TEK_

As a Technology teacher I have a constant battle with what old stuff to throw out and what new stuff to bring in.  When I did my training in the UK, about 8 years ago, there was a big push for CAD (Computer Aided Design) and CAM (Computer Aided Manufacture), as well as systems and control and electronics.  It seemed logical that the technology classroom should reflect real life technology progress and I have subscribed to this theory until now. 

Perhaps it is moving to a different job, environment and type of student, maybe I am getting older and wiser or maybe it wasn’t such a smart move in the first place.  Teaching and troubleshooting 28 year 10 students with ProDESKTOP CAD software is a job for the patient and expert user and as for setting up the $15,000 CAM miller gathering dust in the corner, well, there is a reason it is gathering dust.  CAM machines are temperamental, they require precision drawing initially and then constant supervision.  It is unrealistic that the other 27 students are going to wait patiently and behave.

So what do I do?  As I sit in a meeting planning the projects for next year, I take into account all the variables; politics, relationships, skill base, territory to name a few and I find myself flicking through a woodwork project book from the 70’s thinking to myself; why reinvent the wheel?  Technology is after all about process and students want to make something with take home value.

In terms of cognitive development, the 14 year olds of 2008 are no different to the 14 year olds of 1978.  Just because the world has moved on doesn’t mean that 14 year olds have evolved, some might say the opposite.  Why then should we expect them to learn more complicated stuff?  When I see complex electronics and PIC chips programmed by year 7 students I know exactly what lengths that teacher has gone to and how little the students have done or understood, either that or they have a small class and bright students.

I believe that among all the departments in a school Technology is the one that tries to validate itself the most.  Primarily we fight the stereotype of boys do wood and metal and girls do sewing and cooking and we have this fight because the people who advise students on what pathways to take (deans) are generally ill informed about the subject.  If they took the time to read the New Zealand Technology Curriculum they would see that Technology is about process and is one of the most difficult subjects to do well in - go ahead and read it.  Now consider that I have to teach the same amount of stuff in 2 terms (due to timetable) as the science department has 4 terms, whose job is more difficult?

My point is that CD racks and hacksaws hold as much value today as they did 30 years ago provided that they are used as the vehicle to teach Technology process.  Understanding why the world needs a hacksaw, how it is manufactured, marketed and used in context is a more valuable piece of knowledge than knowing ohms law or quadratic equations.  The teacher doing 70% of the work in a complicated electronics project has far less value than the student making a simple wooden toy on their own. 

The Technology is in the process and the journey towards the outcome, the value is pride in a job well done, and I look forward to 28 invidual CD racks going home and being used.