Secondary Technology Newsletter - Nzcurriculum

Secondary Technology newsletterFor teachers of technology in secondary schools in the Auckland Northern region Term 2 April 2012Tena koutou,Thank you to all those teachers who are sharing resources andstudent work so others can benefit from their knowledge and skills.We all have chance to share further with this terms clusterworkshops. “Knowledge is embodied in people gathered incommunities and networks. The road to knowledge is via people,conversations, connections and relationships. Knowledge surfacesthrough dialog, all knowledge is socially mediated and access toknowledge is by connecting to people that know or know who tocontact.” Denham Gray.Technology clustersThe focus of these cluster meetings will be NCEA Levels One andTwo, with a particular focus on the externally assessed standards.The blue box to the right has dates and other details for thesecluster meetings.Literacy and language in technology educationIt is becoming evident that students’ literacy and language skillswithin a subject are affecting their achievement in that subject atNCEA level. This newsletter has a feature on literacy and languagein technology education. See pages two and three.Key messages on the newly aligned standardsKeep an eye out for a new resource coming on Techlink called“NCEA – key messages”, accessed from the Curriculum page. Thiswill contain key messages about the newly aligned technologystandards. The first section contains key messages about the levelone externally assessed standards and that should be availablesoon! Also key messages about level 3 (old AS) and Scholarship.The second section contains key messages about the level twostandards and that is being prepared now. Later in the year asection on key messages about the level three standards will beadded.Email databasePlease help me keep my email database of technology leaders andteachers up to date. If others in your school are not receiving thisnewsletter and would like it please forward it to them andencourage them to send me their email details.Have a productive term 2Best wishesLesley PearceNational Technology CoordinatorSecondary Student Achievement ContractTeam Solutions – Faculty of Education – The University of 027 544 .com/Term two cluster datesSouthern ClusterThursday 3rd MayOrmiston College275 Ormiston RdFlat Bush, Manukau 2016North Shore ClusterTuesday 8th MayWestlake Girls School2 Wairau Road, Milford, 0627(09) 489 4168Central ClusterWednesday 9th MayBaradene College237 Victoria Avenue, Remuera 1050(09) 524 6019Eastern ClusterWednesday 16th MayMacleans College2 Macleans Road, Eastern Beach2012 (09) 535 2620Western ClusterThursday 17th MayAvondale CollegeGate 2 Victor Street, Avondale 1026(09) 828 6750Time4 to 6 pm Workshop3.45 refreshmentsThe cluster is intended for all areasof technology.Learning Intentions:To use a Teaching as Inquiryapproach to review level 1 2011To develop a deeper understandingof the assessment expectations ofthe level 2 externalsTo develop literacy and languagestrategies to support studentachievement in Technologyeducation.To registerPlease email Lesley atl.pearce@auckland.ac.nzer.Newsletter compiled by: Malcolm Howard, Technology Facilitator Phone: 027 544 5695 Email: m.howard@auckland.ac.nzTeam Solutions, Faculty of Education, The University of Auckland www.teamsolutions.ac.nz

Literacy and language in technologyWhy is it important that all technology teachers takeresponsibility for literacy? Literacy and language – tools for learning and access toknowledge, power and communication: a collectiveresponsibilityLiteracy and language underpin the creation of citizens of the21st centuryThe 2010 PISA data collected from 65 countries put NZstudents as 7th in literacy proficiency. However, if we justcounted Maori students we would have been 34th and bycounting only Pasifica students we would have been 44thThe New Zealand Curriculum, page 16, states: “Each learningarea has its own language or languages. As students discoverhow to use them, they find they are able to think in differentways, access new areas of knowledge, and see their worldfrom new perspectives”.There is a link between literacy and language skills andachievement in NCEA.English is no longer the official ‘gatekeeper’ of literacyAll teachers need to lift literacy learning in secondary schoolclassroomsTeachers need to ensure their students develop the literacyexpertise that will enable them to engage with the curriculum atincreasing levels of complexity and with increasing independence.It cannot simply be assumed that because students can read andwrite all the teacher needs to do is deliver the content. As theyprogress through schooling, students need to be able to read andwrite increasingly complex texts and to engage with increasinglycomplex tasks. At the same time, the subject matter that they readand write about becomes more abstract and specialized.Literacy linksSecondary literacy onlineWelcome to Secondary Literacy.These pages will help secondaryteachers gain an understanding ofthe literacy demands within subjectareas and required by thecurriculum; they will also supportteachers to develop teaching andlearning programmes based on theliteracy needs of their -Online/Secondary-LiteracyLiteracy in technologyThis site has a number of resourcesand links. Try the literacy intechnology page for a -learning-areas/Literacy-inTechnologyTe Rewa Rewa Bridge casestudyOn the literacy in technology pageon the secondary literacy onlinewebsite you can find a technologypower point presentation.Teachers need to ask at every stage what demands the curriculumis making on students in each learning area and what specificlanguage-related knowledge and skills they need to be aware of, orto teach.English language learners learn best when: They are provided with meaningful, high challenge/high supporttasksLanguage learning is amplified rather than simplifiedThey are engaged in long term projects that help them connecttheir funds of knowledge with newly acquired concepts andlanguage over timeFor each learning area, students need specific help as theylearn: The specialist vocabulary associated with that areaHow to read and understand its textsHow to communicate knowledge and ideas in appropriate waysHow to listen and read critically, assessing the value of whatthey hear and read continued over the page Team Solutions Technology Newsletter for the Central North Region, April 2012This power point from Aaron Wilsonoutlines some of the literacydemands in technology and usesthe Techlink case study about TeRewa Rewa Bridge to demonstrateeffective literacy teaching 2

Literacy and language in technology cont Further literacy linksSubject-specific literacy demands in technology includeTechlink glossaryContains words commonly used intechnology educationhttp://www.techlink.org.nz/glossary.htm Subject and context specialised vocabularyReading unique text types e.g. technical manualsWriting unique text types e.g. briefsWriting research questionsNote-takingAnalysing/annotating attributes of other technological solutionsUsing the Teaching as Inquiry modelUse an inquiry approach to focus your planning in relation toliteracy: What literacy knowledge and skills do the students need tocomplete this task?What are the students' literacy strengths? What evidenceinforms this?What are the students' literacy learning needs? What evidenceinforms this?Literacy progressionsThe Literacy Learning Progressions,one of the professional toolsprovided to support the NewZealand Curriculum. It describesthe specific literacy knowledge,skills, and attitudes that studentsdraw on in order to meet thereading and writing demands of org.nz/ESOL onlineA site to help all primary andsecondary teachers respond to theneeds of their English languagelearners. Features online resourcesfor ESOL specialists, primary, andsecondary teachers.http://esolonline.tki.org.nz/Making Language and LearningWorkDVDs go tohttp://thechair.minedu.govt.nz/servlet/Srv.Ecos Process HTML File?P1 /graphics/moe/signon.htmDeliberate attempts at teaching literacyTeachers need to be able to use a range of deliberate acts ofteaching in flexible and integrated ways within literacy-learningactivities to meet the diverse literacy learning needs of ourstudents.These deliberate acts include modelling, prompting, questioning,giving feedback, telling, explaining, and directing.In future newsletters these and other strategies will be outlined.More informationThe Team Solutions technology wiki has more information aboutliteracy and language within the technology learning areatechnologynz.wikispaces.com/Team Solutions Technology Newsletter for the Central North Region, April 2012PISA literacyThe Programme for InternationalStudent Assessment (PISA) is aninternational standardised studythat assesses and compares howwell countries are preparing their15-year-old students to meet reallife opportunities and enturylearners-at-age-15/an-overview-ofpisaNCEA standards that haveliteracy credits attachedA list of the level one achievementstandards that ‘count’ for teracy-andnumeracy-level-1/Further readingGibbons, P. (2009) English learnersAcademic Literacy and Thinking:learning in the challenge zone.Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.3

News and updatesUpdated assessment specificationsThe March 2012 Assessment Matters circular from NZQA containednotification that some assessment specifications have been updatedin March this year. Specifically this affects level one technology,and level two design and visual communication. The circular can beviewed essment-specs/The actual assessment specifications for technology for 2012 can beaccessed from the NZQA subject resources page for technology qualifications/ncea/subjects/technology/levels/The specifications for DVC can be accessed from the NZQA subjectresources page for DVC larification of standardsJust published on the NZQA website is the latest clarificationsdocument for technology. For the new level one standards there areclarifications for 91044, 91045, 91046, 91047, 91057, larifications/There are also clarifications for DVC and for computing and digitaltechnologies. These can be accessed from the relevant NZQAsubject resource page.New technology subject resources page on NZQAThe technology subject resources page on the NZQA website has anew look and seems easier to use and find your way around.Bookmark it chnology Teaching and Learning GuideVersion 2 of The Technology Teaching and Learning Guide has beenpublished (March 2012). It is written to support technologyteaching and learning in senior secondary ologyThe guide has been designed to be viewed online, although it canbe downloaded in PDF format if required. See the link near the topof the page ‘download this guide in PDF format’.ResourcesLeading from the MiddleLeading from the Middle is theMinistry’s latest publication. Itdescribes the qualities, practicesand activities middle and seniorleaders need to lead in ways thatenhance learner outcomes.You can read this online -the-middlefutureintech postersThere are a range of posters put outby futureintech promoting careersin technology and related fieldsThis version of the TechnologyTeaching and Learning Guide hasobjectives for curriculum level six.Objectives for levels seven andeight will be added progressively.The indicators of progression available on techlink should be seenas a resource to compliment the Technology Teaching and -support/indicators/index.htmAll the futureintech posters can beaccessed m Solutions Technology Newsletter for the Central North Region, April 20124