The second week of
Design and Digital Technologies was very full on as we focused more on
physically designing a product. Throughout the practical, Wendy modelled
exactly how she would conduct this design component in a classroom to children.
We created jewellery using recycled
plastic bottles with a few different types of props, chains for necklaces and
bracelets, hooks for earrings from candles to mould the plastic into different
shapes. I enjoyed this task as I am
interested in jewellery and have never had an experience to make my very own,
especially from using recycled goods. This lesson was very resourceful because
it not only got us thinking about a new design concept, but got us thinking
about the pedagogy behind it as well. My
lecturer modeled how she would run the lesson as though we were in primary
school. This was a very valuable activity because from watching her actions and
listening to what she was saying made me realize that during a classroom setting
similar to this, it is important to be specific and detailed in even the
smallest activities to be explicit for safety and understanding when conducting
a step-by-step activity with the class.
This was my finished result.
As you can see, my beaded necklace needs improvement.
As you can see, my beaded necklace needs improvement.
What I was trying to achieve.
This is an example of Recycled water bottles which have been cut, coloured and turned into beads.
In one of the readings I examined claims that the school subject technology education, introduces children to the world of problem solving and invention.
Core foundation underpinnings of the subject are explored, including its hands-on nature,
its open-endedness, and its encouragement of generative cognitive processes. (Theodore Lewis,(2009)
The last two to three decades have seen technology education emerge as a subject in its own right in many countries around the world, with the traditional areas of crafts and skill development being broadened to include aspects of design and notions of technological literacy for all. (Alister Jones, Media V.B, 2011).
The second reading included the development of technology education over the last 20–25 years. The purpose of this reading is to reflect on how far the field has come and where it might go to, including what questions need to be considered in its ongoing development.
Mawson's critique of the linear use of the design cycle and his proposed pedagogy link to my reflection on creativity in technology and design because over the years, curriculum has been influenced by the political and cultural context at the time, has implications for teaching, learning and assessment, and the research agenda. (McCormick 1997). This is in contrast to the education community, where the learning of specific concepts has been and remains a central concern.
High Order Thinking
A main goal of educators today is to teach students the skills they need to be critical thinkers. Rather than remembering facts and ideas, children need to engage in higher levels of thinking to reach their fullest potential. In today's society, practicing Higher Order Thinking skills outside of school will give students the tools that they need to understand, infer, connect, categorize, synthesize, evaluate, and apply the information they know to find solutions to new and existing problems. This includes being able to transfer what they have learnt into new situations. Critical thinking requires a student to consider the possibilities involved, reasoning, questioning and investigating. (Collins, 2014). Student's with deeper conceptual knowledge will be better able to access that information for use in new contexts. This may be the most important benefit of high-order thinking. Knowledge obtained through higher-order thinking processes is more easily transferable, so that students with a deep conceptual understanding of an idea will be much more likely to be able to apply that knowledge to solve new problems.
Reference - Collins. R., (2014). Skills for the 21st Century: teaching higher-order thinking. Curriculum Leadership Journal 12(14) 1-10.
The last two to three decades have seen technology education emerge as a subject in its own right in many countries around the world, with the traditional areas of crafts and skill development being broadened to include aspects of design and notions of technological literacy for all. (Alister Jones, Media V.B, 2011).
The second reading included the development of technology education over the last 20–25 years. The purpose of this reading is to reflect on how far the field has come and where it might go to, including what questions need to be considered in its ongoing development.
Mawson's critique of the linear use of the design cycle and his proposed pedagogy link to my reflection on creativity in technology and design because over the years, curriculum has been influenced by the political and cultural context at the time, has implications for teaching, learning and assessment, and the research agenda. (McCormick 1997). This is in contrast to the education community, where the learning of specific concepts has been and remains a central concern.
High Order Thinking
A main goal of educators today is to teach students the skills they need to be critical thinkers. Rather than remembering facts and ideas, children need to engage in higher levels of thinking to reach their fullest potential. In today's society, practicing Higher Order Thinking skills outside of school will give students the tools that they need to understand, infer, connect, categorize, synthesize, evaluate, and apply the information they know to find solutions to new and existing problems. This includes being able to transfer what they have learnt into new situations. Critical thinking requires a student to consider the possibilities involved, reasoning, questioning and investigating. (Collins, 2014). Student's with deeper conceptual knowledge will be better able to access that information for use in new contexts. This may be the most important benefit of high-order thinking. Knowledge obtained through higher-order thinking processes is more easily transferable, so that students with a deep conceptual understanding of an idea will be much more likely to be able to apply that knowledge to solve new problems.
Reference - Collins. R., (2014). Skills for the 21st Century: teaching higher-order thinking. Curriculum Leadership Journal 12(14) 1-10.