Foundation for the Atlantic Canada Technology Education ... · Foundation for the Atlantic Canada...

Foundation for the Atlantic CanadaTechnology Education Curriculum

TTechnologyEducation

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Newfoundland and LabradorDepartment of Education

Primary, Elementary and Secondary Education Branch

ISBN 1-55146-146-3

iFoundation for the Atlantic Canada Technology Education Curriculum

Contents

Acknowledgments..................................................................................................... iii

Vision ......................................................................................................................... v

Introduction ............................................................................................................... 1A Common Approach ................................................................................................................1Purpose of this Document ........................................................................................................1Curriculum Focus ......................................................................................................................1Key Features of the Curriculum .................................................................................................2

The Nature of Technology .......................................................................................... 3Dimensions of Technology .........................................................................................................3Elements of Technology ............................................................................................................4Technology in Context ...............................................................................................................5

Outcomes ................................................................................................................. 7Essential Graduation Learnings (EGLs) ....................................................................................8Vision for Technology Education .............................................................................................. 12General Curriculum Outcomes for Technology Education: Entry-Grade 12 ............................ 12Key-Stage Curriculum Outcomes (KSCOs) ............................................................................ 13

Contexts for Learning and Teaching.......................................................................... 25Principles Underlying the Technology Education Curriculum ................................................... 25The Learning Environment ...................................................................................................... 26Equity and Diversity ................................................................................................................28Roles within Education ............................................................................................................29Assessing and Evaluating Student Learning ..........................................................................32

Glossary .................................................................................................................. 37

References............................................................................................................... 39

AppendixThe Atlantic Canada Essential Graduation Learnings

i i Foundation for the Atlantic Canada Technology Education Curriculum

iiiFoundation for the Atlantic Canada Technology Education Curriculum

AcknowledgmentsThe departments of education of New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, and PrinceEdward Island gratefully acknowledge the contributions of the following groups and individuals toward thedevelopment of this document.

• The regional technology education committee, which has provided direction with respect to the developmentof this foundation document. Members include the following:

Province of New Brunswick

Debbie Good, Technology Education ConsultantDepartment of Education

Ernie Rogers, TeacherBathurst High School, Bathurst

Province of Nova Scotia

Ann Blackwood, Assistant DirectorEnglish Program Services, Department of Education

Murray Heffernan, TeacherAuburn Drive High School, Cole Harbour

Province of Newfoundland and Labrador

Leon Cooper, Program Development Specialistfor Technology Education, Department of Education

Garland Jennings, Teacher, St. John’s

Dianne Williams, TeacherFatima Academy, St. Brides

Province of Prince Edward Island

Pauline Coady, Career Technology Studies Consultant,Department of Education

Kim McBurney, Elementary Information TechnologyEducation Consultant, Department of Education

Brian Zalewski, TeacherBluefield High School, North Wiltshire

• The provincial working groups, comprising teachers and other educators in New Brunswick, Newfoundlandand Labrador, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island, who provided input and feedback to the documentduring the development process.

• The educators, parents, and other stakeholders who contributed many hours to the validation process whichled to the finalization of the Foundation for the Atlantic Canada Technology Education Curriculum.

• The APEF evaluation directors committee for its help in the development of the section entitled Assessing andEvaluating Student Learning.

iv Foundation for the Atlantic Canada Technology Education Curriculum

vFoundation for the Atlantic Canada Technology Education Curriculum

VisionTechnology education for Atlantic Canada fosters thedevelopment of all learners as technologically literate andcapable citizens who can develop, implement, andcommunicate practical, innovative, and responsibletechnological solutions to problems.

vi Foundation for the Atlantic Canada Technology Education Curriculum

1Foundation for the Atlantic Canada Technology Education Curriculum

IntroductionA Common Approach

In 1993, work began on thedevelopment of common curriculain specific programs, and has sinceexpanded into other curricularareas. The Atlantic ministers’primary purposes for collaboratingin curriculum development are to• improve the quality of

education for all studentsthrough shared expertise andresources

• ensure that the educationstudents receive across theregion is equitable

• meet the needs of bothstudents and society

Under the auspices of the AtlanticProvinces Education Foundation,development of Atlantic curriculafollows a consistent process. Eachproject requires consensus by aregional committee at designateddecision points; all provinces haveequal weight in decision making.Each province has establishedprocedures and mechanisms forcommunicating and consultingwith education partners, and it isthe responsibility of the provincesto ensure that stakeholders haveinput into regional curriculumdevelopment.

Each foundation documentincludes statements of essentialgraduation learnings, generalcurriculum outcomes for thatprogram, and key-stage curriculumoutcomes (entry-grade 3,

grades 4-6, grades 7-9, grades10-12). Essential graduationlearnings and curriculum outcomesprovide a consistent vision for thedevelopment of a rigorous andrelevant curriculum.

Purpose ofthis Document

This document, which provides avision for technology education inAtlantic Canada,• provides curriculum designers,

other educators, and membersof the general public with anoutline of the philosophy, scope,and outcomes of technologyeducation

• articulates a progression oftechnological concepts, skills,and competencies from entry tograde 12

• provides an articulation ofgeneral curriculum outcomesand key-stage curriculumoutcomes to inform furthercurriculum development

• assists educators, students, andothers to negotiate andconstruct meaningful learningexperiences in technologyeducation

• provides a frame of reference fordiscussion, by educators andothers, regarding the nature andevolution of technologyeducation

Curriculum Focus

Technology education is defined byoutcomes and characterized bycourses and modular curriculumcomponents. It encompasses alltechnological systems, processes,resources, and consequences. Forpractical purposes, technologyeducation confines itself torepresentative samples oftechnological problems andsystems. Historically, these havebeen in areas such as construction,manufacturing, communications,and power systems. Thiscurriculum enables students towork across a much broader rangeof problems and technologicalsystems, includingcommunications, production,sensing-control, power-energy,biotechnology, and management.

The focus of this curriculum is thedevelopment of students’technological literacy, capability,and responsibility (InternationalTechnology Education Association,1996). Its primary strategy is toengage them in the design,development, management, andevaluation of technological systemsas solutions to problems.

Technological literacy is the abilityto use technological systems,manage technological activities,and make informed decisionsabout technological issues.

2 Foundation for the Atlantic Canada Technology Education Curriculum

Technologically literate people• understand the role and nature

of technology• understand how technological

systems are designed, used, andcontrolled

• critically examine technologies• respond rationally to ethical

dilemmas caused by technology

Technological capability is anexpression of ability andunderstanding through consideredand planned action that combinestechnical skill and technologicalknowledge to achieve a desiredresult. Technological capabilitygrows as a consequence ofengagement in technologicalactivity. Attitude is a significantelement in transposing abilitiesinto capabilities. Collectively,individuals’ capabilities imbueorganizations, companies, andcountries with capability. Suchentities demonstrate capability inthe way they respond to or initiatechange, especially in industrial andother technological ventures.

Technologically capable people• respond in innovative and

inventive ways by employingiterative technological problem-solving strategies

• exhibit attitudes and behavioursthat are conducive to solvingproblems when the solutions arenot obvious or there aremultiple solutions

• rationalize decisions and predictthe effects of technologicalaction

Technological responsibilityrequires an understanding of theconsequences of technologicalactivity and a willingness to takeappropriate action.

Technologically responsible people• understand that technological

activity consumes resources andhas consequences

• assess the benefits and risks oftechnological actions

• take personal responsibility fortheir technological decisions

Key Features of theCurriculum

Technology education engagesstudents in intellectual andphysical activities in the design oftechnological solutions.

Technology education engagesstudents directly in constructingtechnological solutions toeveryday, real-world problems.

Technology education employs awide variety of hands-on activities.Students are exposed to a broadrange of technological issues,systems, and problem situations ina systemic, systematic fashion.They employ a wide range oftechnological resources andprocesses to design, fabricate, andtest solutions to familiar andunfamiliar problems. Outcomes,learning experiences, andevaluation of student achievementreflect and are geared towardsengagement.

Technology education buildstechnological knowledge incontext.

Technology education provides anaturally integrative function thathelps students identify contextualrelationships between technologicalactivity and principles, and theunderlying scientific,mathematical, and other concepts,principles, laws, and theories. Forexample, designing structures suchas bridges requires knowledge ofthe forces acting on structures(e.g., torsion, tension,compression), the structuralproperties of materials (e.g., tensilestrength, toughness, elasticity),environmental factors (e.g., soilconditions, weather), and theeffects of design aesthetics onpeople’s perceptions (e.g., of value,usefulness, safety).

Technology education makesconnections beyond school.

Technology education providesstudents with an understanding ofthe fundamental technologicalprinciples of the systems that areemployed in all moderntechnologies, and in turn enablesthem to relate workplacetechnologies to daily life. It enablesstudents to develop specifictechnical skills in the context ofreal-world problems and relatethese skills to careers. It providesstudents with a broad range ofcapabilities for daily living and forpost-secondary programs or theworld of work.


The Nature of TechnologyTechnology is human innovationin action that involves thegeneration of knowledge andprocess to develop systems thatsolve problems and extendhuman capabilities. Technology ishow humans modify the worldaround them to meet their needsand wants or to solve practicalproblems (ITEA, 2000).

Technology education curriculumis very much dependent on thenature of technology. Technologyeducation engages students in waysthat parallel technological activitiesin the home, community,workplace, and in post-secondaryeducation and training.

Dimensions ofTechnology

Technology is a human constructthat consists of knowledge,processes, and products.

Knowledge

Technical knowledge,fundamental to any technologicalactivity, has different layers ofcomplexity. Tacit knowledge,acquired through doing, tends tobe personal, immediate, and notreadily transferred to others,except in one-on-one situationsin the context of doing.Prescriptive knowledge isconstructed by individuals whenthey assess processes and

strategies, and build rules andprocedures, often to improveeffectiveness or efficiency.Descriptive knowledge, which isbased on facts, such as materialproperties that often have ascientific or mathematical basis,forms the framework in which aperson works or operates.

Technological knowledge derivesits form, meaning, and purposefrom specific technologicalactivities-tacit knowledge isfundamental to all other forms.Development of technologicalknowledge happens dynamicallyacross disciplines in response to therequirements of the activity. Thenature of technological knowledgehas significant implications for thestudy of technology and for thedevelopment of technologicalliteracy, capability, andresponsibility.

Process

Technological process is the activestate of technology, and it occurs atmany levels of complexity.Technological activity employs alltypes and levels of technologicalknowledge, and consumestechnological resources. It connectsthe present with futurepossibilities. At the highest level,technological process ischaracterized by multi-dimensional, decision-makingstrategies. At the lowest level,technological processes are learnedbehaviours that enable one to

employ tools and other resourcesto perform a task or activity.Fundamental technologicalprocesses, which are thefoundation of, and provide contextfor, all technological activity,include the following:• communication processes of

encoding/decoding, storing/retrieving, and sending/receiving

• managing processes of planning,decision making, organizing,staffing, motivating, leading,and controlling

• control processes of sensing,switching, and regulating

• energy-power processes ofconserving, converting, andtransmitting

• production processes ofseparating, combining, shaping,and finishing

• biotechnology processes ofpropagating, growing, adapting,treating, maintaining,harvesting, and converting

Products

Technological products, theconsequence of technologicalactivity, comprise the human-madeenvironment. They includephysical products such as cars andfood, virtual products such asdigital information, and servicessuch as banking and health care.These products have culturalsignificance, and have social,economic, and environmentalissues and consequences. In manyways they define how we live, how


we communicate with oneanother, how we conductbusiness, and how we feel aboutourselves.

Elements ofTechnology

The elements of technology areemployed to organize and guidepractice. They includetechnological concepts andprinciples, technological systems,and technological problem solving.Knowledge and understanding ofthese elements are critical if one isto function effectively in atechnological society.

TechnologicalConcepts and Principles

Technological concepts andprinciples, central and unique tothe study of technology, includethe following (ITEA, 1996):• Technology results from human

ingenuity.• Technological activities require

and consume resources.• People create technological

systems to meet basic needs andwants.

• Technological activities mayhave predictable andunpredictable, positive ornegative effects on people andthe environment.

• Technology providesopportunities and triggersrequirements for careers.

• Technological sophistication isaffected by culturalcontributions.

• The rate of technologicalchange is accelerating.

• Complex technological systemsdevelop from simplertechnological systems.

Technological Systems

A system comprises sub-systemsand components. It performs afunction that the componentscould not perform individually.Technological systems, whichinclude products andenvironments, may be organizedusing a variety of classificationschemes. Three basic technologicalsystems emerge when they areclassified by physical make-up:• Informational systems

(communications, management,and control) employcommunications technologies toprocess, store, and use data.They are interfaces for human-to-human, human-to-machine,and machine-to-machinecommunications. Newinformation and new knowledgeare primary products.

• Physical systems employphysical materials andtransformation of thosematerials to increase their value.They are heavily reliant onpower and transportationsystems, and includeproduction, manufacturing,construction, and exploration.

• Biological systems employliving organisms and biologicalprocesses. Biotechnology isemployed to create products;improve humans, plants, oranimals; or develop micro-

organisms for specificpurposes. Biological systemsinclude aquaculture,agriculture, silvaculture,medicine, genetics, and sports.

Systems may also be classified byunderlying scientific principles(e.g., mechanical, electrical, orfluidic) or purpose (e.g.,aquaculture, communications,manufacturing, or transportation).

Systems are designed to achievespecific outcomes. They have threemajor components-input, process,and output. Feedback is used tomodify the system components toensure that the desired outcomeis achieved.

Figure 1 - Systems Model

System inputs are technologicalresources such as materials, time,capital, information, people, toolsand machines, and energy. Systemprocesses are the actions taken onthe inputs (usually on materials,energy, and/or information) toachieve the desired output. Systemoutputs may have expected orunexpected outcomes. Outcomesmay also be desirable orundesirable. System design andmanagement always involvesassessing the trade-offs in outputand consequent outcomes.


Technological ProblemSolving

Technological problem solving,illustrated in Figure 2, is aniterative process that oftensimultaneously requires suchdiverse responses asmetacognition and technical action.

Figure 3 - Design Process Model

continuous and exponentialtechnological change. Consequencesof the rate of change includechanges in the nature of work,leisure, education, and most formsof social interactions. Thesechanges, in turn, have majorconsequences for individuals andfor society.

Consequences for individualsinclude• the need for a broader range of

skill sets which employ differentmodes of thinking and doing

• more reliance on independenceof thought and action

• an understanding of and abilityto use complex technologicaldevices and systems

• the ability to troubleshootsimple malfunctions

• the ability to forecast theconsequences of theirtechnological activities

• the ability to assess and wiselychoose consumer products

• the ability to adapt quickly tochange

• the ability to develop novel andpractical technological solutionsto problems

• an understanding of the ethicaland legal implications oftechnological actions

• an understanding ofemployability skills, careeroptions, and the technology ofthe workplace

Consequences for society include• technology-dependent

workplaces and economieswhich in turn create the needfor highly skilled andtechnologically competentworkers

Figure 2 - TechnologicalProblem-solving Model

Modern industry and commercegrow by invention and marketingof technological solutions toproblems and opportunities.Many of the most widely usedtechnological problem-solvingstrategies fall under the generalrubric of design. Design practicesvary with the industry, problem,and situation. The majorcomponents of the design processlend themselves to anorganizational structure asillustrated below. The steps, orphases, of design serve to informpractice and provide signposts tomeasure progress. The processbegins with the identification ofproblems and opportunities tomeet needs and wants, and endswith a solution. Design offers acontinuous process for modifyingand improving the solution overtime.

Solutions and outcomes oftenresult in more problems andopportunities. Effective designpractice strives to maximize thebenefits (economic, social, andotherwise) while minimizing thenegative impact. Employing thesemethodologies makes it possible,for example, to pose the sameproblems to entry to grade 12students as are posed to designprofessionals. Whether theproblem is straightforward, such as‘There is not enough light to seethis properly,’ or much morecomplex, such as ‘I need a totallyautomated system to growtomatoes,’ the methodologyensures that a viable solution isdeveloped.

Technology in Context

Technology exists and evolves inthe human-made world. It isaffected by and affects everythingwe do. Understanding this context,especially the relationship oftechnology with individuals,society, science, and education,helps one understand the natureand evolution of technology.Developing an understanding ofthis context is confounded by


• effective democraticparticipation of citizens thatrequires technological literacyand access to communicationstools

• new meanings and definitionsfor literacy and capability

• the need for systemic andsystematic approaches todevelopment of technologicalliteracy and capability

• standards for legal, moral, andethical decision making thatcontinue to evolve

Technology is often associatedwith science. While there is asymbiotic relationship, scienceand technology have different

origins, serve different purposes,employ different methods, andhave different outcomes.Development of moderntechnological systems dependsheavily on a thoroughunderstanding of scientificconcepts and principles. Modernscientific practice cannot beconducted without employingsophisticated technological toolsand processes. While science isconcerned largely with thenatural world, and technologywith the human-made world,both have effects that are felt insocial and personal contexts.

Education is a principal vehicleby which modern societies buildin their citizens the capacity toengage in meaningful discourse

about the evolution of thesociety, its institutions andpractices, and equip the youngermembers of the society to find ameaningful place that includeshealth, employment, andhappiness. Technology is anintegral component of education onmany levels, from strategy andprocess to tools and resources. Itis fundamentally important thateducation help young peopleacquire a sense of the nature oftechnology and its place inhuman affairs, an understandingof how to employ it effectively,and the wisdom to usetechnological resourcesresponsibly.

Figure 4 - Technology-Science Relationship


OutcomesEssential graduation learnings (EGLs) arestatements describing the knowledge, skills, andattitudes expected of all students who graduate fromhigh school. Achievement of the essentialgraduation learnings will prepare students tocontinue to learn throughout their lives. Theselearnings describe expectations not in terms ofindividual school subjects but in terms ofknowledge, skills, and attitudes developedthroughout the curriculum. They confirm thatstudents need to make connections and developabilities across subject boundaries if they are to beready to meet the shifting and continuing demandsof life, work, and study today and in the future.Essential graduation learnings are cross-curricular,and curriculum in all subject areas is focussed toachieve these learnings. Essential graduationlearnings serve as a framework for the curriculumdevelopment process.

Curriculum outcomes are statements articulatingwhat students are expected to know and be able todo in particular subject areas. These outcomesstatements also describe what knowledge, skills, andattitudes students are expected to demonstrate atthe end of certain key stages in their education, as aresult of their cumulative learning experiences ineach grade level of the entry-graduation continuum.Through the achievement of curriculum outcomes,students demonstrate the essential graduationlearnings.

General curriculum outcomes are statements thatidentify what students are expected to know and beable to do upon completion of study in acurriculum area.

Key-stage curriculum outcomes are statements thatidentify what students are expected to know and beable to do by the end of grades 3, 6, 9, and 12, as aresult of their cumulative learning experiences in acurriculum area.

Figure 5 - Relationship among Essential Graduation Learnings,Curriculum Outcomes and Levels of Schooling


Essential Graduation Learnings (EGLs)

Graduates from the public schools of Atlantic Canada will be able to demonstrate knowledge, skills, andattitudes in the following essential graduation learnings. Provinces may add additional essential graduationlearnings as appropriate. More information on the EGLs and the curriculum framework is attached as anappendix. For each EGL there are five statements that refer to each of the five GCO’s for technologyeducation.

Aesthetic Expression

Graduates will be able to respond with critical awareness to various forms of the arts and beable to express themselves through the arts.

Technology education develops students’ capabilities inthis EGL� by engaging them in the application of a wide

variety of visual and graphic design principlesand elements to create physical and virtualproducts (GCO 1)

� through the use of technological systems thatencourage analysis of issues and situations andcreative expression of ideas in a variety of media(GCO 2)

Citizenship

Graduates will be able to assess social, cultural, economic, and environmentalinterdependence in a local and global context.

Technology education develops students’ capabilities inthis EGL by• requiring them to evaluate and act on the

consequences of their technological solutions toproblems (GCO 1)

• requiring them to assess and make decisionsregarding the impact and consequence of emergingtechnological systems on self, society, and theenvironment (GCO 2)

• building understanding of the symbioticrelationships of diverse areas such as technology,culture, and education (GCO 3)

� by examining the historical and evolvingconnections between technology, technical skill, andartistic expression in diverse fields such asarchitecture, product design, and the arts (GCO 3)

� by building understanding of invention andinnovation as a fundamental component oftechnological industries (GCO 4)

� by encouraging responsible attitudes andpractices related to the use of technology increative activities, including assessing the worksof others (GCO 5)

• building understanding of the role and impact oftechnology in economic growth andcompetitiveness (GCO 4)

• fostering involvement, for example, in assessingthe ethical and social consequence of new andevolving technologies (GCO 5)


Communication

Graduates will be able to use the listening, viewing, speaking, reading, and writing modes oflanguage(s), and mathematical and scientific concepts and symbols, to think, learn, andcommunicate effectively.

Technology education develops students’ capabilities inthis EGL by• engaging them in comprehensive research,

evaluation, and reporting processes as fundamentalcomponents of design (GCO 1)

• providing a wide variety of opportunities andexperiences with communications systems,processes, and techniques (GCO 2)

• engaging them in a critical examination of thehistory, evolution, and impact of communicationstechnologies on individuals, society, and ontechnology itself (GCO 3)

Personal Development

Graduates will be able to continue to learn and to pursue an active, healthy lifestyle.

Technology education develops students’ capabilities inthis EGL by• engaging them in the practices, processes, and

problem-solving strategies that relate to a variety ofcareers (GCO 1)

• building technological literacy and capability inthe context of real-world technologies,technological issues, and consequences oftechnological activity (GCO 2)

• examining issues such as the historicalrelationship between technology and people, athome and in the workplace (GCO 3)

• engaging them in a critical examination of therole and impact of communications technologiesand processes on the evolution of work and theworkplace, and on the nature of work (GCO 4)

• engaging them in a critical examination ofpersonal and group responsibility in determiningthe future evolution and applications ofcommunications technologies (GCO 5)

• building an understanding of the evolvingnature of technological literacy and capability,and their impact on current and futureeducation needs and career options (GCO 4)

• encouraging determination of short- and long-term goals and providing opportunities to planand build strategies to achieve them (GCO 5)


Problem Solving

Graduates will be able to use the strategies and processes needed to solve a wide variety ofproblems, including those requiring language, and mathematical and scientific concepts.

Technology education develops students’ capabilities inthis EGL by• engaging them in designing technological

solutions to authentic problems that requireimagination and the application of a wide varietyof technological resources to solve (GCO 1)

• exposing them to a wide variety of situations andissues related to the operation, troubleshooting,maintenance, and management of technologicalsystems that range from simple to complex (GCO 2)

• building comprehension and understanding oftechnological consequence, and of ways toemploy that understanding in decisions affectingthe development of solutions to real-worldproblems (GCO 3)

• incorporating a variety of authentic industrialand commercial technological problem-solvingstrategies into their activities (GCO 4)

• encouraging intellectual honesty in their designsof technological solutions (GCO 5)

Technological Competence

Graduates will be able to use a variety of technologies, demonstrate an understanding oftechnological applications, and apply appropriate technologies for solving problems.

Technology education develops students’ capabilities inthis EGL by• requiring them to employ a variety of

technological tools, technical processes, anddesign strategies (GCO 1)

• providing experiences with use and management ofa wide variety of technological systems (GCO 2)

• building knowledge and understanding of factorsaffecting the development of new technologies, andof ways to adapt technologies to different situations(GCO 3)

• building capability with technological systemsand tools relevant to a variety of career choices(GCO 4)

• requiring them to assess risk and take responsibilityfor the consequences of their technological actions(GCO 5)


Spiritual and Moral Development

Graduates will be able to demonstrate understanding and appreciation for the place of beliefsystems in shaping the development of moral values and ethical conduct

Technology education develops students’ capabilities inthis EGL by• requiring them to account for the effects of

solutions they develop (GCO 1)• requireing them to assess the consequence of their

use of technological systems (GCO 2)

• building knowledge and understanding of thehistorical and emerging impact of technologicaldevelopments on individuals, society and theenvironment (GCO 3)

• building knowledge and understanding of theeffects of technologival change on the nature ofwork and employability (GCO 4)

• building a sense of personal responsibility for theirindividual and social use of technology (GCO 5)


Vision for Technology Education

Technology education for Atlantic Canada fosters the development of all learners as technologically literate andcapable citizens who can develop, implement, and communicate practical, innovative, and responsibletechnological solutions.

General Curriculum Outcomes for Technology Education:Entry-Grade 12

These five general curriculum outcomes statements articulate what students are expected to know and be able todo upon completion of study in technology education. These statements provide a concise description of thestudent as a technologically literate and capable citizen.

GCO 1: Technological Problem SolvingStudents will be expected to design, develop, evaluate, andarticulate technological solutions.

Technological problem solving incorporates a variety ofstrategies and processes, consumes resources, andresults in products and services. Technological problemsolving constitutes one of the most important ways inwhich students engage in technological activity.

GCO 2: Technological SystemsStudents will be expected to operate and managetechnological systems.

Technological systems are the primary organizationalstructure for products and services. Understanding thenature of systems, and understanding how to employ,moderate, and re-structure systems are importantcomponents of technological literacy and capability.

GCO 3: History and Evolution of TechnologyStudents will be expected to demonstrate an understandingof the history and evolution of technology, and of its socialand cultural implications.

Technology, like many other areas of human endeavour,is often best understood in its historical context.Technology has had and continues to have profoundeffects on individuals, society, and the environment.Understanding the origins and effects of a particulartechnology provides a context for resolving today’sproblems and issues, and often leads to bettersolutions.

GCO 4: Technology and CareersStudents will be expected to demonstrate an understandingof current and evolving careers and of the influence oftechnology on the nature of work.

All jobs, occupations, careers, and professions exist intechnological environments. An understanding of therange of technologies in the workplace and their effectson the nature of work is critical to planning careerand education paths.

GCO 5: Technological ResponsibilityStudents will be expected to demonstrate an understandingof the consequences of their technological choices.

The development of technology, and by extension itsimpact in the future, is entirely under human control.Individually and collectively we share thatresponsibility. Accepting the responsibility and beingempowered to take appropriate action requiretechnological literacy and technological capability-knowledge, skills, and willingness.


Outcomes at the four key stages reflect a continuumof learning. While there may appear to besimilarities in outcomes at different key stages,teachers will recognize the increase in expectationsfor students at the various key stages, according to• the developmental nature of acquiring

technological literacy and capability• students’ maturity of thinking and interests• students’ increasing independence as learners• the increasing complexity and sophistication of

ideas, technological problems, and technologicalsystems

• the increasing complexity and sophistication ofstudents’ technological solutions

• the range and innovativeness of ideas andsolutions offered in response to technologicalsituations and issues

• increasing sophistication in the students’ use oftechnical language and terminology tocommunicate ideas and information abouttechnology

For each key stage, the ordering of outcomes is notintended to suggest any priority, hierarchy, orinstructional sequence, with the exception of thoserelated to the major sequencing of strategies fortechnological problem solving. While theseoutcomes provide a framework on which educatorsmay base decisions concerning instruction andassessment, they are not intended to limit the scopeof learning experiences in any key stage. Although itis expected that most students will be able to attainthe key-stage curriculum outcomes, the needs andperformance of some students will range across keystages. Teachers should take this variation intoconsideration as they plan learning experiences andassess students’ achievement of the variousoutcomes. Students’ attitudes, experiences,knowledge, abilities, and engagement in learningwill also influence their ability to achieve the key-stage curriculum outcomes.

Key-Stage Curriculum Outcomes (KSCOs)

Key-stage curriculum outcomes are statements that identify what students are expected to know and be ableto do by the end of grades 3, 6, 9, and 12, as a result of their cumulative learning experiences in technologyeducation.


GCO 1: Technological Problem Solving

Students will be expected to design, develop, evaluate, and articulate technological solutions.

By the end of grade 3, students will be expected to

[1.101] articulate problems to be solved throughtechnological means

• identify a problem to be solved

• describe factors that might affect its solution

[1.102] conduct design studies to identify a technologicalsolution to a problem

• examine possible ideas to solve the problem

• explore ways to put the idea into action• record related information

[1.103] develop (prototype, fabricate, make) technologicalsolutions to problems

• develop the solution by properly using tools and other

resources• discuss their choices and decisions and record the

discussion

[1.104] critically evaluate technological solutions and report

their findings• examine how well their solutions work, and how well other

people’s solutions to problems work

• identify possibilities for improvement

[1.105] communicate ideas and information abouttechnological solutions through appropriate technical means• create drawings which employ basic technical symbols and

language• employ a variety of tools, including computers, audio, and

video

By the end of grade 6, students will have achieved theoutcomes for entry to grade 3 and will also be expected to

[1.201] articulate problems that may be solved throughtechnological means

• describe specific problems

• clearly state the problem that will be solved• describe factors that might affect the solution


• consider similar problems

• generate ideas to solve the problem• select the preferred idea and give reasons for the choice

• examine ways to put the idea into action

• record the information in text and drawings


• develop the solution by properly using tools and other

resources• modify ideas as necessary, discussing their reasons

• document decisions and actions


their findings• use established criteria to determine the effectiveness of their

own and selected other solutions

• suggest ways to improve technological solutions• record and report their conclusions

[1.205] communicate ideas and information abouttechnological solutions through appropriate technical means• create simple technical drawings that include views of objects• create alternate representations, such as physical models• properly use technical language and terminology in all forms

of communications


GCO 1: Technological Problem Solving

Students will be expected to design, develop, evaluate, and articulate technological solutions.



• examine problem situations

• construct simple design briefs that include the problemstatement and conditions affecting the solution


• investigate related solutions

• document a range of options to solve the problem• determine and justify the best option

• create a plan of action that includes technical sketches


• identify appropriate tools and resources

• employ safe practices and resource conservation• develop the solution with redesign as necessary to ensure the

design brief is satisfied

• document all activities and decisions


their findings• use established and their own criteria to evaluate the

effectiveness of both their own and others’ technological

solutions• assess solution components and incorporate the required

changes during the design activity

• document and report their changes, the rationale for change,and conclusions

[1.305] communicate ideas and information abouttechnological solutions through appropriate technical means• create more sophisticated orthographic and isometric views• create alternate representations, such as computer animations

and physical models



• assess diverse needs and opportunities

• construct detailed design briefs that include design criteriaand a work schedule


• investigate related solutions

• document a range of options to solve this problem• determine and justify the best option

• determine resource requirements and availability

• develop detailed action plans, including technical drawingsand sequences of action


• match resources and technical processes for specific tasks

• construct and test models and prototypes as needed• construct the solution with adherence to the design criteria

• document activities, decisions, and milestones


their findings• develop detailed evaluations of both their own and others’

technological solutions, with reference to independently

developed criteria• employ a continuous assessment methodology with the

purpose of continuous improvement of the design

• document and report their changes, the rationale for change,and conclusions

[1.405] communicate ideas and information abouttechnological solutions through appropriate technical means• accurately present technical information by using a

representative sample of analog and digital tools, including,for example, two- and three-dimensional, computer-assisteddrafting and modelling tools

• create accurately scaled models and prototypes


GCO 2: Technological Systems

Students will be expected to operate and manage technological systems.


[2.101] operate components of a variety of familiartechnological systems

[2.102] manage technological resources whenengaged in an activity

[2.103] operate familiar control systems

[2.104] recognize and identify commontechnological systems, and determine what they doand what keeps them working (e.g., a fridge coolsfood and it uses electricity to operate)

[2.105] follow a process to determine how systemswork

By the end of grade 6, students will have achieved theoutcomes for entry-grade 3 and will also be expected to

[2.201] operate a representative range oftechnological systems

[2.202] manage technological resources to improvethe performance of a system

[2.203] operate logic and control systems

[1.204] identify the functions and components ofcommon technological systems (e.g., an automobilehas inputs such as fuel, processes such as human actionon the controls, and outputs such as motion)

[1.205] use tools to diagnose systems


GCO 2: Technological Systems

Students will be expected to operate and manage technological systems.


[2.301] operate, monitor, and adjust arepresentative range of technological systems

[2.302] manage a representative range oftechnological systems

[2.303] employ programming logic and controlsystems to sense, switch, and regulate events andprocesses

[2.304] classify technological systems, using one ormore schema, and determine their operationalcomponents and parameters (e.g., schema includegeneral make-up, underlying principles and purposes,and sub-systems)

[2.305] diagnose and repair malfunctioningsystems


[2.401] operate, monitor, and adjust technologicalsystems of increasing complexity

[2.402] manage technological systems of increasingcomplexity

[2.403] modify programming logic and controlsystems to optimize the behaviour of systems

[2.404] deconstruct complex technological systemsinto their simpler systems and components

[2.405] troubleshoot and maintain systems


GCO 3: History and Evolution of Technology

Students will be expected to demonstrate an understanding of the history and evolution oftechnology, and of its social and cultural implications.


[3.101] explore ways that specific technologies canbe used to do different things

[3.102] explore things that we learn from scienceand things that we are able to do throughtechnology

[3.103] explore the role that technology plays athome, in school, and in the community

[3.104] explore reasons why technologies changeover time

[3.105] account for effects of cultural diversity ontechnological solutions• explore ways that different people do the same task• explore the different ways that students in their

class might solve the same problem


[3.201] describe ways that different technologiescan be used to do the same thing

[3.202] explain ways that science can be used tobetter understand the effects of technology or todevelop new technology

[3.203] explain the role of education in helpingpeople become knowledgeable about technologyand in developing specific capabilities withtechnological tools and systems

[3.204] investigate reasons why technologieschange more rapidly now than at previous times inhistory

[3.205] account for effects of cultural diversity ontechnological solutions• examine different forms that products and solutions

take in different cultures or countries• explore the different roles that members of a design

team play in developing technological solutions toproblems


GCO 3: History and Evolution of Technology

Students will be expected to demonstrate an understanding of the history and evolution oftechnology, and of its social and cultural implications.


[3.301] examine the historical evolution oftechnologies and predict future developments

[3.302] investigate ways that science activitiesdepend on technology and that inventions intechnology depend on science

[3.303] examine technological literacy andcapability in modern society and their effects oncitizenship and education

[3.304] evaluate the effects of rapid change intechnological systems on people in their schools andcommunities

[3.305] account for effects of cultural diversity ontechnological solutions• examine the effects of culture on traditional

products, and vice versa• explore how products are designed differently for

different markets• apply their understanding of cultural preferences

when developing technological solutions


[3.401] evaluate technological systems in thecontext of convergence where one system hasmultiple functions, or divergence where multiplesystems have the same function

[3.402] evaluate the symbiotic roles of technologyand science in modern society

[3.403] analyse the symbiotic relationship betweentechnology and education, including factors thatinfluence standards for technological literacy andcapability, and ways that the community responds

[3.404] critically evaluate the effects of acceleratingrates of technological change on self and society

[3.405] account for effects of cultural diversity ontechnological solutions• critically examine the effects of cultural diversity on

market forces and technological products, and viceversa

• incorporate knowledge of cultural diversity intodevelopment of technological solutions


GCO 4: Technology and Careers

Students will be expected to demonstrate an understanding of current and evolving careers andof the influence of technology on the nature of work.

By the end of grade 3, students will be expected to By the end of grade 6, students will have achieved theoutcomes for entry-grade 3 and will also be expected to

[4.101] explore ways that technology affects thenature of work at home, in the school, and in thecommunity

[4.102] recognize the need, opportunity, orproblem that led to the development of specificproducts

[4.103] demonstrate an understanding that beingable to achieve a goal or complete a task oftenrequires the development of new skills andcapabilities

[4.201] demonstrate an understanding of the rolesand applications of technology in workplaces

[4.202] investigate local products and services todetermine how they were designed, and their impacton the local economy

[4.203] determine the skills and capabilities theywould need to engage in projects and activities, andplan ways to acquire them


GCO 4: Technology and Careers

Students will be expected to demonstrate an understanding of current and evolving careers andof the influence of technology on the nature of work.


[4.301] examine the technologies of specific careersand workplaces, including the organizational structuresof work environments and the effects of newertechnologies

[4.302] examine the roles of design and inventionin business growth and economic development

[4.303] develop strategies to assess theirtechnological literacy/capability and plan forcontinuous personal growth, using external criteria


[4.401] assess and evaluate employability profilesfor a variety of workplaces and careers anddetermine the level of technological literacy andcapability they would need to achieve for job entry

[4.402] employ design and invention as tools tocreate entrepreneurial activity

[4.403] envision their short- and longer-termfuture and develop a plan for acquiring thetechnological literacy/capability required to achievetheir vision


GCO 5: Technological Responsibility

Students will be expected to demonstrate an understanding of the consequences of theirtechnological choices.


[5.101] demonstrate a growing awareness of therights and responsibilities of others and self whenusing technological resources

[5.102] demonstrate an understanding of healthand safety rules and standards

[5.103] identify risks that might be present ifspecific technological actions are taken, and exploreways to manage them


[5.201] demonstrate respect for the rights andresponsibilities of others and self when usingtechnological resources

[5.202] demonstrate increasing awareness ofhealthy and safe practices when engaging intechnological activity

[5.203] demonstrate increasing awareness of theneed to take proper measures to managetechnological risk


GCO 5: Technological Responsibility

Students will be expected to demonstrate an understanding of the consequences of theirtechnological choices.


[5.301] demonstrate an understanding of thenature and purpose of legal and ethical rules andprinciples

[5.302] develop personal rules of conduct thatensure healthy and safe practices

[5.303] develop and demonstrate risk-managementstrategies for a variety of technological activities


[5.401] demonstrate responsible leadership inemploying legal and ethical rules and principles

[5.402] demonstrate responsible leadership inemploying health and safety rules and standards

[5.403] demonstrate responsible leadership intaking proper measures to manage current andfuture technological risk


Contexts for Learning and TeachingPrinciples Underlyingthe TechnologyEducation Curriculum

Technology education curriculumin Atlantic Canada adheres tocertain principles that guidedecisions shaping the continuousimprovement of learning andteaching. These principles guidethe design and implementation ofthe curriculum.

Authenticity

Technology education values andembraces the strategic links betweenapplied learning and integratedlearning.

By its nature, technology educationintegrates the authentic applicationof concepts into students’ learningexperiences. Therefore, whiledeveloping an understanding ofabstract principles, learnersdevelop concrete competenciesrelating to the world beyondschool.

Unity

Technology education values andembraces meaningful connectionsamong diverse areas of study.

For theoretical reasons, historiansand educators have separated

knowledge into discretedisciplines. Technology educationsupports and encouragesstrategies that emphasize theunifying concepts of relateddisciplines, particularly scienceand mathematics. Added valuecomes from developing anunderstanding of how underlyingconcepts, defined and explainedin other disciplines, are pivotal inunderstanding the technologicalprocesses and concepts.

Constructivism

Technology education incorporateseach individual’s prior knowledge,skills, and attitudes in the design ofauthentic learning experiences.

Learners use their uniqueperspective, shaped by priorlearning experiences, currentbeliefs, and attitudes, to constructnew understandings. Technologyby nature is constructivist in that itentails assessment, design, testing,implementation, and evaluationprocesses. Technology education isfacilitated by the continuousgeneration of an interactive,reflective, and supportive learningenvironment which invites theconstruction of new knowledgeand understanding.

Collaboration

Technology education employslearning strategies and experiencesthat reflect the collaborative natureof technology.

Technology by nature iscollaborative in that it has a socialfunction and context. Newsolutions to human concerns arecreated within the context ofexisting technological knowledge,processes, and products. Thesuccess of the design andimplementation of newtechnological solutions is afunction of the degree ofmeaningful collaboration thatexists.

Autonomy

Technology education values anenvironment with the learner as itspivotal force.

Autonomous learners require alearning environment in whichthey have the freedom to takeresponsibility for their learning. Insuch an environment,collaboration among learners,guided by informed teachers,shapes the learning experiences.The teacher’s role in thisautonomous climate is to establishappropriate conditions inmediating the learning variables tofacilitate success relevant to eachlearner.


Continuous Inquiry

Continuous inquiry is essential totechnology education.

History demonstrates thattechnology and education mustembrace, rather than resist, change.Research is an essential element inthe design and problem-solvingprocesses of technology andtechnology education.

Continuous Improvement

The success of technology educationinitiatives is a function of informedimplementation and improvementpractices.

Informed leadership recognizes theprofound implications involved ineffecting necessary change in theprocess of continuousimprovement. Such leadershipguides all members of the learningcommunity to make informeddecisions. Effective collaborationensures that the optimum andsustainable balance of the elementsessential to successful changecontinues to exist. These elementsinclude the vision, skills, resources,strategies, and motivation essentialto any successful implementationof systemic change.

Continuous Learning

Technology education impliesstrategic and distinct pre-service andin-service demands on teachereducation.

Learning is the fundamentalpurpose of education, andeducators often wisely seek

technological solutions to manyof the problems they face. Aneffective technology educationgradually prepares learners to makeinformed decisions in designingand applying solutions to realproblems. To ensure qualityeducation for all learners, bothteacher education pre-service andcontinuing in-service are essentialto prepare teachers for thecontinuous and dramatic change inboth technology and technologyeducation.

The LearningEnvironment

Technology education challengesstudents to critically examine thehuman-made environment; toassess its function andconsequence; to determine itseffects on the natural environment,on themselves and society; and todesign technological solutions withcareful consideration to theconsequences.

The technology education learningenvironment sets the stage andconditions in which thecurriculum can challenge studentsand teachers alike. In appropriateconditions, students are challengedto address their pre-conceivednotions about how and why we dothings, examine the consequencesof technological change, and buildstrategies to manage change. It isnormal and expected for studentsto assess, select, and if necessaryconstruct technological tools,physical or virtual, appropriate tothe situation.

Such a learning environmentcannot be confined to the physicalspace of the facilities or even theschool. It includes the communityand the workplace, physical andvirtual space. It requires theinvolvement of teachers, parents,community organizations, andemployers. It requires co-operationand collaboration not just amongmembers of student design teams,but also between members of theeducation community and thelarger community.

The Physical Space

Achieving the technologyeducation curriculum outcomesplaces a special significance on thedesign of technology educationfacilities. Building the broad baseof technological literacies andcapabilities that today’s studentswill need on school leavingrequires engagement withmaterials, tools, and technicalprocesses ranging across the virtualand physical worlds. Studentactivities require a physical spaceorganized to accommodate boththe planning and fabricationcomponents of design.

Modular, multi-activity, and multi-modal technology educationfacilities accommodate diversestudent needs.

Modularity is exemplified byequipment, furniture, and facilitieslayouts that may be rearranged andreconfigured quickly and easily toaccommodate different classstructures, activities, and content.


The facility should accommodatea representative array of real andsimulated design and productionprocesses. It should be wired toaccommodate a variety of research,planning, documentation, andreporting needs.

Multi-activity is exemplified byengaging students, individually orin design teams, in differentproblems and subsequent designactivities simultaneously; therefore,individual and collaborative effortsmust be supported. Studentsengage directly in constructingtheir own knowledge in thecontext of real-world problems andresources. Students investigate,plan, prototype, and test in thesame space and time.

Multi-modality is exemplified bysimultaneously implementingdifferent technological systems,technical processes, and relatedresources. Modality is scalable. Thefacility is often divided intophysical spaces that accommodateplanning technologies, and otherspaces that accommodatefabrication and production. Onanother level, individual studentsworking on the same design teamwill most likely require differenttools, skills, and processes as theyeach simultaneously carry out thedifferent tasks involved indeveloping a technologicalsolution.

Although modality is oftenaccomplished through physicalseparation, many technologicalsystems do not cleanly separate.

The line between planning andfabrication is continuouslyblurring across information,physical, and biotechnologicalsystems. Those involved indesigning, building, and usingtechnology education facilities areafforded a variety of opportunitiesto develop innovative approaches.

Resources

Technology education exists onlyin an environment where studentsinteract with technologicalproblems and resources.Technological resources have aspecial context. In one context,students make investigations anddeterminations, and they select,use, and assess the effectiveness oftechnological resources as a majorcomponent of problem solving. Inanother, more general context,educators make investigations,determinations, and choices abouttechnological resources required todeliver a quality technologyeducation program.

Technology education activitiescan conceivably run the gamut ofhuman technological activity. Forpractical purposes, designconstraints for the programinclude a representative range ofhighly relevant technologicalprocesses and tools. Relevancy isdetermined by the educationsystem, and will change with time.Problems and opportunities mustbe addressed within thoseconstraints.

Information

Information fuels technologicalactivity. It informs everything thattranspires, from articulation of aproblem to implementation ofsolutions, from analysis oftechnological systems to predictionof technological consequence, andfrom decisions about personalconduct to decisions affectingsociety. Information resourcesinclude technical and scientificjournals, manuals, and handbooks,as well as those sourcestraditionally employed in entry tograde 12 education. Increasingly,technical information is foundonly in electronic format, andmuch of that is through the Web.

Knowledge

Knowledge is a resource that isconstructed by individuals inresponse to activities and designchallenges. Learning theoriessupport the approach of engagingstudents in activities that enablethem to construct knowledge.Educators need to ensure thatstudents face developmentallyappropriate challenges and haveaccess to a wide range oftechnological resources andappropriate guidance to buildsound knowledge bases as aresource to inform their decisionmaking. It is reasonable to assumethat students will, from time totime, develop specializedtechnological knowledge beyondthat of their teachers.


People

People are the primary resource inany technological activity.

Educators and students need toidentify and develop connectionsto knowledgeable people andexperts who can serve as mentorsand provide advice on technicaldecision making. Educators shouldcultivate relationships with post-secondary institutions, employers,and other partners.

Materials

All technological activity consumesresources, including physicalmaterials.

Technology education engagesstudents directly in the design andfabrication of solutions toproblems. Many solutions requirethe use of natural andmanufactured materials, includingfabrics, woods, metals, plastics,composites, and ceramics. Properengagement in the design processensures that students understandand value the costs of differentmaterials and employ solutionsthat minimize resourcerequirements. Access to these typesof consumable materials isfundamental to success.

Tools and Equipment

Technological activity is ‘doing’and requires tools and equipment.

Using tools and equipmentrequires development of technicalknowledge and skills. Althoughone could technically and

meaningfully say that studentsdevelop these in the context of theproblem they are solving, there arepractical constraints. If employed,an open approach to technologicalactivity would require that almostany tool or machine be madeavailable if the solution requires itsuse-this approach is neitherpractical nor desirable. Technologyeducation programs typicallyspecify a representative set of toolsand equipment to accommodatesolution development and systemsmanagement for most studentactivities. Specialized tools andequipment may be required andmade available for specificapplications and courses. This maybe accomplished, for example, bypurchase or lease, or by partneringwith public/private sector colleges,universities, employers, and/orinstitutions.

Choices of tools and equipmentare based on a consideration ofprogram implementation related tothe technological systems understudy, or required for solutiondevelopment, includingcommunications, production,energy/power, biotechnology, andmanagement systems.

Time

Time is a significant technologicalresource.

Planning of technological activitiesmust consider time required forvarious components of the process,including time to learn newconcepts and skills.

Frequently, technologicalactivities and processes are time-sensitive-once undertaken theymust be completed on aschedule. This consideration hasimplications for learning andteaching, affecting classscheduling, types of learningexperiences, and assessment andevaluation processes.

As a major technological resource,time is an important issue forstudent consideration. It is a majorcriterion they apply whengenerating ideas and developingwork plans.

Equity and Diversity

The society of Atlantic Canada,like all of Canada, is linguistically,racially, culturally, and sociallydiverse. Our society includesdifferences in race, ethnicity,gender, ability, values, lifestyles,and languages. Schools shouldfoster the understanding of suchdiversity. Foundation for theAtlantic Canada TechnologyEducation Curriculum is designedto meet the needs, values,experiences and interests of allstudents.

In a learning communitycharacterized by mutual trust,acceptance, and respect, studentdiversity is both recognized andvalued. All students are entitled tohave their personal experiences andtheir racial and ethnoculturalheritage valued within anenvironment that upholds therights of each student and requiresstudents to respect the rights ofothers. Teachers have a critical role


in creating a supportive learningenvironment that reflects theparticular needs of all students.Educators should ensure thatclassroom practices and resourcespositively and accurately reflectdiverse perspectives and rejectprejudice attitudes anddiscriminatory behaviours.

To contribute to the achievementof equity and quality in education,curriculum must• reflect students’ abilities, needs,

interests, and learning styles• expect that all students will be

successful regardless of gender,racial and ethnoculturalbackground, socio-economicstatus, lifestyle, or ability

• enable students to valueindividual variation amongmembers of their classroomcommunity

To enhance students’ ability toappreciate diversity, instructionalpractices need to• foster a learning environment

which is free from bias andunfair practices

• promote opportunities todevelop positive self-images thatwill enable students totranscend stereotypes anddevelop as individuals

• promote communication andunderstanding among thosewho differ in attitude,knowledge, points of view, anddialect, as well as among thosewho are similar

• encourage and enable studentsto question their ownassumptions, and imagine,understand, and appreciaterealities other than their own

• promote the equitable sharingof resources, including teacherattention and support

• encourage students to examineand critique materials,resources, and experiences forbias and prejudice

• examine historical and currentequity and bias issues

• promote opportunities in non-traditional careers andoccupations

• encourage students to challengeprejudice and discrimination

The Atlantic provinces, throughthe APEF and their departments ofeducation, are committed to usingaccepted equity principles andpractices in approving newcurricula and resources.

Technology education curriculumoutcomes provide a framework fora range of learning experiences forall students. Technology educatorsadapt learning contexts, includingclassroom organization, teachingstrategies, time, and learningresources to provide support andchallenge for all students, usingcurriculum outcomes in a flexibleway to plan learning experiencesappropriate to students’ individuallearning needs. Technologyeducation provides opportunitiesfor all students to developconfidence in themselves aslearners and to experience learningsuccess.

Roles withinEducation

Community

In addition to the school, teachers,and parents, the communityincludes volunteers, service andyouth groups, cultural groups,business and media agencies,professional organizations, andother groups.

It is important for the communityto view the education of youth as ashared responsibility. As partners,the school and community cantake measures to promote studentgrowth as technologically literateand capable citizens, including• involving the school in the

community, for example, bysponsoring design competitionsthat encourage students to offersolutions to community issuesand problems

• creating joint-venture projectsthat make use of shared schooland community technologicalfacilities and resources

• providing experts and mentorswho have specializedtechnological knowledge andcapabilities

• promoting the flow andexchange of technological ideas,expertise, and resources

• providing opportunities forteachers to develop newcapabilities and competencies byinteracting with design andother professionals, and byparticipating in work-relatedactivities with business andindustry


• creating opportunities forstudents to explore theworkplace

• creating opportunities forstudents to assess the roles oftechnology in the communityand the workplace

• providing proper standards ofhealth and safety appropriate tofacilities used in technologyeducation

• participating in the continuingconversation about education

The Education System

An education system can generallybe said to include the departmentof education, universities andcolleges, school boards/districts,and schools.

Each organization has professionalstaff and may have advisorycouncils and/or committees. Theseorganizations have various rolesand responsibilities and makeimportant decisions that affect theteaching and learning oftechnology education. Theyemploy a number of strategies andactions to positively affect studentachievement in technologyeducation, including expandingthe commonly held notion oftechnology as product to includetechnology as knowledge andstrategy by• allocating personnel and other

resources to ensure that studentshave the means and opportunityto develop technologicalsolutions to problems and toassess and manage arepresentative variety oftechnological systems

• recognizing that technologyeducation teachers have specificneeds with respect totechnological literacy andcapability, and providingopportunities for relevantprofessional growth and thecontinuous development ofadministrators and curriculumpersonnel at all levels of theeducation system

• providing mechanisms toaddress, and encouragediscourse on, controversialtechnologies

• ensuring that programs at alllevels are anti-discriminatoryand provide for equity of access

• ensuring that the learningenvironment meets standards ofhealth and safety

• ensuring that technologyeducation facilitiesaccommodate the learningneeds of all students and enablestudents to achieve thecurriculum outcomes

School Administrators

Administrators have a significantimpact on implementation of aquality technology educationcurriculum.

Principals and other administratorstake specific actions to supportlearning and teaching oftechnology education, including• ensuring that teachers have

appropriate support andopportunities for continuingprofessional development

• working with technologyeducation teachers to ensurethat the technology educationfacility is adequately and safelyconfigured to provide variedlearning experiences

• working with technologyeducation teachers to ensurethat the variety of resources andexperiences available meet theneeds of all learners

• working with technologyeducation teachers to ensurethat the learning experiences,instructional techniques,assessment strategies, learningenvironment, and use ofresources are consistent withthose described in thisdocument

• ensuring equitable access totechnology education facilitiesand other learning resources

• working collaboratively withteachers to plan, facilitate, andsupport technology educationexperiences and related events

Teachers

Teachers play a significant role inimplementing technologyeducation. Teachers• structure and organize the

learning environment• select teaching strategies from a

wide repertoire• provide appropriate instruction• demonstrate proper selection

and application of technologicalsystems, tools, and otherresources


• demonstrate safe and propercare, operation, and use of toolsand equipment acrossinformation, physical, andbiotechnological systems fordesign and fabrication oftechnological solutions

• ensure that students havetechnological problem-solvingexperiences with a wide range ofproblem situations

• provide guidance in assessingthe consequence oftechnological choice and actions

• monitor, assess, evaluate, andreport on student learning

• provide students with guidanceand experience in assessing theirown technological solutions

• provide students with guidanceand experience in assessing theirown technological literacy andcapability

• provide students withopportunities to assess the roleof technology in daily life, andin the workplace, and the natureof careers

• model behaviour consistentwith that of a technologicallyliterate and capable person

• demonstrate that they employtechnological problem-solvingand related strategies andprocesses in their daily life

• demonstrate capability andcommon sense in theirtechnological choices andactivities

• demonstrate willingness toarticulate new and novel ideas,to take intellectual risks, and tocritically evaluate their ownideas

• ensure that the technologyeducation facility meets thehealth and safety needs ofstudents

Parents/Guardians

Parents and guardians contributesignificantly to the achievement oftheir children in technologyeducation by• building their personal

technological literacy andcapability

• encouraging their children totake intellectual risks

• encouraging their children toinvestigate their own areas ofinterest in existing and emergingtechnologies

• engaging their children inconversations abouttechnological issues andconsequences in their homes,communities, and the worldaround them

• sharing in their children’ssuccesses

• communicating regularly withthe teacher/school

• sharing areas of technologicalexpertise/interest with theteacher/school

• volunteering to assist withvarious activities in thetechnology facilities or school

• supporting school policies andgoals

• participating in decision makingby taking part in parent-teacherorganizations and/or schooladvisory councils

• providing a positive role modelwith respect to safe and properuse of technological tools andprocesses

Students

Taking ownership andresponsibility for their ownlearning is a significant element inthe growth of a student’stechnological capability. Doing soimplies choice and opportunitiesto develop responsible habits ofthought and action. Students needopportunities to• identify, assess, and make

decisions about their use oftechnological resources

• assess their technologicalliteracy/capability in the contextof specific situations

• develop personal action plans toacquire specific technical skillsand capabilities

• safely use a wide variety oftechnological systems, tools, andother resources

• identify and addresstechnological issues andsituations important to them

• design, develop, and articulatetechnological solutions to awide range of problems

• articulate ideas and takeintellectual risks

• reflect on and evaluate theirlearning

• reflect on, evaluate, and expressideas and opinions on therelationship between technologyand education and the role oftechnology education

• assess technology as a force forchange in a variety ofworkplaces, jobs, occupations,and careers


Assessing andEvaluating StudentLearning

Assessment and evaluation areessential components of learningand teaching in technologyeducation. Without effectiveassessment and evaluation it isimpossible to know whetherstudents have learned, whetherteaching has been effective, or howbest to address student learningneeds. The quality of assessmentand evaluation in the educationalprocess has a profound and well-established link to studentperformance. Research consistentlyshows that regular monitoring andfeedback are essential to improvedstudent learning. What is assessedand evaluated, how it is assessedand evaluated, and how results arecommunicated send clear messagesto students and others about whatis really valued—what is worthlearning, how it should be learned,what elements of quality areconsidered most important, andhow well students are expected toperform.

Teacher-developed assessments andevaluations have a wide variety ofuses, such as• providing feedback to improve

student learning• determining whether

curriculum outcomes have beenachieved

• certifying that students haveachieved certain levels ofperformance

• setting goals for future studentlearning

• communicating with parentsabout their children’s learning

• providing information toteachers on the effectiveness oftheir teaching, the program, andthe learning environment

• meeting the needs of guidanceand administrative personnel

Assessment

Assessment is the systematic process ofgathering information on studentlearning.

To determine how well studentsare learning, assessment strategieshave to be designed tosystematically gather informationon the achievement of thecurriculum outcomes.

In planning assessments, teachersshould use a broad range ofstrategies in an appropriate balanceto give students multipleopportunities to demonstrate theirknowledge, skills, and attitudes.Many types of assessment strategiescan be used to gather suchinformation, including, but notlimited to,• formal and informal

observations• work samples• anecdotal records• conferences• teacher-made and other tests• portfolios• learning journals• questioning• performance assessment• peer- and self-assessment

Evaluation

Evaluation is the process ofanalysing, reflecting upon, andsummarizing assessment informationand making judgments or decisionsbased upon the informationgathered.

Evaluation involves teachers andothers in analysing and reflectingupon information about studentlearning gathered in a variety ofways.

The process requires• developing clear criteria and

guidelines for assigning marksor grades to student work

• synthesizing information frommultiple sources

• weighing and balancing allavailable information

• using a high level of professionaljudgment in making decisionsbased upon information

Reporting

Reporting on student learningshould focus on the extent towhich students have achieved thecurriculum outcomes.

Reporting involves communicatingthe summary and interpretation ofinformation about student learningto various audiences who requireit. Teachers have a specialresponsibility to explain accuratelywhat progress students have madein their learning and to respond toparent and student inquiries aboutlearning.


Narrative reports on progress andachievement can provideinformation on student learningthat letter or number grades alonecannot. Such reports might, forexample, suggest ways in whichstudents can improve their learningand identify ways in whichteachers and parents can bestprovide support.

Effective communication withparents regarding their children’sprogress is essential in fosteringsuccessful home-schoolpartnerships. Other means includethe use of conferences, notes, andphone calls.

Guiding Principles

In order to provide accurate, usefulinformation about the achievementand instructional needs ofstudents, certain guiding principlesfor the development,administration, and use ofassessments must be followed.

Principles for Fair StudentAssessment Practices for Education inCanada (1993) articulates fivebasic assessment principles, asfollows:• Assessment strategies should be

appropriate for and compatiblewith the purpose and context ofthe assessment.

• Students should be providedwith sufficient opportunity todemonstrate the knowledge,skills, attitudes, or behavioursbeing assessed.

• Procedures for judging orscoring student performanceshould be appropriate for theassessment strategy used and beconsistently applied andmonitored.

• Procedures for summarizing andinterpreting assessment resultsshould yield accurate andinformative representation of astudent’s performance inrelation to the curriculumoutcomes for the reportingperiod.

• Assessment reports should beclear, accurate, and of practicalvalue to the audience for whomthey are intended.

These principles highlight the needfor assessment which ensures that• the best interests of the student

are paramount• assessment informs teaching

and/or promotes learning• assessment is an integral and

ongoing part of the learningprocess and is clearly related tothe curriculum outcomes

• assessment is fair and equitableto all students and involvesmultiple sources of information

While assessments may be used fordifferent purposes and audiences,all assessment must give eachstudent optimal opportunity todemonstrate what he/she knowsand can do.

Assessing Student Learningin the Technology EducationClassroom

Because of the nature oftechnology, assessing andevaluating student learning intechnology education has specificconsiderations:• Assessment strategies, integral to

design activities, are seamlesscomponents of the learningexperience.

• Technology education outcomesare the basis for assessment.

• Collaborative strategies,essential to all technologicalactivities undertaken bystudents, provide a model thatmakes the student a partner inassessment.

• Students engaged intechnological activities arerequired to assess their ownlearning and interpret thatassessment as a component ofthe activity.

• Experiential authenticity,expressed by the use of real-world problems, systems, andresources, is critical to growth intechnological capability.

Growth in capability is exhibitedin a variety of ways. These includetacit and other forms oftechnological knowledge, technicalproficiency, development oftechnological solutions, assessmentand management of technologicalsystems, collaborative and teammanagement skills, and students’evaluation of their own


technological solutions andprocesses. Assessment tools have tobe effective across all these formsof evidence. In addition to thestandard assessment tools andtechniques employed in all subjectareas, the following merit specialconsideration for technologyeducation.

The Design Brief

The design brief, negotiatedbetween student and teacher, setsthe conditions under which thestudent engages in a design activity.

The brief parallels the industrialand commercial practice of designbriefs and contracts, with onenotable difference-designprofessionals are assessed mainlyon the solution to the problem,while students are assessed mainlyon growth in design capability.

The Design Portfolio

The student’s design portfolio isessentially a diary of the progress ofthe design activity. It contains allrelevant information, especiallytrial and error information. It isused to illustrate the thinking andplanning processes that studentsengage in while developing atechnological solution to aproblem. Assessment of process isoften indirect, in that the evidencecomes from a variety of sources.The value of the portfolio comesfrom how well it represents theprocess.

A design portfolio, containing thefacts of what transpired anddocumenting students’ decision-making processes, is a significanttool in assessing growth in designcapability. Employing the majorphases of the design process asheadings, it documents• processes and components that

were successful, and those thatwere not

• topics of discussion if decisionshad to be made

• decisions• the rationale for decisions• the student’s evaluation of the

process and the solution

Other evidence of student progressprovided by the portfolio includesuse of technical language andterminology, use of technicaldrawings, and the organization andtechnical presentation of thematerial.

The Solution

Students’ technological solutionsare assessed and evaluated by bothstudents and teachers with respectto the design brief.

Solutions typically result in aproduct or service that can beexamined, assessed, and evaluatedas an independent entity. Thecontext for assessment andevaluation is the design brief. Itprovides the problem statementand the conditions under whichthe problem will be resolved. Avalid assessment of the solution

requires a determination of howthe designers addressed not just theproblem but also the constraintsand conditions.

Student assessments provideevidence of how studentsconsidered the criteria, how thecriteria affected their decisionmaking, and what, if anything,they did about it. These areimportant issues for assessinggrowth in design capability.

The Report

The report is an opportunity forstudents and student design teamsto demonstrate how they solvedthe problem, why they madeparticular choices, and how thesolution could be improved,extended, and/or adapted todifferent circumstances.

Typically the report takes the formof an individual or design teampresentation. Presenting to theclient (as represented by theteacher and the class) at variousstages of the process is animportant part of design.Assessment of the report shouldconsider, among other things,• organization• completeness• appropriate use of technical

language• evidence that students have a

developmentally appropriategrasp of the issues arising fromthe problem and the solution

• evidence of growth incollaborative and team skills


External Assessment

Administration of externallyprepared assessments is on a largescale in comparison to classroomassessments, and often involveshundreds, sometimes thousands ofstudents, allowing for use of resultsat the provincial, district and/orschool levels. Depending on thecomprehensiveness of theassessment, information can beused for all of the same purposes asclassroom-based assessment, but itcan also serve additionaladministrative and accountabilitypurposes, such as for admissions,placement, student certification,educational diagnosis, andprogram evaluation. Externalassessments offer commonstandards for assessment and foradministration, scoring, andreporting that allow forcomparison of results over time.

As part of the regional agenda,development of externalassessments in specific curricularareas is being undertaken.Generally, external assessmentincludes assessments prepared bydepartments of education, nationaland international assessmentgroups, publishers, and researchgroups. Each provincialdepartment of education makesdecisions on whether or not toadminister external assessments.

Program and SystemEvaluation

The results from both external andinternal assessments of studentachievement can be used to varyingdegrees for program and systemevaluation.

External assessment results,however, are more comparableacross various groups and aretherefore more commonly the basisfor these types of evaluations.

In essence, the main differencebetween student evaluation andprogram and system evaluation isin how the results are used. Inprogram evaluation, marks orscores for individual students arenot the primary focus of theassessment-it is the effectiveness ofthe program that is evaluated, andthe results are used to show theextent to which the manyoutcomes of the program areachieved.

When results are used for systemevaluation, the focus is on how thevarious levels and groups withinthe system, such as classrooms,schools, districts, and so on, areachieving the intended outcomes.In many ways, student andprogram evaluation are very muchthe same in that both emphasizeobtaining student informationconcerning their conceptualunderstanding, their ability to useknowledge and reason to solveproblems, and their ability tocommunicate effectively.


GlossaryCapability is an expression of understanding,ability, and desire through a deliberate action.Capability increases through doing.

Design is a specific form of technological problemsolving, often associated with manufacturingindustries, and professions such as architecture orengineering. While variations in procedure existacross the many implementations of design, thereare important commonalities. Design has a specificfunction to provide a solution to the problem oropportunity, and success or failure is determined inthat context. It must occur within the boundaries ofpre-set constraints with respect to factors such astime, money, and other resources, and usuallywithin specific rules and regulations.

Design Brief is a widely used mechanism that isstructured to ensure the designer and the clientboth understand the problem that is to be solved,the scope of the work to be undertaken, anyconditions or criteria that apply to the solution, andan indication of what constitutes a satisfactorysolution. Note that the latter does not necessarilydetermine what the solution will be, or what it willlook like. When used with students in a technologyeducation program, the design brief providesguidelines to the student, and is frequentlystructured to ensure that the student works withinspecific constraints, including a range of tools andresources.

Design Portfolio is a tool used in technologyeducation to help students understand the processof design, the evolution of their ideas, and therationale for their decisions. It is also a tool used forassessment of student achievement, particularlywith respect to growth in design capability. Itusually takes the form of a diary of activities,actions, and decisions, and the reasons for them,and includes a collection of all (or samples) ideas,and materials developed as part of the evolution ofthe solution, commencing with the design brief andconcluding with the evaluation of the solution.

Develop is using a variety of processes and materialsto make or fabricate a working solution as part of adesign activity.

Educational Technology is the use of multimediatechnologies or audio-visual aids, includingcomputers, as tools to enhance the teaching andlearning process.

Evaluate is to determine quality, worth, condition,or suitability of technological resources, systems, orproducts.

Information Literacy is the ability to access,interpret, evaluate, organize, select, produce, andcommunicate information in and through a varietyof media technologies and contexts.

Innovation is the use of non-traditional strategies. Itis characterized by abrupt, radical, or completechanges in practice and/or outcomes. It results insomething new.

Instructional Technology is the use of computers,multimedia, and other technological tools toenhance the teaching and learning process.Sometimes referred to as Educational Technology.

Invention is the deliberate creation of a product,system, or service that is new, novel, or doessomething in a manner not possible before.

Making or Fabricating is bringing into being byshaping, changing, or combining materials.

Managing a System is making determinations aboutthe functioning of a system, and makingmodifications to its operation in order to improveits function or its efficiency.

Materials are substances, either naturally occurringor human-made, which are employed in thefabrication of a product.


Problem Solving is the process of understanding aproblem, devising a plan, carrying out the plan, andevaluating the plan in order to solve a problem ormeet a need or want.

Systems are entities that perform a function thatnone of the components of the system couldperform independently.

Technological Capability is an expression of abilityand understanding through considered and plannedaction that combines technical skill andtechnological knowledge to achieve a desired result.

Technological Literacy is the ability of a person toassess, manage, use, and make informed decisionsabout the consequences of a wide variety oftechnological systems and resources.

Technological Problem Solving refers to a widevariety of strategies and methods that are used todevelop solutions to problems of human adaptationof the environment to meet needs and wants.Collectively, these strategies indicate a genericmodel that starts with identification of need orproblem, moves to identification of solutions, thento the application of resources to develop thesolution, and finally to implementation of thesolution. Technological action and solutions alwayshave consequences-good, bad, known, andunknown-that generally lead to new needs, wants,problems, and opportunities.

Technological Resources include people,information, knowledge, time, money, tools andmachines, and materials. Technological resources areconsumed in all human activities. Food, forexample, is a technological resource, producedthrough a variety of technological means, essentialfor the human body and mind to function.

Technological Responsibility is understanding theconsequence of technological activity, takingappropriate action, and taking responsibility forthat action.

Technological Systems, which include products andenvironments, are physical, informational, andbiotechnological.

Technology is how humans modify the worldaround them to meet their needs and wants, or tosolve practical problems. Technology includesprocess, knowledge, and product. As a result oftechnological activity, resources are consumed todevelop the human/made world.

Technology Education is a program of studyconsisting of activities, modules, and courses withthe purpose of developing technological literacy,capability, and responsibility, particularly withrespect to design and technological systems across awide variety of situations and technologies.

Technology Laboratory/Classroom is the formalenvironment in school where the study oftechnology takes place. At the elementary level thiswill most likely be the regular classroom. At thesecondary level this will most likely be a separatelaboratory with areas for hands-on activities, as wellas group instruction.

Troubleshooting is assessing non-functioningsystems with the intent to repair or otherwiserestore the system to full functionality.Troubleshooting requires understanding of thesystem and its components, and employs logicalprocedures.

The Atlantic CanadaEssential Graduation Learnings

EssentialGraduation

Learnings

EGL

THE ATLANTIC CANADA ESSENTIAL GRADUATION LEARNINGS 1

Purpose

Background

This document has been designed to illustrate the relationship betweenthe Atlantic Canada essential graduation learnings and theregionally-developed public school curriculum in the four provinces.

The Atlantic provinces departments of education and their partnershave been collaborating on the development of curriculum since 1995.This collaboration has resulted in the production of high quality andtimely materials, shared expertise and resources, strengthenedprofessional contacts and networks, and consolidated purchasingpower.

The common curriculum development process began with theidentification and validation of statements of essential graduationlearnings for all schools in Atlantic Canada.

The essential graduation learnings statements offer students clear goalsand a powerful rationale for students’ school work. Essentialgraduation learnings statements were developed from the missionstatements of the four Atlantic provinces to provide a vision for thedevelopment of a relevant curriculum for students from school entry tograde 12. They help ensure that the provincial mission statements aremet by design and intention.

New Brunswick… to have each student develop the attitudes needed to be a lifelonglearner, to achieve personal fulfillment, and to contribute to aproductive, just and democratic society.

Newfoundland and Labrador… to enable and encourage every individual to acquire, throughlifelong learning, the knowledge, skills and values necessary for personalgrowth and the development of society.

Nova Scotia… to provide excellence in education and training for personalfulfillment and for a productive, prosperous society.

Prince Edward Island… to provide for the development of children so that each may take ameaningful place in society.

MissionStatements

THE ATLANTIC CANADA ESSENTIAL GRADUATION LEARNINGS2

Essential graduation learnings are statements describing theknowledge, skills, and attitudes expected of all students graduatingfrom high school. Achievement of the essential graduation learningswill prepare students to continue to learn throughout their lives.These learnings describe expectations not in terms of individualschool subjects but in terms of the knowledge, skills, and attitudesdeveloped throughout the curriculum. They confirm that studentsneed to make connections and develop abilities across subjectboundaries. They also prepare students to be ready to meet thecurrent and emerging opportunities, responsibilities, and demandsof life after graduation. Provinces may add essential graduationlearnings statements as required. The essential graduation learningsare as follows:

Aesthetic ExpressionGraduates will be able to respond with critical awareness to variousforms of the arts and be able to express themselves through the arts.

CitizenshipGraduates will be able to assess social, cultural, economic, andenvironmental interdependence in a local and global context.

CommunicationGraduates will be able to use the listening, viewing, speaking, reading,and writing modes of language(s) as well as mathematical and scientificconcepts and symbols to think, learn, and communicate effectively.

Personal DevelopmentGraduates will be able to continue to learn and to pursue an active,healthy lifestyle.

Problem SolvingGraduates will be able to use the strategies and processes needed tosolve a wide variety of problems, including those requiring language,mathematical, and scientific concepts.

Technological CompetenceGraduates will be able to use a variety of technologies, demonstrate anunderstanding of technological applications, and apply appropriatetechnologies for solving problems.

EssentialGraduationLearnings


For each curriculum area the process is the same, starting with thedevelopment of a foundation document. Foundation documentsdescribe general and key-stage curriculum outcomes for a particularsubject area. They also describe exemplary learning environments andact as the basis for grade-level specific curriculum development.

Foundation documents are now available for arts education, Englishlanguage arts, French immersion, core French (orientation document),mathematics, science, social studies, and technology education. Theoutcomes on the following pages illustrate how key-stage curriculumoutcomes, taken as examples from current foundation documents, relateto the essential graduation learnings. The outcomes of provincialsubject areas also contribute to the achievement of the essentialgraduation learnings.

After general and key-stage curriculum outcomes are developed andvalidated, curriculum for each grade may be developed.

CurriculumDevelopmentFramework

Specific Curriculum Outcomes

Statements that identify what students are expected to know andbe able to do at a particular grade level.

Key-stage Curriculum Outcomes

Statements that identify what students are expected to knowand be able to do by the end of grades 3, 6, 9, and 12.

General Curriculum Outcomes

Statements that identify what students are expected to knowand be able to do upon completion of study in a subject area.

Vision

A vision statement for each subject area

Essential Graduation Learnings

aesthetic expression personal development

citizenship problem solving

communication technological competence

THE ATLANTIC CANADA ESSENTIAL GRADUATION LEARNINGS4

Aesthetic ExpressionGraduates will be able torespond with criticalawareness to various formsof the arts and be able toexpress themselves throughthe arts.

Essential Graduation Learnings and Curricululm Outcomes

For example, students will be expected to:

use patterns to solve problems (grade 3 mathematics)

describe how culture is preserved, modified, and transmitted (grade6 social studies)

demonstrate awareness of the power of spoken language to influenceand manipulate, and to reveal ideas, values, and attitudes (grade 9English language arts)

interpret and represent a range of thoughts, images, and feelings usingand responding to non-verbal gestures (grade 12 music)

CitizenshipGraduates will be able toassess social, cultural,economic, andenvironmentalinterdependence in a localand global context.


demonstrate an awareness of visual images and their daily effects onpeople (grade 3 visual arts)

account for effects of cultural diversity on technological solutions(grade 9 technology education)

evaluate social issues related to the applications and limitations ofscience and technology, and explain decisions in terms of advantagesand disadvantages for sustainability, considering a variety ofperspectives (grade 12 science)

recognize and explain the interdependent nature of relationships amongindividuals, societies, and the environment (grade 6 social studies)

CommunicationGraduates will be able to usethe listening, viewing,speaking, reading, and writingmodes of language(s) as wellas mathematical and scientificconcepts and symbols tothink, learn, andcommunicate effectively.


describe, extend, and create a wide variety of patterns andrelationships to model and solve problems involving real-worldsituations (grade 6 mathematics)

communicate questions, ideas, intentions, plans, and results usinglists, notes in point form, sentences, data tables, graphs, drawing,oral language, and other means (grade 9 science)

create dances that express and communicate ideas of personalsignificance (grade 3 dance)

articulate and justify a personal vision of a sustainable future (grade 12social studies)


Sample Outcomes(from Foundation Documents)


PersonalDevelopmentGraduates will be able tocontinue to learn and topursue an active, healthylifestyle.


demonstrate increasing awareness of healthy and safe practices whenengaging in technological activity (grade 6 technology education)

access, select, and research, in systematic ways, specific information tomeet personal and individual learning needs (grade 12 English languagearts)

show interest in and curiosity about objects and events within theimmediate environment (grade 3 science)

create a movement sequence that communicates a social theme(grade 9 dance)

Problem SolvingGraduates will be able touse the strategies andprocesses needed to solve awide variety of problems,including those requiringlanguage, mathematical,and scientific concepts.


analyse and evaluate historical and contemporary developments inorder to make informed, creative decisions about issues (grade 9 socialstudies)

ask discriminating questions to acquire, interpret, analyse, and evaluateideas and information (grade 12 English language arts)

conduct design studies to identify a technological solution to a problem(grade 6 technology education)

examine a range of possible solutions to problems encountered in theirdrama work, and reflect on their decisions (grade 9 drama)

TechnologicalCompetenceGraduates will be able to usea variety of technologies,demonstrate anunderstanding oftechnological applications,and apply appropriatetechnologies for solvingproblems.


create written and media texts using a variety of forms (grade 3English language arts)

use maps, globes, pictures, models, and other technologies torepresent and describe physical and human systems (grade 6 socialstudies)

operate, monitor, and adjust a representative range of technologicalsystems (grade 9 technology education)

appreciate that the applications of science and technology can raiseethical dilemmas (grade 12 science)


Sample Outcomes(from Foundation Documents)

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