Taken from 'The developing field of technology education: a review to look forward to'
Jones, Buntting and de Vries (2013)
This paper reviews how far the development of technology education has come in the last 20-25 yrs.
- There are four main categories of interest in technology education:
- Technology as artifacts - of a physical nature and a functional nature - helps pupils recognise the nature of the end product
- Technology as knowledge - technology education, the knowing how of something - used to make students aware of the usefulness of reflecting on what they already know and what they can learn
- Technology as activities - analysis of the design process - designing themselves
- Technology as a characteristic of humanity - informs about how technology is shaped by, and also shapes humans, human culture and society - students can reflect on the impact it may have on the world
- Teacher education and professional development is key to the implementation of technology education
- an overcrowded curriculum and more emphasis on literacy and numeracy play a huge role in having available time for technology education. Teachers limited expertise and confident and funding also contribute
- visits to and placements in technologically- rich industrial sites have potential to help teachers and students bridge the gap (Corrigan 1999)
- teachers concepts of knowledge influence the learning in the classroom. Cowie et al. (2009) found that both the teacher knowledge and student learning could be enhanced in technology when there was a deliberate focus on developing teachers and student concepts of the nature of technology
References:
Corrigan, D. J. (1999). Industry and technology links with chemistry curriculum. Unpublished doctoral dissertation Australia: Monash University.
Cowie, B., & Moreland, J. (2009). Methodological considerations in studying classroom interactions in technology education. In A. T. Jones & M. J. de Vries (Eds.), International handbook of research and development in technology education (pp. 625-635). Rotterdam: Sense.
Jones, Buntting and de Vries (2013). The developing field of technology: a review to look forward. International Journal of Technology Design Education 23, 191-212
Taken from 'Creativity in technology education: providing children with glimpses of their inventive potential' Lewis, T. (2009)
Subjects that encourage creativity can often be discouraged because of the confining nature of the school curriculum. But subjects like art, music and technology allow for the expression of multiple intelligences because they allow for a range of domains to be uncovered. Wilson and Harris (2004) found that subjects that allowed students opportunities to create what does not exist yet helped improve higher order thinking skills.
There is so much to learn from observing students when they are allowed to be inventive. Peterson (2002) explains that education classes/labs have great potential for stimulating students and that they should be allowed to make mistakes and learn from them in these settings. Classroom practises like this tend to connect students with a real world experience of the the workforce and how things in technology are created and problems solved. It sets children up for a world beyond their school where things are created, it teaches them about risk analysis, rethinking, presentation of ideas and analytical and divergent thinking.
From this article it is evident that children who are allowed to explore a technological education can employ cognitive resources that aren't as evident in a standard curriculum.
References:
Lewis, T. (2009). Creativity in technology education: providing children with glimpses of their inventive potential.
Peterson, R. E. (2002). Establishing the creative environments in technology education. The Technology Technology, 61 (4), 7-10.
Wilson, V., & Harris, M., (2004). Creative change? A review of the impact of design and technology in schools in England. Journal of Technology Education, 15 (2), 46-65.
Taken from: Creativity – “A Framework for the Design/Problem solving discourse in technology education” Lewis, T.
Summary by Judith Humberdross (group member)
Technological design is a learning area wherein the dimensions of children’s creative abilities can be stimulated and augmented, however creativity is not easily defined. While there appears to be agreement on an international level as to what constitutes creativity, there are shared believes about its nature, such as :-
(a) That creativity is connected with originality ;
(b) That the value of creative products cannot be objectively ascertained, since there are no standards by which new creations can be assessed ;
(c) That beyond products, creativity can be manifested in new and novel ways of thinking that break with previously established norms ;
(d) That existing conceptual frameworks and knowledge schema impose restraints on creative insight ; and
(e) That creativity is a transcendent, irreducible quality. (Bailin, 1994)
Creativity can further be dissected into :-
(I) Processes - Creative processes take time, and include search through a problem space ;
(ii) Persons - Creative people are governed by internal factors, such as their personality; and
(iii)Products. (Tardif and Sternberg, 1988)
Creativity can also be seen as a product not just of individual traits, but also of societal and environmental factors.
Schooling plays an important role in the development of children's creativity. Support for a child's development begins with a curriculum that takes into account the students' interest and individual differences, such as thinking styles. (Sternberg, 1990). Creativity can be enhanced within the curriculum by providing students with opportunities for problem finding, as well as problem solving. (Moore, 1993).
Technology education in a school curriculum is a place where creativity can be fostered uniquely.
A strong design focus allows for teaching that will enable the development of creativity. Design, in particular, fosters creativity in children in that it is an open ended subject, with more than one right answer and more than one right method of arriving at a solution.
Pre-service teacher education programs in technology education do not normally include coursework on creativity. Therefore, most teachers do not have preparation that is sufficient enough to allow them to inject creativity into their teaching.
References :
Bailin, S. (1994). Achieving extraordinary ends. Norwood, New Jersey: Ablex Publishing Corporation.
Moore, M. T. (1993). Implications of problem finding on TEACHING AND LEARNING. In S. G. Isaksen, M. C. Murdock, R. L. Firestein & D. J. Treffinger (Eds.), Nurturing and developing creativity: The development of a discipline (pp. 51-69). Norwood, New Jersey: Ablex Publishing Company.
Sternberg, R. J. (1990). Thinking styles: Keys to understanding student performance. Phi Delta Kappan, 71(5), pp. 366-371.
Tardif, T.Z. & Sternberg, R.J. (1988). What do we know about creativity? In R.J. Sternberg (Ed), The nature of creativity: contemporary psychological perspectives (pp.429-440). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
