse a range of toys and games and describe the components of some games, and explain how they operate.
• They collect advertising and promotional material relating to toys and games and discuss which they would buy, and why.
• Students examine the instructions for toys and games and discuss their clarity and usefulness.

Technological Capability

• Students discuss what makes a good toy or game. They chart the responses and make some generalisations.
• From the information they have gathered, groups explore opportunities for modifying or improving an existing product or making a different one.
• Groups select and design their solution, making a list of materials required. With guidance from the teacher on materials and the correct use of tools or equipment, they produce their solution.
• Groups demonstrate their toy or game, explain the reasons for their decisions, and allow others to test the solution, which might then be modified.

Technology in Society

• Students interview an older person to find out about the types of toys and games in that person's childhood, looking at similarities and differences to present-day toys and games.
• They question the person about changes they have observed in toys and games.
• They discuss why people use toys and play games.
• Students visit a museum or use references to identify toys and games from other places and periods, how they were used, and how they worked.

Assessment

Teachers could assess all aspects of technological processes during this series of activities, using student-kept records and teachers' records which note the quality of students' observations, planning, production, self-evaluation, and awareness of social aspects.