ECU204 Design and Technology: Session 3: Weeks 6 &7

By the Start of Week 8

1: Assignment 1: Completed and submitted to Al
2: Assignment 2: some sections of unit of work filled in after discussion with Annie and
Justin: remember to use the Learning Design Process to help with your planning (i.e. 8
learning management questions). This can be revised Week 6 if required. NB: minimum:

a spider map of the integrated learning intentions,

a selection of teaching approaches with written rationale (you may need to revise Ch 6
& 7 and explore Ch 8-10 if some of these approaches look suitable),
at least two assessment activities (can be a summative one and a formative one, or a
summative and a profiling one).

If youre going well with this, see the notes at the end of this study guide for more detailed
work you can do on the unit.
3: Reading 1: Keep it Simple: Read and make notes so you can explain: what were the four
main projects? Which would you imagine would a) work best with the kids in terms of
engagement and learning b) be most straightforward to organise
4: Reading 2: Kites by Kids: Read and make notes so you can explain: what were the key
learning activities/learning stages? What were the main assessment activities? What were the
main learning intentions in Technology and in other curriculum areas? What have you learned
that you will apply to your unit of work?
5: Reading 3: Our Zoo: Skim read for ideas for your own unit of work. Explain 1-2
interesting things you found in the reading.
6: Continue to add to your collection of technology activities (short and longer) you could
use with your class. There are lots mentioned in the Kites unit reading and the textbook. Put
a star next to those you might adapt and use in your unit of work.

What are the Teaching Approaches (Ch7,8,9 chart on p 105)

Look mainly at the first three approaches. For each approach: what do the
children gain/lose? What is the role of the teacher?
Building agency. What is it? How will you do it? Why do you need to build
agency in children? What is metacognition?
Which approach/combination of approaches will you use for you unit of work

Technology Lessons: a Unit of Work

Almost any activity in the classroom can have a Technology and Design focus.
Most teachers seem comfortable beginning with an activity which involves the
Technology process.
Technology activities encourage divergent thinking and problem-solving skills.
These skills are crucial to the development of students as independent learners.
The Design Process in Engineering: http://www.pbslearningmedia.org/asset/phy03_vid_desprocess/
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How might you use this video to:

a) build terminology b) create discussion about the design process with the kids c) create a
framework or structure for the design process (and get kids note-making from a video)

Info from other states: they modify/clarify the Australian Curriculum

and can offer good ideas:
1: Victorian Essential Learning Standards: this page has some great links to external resources (e.g. the
Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden Foundation)
http://www.vcaa.vic.edu.au/Pages/foundation10/viccurriculum/destech/destech.aspx
Task: How might you make a gardening and cooking unit that develops the context descriptors of the
Australian Curriculum?
http://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/technologies/design-and-technologies/curriculum/f-10?layout=1
(ACTDEK021)
2: NSW Dept of Education: this page shows an example of a unit of work layout (note the spider
diagram that addresses the integration of different learning areas:
http://www.curriculumsupport.education.nsw.gov.au/timetoteach/cogs/unitsintro.htm
Task: Create a spider diagram for your unit of work that identifies the content of the
different learning areas

D & T and English

Who sank the boat By Pamela Allen: http://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=OsYb1YSYR34
Design and make a boat that will hold a heavy weight using only plasticine or
modelling clay
Remember the paperclip, evacuation procedure and chair activities from Module 1?
You have completed a series of activities which address nearly every outcome of the
Technology and Design learning area. Some activities result in a physical product or
artefact, while others are ideas or plans for systems. Some activities arise naturally
from the students' environment (for example, complaints about the comfort of their
chairs, or not being served in turn at the canteen), while others are artificially imposed
by the teacher (the paperclip, or a literature-based challenge). Some activities require
little or no equipment and resources, others need many materials. Nearly all activities
can be adjusted to suit a wide range of interest and ability levels.
The suggestions which follow can be modified for any context, and as you become
more familiar and confident in the Technology and Design area, you will realise that
most teachers unknowingly already cover many of the Technology and Design
outcomes in other subject areas. It is simply a matter of changing the focus of the
activity so that the Technology outcomes are evaluated. Remember, there are many
ways to introduce Technology into a primary classroom.

Design Briefs for a unit of work:

Design Briefs are very popular in Primary Technology and Design, although this is by
no means the only method of achieving the required outcomes. The use of Design
Briefs does allow for creative and critical thinking skills to develop, and encourages a
wide variety of solutions to the same problem. In a Primary classroom, that can foster
a supportive environment in which students feel confident in trying out their own
ideas because the chances of being 'wrong', and therefore embarrassed, are
minimised. It is also an ideal way to challenge students to achieve at their own level
without encouraging a ruthless competition.

What makes a good Design Brief? An effective Design Brief should

be:
Relevant, purposeful and interesting
The problem should be worth solving, and should be part of the students'
experiences or environment. It may occur naturally, or be contrived by the teacher.
Clearly stated and understood
The nature of the problem should be clear to the students. Any essential criteria for
the design (such as size, materials to be used, strength) must be very explicit.
Achievable in the available time.
Sufficient time must be available for satisfactory completion of the task. Children
need to be aware of the time constraints in order to manage their time effectively.
If students are constantly prevented from completing projects because of lack of
time, standards drop, and frustration sets in.
Require reasonable resources.
Adequate materials need to be available. Many activities require few resources,
while others can be completed with inexpensive, everyday materials which
encourage innovative solutions.
Have universal appeal.
Activities should be selected to appeal to all members of the group over time.
Gender equity is particularly important in Technology and Design.
Be open-ended.
Creativity is encouraged by tasks that permit a wide range of possible solutions. It
is possible for all students to be successful at their own level.
Contain appropriate evaluative strategies.
Assessment should be ongoing and related to the criteria which are set in the
design brief. Students can assess themselves and each other in terms of the
processes and the finished product.

Reading 1: Read Keep it Simple: The Grovelands Experience

1. Why was the whole school given the same project?
2. How could a year one student's effort be compared with a year seven student' s?
3. Why do you think teachers were more enthusiastic at the end of the year than at the beginning?
4.

Were the students more enthusiastic than the teachers to start with?
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5.

Were the tasks initiated from the immediate environment, or introduced by a teacher?

Reading 2: Kites by Kids

Students were asked to set their own design criteria.
1: Do you think this is an appropriate strategy for primary school children? Why or why not?
2: How many of the activities in the unit are science and not technology? Does that matter?
3: How would you, as the teacher, evaluate the outcomes of the students?
4: Would peer assessment be useful in this instance?
5: In your notes in this module, you have a list of criteria for an effective Design Brief.
Evaluate this Reading against that criteria.

Reading 3: our zoo

1. How do you think this unit of work could have been timetabled?
2. What sort of groups in the classroom would have been appropriate?
3. How would you assess the student outcomes/achievements?

What ideas for your own unit of work does this one give you?

Additional Tasks on the unit of work if youre ready

Begin developing your Unit of Work Rationale and details of ideas, design brief
and approaches. Type up 2-4 pages of notes that cover:
a) What activities or other approaches will I use that BUILD AGENCY in the children
b) How will I conduct ongoing FORMATIVE ASSESSMENT that builds on the
PROFILING ASSESSMENT lessons Ive already created. What tasks or activities
will I set up and how will I record the evidence of learning? Will I use the same
rubric I developed for this or a different one? Write a DRAFT FORMATIVE
ASSESSMENT rubric
c) What MAIN TEACHING APPROACH(ES) will I use in my UoW (Discrete, Symbiotic
etc) and why? What activities will I include that come from these approaches?
d) Write a draft of your DESIGN BRIEF to be given to the children. Check it against
the criteria above for a good design brief and annotate where it meets or fails to
meet the criteria at this stage.
e) How will I SCAFFOLD the DMA process for the children? What will be the hardest
part for them to develop their understanding/skills in? How will I help them do
this by breaking the skills down into chunks or linking them to skills theyve
already mastered?
f) Where do the elements of the NTCF fit into your unit of work? What indicators
will you be looking for? How will you turn these into a clear SUMMATIVE
ASSESSMENT task or tasks?
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If you wish you may also begin writing up different sections of the UoW plan, but only
after youve done the preliminary thinking and planning in above. Jumping into the
UoW too soon will only mean it takes you longer to do as you wont have done the
necessary planning (just like the importance of planning in the DMA process of
technology!)

NB: Weeks 8 & 9 will be devoted to revising and developing your skills in
Lesson and Unit Planning (using the D and T UoW as the key). The main
readings remaining for Dand T are Part 3 of the text, Ch 13-16.
The UoW will be due on my visit in Week 10, when well look at how the
various elements of this can be used as evidence in your e-portfolio, which
we will begin to set up on a Googlesite . . .