Ferguson, M. Kathleen

Reed, Philip A.

English

Old Dominion University

Old Dominion University ODU Digital Commons STEMPS Faculty Publications STEM Education & Professional Studies 2021 Safety Training for Career and Content Switchers Philip A. Reed Old Dominion University M. Kathleen Ferguson Old Dominion University Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.odu.edu/stemps_fac_pubs  Part of the Educational Technology Commons, and the Science and Mathematics Education Commons Original Publication Citation Reed, P. A., & Ferguson, M. K. (2021). Safety training for career and content switchers. Technology and Engineering Teacher, 80(7), 16-19. This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the STEM Education & Professional Studies at ODU Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in STEMPS Faculty Publications by an authorized administrator of ODU Digital Commons. For more information, please contact digitalcommons@odu.edu.  16  technology and engineering teacher  April 2021by Philip A. Reed, DTE and M. Kathleen FergusonSTEAM activities provide a context for authentic problem solving and have the ability to reach more students than science, technology,  engineering, and mathematics (STEM) alone.Tremendous teacher shortages and shifts in the prepa-ration of technology and engineering (T&E) teachers have been occurring for some time (Litowitz, 2014; Moye, 2009; Volk, 1997, 2019). The training and certifi-cation of these teachers is extremely varied since each state certifies T&E teachers independently and most states offer several pathways to certification. Virginia, for example, has ap-proved collegiate programs leading to licensure as well as several alternative routes for career and content switchers (i.e., teachers holding a license in one area of education who are working to get licensed in T&E education) (Commonwealth of Virginia, 2019). While alternative licensure provides streamlined pathways for educators to become certified in T&E education, participants likely do not receive the depth of training that preservice teachers do in formal T&E teacher preparation programs. Put another way, alter-native licensure programs certify individuals to become teachers, but they do not guarantee that they are fully qualified (Love & Roy, 2017). Discipline-specific history, epistemology, and laboratory safe-ty and maintenance require extensive training in T&E education (Ferguson & Reed, 2019). This Safety Spotlight will describe T&E education workshops implemented in Virginia to aid career and content switchers not formally trained in laboratory safety.The need for a laboratory safety workshop became apparent after extensive requests from school division teachers and administra-tors, as well as participants at the annual Virginia Technology and Engineering Education Association (VTEEA) conference. Many current T&E teachers admitted that they were not using tools or equipment to engage students in design-based learning because they did not know the safety regulations or liabilities involved in using these items. Seeing this need, the Old Dominion University (ODU) technology education program partnered with VTEEA and the Virginia Department of Education (DOE) to develop a six-hour safety training workshop. A call for participants was distributed through VTEEA and the Virginia DOE. An online form was used for registration, which requested general demographics, lunch prefer-ence, and laboratory teaching experience. An email was sent that provided information about logistics (e.g., directions, parking) and informed the applicants that confirmation would be forthcoming. One week prior to the event, an email was sent to each participant safety training for career and content switcherssafety spotlight April 2021  technology and engineering teacher  17 that described (1) safety protocol, including required clothing, footwear, hair, and safety glasses, (2) logis-tics and directions into the building and laboratory, (3) food provisions, (4) Wi-Fi availability, and (5) the nature of the workshop (i.e., learning by making and doing). The length of the workshop was set by the Virginia DOE for participants to qualify for professional development points, which are required for recertification in Virginia.Workshop ContentThe workshop was designed to introduce teachers to the history, epistemology, curriculum, and safer laboratory practices through discussion, active participation, and interactions with peers. The workshop was limited to production lab safety, although there were discussions on follow-up workshops for electronics/mechatronics, communications, and other laboratory environments. The produc-tion lab equipment included power tools and equip-ment for woods, metals, ceramics, and composites. The only hand tools introduced were those needed for the workshop (e.g., measur-ing tools, saws, hammers, etc.). Future workshops will expand hand tool instruction and teaching support materials. Figure 1 provides the schedule and important links for the work-shop. The morning was used for introductions and an overview of T&E education. Most participants had backgrounds as engi-neers, designers, scientists, or were teachers from various other disciplines, so time was spent discussing a brief history of the field. Workshop leaders felt it was important for participants to understand the epistemological grounding of the field from manual training to industrial arts to technology education, and finally T&E education. After learning the field’s pragmatic teaching approach, participants were introduced to Standards for Technological Litera-cy (ITEEA, 2007)1 and how technology education fits within general education, career and technical education (CTE), and science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education (Reed, 2017, 2018). In Virginia, the Virginia General Assembly funds the Career and Technical Education Resource Center (see: http://cteresource.org/about/), which lists the programs, courses, competencies, and other resources for technology education and the other six CTE disciplines (agriculture, business, family and consumer sciences, health and medical sciences, marketing, and trade and industrial education). Participants were briefly introduced to the CTE Re-source Center as the primary tool for developing lessons and track-ing student progress through learning competencies. Additional resources from the Virginia Department of Education, Technology Education web page were also presented: www.doe.virginia.gov/instruction/career_technical/technology/index.shtmlThe morning session also included an overview of the ODU Technology Education Lab Safety Website that was created for the workshops (Ferguson, 2019). Figure 2 shows the main page and menu of this website, which includes the workshop agenda, 9:00am 9:30am10:00am10:30am11:00am11:30am 12:00pm12:30pm2:30pm Introductions, experience, and logisticsA brief history and philosophy of technology and engineering educationVirginia’s curriculum (http://cteresource.org/ curriculum/) and professional organizations (TSA, VTEEA, and ITEEA)Old Dominion University safety website overview (https://sites.google.com/odu.edu/oduteched-safety/home)Power tool demonstrations and instructions with observation rubricsInformation on lab organization, management, and maintenanceLunchMachine use activity*PD points, words of wisdom, and conclusion*Please note: The active project in this course focuses on safe-ty, not design-based learning. The sole purpose of today’s activ-ities is to teach tool and machine safety. Technology education lessons provide deep learning when they are open-ended and focus on the problem-solving or design process instead of the tools and machines.Figure 1: Technology and Engineering Education Workshop Agenda.1These workshops were held prior to release of Standards for Technological and Engineering Literacy (ITEEA, 2020).Figure 2: The ODU Technology Education Laboratory Safety Website  (https://sites.google.com/odu.edu/odutechedsafety/home; Ferguson, 2019). 18  technology and engineering teacher  April 2021demonstrations, regulations, machine nomenclature, online safety tests, traditional safety tests, and additional materials. The site links to many reputable sources directly rather than recreating materials. Plans to expand the site include more information on hand tools as well as a section on laboratory organization and management.   Career and technical education student organizations (CTSOs) are co-curricular in Virginia, so workshop organizers impressed upon participants that Technology Student Association (TSA) activities should be incorporated throughout T&E education programs, not as an after-school activity. A model for using the TSA lead-ership structure to manage a laboratory was introduced (see the ODU Safety Website under the More tab, Lab Management link). Participants were also shown the Virginia TSA and national TSA websites and encouraged to use the curriculum resources provided within competitive events such as rubrics. Additionally, participants were charged with active participation in their primary profession-al associations: VTEEA (www.vteea.org/) and the International Technology and Engineering Educators Association (ITEEA; www.iteea.org/). Virginia is an Engineering byDesign™ (EbD™) consor-tium member, so the process of accessing EbD™ materials through ITEEA and Virginia’s CTE Resource Center was explained.The final morning activity was to demonstrate safer use of the power tools that were identified by the Virginia DOE (i.e., table saw, band saw, combination sander, router table, drill press, compound miter saw, and wood lathe). Participants were provided safety checklists to follow for each machine during the safety demonstra-tions. These safety checklists are on the ODU Safety Website under the More tab, Resources link. Scrap wood material was provided so participants could perform the demonstrated operations. In several of the workshops, experienced teachers were paired with novice teachers to facilitate a richer learning experience.As an unexpected outcome, a working lunch allowed par-ticipants to share their experiences that led them to teach-ing. Many participants indicated that they were drawn to teaching for the altruistic nature of the profession. Most teachers who had switched disciplines overwhelmingly claimed it was the authentic, engaging teaching methods in T&E education that made them eager to switch. In the afternoon, participants used the machines to build a wooden toolbox after signing a safety acknowledge-ment form. Workshop organizers deliberately selected a project with the intent of fostering safer machine use and confidence with participants. The processes used to build the toolbox included layout, drilling, crosscutting, ripping, routing, assembling, and nailing. The opportunity was taken to reiterate the philosophy of design-based learning in T&E education (see note in Figure 1, page 17). Workshop leaders stressed the learning inher-ent in broad, open design problems rather than very prescriptive projects. The project selected for this workshop, however, was very prescriptive because the workshop goal was to teach safety. How-ever, there were discussions on creating jigs and fixtures as well as determining the best tools and processes for each operation. The workshop instructors supervised the lab diligently during the activi-ty to reinforce and model appropriate safety procedures.ConclusionsThe profession of T&E education continues to have a semantics issue with the rise of STEM education, PK-12 engineering, maker-spaces, and other programs that continue to define and use tech-nology in diverse ways (Reed, 2018). Perhaps this ambiguity has fostered an increase in the number of career and content switchers to T&E education. The Virginia safety workshops are an attempt to orient career and content switchers to the specific history, epistemology, and laboratory safety, use, and maintenance in T&E education. While training in traditional four-year T&E programs is encouraged, a need for the training of alternatively licensed teachers is abundant. Participants expressed their desire to learn more about the field, so these workshops are the beginning of an ongoing solution. April 2021  technology and engineering teacher  19 ReferencesCommonwealth of Virginia. (2019). Virginia administrative code, chapter 23: Licensure regulations for school personnel. https://law.lis.virginia.gov/admincode/title8/agency20/chapter23/ Ferguson, M. K. (2019). Old Dominion University technology edu-cation lab safety website. https://sites.google.com/odu.edu/odutechedsafety/home Ferguson, K., & Reed, P. A. (2019). How can career switchers and teachers without formal training be quickly prepared to teach engineering and tech-nology education? Paper presented at the 106th Mississippi Valley Technology Teacher Education Conference. Nashville, TN. www.mississippivalley.org/archives-2 International Technology Education Association (ITEA/ITEEA). (2007). Standards for technological liter-acy: Content for the study of technology (3rd ed.). Reston, VA: Author. www.iteea.org/File.aspx-?id=67767&v=b26b7852International Technology and Engineering Educators Association (ITEEA). (2020). Standards for tech-nological and engineering literacy: The role of technology and engineering in STEM education. Reston, VA: Author. www.iteea.org/STEL.aspx Litowitz, L. (2014). A curricular analysis of undergraduate technolo-gy & engineering teacher preparation programs in the United States. Journal of Technology Education, 25(2), 73-84. https://scholar.lib.vt.edu/ejournals/JTE/Love, T. S. & Roy, K. R. (2017). Tools and equipment in nontradition-al spaces: Safety and liability issues. Technology and Engineer-ing Teacher, 76(8), 26-27.Moye, J. J. (2009). The supply and demand of technology education teachers in the United States. The Technology Teacher, 69(2), 30-36.Reed, P. A. (PI). (2017). A strategic review of technology education in Virginia. Richmond, VA: Virginia Department of Education, Office of Adult, Career, and Technical Education. Reed, P. A. (2018). Reflections on STEM, standards, and disciplinary focus. Technology and Engineering Teacher, 71(7), 16-20.Volk, K. S. (1997). Going, going, gone? Recent trends in technology teacher education programs. Journal of Technology Education, 8(2), 66-70. https://scholar.lib.vt.edu/ejournals/JTE/ Volk, K. S. (2019). The demise of traditional technology and engi-neering education teacher preparation programs and a new direction for the profession. Journal of Technology Education, 31(1), 2-18. https://scholar.lib.vt.edu/ejournals/JTE/ Philip A. Reed, Ph.D., DTE, is the 2021-22 ITEEA Past President and a Professor at Old Do-minion University. He can be reached at preed@odu.edu. M. Kathleen Ferguson is a Ph.D. candidate at Old Dominion University with over 25 years’ experience as a technology educator. She can be reached at mkfergus@odu.edu. Copyright of Technology & Engineering Teacher is the property of International Technology& Engineering Educators Association and its content may not be copied or emailed tomultiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission.However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use.

Safety Training for Career and Content Switchers

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Safety Training for Career and Content Switchers

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