This material was produced by the Royal Society of New Zealand (RSNZ)
under contract to the Ministry of Education in 2000 and 2001. It was written
to assist teachers and schools in their delivery of the technology/ hangarau
curriculum statements. The project was jointly coordinated by personnel
from the Technology Education New Zealand (TENZ)
and National Association of Māori Mathematicians, Scientists and Technologists
(NAMMSAT) networks. Monitoring and evaluation of the material was carried
out by a national project advisory group.
Campbells Bay primary school has a roll of over 600 students and a
full time staff of 23 classroom teachers. Prior to 1998 the school hadn't
concentrated too much on professional development for the new technology
curriculum, but in 1998 team leaders were involved in the Know How 2
contract, with the emphasis being on school wide development. A school
technology scheme was written and the first technology Expo held. In
1999 a technology professional development workshop was held for all
new staff and the school was represented at the second Biennial TENZ
National Technology Education Conference in Auckland. In 2000 the school
developed a new technology scheme with a focus on the solving real problems.
Technology
resources
The technology resources available in the school are:
a supportive and enthusiastic staff;
purpose built technology trolleys and bins to transport technology
equipment to classrooms; and
a range of basic equipment to provide good support in most
technological areas.
This equipment is generally stored in a central room and wheeled
out to classes as required. Initially, the school used an empty
classroom as a dedicated technology room. All technology equipment
was stored there and teachers booked the facility as needed. Now
all technology lessons take place in general classrooms.
Expo
explained
This year the school organised its second Technology Expo. Bruce Reid,
the technology coordinator at the school answers some questions relating
to the event.
Exactly what
is a technology Expo?
The Expo has been a way to focus the staff on technology, and then send
finished work home after it has been shared. It is a public exhibition
of the childrens' technology work and achievements. We are able to showcase
the school's resources, planning, teaching, and the successes –
and magnificent failures – of all of the children. Photographs
taken by teachers during the lessons are featured in the Expo so its
not just a display of final products – but also a record of the
processes used as well. It takes place over one week in our school hall.
Why did the
school hold an Expo?
1. An Expo focuses staff on the technology curriculum for a period
of time.
2. Technology can be resource and time intensive. We gain maximum
value from our resources when we use them and then share them so that
others can learn too.
3. Parents and grandparents are very interested in practical
subjects like technology. It is fun to share children's work with them.
4. An Expo provides children with a chance to show and talk
about their solutions. Pride in their work is obvious.
5. Storage of technology work is a problem in our classrooms.
An Expo gives the chance to share it and then send it home.
6. An Expo gives staff members a rare opportunity to see what
colleagues are doing in their classes. This motivates everyone, builds
an understanding of true technology, and raises standards.
What was the
theme this year ?
The theme of this years Expo was "Kids solving problems". It
evolved from my attendance at the TENZ conference in Auckland. During
the three days I was able to reflect on our new technology scheme and
clarify the rationale. Through our new scheme we are providing children
with opportunities to define and solve problems in their own environments.
Technological literacy is developed when we as a school are following
the technological process right through ... beginning with an
authentic problem. Bruce Reid, Technology coordinator
How
was your plan of action developed?
We approached the senior management at the start of this year for permission
to hold the Expo. Once we'd got their OK team leaders were integrated
into the planning process. It was important that we ensured that teachers
had enough time to plan and teach their technology units within the
timeframe developed. The Expo was scheduled for the last week of term
2, and right from the start this provided a rigid deadline – which
had the effect of focusing teachers and their programmes. We wanted
to give teachers enough time for their planning and delivery, but to
avoid other teacher-intensive work like report writing, school shows,
and parent-teacher interviews.
Team leaders planned the units of work with their teams and I was available
for all planning meetings. This helped to ensure that the planned activities
were child centred and based as much as possible on real problems –
and that they fitted in with the overall school scheme in technology.
