Title: The Cultural Transmission of Artefacts, Skills and
Knowledge: Eleven studies in technology education in
France
Author/Editor: Jacques Ginestié (Ed.)
Publisher:Sense Publisher
Price Paper back £25
Hard back £50
Reviewed by: Professor Stephanie Atkinson
ISBN: 978-90-8790-426-5
978-90-8790-427-2
Orders: http://www.sensepublishers.co

Ginestié (Ed.), Jacques

Loughborough University Library: Open Journals

IntroductionThe introduction to this book is written in the form of 3short ‘explanation pieces’. The first, written by JacquesGinestié provides the reader with an understanding of theresearch that has been carried out over the past twentyyears to support the development of technologyeducation in France by the ‘GESTEPRO’ research team inMarseille, where investigations have dealt with thetechnological knowledge taught in classrooms, the waythat such knowledge is taught and the way that pupilslearn, leading to a greater understanding of the schoolsituation and in particular the processes of teaching andlearning in French technology education. The second ‘explanation piece’, written by Marc de Vries isactually the most important chapter to read first for in it heexplains the main aim of the book – that being to makeavailable to non-French speaking technology educators theresearch carried out by the GESTRPRO group. He providesa useful insight into the split in the world between thosewho publish in French and those who do not explainingthat the two groups, the Anglo-Saxon and theFrancophone do not get to know each other’s work andthat he believes that many “opportunities for the fruitfulexchange of ideas are missed” (p7). To help the Anglo-Saxon reader de Vries describes some of the differencesbetween French and Anglo-Saxon traditions in technologyeducational research and, as he believes thatmisunderstandings can easily arise if the terminologypresented in the various chapters of the book is notunderstood by the reader, he goes on to explain clearlythe misleading translation of the word ‘didactique’ to theEnglish word ‘didactics’.In terms of French technology education research hediscusses some of what he considers are the importantcharacteristics and focuses not found elsewhere explainingthat in French research there is often explicit attention paidto ’a proper conceptualisation of the subject content’ with alot of research reported in the book aimed at gaining aninsight into how mental images are formed that matchwith what technology is really like. Another characteristicthat he helpfully discusses is the issue of ‘transformation’,which is referred to in several chapters in the book. Heexplains why French researchers believe that technologyfrom the real world needs to go through a transformationin order to become teachable and learnable. In his‘explanation piece’ he also clarifies the importantrelationship between task and activity, the bringingtogether of philosophy and (cognitive) psychology and thetendency for French technology education to focus onhigh tech topics.The third and useful ‘explanation piece’ in the introductionis once again written by Jacques Ginestié, in it the place oftechnology education within the French schooling systemis explained and by doing so the titles of the two sectionsof the book Structuring Artefacts, Skills and Knowledge forTeaching and Teaching and Learning Artefacts, Skills andKnowledge are explained and justified.Section 1 Structuring Artefacts, Skills and Knowledgefor TeachingIn chapter 1 The Structuring Role of Artefacts in ThoughtDevelopment Colette Andeucci reviews pertinentpsychological literature and discusses the methodology,data collection and findings from a piece of researchconcerning 8-years old children which sets out to examinethe concept for these children of ‘occupied space’ andhow an understanding of the concept depends on thecompaction rather than disassembly of objects. Thechapter concludes with the statement that the researchfindings merit the attention of all researchers in technologyeducation, as they show how the important knowledgeTitle: The Cultural Transmission of Artefacts, Skills andKnowledge: Eleven studies in technology education inFranceAuthor/Editor: Jacques Ginestié (Ed.)Publisher: Sense PublisherPrice Paper back £25Hard back £50Reviewed by: Professor Stephanie AtkinsonISBN: 978-90-8790-426-5978-90-8790-427-2Orders: www.sensepublishers.comReviewThe Cultural Transmission of Artefacts, Skills and Knowledge:Eleven studies in technology education in FranceDesign and Technology Education: An International Journal 14.2REVIEWS69gained through studying the properties of technicalartefacts is not covered by other scholarly disciplines andmust therefore be addressed in technology education. In chapter 2 Technology and the Nature of Teachers’Relationships with Science and Society Adel Bouras andVirginie Albe turn to Higher Education and a researchproject concerning Tunisian electrical engineering teachersall of whom initially specialised in the sciences during theiruniversity study. Through analysis of a questionnaire andinterviews they attempt to document the epistemologicalpoints of view of these trainees. The results indicate thatthe trainees perceive technology from an ‘applicationist’perspective of science. They appear to establish adichotomy between theory and practice with Sciencebringing laws and models whilst technology targets thepractical application of those scientific theories. In terms ofteaching the results suggest that the trainees continue toplace emphasis on the practical side of technology and inclass are more inclined to look at the social, political,economic and moral aspects of technology.In chapter 3 Teaching the Prevention of Risks inProfessional Contexts: Procedure & Knowledge HélèneCheneval-Armand and Jacques Ginestié concentrate onunderlying knowledge and methods put into practice forthe teaching of adults. The theme of the chapter concernsthe analysis of a report on risk-prevention for workersinstalling air conditioning systems and sheds light on theknowledge underlying professional procedures. The linkback into school technology is explained in terms of whatpupils learn in schools about risk prevention and how thatrelates to the practices ‘used’ in the world of work.Chapter 4 The Conceptualisation of a Staircase: Anexample of Knowledge Transportation in Architecture is splitinto three distinct sections. Perrine Laon and Jean-CharlesLebahar provide an in-depth comparative study that showshow one can observe the levels of knowledge, whichcorrespond to the stages of a knowledge transportationprocess. This is accomplished by comparing theknowledge and practical know-how of first year and finalyear students from two different architecture schools inFrance and the observed design activity involved indesigning a staircase carried out by a group of fourteendesigners (three non-architects, three architects, four finalyear students, four first year students). In section one theauthors compare the conceptual process found in theprofessional domain compared to that found inarchitectural training. The second section is dedicated tofactors observed in the professional and academicconception scenario concerning the design of thestaircase, whilst the final section looks at the differentaspects of teaching architecture and indirectly at theprocess of knowledge transportation taking place therein.In chapter 5 The Transmission of Higher-Ordertechnological Skills in Technology Education from a Social-Constructivist Point of View Pierre Vérillon discusses fromthe social-constructivist point of view the case for teachingengineering drawing. Pierre Vérillon believes that thecognitive processes and the epistemology underlyingstudent and teacher activity in the technology classroomhas attracted less attention from research in France thanthe design, development and assessment of curriculum,and that as a consequence there is a lack of knowledgeconcerning the singular nature and forms of cognitioninvolved in the transmission and construction of technicalskills and knowledge. Through the focus of this chapterPierre Vérillon addresses this criticism by linking a socio-constructivist approach to teaching with an epistemologicalmodel of technical representation in mechanicalengineering and a psychological model of cognitivedevelopment in 3-dimensional space.Section 2 Teaching and Learning Artefacts, Skills andKnowledgeIn chapter 6 Contemplation and Use of Technical Aids inPrimary Schools Marjolaine Chatoney reports a study intothe thought processes of 6-7 year olds regarding technicalobjects. The chapter starts by describing technologicaleducation in French primary schools and the need tomake the teaching of science and technology moreeffective and above all give it an experimental dimension.Supported by earlier research Chatoney describes thestrong links between the stages of conception, productionand usage of technical objects and the emergence of asuccessful structural concept for teachers themselves. Thechapter reports research carried out using observationalmethodology whilst pupils were involved in a unit of workentitled ‘discovering the world of objects’. The conclusionsdrawn are clearly articulated with results indicating that ‘…materials occupy a vital place in the design and productionof a technical object…’ (p144) and that ‘… involvement inthe task, decision making and discussion were vital inmaking 6 to 7 year old pupils aware that materials arerestricted by questions of assembly, form, links, techniqueand unit of production directly linked to the functionality ofthe object’ (p145).In chapter 7 Describing an Automated System, With theHelp of a GRAFCET to Understand How it Works LilianeAravecchia & Jacques Ginistié discuss the role and statusof technical language (in particular GRAFCET) in thelearning process during an experiment in a technologyclass in a French “college” (pupils aged 12-13 years old).ReviewThe Cultural Transmission of Artefacts, Skills and Knowledge: Elevenstudies in technology education in FranceDesign and Technology Education: An International Journal 14.2REVIEWS70The meaning of the acronym GRAFCET (a formal symboliclanguage which responds to precise rules) is carefullyexplained although not till the fifth page of the chapter.The educational aim of the lessons in this research projectwas to develop pupils’ understanding into how automatedsystems function. The experiment is well described andsupports the conclusion that pupils need to understandtechnical jargon to succeed in understanding automatedsystems. In broader education terms the pedagogicalimportance in designing teaching scenarios that allowstudents to develop their learning in order for them toreach a higher level of understanding of their technologicalenvironment is carefully articulated.In chapter 8 Searching for Information on the InternetAbout the Link Between Task and Activity Pascale Brandt-Pomares describes the benefits to teaching and learningfrom using the Internet. The study sets out to highlight thedistance between ‘task’ and ‘activity’, through a study ofpupils’ information search carried out during a technologytask. On the one hand there is the nature of information-finding activities, which contribute to individualisation byawarding a specific status to knowledge, and on the otherhand, the fact that it is relatively easy to put the activityinto practice. In the first section of the chapter the searchfor information is placed in the context of the theory of theactivity, the next section describes the link between task-activity and the teaching scenario. This is followed bythoughts on the scholarly task involved. The technologicaltask used in this research study concerning the creation ofan electronic quiz game which is then described in detailto indicate the use of the Internet within the project. Theresearch methodology concerning data collecting methodsis discussed at length, as are the results. The conclusiondrawn by the authors suggest that the information madeavailable by the Internet is only rendered useful byeffective information consultation processes put in placeby teachers.In chapter 9 The Use of Collective Workspaces inTechnology Teaching Jean-Francis Ranucci describes anexperiment in which laptop computers are made availableto students. The chapter starts with the theoretical contextin which laptops were given to every pupil and all theteachers who taught them in one of France’s localauthorities in 2003. The digital workspace, access to theplatform and information, the concept of events andresources, and the co-operative work’s functions are alldescribed before a description of the research project itselfis provided. The task under scrutiny was carried out both‘in-lesson’ and ‘outside-the-classroom’ time. The collecteddata is described in detail. A number of pertinentconclusions are suggested. For instance: the use ofcomputers as educative technology is dependent uponhow the teacher uses them. In practical terms the resultssuggest that of prime importance is keeping the laptops ingood working condition. In terms of operational methods,linking learning to the task is found to be easier whenpupils work in groups rather than as individuals. It is alsoconcluded that as the learning scenario develops it allowsthe pupils to become both users and producers ofinformation at the same time. In chapter 10 The Notion of Autonomy for Students in theServices Sector Using Information Technology ToolsChristine Montuori provides a longitudinal study withstudents when they were 11 and 13 years old in anattempt to answer the question of student autonomy asan essential element of education. After defining threeviews of autonomy, she sets herself the question as towhether there is a link between the use of IT equipmentin a classroom and autonomy, in particular could a non-autonomous situation move to an autonomous situationmerely as a result of IT equipment being present in theclassroom. Her results indicate that IT equipment tends toproduce positive results but also negative effects withregard to the appearance of an autonomisation process.The results of her study suggest that autonomisation canappear and evolve with the help of IT tools but moreimportantly it is the organisation by teachers linkingtogether the task and the IT activity that will enable thestudent to become a ‘doer’ in the use of IT rather than a‘consumer’.Chapter 11, the final chapter of the book entitled FromTask to Activity: A redistribution of roles between teacherand pupils is written once again by Jacques Ginestié. Inthe introduction he starts by discussing the widely heldbelief that scenarios used in technology education aresignificantly different from scenarios used in the teachingof other subjects. He explains that Technology is a “doingto learn” rather than a “learning by doing” educationalsituation both in terms of curricula design and the tasksthat teachers provide for pupils. He describes twocontrasting scenarios for a teacher’s role as ‘a guider ofaction’, the first describing organisational attributes inwhich the task is exclusively designed to lead studentactivity towards producing the result, which is the teacher’sintended solution. The second, designed around opentasks based upon the knowledge that the teacher needsthe student to acquire. Ginestié also interestingly discusseshow teacher’s activity can create illusions of studentautonomy and student success. The research project usedto support and develop his thinking is designed tomeasure the effects of interactions between teacher andstudent(s) on students’ activity when they are taughtReviewThe Cultural Transmission of Artefacts, Skills and Knowledge: Elevenstudies in technology education in FranceDesign and Technology Education: An International Journal 14.2REVIEWS71about how a controlled (test) system operates. In terms ofthese interactions Ginestié describes three distinctinteraction modes: injunctive, descriptive and interrogative.The analysis of the results provides interesting detailedinsight into the teachers’ role in the two contrasting modesof learning and the different modes of interaction.There is no overall conclusion to the book althoughGinestié’s final chapter brings together a number of thethemes and ideas being presented in other chapters.In conclusion to my review I return to the final remarksmade by Marc de Vries in the second of the two‘explanation pieces’ where he explains that ‘we cannotafford to let language differences block the road tointernational exchange of insights and experiences’, I wouldwholeheartedly support this statement and I am gratefulfor de Vries’ chapter in setting the scene for thesedifferences and for the work of Ginestié and theGESTEPRO research team for providing their research in aform that is accessible for the Anglo-Saxon technologyeducational research community. Unfortunately I do feel Ineed to warn the reader that the translation into English ofthe various chapters did need more careful proof readingas I found that I often had to re-read paragraphs in orderto make sense of what had been written – but found thatit was well worth persevering.ReviewThe Cultural Transmission of Artefacts, Skills and Knowledge: Elevenstudies in technology education in FranceDesign and Technology Education: An International Journal 14.2REVIEWS72

The Cultural Transmission of Artefacts, Skills and Knowledge: Eleven studies in technology education in France

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The Cultural Transmission of Artefacts, Skills and Knowledge: Eleven studies in technology education in France

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