Teaching Resources
1. Technology Education Curriculum in ABC Secondary School
• Assessment of practical work
• Assessment of project work with checkpoints set up at different stages
• Portfolio-building demonstrating students' progress
• Results of all assessments count towards final results
• Using a profile to display the assessment results
(C) Planning: Form level Considerations for Planning
• To develop a broad and balanced knowledge base of technology
• To develop exploratory skills in technology
• To integrate knowledge learned in the three subjects when attempting design activities
• To enhance students' knowledge and interests in technology through extended learning activities and learning experiences outside the classroom
Programme Structure Rationale
• The TE curriculum over these three years should draw together the essential contents in the existing TE subjects in order to provide a balanced knowledge context for student learning.
• The TE curriculum will be arranged in modules to allow flexibility of sequencing and regular updating of content. The school is considering adopting a modular instructional approach in a range of areas.
• The TE content should be organized in such a way that students can make reference to their experiences of family life and social life.
Modules
The school will offer the following modules at each level from S.1 to S.3:
• Technology modules:
- core elements to be studied by all students
- focus on developing understanding of knowledge and application of skills in different TE subjects (e.g. D&T and HEc)
• Project modules:
- each student chooses a project theme in D&T, HEc or IT or in an area in which the three subjects can be intergrated.
- focus on developing the design capability of students in different areas
interests and abilities
- focus on extending knowledge and skills in different areas (e.g. control, home living, computer graphics, etc.)
• Extended activities:
- learning outside timetabled lessons
- additional and follow-up work (e.g. out-of-school activities, etc.)
- technology week (e.g. exhibition of students' design work and portfolio, etc.) - technology club
- workplace experiences (e.g. visits to technology sites and attachments, etc.) - integrated learning with other Key Learning Areas (KLAs) (e.g. the study of products
of technology in different periods of Chinese History, etc.) - internal and external competitions
HEc (4 cycles)
• Safety & Health -protective clothing, choice, use & care of household appliances
• Food & Nutrition -hygienic & safe
practices, food groups &
eating habits
• Food Preparation &
Processing - simple food preparation & processing skills
D&T (4 cycles)
• Materials & Resources -single medium
• Tools & Equipment -simple hand tools and machine tools (e.g.
drilling machines)
• Design & Applications -2D CAD
IT (4 cycles)
• Information &
Communication Technology - basic computer operation, using the Internet, using common information processing tools Secondary 1
Project themes: e.g.
• Desktop tidy
• Snack design
HEc
• Food & Nutrition -dietary goals
D&T
• Structures &
Mechanisms: 4-leg walking toy
IT
• Components of computer systems TE modules
(12 cycles)
Project modules (8 cycles)
Application modules (4 cycles)
exploration and less teacher control in learning and teaching from S.1 to S.3.
• Context: From personal (S.1) to family (S.2) to community (S.3)
(A) Background of the School
• Coeducational school sponsored by a church body
• The statistics of the school in the last three years show that 60% of their students will join the labour market after completing S.5
Positioning of Technology Education (TE) in the School Curriculum
• The provision of a balanced curriculum with a strong inclination towards technology for all students throughout their schooling is deemed desirable, thus about one-third of the curriculum time in junior secondary is allocated to TE.
• Through studying various TE subjects, students develop their generic skills, values and attitudes, thus enhancing their ability and attitude for life-wide and life-long learning.
• Students learn knowledge and skills applicable in their daily life.
• The learning experiences in TE enhance the employability of students and prepares them for further studies and work.
(B) Planning: School Level Aims of TE in School
The TE curriculum at the junior secondary level aims at:
• helping students to explore their interests, aptitudes and abilities so as to prepare them for further studies and work;
• providing students with a variety of subjects to nurture their technological literacy as well as their generic skills, values and attitudes;
• providing students with authentic hands-on learning experiences, developing their knowledge and skills to cope with new emerging technologies, making them aware of the impact of technology and developing their critical thinking ability;
• enabling students to make their own choices in life according to their interests and abilities.
Resources
• The school has four computer rooms and six workshops.
No. of Teachers Discipline
3 Business
3 Computer and Information Technology
2 Electronics and Electricity
1 Graphic Design
2 Mechanical and Production Engineering
1 Media Production and Photography
Details
The Panel should observe the following directives in designing the TE curriculum at the junior secondary level:
• Time Allocation
- 16 periods per six-day cycle
• Learning Elements
- the curriculum includes learning elements in Computer Literacy, Desktop Publishing, Graphical Communication, Electronics and Electricity, Retail Merchandising and the three fundamental subjects in technology, i.e. Business Fundamentals, Design Fundamentals and Technology Fundamentals;
• Role of the Panel
- school administrators mobilize adequate resources, such as timetable arrangements, facilities, equipment and human resources.
- the Panel ensures that the curriculum content, timetable organization, strategies in planning students' learning experiences, assessment policy, etc. are in line with school policy;
- the Panel is responsible for planning, organizing, implementing and evaluating the programme so as to provide the desired learning experiences for students;
- students are provided with learning experiences in authentic contexts, obtaining hands-on experiences of exploring and applying ideas to solve practical problems in life;
- students apply knowledge, skills and experiences in using resources to create products or systems to satisfy basic needs in their daily life;
Programme
• The learning of existing TE subjects is moving away from skill-based or content-based teaching towards learning and teaching for a balanced development of capability, understanding and awareness of technology.
• The programme is implemented in three phases, starting with S.1 in September of Year 1, S.1-S.2 in September of Year 2 and S.1-S.3 in September of Year 3, so that the change will occur gradually. The programme will be reviewed once every three months or whenever desirable to ensure that it is working in the best interests of the students.
• Commencing in S.1, the students will experience about 4 themes every year. The learning experiences for each theme, including activities such as classroom teaching, workshop sessions, small group activities, reading assignments and projects, last for about two months. The themes should incorporate the aforesaid learning topics with the following characteristics. They should:
- be progressive in nature
- integrate the different knowledge contexts of TE
- nurture students' basic skills, attitudes and their ability for life-long learning - ensure basic competence in core elements and encourage the pursuit of excellence
in specialized fields Assessment
The Panel observes the following directives in designing TE assessment at the junior secondary level:
• The use of a variety of assessment modes, such as practical work, observation, presentation, quizzes and peer assessment, is encouraged. The results of all assessments count towards final results.
• A profile for individual students will be used to display their assessment results.
• Assessment within projects should include the management of time and resources in the search for information and in presentation.
Note: As this Guide focuses on Basic Education, suggestions for the planning of TE policy at the senior secondary level will be illustrated in other contexts as appropriate.
(C) Planning: Form Level Form Level: S.3
Teachers involved in the form level planning and implementation: 8 teachers in the Technology Education panel specializing in the following disciplines.
No. of Teachers Discipline
2 Business
2 Computer and Information Technology
1 Electronics and Electricity
1 Graphic Design
1 Mechanical and Production Engineering
1 Media Production and Photography
Objectives
To enable students to:
• know more about their community and enhance their sense of belonging.
• understand how technology is used to improve the quality of life.
• engage in authentic, hands-on problem-solving learning activities to nurture their transferable skills.
• develop their critical thinking ability by appraising solutions suggested by peers, and learn how to respect the ideas of other people.
• recognize that different stakeholders in the community may have different needs and know how to work out a solution to suit their needs.
• acquire knowledge and concepts related to redevelopment, conservation, revitalization and rehabilitation.
• integrate their technological knowledge with that of other Key Learning Areas (KLAs) such as Personal, Social and Humanities Education (PSHE), Arts and Mathematics through engaging with issues in community planning, heritage conservation and the construction of new buildings.
• acquire life-wide learning experiences by interacting with various stakeholders in the community.
Programme
The Technology Education panel should plan stages of learning, and organize the content in this area - knowledge, skills, values, and attitudes according to the interests and abilities of the students. The allocation of tasks among teachers should be made in
1. Knowing the community (2 cycles)
2. Planning the ideal
community (2.5 cycles)
3. Model building (2.5 cycles)
4. Presentation and Evaluation (1 cycle)
• Technology and Society
• Business Environments:
economic, technological, social and cultural, physical, political and legal
• Family Living
• Safety and Health
• Information Processing and Presentation
• Information Processing and Presentation
• Resources Management
• Design and Applications
• Technology and Society
• Safety and Health
• Family Living
• Design and Applications
• Materials and Resources
• Information Processing and Presentation
• Material Processing
• Structures and Mechanisms
• Safety and Health
• Technology and Society
• Consumer Education
• Consolidation of the above TE content
• Searching for information
• Reading to learn
• Group discussions
• Lecturing
• Visits and participation in the activities organized by the community representatives
• Searching for information
• Information analysis
• Reading to learn
• Group discussions
• Lecturing
• Visits and participation in activities organized by the community
• Reading to learn
• Group discussions
• Lecturing
• Workshop
• Discussions
• Self-reflection
• Peer assessment Learning Elements Learning Activities
Assessment
• Project portfolio as an accumulation of pieces of work
• Observation on students' progress
• Final product
- artefacts such as models, computer graphics, sketches to show the layout of the plan
- reports to describe the purposes of the designs, problems encountered, areas for improvement, etc.
• Oral presentation
• Written examination on the related knowledge
Assessor
• Self, teachers
• Teachers
• Self, peers, teachers, parents and stakeholders of the community
• Self, peers, teachers, etc.
• Teachers
(A) Background of the School
• Coeducational school established for over 30 years
• Sponsored by a church body
• Most teachers with more than 10 years’ teaching experience
(B) Planning: School Level Aims
Technology Education (TE) is currently embedded in General Studies (GS) at the primary level. It aims at:
• providing students with the knowledge of technology required to recognize some of the technologies being used around them;
• developing students' curiosity in technology, so that they become aware of why and how it is used and of safety issues;
• providing students with simple hands-on learning experiences for exploring and experiencing how technology works, and developing their interests and confidence in tackling simple technology problems; and
• nurturing students' creativity and innovation through TE.
Resources
• The school has one GS room and one computer room.
• The GS panel comprises 25 teachers and all of them have received basic training in implementing TE in the GS curriculum.
• Time allocation: 6 periods per week.
Assessment
• Different modes of assessment are used to suit the purposes and process of learning including:
- projects - observation - portfolios
- tests and examinations, etc.
• The results of all assessments count towards the final results.
• A profile for individual students will be used to display their assessment results.
Level: P.3
Theme: Water Filter
Time allocation: 8 periods and one half-day session for a visit
Teachers involved in the class level planning and implementation: 5 teachers from the GS panel
Objectives
To enable students to:
• understand the properties and functions of the materials used for building a water filter.
• take into account various factors, such as limited resources and environmental issues, when developing a solution.
• suggest, implement and improve a solution.
• see that there are various ways of tackling a problem.
• integrate their technological knowledge with that of other Key Learning Areas (KLAs) such as Science, Personal, Social and Humanities Education (PSHE), Arts, Mathematics and Languages in a project.
• acquire life-wide learning experiences through, for example, visiting a water treatment plant.
Programme
The GS panel plans the stages of learning and organizes the knowledge, skills, values and attitudes involved in the context of water filtering according to the interests of the students.
Learning Elements Learning Activities 1. Understanding the
need for water filtering (2 periods and 1 half-day visit)
2. Designing a water filter
(2 periods)
3. Prototype building (2 periods)
4. Presentation and evaluation (2 periods)
• Hygiene
• Health issues
• Environmental issues
• Finding out needs of end users
• Basic elements of design
• Design considerations
• Environmental issues
• Health issues
• Effective communication skills
• Basic elements of design
• Design considerations
• Effective communication and presentation skills
• Types and nature of materials
• Material properties and testing
• Processing of materials
• Consolidation of the above TE contents
• Searching for information
• Reading to learn
• Visit to a water treatment plant
• Group discussions
• Lecturing
• Searching for information
• Information analysis
• Reading to learn
• Group discussions
• Lecturing
• Reading to learn
• Group discussions
• Workshop
• Lecturing
• Discussions
Assessment could be done in different stages to provide information for both students and teachers to improve learning and teaching.
• Describe the physical
properties of a given material
• Identify the different tools used for product making
• Refer to the design cycle for product making
• Test a product solution under different conditions
• Evaluate a product design based on specific requirements
• Operate different tools or devices for production
• Communication skills, collaboration skills and learning attitude
• Verbal /Written responses
• Verbal /Written responses
• Work report
• Work report / Teacher observation
• Peer evaluation
• Presentation/
Performance
• Teacher observation
• Self-reflection
• Peer evaluation
• Teacher / Students
• Teacher / Students
• Teacher
• Teacher
• Students
• Teacher
• Teacher / Students
Learning Expectation Assessment Assessor