Meeting technological challenges? Design and technology in schools 2007–10

Using evidence from Her Majesty’s Inspectors’ focused surveys of primary and secondary schools, this report evaluates the provision of design and technology (D&T) in the curriculum. Most pupils in all of the schools visited enjoyed designing and making products, solving problems and seeing their ideas taking shape. Achievement and provision in D&T were good in about two thirds of the primary schools and just under half of the secondary schools, particularly where up-to-date technologies were used and explained accurately to pupils. However, a lack of subject-specific training for teachers undermined efforts to develop pupils’ knowledge and skills, particularly in using electronics, developing control systems and using computers to aid designing and making. The report also addresses the challenges presented to schools in modernising the D&T curriculum so that it keeps pace with global technological development

Perceptions of agricultural educators regarding the role of agricultural mechanization in the secondary agricultural education curriculum

The purpose of the study was to determine the perceptions of agricultural educators regarding the role of agricultural mechanization in the agricultural education curriculum in secondary schools throughout the Central Region of the United States. The study sought to draw implications to teacher education programs to provide direction for enrichment of the curriculum;The study was conducted using the descriptive survey method. A questionnaire consisting of three parts was mailed to a stratified random sample of high school agricultural teachers located in the 12 state area. There were a total of 2,465 programs, which resulted in a sample size of 335 for this study. Demographic information analyzed included age, years of experience, and enrollment size of their programs;The instructors were asked to identify areas of instruction they taught in agricultural mechanics and to indicate the extent to which they would consider expansion of instruction in these areas given the needed in-service education and instructional materials. Instructors were also asked to respond to ten questions dealing with their perceptions of the role of agricultural mechanization within agricultural education;Statistical procedures used to analyze data included were frequencies, means, standard deviations, and t-tests. Written comments from respondents indicated that agricultural mechanization remains a viable component of the Agricultural Education curriculum. The importance stemmed from the hands-on experiences involving physical skills, critical thinking, problem-solving, and communication skills;The major findings of this study indicate that teachers are following a traditional agricultural mechanics program; some new areas of instruction in agricultural mechanics are being added to the curriculum; there are a number of challenges to teaching agricultural mechanics; and that agricultural mechanics is an important instructional component of the curriculum in agricultural education. Based on this information a curriculum model was designed;Recommendations were to continue to include agricultural mechanization instruction as part of the secondary agricultural education curriculum, with revisions reflected in the Curriculum Model for Agricultural Technology Education. Also, in-service education should be provided for teachers in agriculture to expand instruction in selected areas of agricultural mechanization

Readiness to meet demand for skills: a study of five growth industries

Overview: This study considers issues pertinent to ensuring the Australian education and training system can respond to emerging skills demand in the following industries: food and agriculture; biotechnology and pharmaceuticals; advanced manufacturing; mining equipment, technology and services; and oil and gas. The report finds a widening gap between education and skills demand and highlights the crucial role of employees in developing a skilled workforce, as well as calling for a shift in thinking about the way skills are generated

Big data for monitoring educational systems

This report considers “how advances in big data are likely to transform the context and methodology of monitoring educational systems within a long-term perspective (10-30 years) and impact the evidence based policy development in the sector”, big data are “large amounts of different types of data produced with high velocity from a high number of various types of sources.” Five independent experts were commissioned by Ecorys, responding to themes of: students' privacy, educational equity and efficiency, student tracking, assessment and skills. The experts were asked to consider the “macro perspective on governance on educational systems at all levels from primary, secondary education and tertiary – the latter covering all aspects of tertiary from further, to higher, and to VET”, prioritising primary and secondary levels of education