Grappling with teaching design and technology: a beginning teacher's experiences

Abstract

This paper reports on an investigation into the first time implementation of a technology education unit of work by a beginning primary school teacher. The researchers monitored the teacher's implementation of the unit across a 6 week period using an interpretivist research approach. A variety of data sources were drawn upon including teacher and student interviews, video and audio recordings of small group and whole-class interactions, and student-developed artefacts. Providing appropriate learning activities to assist students to develop understanding about patterns and shapes incorporated into buildings and other structures to enhance strength and stability was a challenge faced by the beginning teacher. However, she drew support from a teaching resource, which provided guidance and structure for the teaching of technology concepts and processes related to strength and stability of structures and materials. The resource helped her to develop learning activities that were appropriate to the topic and to the needs of the students in her class. Implications of the study relate to the needs of teachers grappling with teaching design and technology for the first time and the support that they can gain from predetermined planning and teaching models and well-developed teaching resources.

The Intersection of Preservice Teachers’ Confidence, Perceptions, and Ideas for Using Instructional Technology for Teaching and Learning

“…have been a part of preservice teachers' education, it is apparent that these students lack confidence to use technology in a classroom setting (Watson, 1997). Perhaps the lack of confidence can be attributed to inadequate exposure to opportunities to refine teaching with technology during their preparation programs or lack of opportunities to develop confidence for using technology for teaching, particularly with specific subject matter (Baek et al, 2008;Lei, 2009;Stein, Ginns, & McRobbie, 2003;Sime & Priestley, 2005). Still, researchers have maintained that post-secondary institutions are appropriate places for preservice teachers to gain the knowledge and confidence for using technology for instruction (Kim et al, 2008).…”

Blogs, wikis and podcasts – Collaborative knowledge building tools in a Design and Technology course

“…It appears that technology education has -struggled to establish itself as an equal partner in general education and often struggled to gain recognition for the value of its instruction‖ (De Miranda, 2004, p. 61). There is also a belief amongst some researchers that teachers are not adequately prepared to implement the design and technology course in the real world (see, for example, Stein, Ginns & McRobbie, 2003).…”

“…Starkweather (2005) also believed that the importance of TIDE subjects to demonstrate innovation and invention outcomes had diminished because teachers have not -always been taught to explore the virtues of innovation as part of the curriculum‖ (p. 29). There are fewer examples of good teaching in design and technology than in other subjects (HMI, 2004;Stein, Ginns & McRobbie, 2003).…”