You are here:
- Home
- Technology
- Pedagogy
- What the student brings to the learning
What the student brings to the learning
Senior secondary students bring knowledge and experiences with them to their learning that they can use to build further understandings in technology.
Ensuring strong foundations
Ideally, primary and junior secondary programmes in technology will build the understandings and skills that students need to engage in senior secondary learning.
Where students need support to undertake new technology work, focused teaching and learning activities should be offered to address their needs, or alternative options provided.
- Diversity
- Willingness to engage in learning in technology
- Desire to make a difference
- Readiness to reflect on learning
- Ability to analyse own and others’ practices
- Readiness to work independently and collaboratively
Diversity
Individually and collectively, students bring to the learning environment a rich diversity of cultural backgrounds, interests, knowledge, skills, and experiences. They have a range of physical and cognitive abilities.
Such diversity is an asset that teachers should value and utilise to create a highly engaging, creative, and culturally responsive learning environment.
For examples of where teachers have utilised student diversity to plan and deliver technology education, visit:
- Technology Online: Teaching snapshot – the pathway project
- Technology Online: Scholarship exemplars – soft-hit hand guard
Willingness to engage in learning in technology
Students develop a positive attitude to technology through connection with learning contexts that reflect their identity, language, and culture.
This could involve contexts where students bring their personal experiences and knowledge to their learning. They will use these understandings when they make decisions about their practice, in their interactions with stakeholders, and as the means by which they evaluate their technology outcomes.
When their engagement with technology is deeply embedded in their identity, language, and culture, students will see for themselves the value of technology for their future study and employment opportunities.
For examples of technology students making positive connections with their world, visit:
Desire to make a difference
Technology offers students the opportunity to engage authentically with other individuals and communities, in ways that address real needs
Engagement helps to develop a sense of community responsibility. Students understand that they have the power to intervene meanginfully in the world.
For an example of where students have engaged with other individuals and communities to address authentic needs, visit:
Readiness to reflect on learning
Students must be able to reflect on their current understandings and progress to date as they develop an outcome. Such reflection guides them in making and justifying further decisions.
Teachers should include explicit strategies to develop student’s ability to reflect critically and to take account of the diverse perspectives of other stakeholders.
For examples of where teachers have supported students to reflect on their learning, visit:
- Technology Online: Classroom practice case study – T-shirt design unit
- Technology Online: Classroom practice case study – Tech systems for year 3–4 students: Hydroponics
Ability to analyse own and others’ practice
An ability to analyse their own and others’ practice allows students to make informed decisions about their current and future practice.
Decisions can relate to all aspects of their practice including: planning, generating design ideas, material selection, and techniques applied.
Readiness to work independently and collaboratively
The nature of technological endeavour, which seeks to develop innovative and creative solutions that address needs and/or opportunities, demands that students undertake independent and collaborative practices.
In technology education, students should be encouraged and supported to work both as individuals and collaboratively with others so that they can gain a further appreciation of and skills in undertaking such practices.
Last updated March 8, 2022