Rupe Rere Nui: Place-based Storytelling in Robotics with Māori-medium Students

This paper is part of a larger study involving the design and implementation of a prototype of a low-cost programming environment or tangible user interface where students use robots to navigate a geographical map in telling and re-telling stories associated with that place. The geographical map that was initially developed depicted the Wellington region (the lower North Island of New Zealand), as the lead researcher for this project had connections to Wellington. The story-telling focused on the narratives of Kupe, a Māori explorer and one of the first to discover New Zealand. However, in response to an inner-city Auckland school, we designed a map that would support the children’s engagement with local landmarks, as expressed in a waiata (song) called Rupe Rere Nui. Māori kaumatua (elder), Wally Penetito, exhorts teachers to ‘start where your feet are’, emphasising the importance of place-based learning or localised curriculum. The focus of this paper lies in pedagogical possibilities and the importance of responsive curriculum design when you are working in classroom contexts. The study contributes to the field of localised curriculum with a focus on the place of storytelling and the incorporation of non-technical subjects, such as place-based narratives, into a robotics system. The use of paper-based commands with young children aged between 5-9 years of age has been evaluated over a range of settings and the working prototype has been refined as a result of trials with teachers and children in classrooms

Students’ perception about mechanical stress and what is most important for learning, during a practical task, using digital interactive lab description.

This study investigated student’s knowledge about mechanical stress using material created by the authors of this text. The material was an interactive lab description which can be used as an aid for teachers when teaching solid mechanics. During the studies in upper secondary school in Sweden, students at the technology programme take a general introductory course in mechanics. The participants consisted of four classes from one school in Sweden. They answered a questionnaire before and after the solid mechanics task, 85 out of 107 students answered both questionnaires. A thematic analysis was applied on the material, resulting in 6 groups based on the students’ previous knowledge and how much they have learned. To find correlations between the different groups a Oneway Anova analysis with multiple comparison post hoc test was performed. No significant differences were found between groups and how the students rated importance of their preparation, lab description, interactive links, formula book, course book, the teacher or execution of the lab. Significant differences between groups and class, and between the class and the importance of the teacher were found. The teachers’ role was most important of all the categories in all classes while the lowest was the course book and the digital links. This study showed that the teacher was important for the students’ perception of solid mechanics during this lab and that the interactive lab description played less roll

Design & Technology Education: What can we do to Influence Transdisciplinary Undergraduate Learning?

Creating new ways to position Design and Technology (DT) teacher preparation programs in higher education can be considered critical today. For example, in the United States, the few remaining DT-related teacher programs can be in jeopardy of supporting the school subject as a result of teaching workforce declines. But, while some may view that DT programs are no longer relevant in parts of the world today, there can be an opportunity to leverage and make pertinent DT content/practices beyond teacher preparation. New DT approaches can be important to consider, not only to just sustain the remaining programs, but to also create new educational experiences that provide valuable skills/knowledge to a broader audience. In doing so, teacher programs can deliver DT experiences across college campuses that many students may no longer have access to in secondary schools—due to the aforementioned teacher workforce concerns. These DT learning experiences can involve the content/practices related to designing/making/innovating as well as the pedagogical approaches that support transdisciplinary learning. With a variety of educational transformation initiatives happening at universities, DT programs can help shape the way that undergraduate learning occurs. So how do DT programs leverage their value related to transdisciplinary learning through design/innovation practice to reach new audiences while also sustaining programs that develop teachers? To provide an answer, this poster will highlight a transdisciplinary program, titled Mission Meaning Making (M3), that was developed to provide a new cross-college learning experience for undergraduate students focused on design and innovation. The M3 program has been created to synergize the key strengths of three partnering units/disciplines (DT, anthropology, and business) to prepare undergraduates for addressing contemporary challenges in innovative, and transdisciplinary ways. The poster will provide details/research related to the M3 program and explore how DT can strive to make a broader impact on campuses

Meta-analysis on Students’ Effects of Technology Education Classes under the South Korean National Curriculum

In South Korea, Technology education is one of the national curriculum compulsory subjects, and despite the importance and value, public awareness toward technology and technology education is very low. Whenever the curriculum is revised, the value and place of technology education have been challenged. The purpose of this study is to analyse effects on students of technology education classes. Meta-analysis is conducted to calculate the effect size of technology education classes in the Republic of Korea. Data are collected through an integrated searching engine of Korean academic database. From 2000 to 2022, 61 studies are analysed by Comprehensive Meta Analysis 4.0. The result shows an intermediate effect size in technology education classes. A total of 148 effect sizes are analysed by dividing the subcategories into publishing type, teaching method, school level, experimental type, and dependent variable. For the publishing type, academic journals and thesis papers show the intermediate effect size. Particularly, studies for elementary school level indicate a high effect size, followed by middle school and high school. The dependent variables show intermediate effect sizes of the order of affective variables (e.g., attitude, motivation), psychomotor variable, and cognitive variables (e.g., academic achievement). Based on the findings, this study can make the following recommendations. More studies for proving the value and importance of technology education classes should be conducted. Key Word : Technology Classes, Effect Size, Meta-analysis, Students, South Kore

Development of System Modules for Children’s Games with Vision and Music-Based Interactive Real-Time Feedback Modules - A Design-Based Research Approach

Most past research on young children’s attention focused on the design of multimedia games based on visual stimulation. In contrast, few studies have been on the development of teaching tools focusing on auditory stimulation. This study aims to develop a real-time interactive digital game with music and eye tracking for young children. The Design-Based Research (DBR) approach was adopted. Melodic tunes and lyrics composed by the researcher constitute the auditory stimulation, paired with visual images, in a game emphasizing interactivity between game content and players. Discussions were held between the various members of the developing team, during which the game developers and domain experts proposed suggestions to the researcher, who then continuously fine-tuned the game in line with the research objective. Our preliminary findings suggested that DBR, which emphasizes child-centered design, provides a novel and innovative approach to digital game design

How does matter matter in technology education?

Practical activities are at the core of learning in technology. Therefore, such activities are included as an important and established part of education and curricula. From practical work during education, students are expected to develop their understanding of technology’s material codes. Entities, from simple equipment to advanced instruments, require knowledge of when, why and for what they can and should be used. Students are required to learn the practical craft of how to handle equipment and different materials. Emotional outcomes from practical activities may be feelings of success and satisfaction, or disappointment, lingering worries and nervousness. Such feelings may be crucial for a student’s decision to start, or continue, her/his science/technology studies. This project explores how practical activities shape learning processes in two different experimental setups within technology education. The purpose is to examine how students’ and teachers’ emotional embodiment of scientific/technology practices, through entangled intra-actions with each other and matter/material, influence both teaching and learning. We draw on Barad’s theory of agential realism (Barad 2007) and Sara Ahmed’s ‘Cultural Politics of Emotion’ (Ahmed 2012). Three methods of data collection will be employed: observations, micro interviews, and interviews. The research questions are: how can student-teacher-material-emotions intra-actions be understood, and what context-specific views of practical skills are expressed, and how? In the presentation we discuss the theoretical framework, methods, and early outcomes from a pilot study

Pupils’ reflections on the use of a digital self-assessment tool to identify and measure development of 21st century skills during maker activities in schools

The number of makerspaces is increasing in the world, and the maker movement has started to become integrated into formal education. Maker environments and maker activities are argued as promoting Key Components for Lifelong Learning, e.g. collaboration, problem solving, creativity, life/social skills and communication. These competences are also referred to as 21st century skills. In this paper, we discuss the use of a digital self-assessment tool (DSAT) for pupils’ identification of, and reflections on, their development of these skills. The DSAT was created with gamification as the model where the pupils could reach different levels, receive badges and upload photographs. There were 114 pupils, aged 13–15 years, from six classes who worked with different maker activities in technology subject classes during the autumn of 2021, while using the DSAT. Examples of maker activities used in this study included designing a liquid-bottle, programming with Micro:bit and programming with Roblox. Data were collected through group interviews after the activities with all participating pupils and thereafter analysed thematically. The pupils found the language in the DSAT difficult considering their age and thought that the tool was time consuming and troublesome to use. However, the pupils argued that it is possible to develop 21st century skills during maker activities in school contexts and that the skills are of importance for the future. This study contributes with important knowledge about the design of digital self-assessment tools and about design of technology education, to support pupils to identify and develop 21st century skills in makerspace activities in compulsory technology education

Grasping the Actual Situation of Student\u27s Perspectives on the Improvement of Manufactured Products and User Recognition in Material Processing Learning

The purpose of this study is to understand the actual situation of students\u27 perspectives on the improvement of fabricated products and user recognition in material processing learning for technology education in junior high school. A survey was conducted with 833 junior high school students who had studied materials processing. The students had three types of learning: those who designed and made their own (Group A, 366 students), those who selected from several designs to make a kit (Group B, 253 students), and those who used kit subjects to make the same thing (Group C, 102 students). The obtained free-response statements regarding user perceptions and free-response statements regarding improvements in manufactured products were categorized. There were 364 descriptions of user recognition, which were classified into three categories: descriptions assuming oneself/family members, descriptions assuming specific users, and descriptions assuming all users. Group A had more descriptions of fabrication improvements than Groups B and C. There were 956 descriptions of product improvements, which were classified into a total of eight categories, such as safety, durability, and functionality. The results of the tabulation and analysis revealed that about half of the students were not able to have a user-oriented viewpoint of improvement, but many of those who had a user viewpoint focused on "specific users," or in other words, on usability. Regarding the improvement of manufactured products, perspectives to improve them in the categories of "safety," "functionality," and "durability" were confirmed. Furthermore, Group A had a high rate of descriptions of product improvement, indicating that the perspective of improvement and refinement is easily fostered in the production and use of products conceived and designed by the students themselves

The Initial findings of the Healthy Lifestyles Project:: A practical design and technology cooking and nutrition programme for primary schools

Childhood obesity has reached epidemic levels in developed countries, with those who live in lower socio-economic groups twice as likely to be obese (Davies, 2019). This paper will report the findings and analysis of the first 4 years of a six-year longitudinal study into the impact of the Healthy Lifestyles Project (HLSP), which is currently being piloted as part of the D&T curriculum in a school in an area of high deprivation. The HLSP aims to develop children\u27s practical cooking and nutrition skills, knowledge and understanding, enabling them to choose, prepare and cook healthy ingredients to feed themselves and their families, helping to change their attitudes and perceptions towards choosing a healthier lifestyle. By drawing on the experience of head chef at the Adopt a School Trust, the HLSP has been designed to provide a programme for staff, children and parents which aims to make a positive contribution to tackling children’s health in the UK and beyond. There are four key features of the HLSP: regular termly cooking and nutrition lessons termly support for parents opportunities for children to plant, grow and eat their own fruit and vegetables in the school grounds teaching resources for before, during and after the practical food sessions Theory and research suggest that when looking at changing behaviour, interventions that have several aims and approaches are more successful. Therefore, when designing the HLSP, a multi-pronged approach was required to address attitudes and behaviours by tackling some of the physiological, environmental and social issues behind childhood obesity. One theoretical framework that the HLSP aligns to closely is Social-Ecological Model (SEM), based on Bronfenbrenner’s (1979) ecological model. Preliminary evaluations on the impact the project have been made across the five aspects of the SEM theoretical framework: individual, inter-personal, organisational, community and policies, laws & other cultures

Do No Harm 2.0

Previously, I have proposed that the current incarnation of Design and Technology, version 1.0 is outdated and requires a new manifestation in the form of Design and / or Technology 2.0. Within this context a starting position for 2.0 subsequently acknowledges that on any given day students across the globe studying a form of version 1.0 are potentially doing more harm than good. Students are being ‘processed’ into a capitalistic consumption and production mode of thinking through contrived processes of generating ‘products’ under the pretence of solving problems. In this paper, a challenge to the community, I draw on the medical Hippocratic oath of "Primum non nocere", known as "Do no harm" and consider the pragmatic, ethical and philosophical implications of adopting this principle as a central feature of 2.0. In this paper I will also consider an alternative discourse for the current pervasive materialistic ‘outcomes’ in the context of ‘do no harm’ through challenging the anti-democratic, exploitative, perpetual rapid growth-oriented capitalist ideologies that manifest within 1.0 as ‘artefacts’, driven by self-fulfilling ‘needs and wants’. Consequently, learner accountability, liability and culpability are located as central features of a 2.0 ‘activist’ strategy that is earth and sustainability centred. A 2.0 mantra of ‘do no harm’ consequently aligns with UNESCO’s commitment to equity and transformational Education Sustainable Development through empowering lifelong learners to take informed decisions and responsible actions for environmental integrity, economic viability and a just society, for present and future generations, while respecting cultural diversity