Can twenty years of technology education assist "grass roots" syllabus implementation?
- Authors: Ginns, Ian , Norton, Stephen , McRobbie, Campbell , Davis, Robert
- Date: 2007
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: International Journal of Technology & Design Education Vol. 17, no. 2 (2007), p. 197-215
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: Teachers' informed acceptance of challenges associated with teaching technology might ensure the successful implementation of a Technology syllabus in primary schools. They must be prepared to analyse their own understandings of technology concepts and processes, teaching and resource needs, and engage in professional development activities designed to meet their needs. This paper investigates the introduction of a new Technology syllabus into a school and draws on a number of data sources, for example, surveys, interviews with individual teachers, classroom observations, and field notes. It was evident that very specific personal and classroom related issues (e.g., content and pedagogy), and broader issues related to the school and wider communities (e.g., resources and networking), impacted on teachers' acceptance of the syllabus. Based on these findings, the influence of 20 years of technology education and associated research on the essentials of classroom syllabus implementation by teachers is evaluated. Ways of making this store of knowledge and expertise more meaningful and accessible for teachers are explored. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of International Journal of Technology & Design Education is the property of Springer Science & Business Media B.V. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
Potential of technology and a familiar context to enhance students’ concept of rate of change
- Authors: Herbert, Sandra , Pierce, Robyn
- Date: 2005
- Type: Text , Conference paper
- Relation: Paper presented at 28th Annual Conference of the Mathematics Education Research Group of Australasia (MERGA), Sydney : 7th July, 2005 Vol. 2, p. 435-442
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: Students’ concept image of rate of change may be incomplete or erroneous This paper reports a pilot study, with secondary school students, which explores the potential of technology (JavaMathWorlds), depicting a familiar context of motion, to develop students’ existing schema of informal understandings of rate of change to more formal mathematical representations Students developed numerous ‘models of’ rate of change in a motion context which then transferred to serve as a ‘model for’ rate of change in other contexts
- Description: E1
- Description: 2003001373
Can twenty years of technology education assist ‘grass roots’ syllabus implementation?
- Authors: Ginns, Ian , Norton, Stephen , McRobbie, Campbell , Davis, Robert
- Date: 2005
- Type: Text , Conference paper
- Relation: Paper presented at 15th Conference on Pupils’ Attitudes Towards Technology, Haarlem-Zuid, Netherlands : 1st April, 2005
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: Elementary school teachers and teacher educators have expressed concerns about what students learn as they engage in design and technology activities. This study was designed to identify students' understandings of selected technology concepts, and changes in those understandings across a range of age levels corresponding to grades 2, 4 and 6 at elementary school. Following an extensive interview program and subsequent data analysis, it is argued that commonalities and variations in understandings exist within and across age levels. The identification of these commonalities and variations is examined for their implications for classroom teachers, the development of more appropriate design and technology programs, and preservice and inservice teacher education.
- Description: E1
- Description: 2003001336
Structuring technology education for pre-service teachers
- Authors: Davis, Robert
- Date: 2007
- Type: Text , Conference paper
- Relation: Paper presented at 18th Pupils Attitudes Towards Technology: International Conference on Design and Technology, Glasgow : 21st-22nd June 2007 p. 437-443
- Full Text: false
- Description: It is evident that there are numerous conceptions of what constitutes technology in the primary classroom, and yet a shared understanding of the subject area is crucial for the productive development of the discipline. In this study, pre-service teachers reflected on a new method of teaching technology that provides for a shared conceptualisation of the Key Learning Area. It is apparent that such a structure may allow for meaningful and shared insights into technological practice and provide a possible basis for structuring technology education courses, particularly for those students unfamiliar with the subject. This research is significant in that it examines a pedagogical method that has, until now, not been utilised in such pre-service courses, and addresses some of the major concerns being voiced in the subject area.
- Description: 2003005048