CPb: Trajectories of Learning [3]

Along with curriculum knowledge and pedagogy, designing and planning for trajectories of learning encompasses assessment information and an understanding of each learner’s strengths, interests, needs, identities, languages and cultures. 

2. Social Sciences

2.1. Concept-based learning in social studies

Why are conceptual understandings important for social studies?

One particularly useful aspect of concept-based learning is that after understanding a concept, students can transfer their understanding to different contexts. For example, when students understand the concept on structural racism in the context of the 1960s US civil rights, they can easily transfer their conceptual understanding to understand other contexts such as South African Apartheid, WWII holocaust,  BLM movements, Down Raids in Aotearoa NZ and so on…

For example, the Achievement Objectives (AOs) express several conceptual understandings that relate to the concept of place:

• level 1: AO 1.4 places in New Zealand are significant for individuals and groups;
• level 2: AO 2.5 places influence people and people influence places;
• level 3: AO 3.3 people view and use places differently;
• level 4: AO 4.3 exploration and innovation create opportunities and challenges for people, places,and environments.

Summary: Concepts, conceptual understandings and conceptual strands

What are the differences between these terms? Erickson (cited in Milligan & Wood, 2010) defines:

•    Concepts as cultural universals
•    Conceptual understandings as powerful ideas.

The MoE book series titled  Building Conceptual Understandings in the Social Sciences also provides succinct definitions of both terms, as well as a convincing rationale as to why  concepts and conceptual understandings are important in social studies education. It defines concept as “a general idea, understanding, or thought embodying a set of things that have one or more properties in common. A concept can be expressed in a single word, such as democracy or needs, or a simple phrase, such as social decision-making or cultural practices”. Conceptual understandings are defined as “what learners know and understand about a concept, that is, the generalisations learners can develop about the nature or properties of that concept. Some people refer to them as “big ideas”. A range of conceptual understandings can be associated with any one concept.” Important: the NZC’s Achievement Objectives (AOs) themselves are often said to be conceptual understandings!

Another important definition to remember is that, in the NZC, the four Social Sciences strands (1- Identity, Culture, & OrganisationI; 2- Place & Environment; 3-  are called Conceptual Strands

Generalisations: the ultimate goal to effective learning (the peak of the pyramid)  “ Generalisations are the most complex stage of Social Studies learning. Generalisations can help us explain or predict, summarise what is thought to be true about  similar  cases  and  provide  a  way  of  synthesising  and  summarising  information.  Generalisations  are,  of  course,  not  absolute  truths.  They  should  be  regarded as tentative statements which can be modified, expanded or qualified. Generalisations are different from understandings in that understandings refer to specific places, times, people, or items.  Generalisations are broader and applicable in a variety of situations”.    Barr et al. (1997). A Position Paper: Social Studies in the New Zealand school curriculum. Hamilton: The University of Waikato, p. 12).

2.2. “thinking conceptually” in the new curriculum

Despite the many changes, it is relevant that the refreshed Te Ao Tangata / Social Sciences curriculum (to be officially implemented only by 2026) will continue to champion the importance of conceptual-based learning for the social sciences. Specifically, the DO strand forefronts the Te whakaaro huatau | Thinking conceptually, (page 4) defining it as:

2.3. Ideas for scaffolding learning of concepts

When we learn something new, it is easier if we can relate the new information to prior knowledge or experience. 

As teachers we need to scaffold the information, that is build it up in sequential steps, to enable students to process the new knowledge and therefore become independent learners. As we have already discussed, the new knowledge needs to be used in different ways for it to enter the long term memory. The research by Adrienne Alton-Lee & Graham Nuttall which I refer to as the 4 x 2 rule, showed that students need to access new learning (such as a new concept or skill) in four different ways over two days for it to enter their long term memory. Aitken & Sinnema (2008) refer to this as sufficient opportunities to learn or sufficiency.

Some Ideas:

1.     Create a graphic organiser such as a concept map with four or more boxes with the key  concept in the centre (note there are many websites with examples of graphic organisers):

a.     What does the concept ‘look like’?  draw it.

b.     What do you think it means?

c.     Provide a synonym for the concept.

d.     Provide a dictionary definition.

e.     Write a sentence to put the concept into context;

https://www.educatorstechnology.com/2018/01/9-great-concept-mapping-tools-for.html

2.     Teach your students how to summarise key information using graphic organisers such as mind maps, fishbone organiser (ideal for sequencing events), star diagrams, T charts etc, highlighting the key concept(s). I have used the fishbone organiser often with year 11, with generic information along the top and case study material along the bottom. Summarising is an old fashioned but still extremely important skill as many students do not find it easy to sift and sort information to focus ont he key elements. You need to help them with this;

 3.     Include games such as bingo, matching cards, I have… who has?, the fly swat game to reinforce the learning and are useful as a revision activity, hook in or to fill in the occasional gap when your lesson finishes earlier than expected;

4.     Analyse texts with your students to identify key concepts and the related conceptual understanding is very important – ‘spot the concept’…

 5.     As a teacher initially, and with your students, always highlight the key concepts in the achievement objective and achievement standard currently being studied and provide students many opportunities to  practice writing sentences and paragraphs in which the concepts is used, explained and related to the context, so that the knowledge content relates explicitly to the concept (s) being studied;

 6.     Begin every lesson by reviewing the material from the last lesson briefly – particularly the key concept(s).  At the end of each lesson, wrap up by highlighting the key concept(s) and how the learning has advanced (refer to your success criteria if you use them), then cue to the next lesson.

3. The Arts – Dance

In this session you will:

•    Work collaboratively to create an original movement sequence exploring the Mataira text.
•    Identify and explore dance elements to communicate ideas in dance
•    Create a multimedia presentation to accompany dance work

Choreographic Devices

 Ways of developing a movement idea into a greater body of material

Through exploration and understanding of the elements (body,space, time, relationships and energy), we are able to select movement ideas that communicate the themes we are interested in; that express the mood, imagery and movement curiosities we might have in a particular creative work. We now need to give form to these components.

In dance, as in music, there are certain processes and devices we can use to develop individual movements into a dance sequence. Organising devices used to develop the choreographic elements into movement sequences include:

• repetition — repeating a movement or movement phrase throughout a dance;
• variation — consciously varying the movement, time, space or energy;
• symmetry/asymmetry — organising the movement or space to create symmetrical or asymmetrical shapes and spaces;
• contrast — altering the choreographic elements to create extremes, thus making contrasts such as high/low, big/little;
• canon — (as in the Mexican Wave) repeating a specific movement in succession, usually with a group, for example, children running and leaping across the classroom, one after another;
• Accumulation — building a sequence by adding movements one at a time. If numbers could represent movements, an accumulation could be expressed as 1, 1-2, 1-2-3, 1-2-3-4.
  

Common Choreographic Structures

AB Variation

A basic, two-part structure, this concept is borrowed from music. The AB structure uses two separate movements that are connected and may be repeated. For example: a locomotor movement (A) and a non-locomotor movement (B). This can become ABA Variation (returning to A again) or Rondo.

Rondo

Based on the musical composition form, in Rondo, a central movement phrase (A) is repeated and revisited while different variations (e.g. B & C) are interspersed. ABACAD

Beginning-Middle-End

A sequence in three parts. Each part is different in some way and often develops or extends on the beginning. For example: pairs create a 3-part sequence using: Greet – Interact – Part as a structure.

Action Sequences

A series of actions (verbs) are sequenced. Eg. RUN – JUMP -TURN

Adverbs can also be explored here. Remember: adverbs add information about how the verb is performed – quickly, nosily, heavily….

Narrative

Similar to the Beginning-Mid-End structure but drawing on characters, themes or events of a story. For example: a simple narrative sequence –  a bird hatches from the egg; finds food and grows wings; the bird flies.

3.2. Connection Practice to Theory: Connecting to the Curriculum

UC  Students understand dance in context as they:

LEVEL 1: Demonstrate an awareness of dance in their lives and in their communities

LEVEL 2: Identify and describe dance in their lives and in their communities

LEVEL 3: Explore and describe dances from a variety of cultures.

LEVEL 4: Explore and describe how dance is used for different purposes in a variety of cultures.

PK Students develop practical knowledge in dance as they: LEVEL 1: Explore movement with a developing awareness of the dance elements of body, space, energy, time and relationships;

LEVEL 2: Explore and identify through movement the dance elements of body, space, energy, time and relationships;

LEVEL 3: Use the dance elements to develop and share their personal movement vocabulary.

LEVEL 4: Apply the dance elements to extend personal movement skills and vocabularies and to explore the vocabularies of others.

Connecting practice to theory: connecting to the Curriculum

DI  Students develop ideas in dance as they:

LEVEL 1: Improvise and explore movement ideas in response to a variety of stimuli;

LEVEL 2: Use the elements of dance in purposeful ways to respond to a variety of stimuli

LEVEL 3: Select and combine, dance elements in response to a variety of stimuli.

LEVEL 4: Combine and contrast the dance elements to express images, ideas and feelings in dance, using a variety of choreographic processes.

 CI  Students communicate and interpret in dance as they:

LEVEL 1: Share dance movement through informal presentation share their thoughts and feelings in response to their own and others’ dances;

LEVEL 2: Share dance movement through informal presentation and identify the use of the elements of dance;

LEVEL 3: Prepare and share dance movement individually and in pairs or groups. Use the elements of dance to describe dance movements and respond to dances from a variety of cultures.

LEVEL 4: Prepare and present dance with an awareness of the performance context.  Describe and record how the purpose of selected dances is expressed through movement.

Progression in Dance

 The Arts Curriculum document (Ministry of Education,2000) explains that learning in the Arts does not follow a linear progression of steps.  Instead, the document presents learning using a non-linear metaphor of a mussel shell.  You will see that the surface area that represents learning and content at Level One is also part of Level Two, but at Level Two, the surface area (the work) is extended, as new territory is explored. And so on. This means that often we participate in learning experiences and processes that are similar across the curriculum levels, however the depth, skill, sophistication and level of independence students achieve in their work increases as they progress through the levels.

Constructing Learning Outcomes for Dance

From Achievement Objectives to Learning Intentions

As with other areas of the curriculum, you will notice the Achievement Objectives (AO) are too broad to be addressed in a single lesson sequence.  When we plan, we must be able to focus our teaching more specifically in order to be effective.  Using the AO as a guide, we develop specific learning intentions – that is a specific learning focus we intend to address within a lesson.

 Achievement Objective – Level One: Explore through movement the dance elements of body awareness, space, energy, time and relationships.

 There is too much to cover here in a single lesson so we break this down into a more specific focus when we write the LI…

Specific Learning Intention: Students will explore the element of space by moving on different levels and pathways

This LI is far more specific and gives us a clearer idea of what the teaching activity may actually look like (it is likely to involve children moving on different levels and pathways and perhaps discussing this notion of ‘space’!).  It also gives us a clear idea of the focus of questions and teaching points that will need to be made during the lesson, in order that children learn about this specific aspect of dance. It is the Learning Intention that we teach and assess. Therefore, specific Learning Intentions are ones that are assessable and criteria can be developed from these.

Sound planning means specific learning intentions will relate to the appropriate AOs.  When the learning intention is clearly defined in this way, the teacher can more readily assess whether or not children have achieved the learning intention.  That said, with creative work and work that is negotiated with children, the nature of specific outcomes may not be known until after the work has been done.

TKI Arts online has a resources bank of Dance Teacher’s Tool Kit

https://artsonline.tki.org.nz/Teaching-and-Learning/Secondary-teaching-resources/Dance/Units-and-sequences/Dance-Teacher-s-Tool-Kit

In the dance resource folder, you will find a second that demonstrates the AOs and Learning Outcomes. The resource folder also contains two PDFs to support you on your dance journey.  

 Identify opportunities to explore Ako in your dance teaching

Ka Hikitia – accelerating success 2013-2017

• Find and maximise opportunities for students to learn from each other in small-group activities.
• For example, use expert groups (a jigsaw method).
• Students are assigned to a group, for example, to look at different features of a particular dance style.
• Each member splits off to find out about a specific aspect of this shared topic.
• Each member then returns to the home group to report his or her discoveries. This is an ideal learning exercise for nurturing ako.
• Alternatively, set up a range of dance-making activities where students can work collaboratively. For example, they could create original dance sequences (with teacher direction) by playing with formations, weight-bearing exercises, and counter balancing.

4. Science – Planning and Teaching Effectively in Science

• Explain what a Big Idea in Science is and how these are broken into smaller chunks as part of a trajectory of learning. 
• Use a range of resources to identify Big Ideas, trajectories of learning, and then develop Learning Intentions aligning with these that are appropriately challenging for Year 1-8 learners
• Revise your understanding of the 5Es model and create a brief unit overview that you will use to guide your two Science microteaching sessions. 
• Explain what formative assessment is and identify 2-3 points of assessment in your first Science microteaching lesson. 
• Plan your first Science Microteaching Lesson using the 5Es model as a guide. 
• Evaluate student assessment samples collected during your first MT lesson (digital badge task) and use these to identify student strengths and next steps to guide your second Science MT lesson. 

4.1. Learning Trajectories and Big Ideas in Science

What are Big Ideas?

In simple terms, Big Ideas can be defined as a couple of key concepts specific to a subject area that should be understood by all students by the time the leave school. While there are many different scientific concepts that could be learnt, and it is virtually impossible to list all scientistic concepts definitively, most Scientists could narrow down key science learning to a small number of Big Ideas. These are designed to support understanding of the world around us, and so are relevant to the lives of all learners whether or not they pursue careers in science. These Big Ideas often apply across contextual strands and address attitudes to Science as well as Science Capabilities (Harlen, 2015; Skamp and Preston, 2021). There are various definitions of what these Big Ideas are, further discussion around Big Ideas in Science as well as descriptions of these by Harlen (2010) can be found on p 28 – 41. 

Progression Towards Big Ideas

As the name suggests, Big Ideas are big! and so are not designed to be understood straight away; you would not expect a 5 year old to understand Newtons second law conceptually within their first year of school! Rather, each Big Idea can broken into bite sized chunks and ordered in a learning progression which can be roughly aligned with learning capabilities at different age groups (Skamp and Preston, 2021). 

 For example the phenomenon of one substance dissolving into another (such as sugar dissolving into water) might be broken into bite sized chunks as follows: this might be understood by young children in terms of the sugar disappearing. This is then adapted for slightly older learners to account for evidence that the sugar is still there in the water, and then at later levels of the curriculum this might become bigger still to explain why some things do not dissolve and others do.  This is then enlarged further to be applied to other liquids, gases and solids, and finally connected to molecular explanations at a more abstract level. You can view other useful examples of progressions towards Big Ideas on page 20-33 of Harlen (2015). 

4.2. Planning for Micoteaching: Learning Progression towards Big Ideas

How Should Kaiako use Big Ideas?

For your Microteaching Science sessions you will select your own Big Idea and identify 1-2 smaller ‘bite sized ideas’ from the associated trajectory of learning that your learners will focus on. Understanding progressions towards Big Ideas has been found to be essential for high quality planning and teaching for the following reasons:

• Being able to explain lesson goals and how these relate to Big Ideas allows teachers to justify and allocate time to various learning experiences. 
• Awareness of each successive steps towards developing a Big Idea allows kaiako to provide substantive student feedback. 
• Understanding learning pathways enables kaiako to plan lesson sequences that guide students towards developing conceptual understandings of Big Ideas. 
• Progressions act as signposts and enable kaiako to evaluate understanding and identify next steps towards understanding Big Ideas.

(Harlen, 2010; Harlen, 2015; Skamp and Preston, 2021) 

Resources for Identifying Big Ideas, and Associated Learning Trajectories:

• Building Science Concept Books
• Primary Connections (Australian)
• Science Continuum (Australian)
• Harlen (2015) Pages 20-33
• Progressions towards Big Ideas in NOS Strand
• 5Es Model units and lessons
• Pokapū Aroranga Pūtaiao|Science Learning Hub 

Follow the steps below to complete the first part of your first microteaching plan: 

• Select the Big Idea that your students will be working towards during your Microteaching Lesson (remember that this will take years of schooling to fully conceptualise so only pick one). Describe this in the Big Idea box in your plan a couple of sentences with reference/s.
• Justify the selection of your Big Idea (consider aspects such as known or predicted student interests, connections to te ao Māori, enjoyment and engagement, and connection to ākonga lives and wellbeing).
• Select 1 AO from the conceptual strand that best aligns with your Big Idea (copy and paste this into your plan). 
• You will also need to select one AO that relates to the Nature of Science Strand that you will focus on (copy and paste this into your plan).
• Now look at the learning trajectory towards understanding this Big Idea (or the ‘bite sized chunks’ that lead towards this Big Idea). Identify 1-2 of these steps that your learners are likely to be working towards (identifying 1-2 ideas helps to cater for diverse learners in your classroom). Record these 1-2 points in your planning Big Ideas box. (Keep in mind that Microteaching sessions organised by Massey staff at our Microteaching partner schools will be with Year 5-6 students).
• Use the 1-2 points from the notes in your Big Idea box to create 1-2 Learning Intentions (We are learning to verb……). Record these in the LI contextual strand box.
• Now consider Nature of Science learning. Use the resources above to identify what will this learning trajectory look like for your NOS focus for students in your group (Copy and paste 1-2 points).
• Use the 1-2 points from the learning trajectory towards your NOS to create 1-2 associated Learning Intentions (We are learning to verb……). Record these in the LI NOS strand box.

That sounds like a lot I am sure – so take your time watching the video below as I go through each of the above steps in this planning Video. A screenshot of the planning doc that I was working towards is at the bottom of this page (use this as a model for your own planning):

Note: I will be reading through the content on Science Learning Hub about food webs and food chains to develop my own content knowledge as part of my preparation for this series of lesson. 

When developing an overview it is important to think about time allocation. If you were teaching a unit guided by the 5Es model in your own classroom, this could take anywhere from a couple of sessions to a whole term to work through. The length of time that you have will dictate the size of the overview. You can find examples of 5E unit overviews and associated resource at this link. 

Melinda’s Example of a 5Es unit overview: 

4.5. Formative Assessment Points in your Microteaching Lesson

In this module we will largely focus on using formative assessment to develop a learning trajectory within our microteaching lessons. This type of assessment is something you are likely to have heard a lot about over practicums as it has been found to be the most successful form of assessment for promoting ongoing learning. This cyclical process of formative assessment allows teachers to direct their efforts more effectively in response to student understanding and encourages them to recognise how short-term lesson goals take students towards longer-term goals, including understanding understanding big ideas (Harlen, 2015). Formative assessment involves teacher and students gathering and using evidence to make decisions about the next steps in learning. 

What might gathering formative assessment information in your microteaching lesson look like?

• Teacher notes on observations of students carrying out learning experiences,
• Photos of student work samples, 
• Notes from student to student or student to teacher discussions,
• Audio recordings of group discussions,
• Photos of collaborative brainstorms or modelling book pages with collaboratively developed mahi,
• Models, diagrams, pictures, or videos created by students,
• Anecdotal notes in your planning about what students did and/or said,
• Quotes from students showing their understandings of key ideas,
• Student self reflection on their progress towards a Success Criteria and/or student identification of next steps.

An example from Melinda’s planning is shown below:

4.6. Hei Mahi Toru: Planning your First Microteaching Lesson Sequence

Your lesson plan should contain the following (note: some of this has already been discussed/completed on previous pages):

• A brief description and justification of the selection of your Big Idea as well as details (bullet points) of what this will look like (trajectory of learning) for your curriculum level (developed on Stream page 5.2). (inc APA referencing).
• The Year Level and Curriculum Level that the students will be working at.
• One – two Achievement Objectives from the Nature of Science Strand that you will focus on during your lesson.
• One – two Achievement Objectives from the Contextual Strand relating to your Big Idea that you will focus on in your lesson.
• One – two Learning Intentions that focus on Nature of Science strand and encourage science capabilities.
• One-two Learning Intentions that focus on your Big Idea/Contextual Strand.
• A Success Criteria (bullet point list) that you will share with your students to make learning visible to them (This starts with: We will know that we are successful when….)
• One Key Competency highlighted with a brief (2-3 sentences) justification of this selection (select one best option as many might fit your learning experience)
• A brief description of one-two pedagogical approaches that are specific to the 5Es model (inc APA referencing)
• A detailed lesson sequence that is guided by the 5Es Model (use the unit overview that you developed on page 4.4 to guide you). This will include relevant subheadings of each of the 5Es Stages that you decide to focus on, and detailed descriptions of what you will say and do at each stage of this model. Any resources that you will use should also be linked or included. Your lesson sequence should also include prompts for talk moves and teacher questioning throughout, and be comprehensive enough for any Kaiako to pick up your plan and teach your lesson. (Remember that you are only planning a 60 minute learning experience and it is often better to over plan than under plan). All experiences in your lesson sequence should be tightly related to your Learning Intentions. 
• Identify two-three points of assessment (discussed in Stream 4.5) in your lesson that you will use later to analyse student understanding.

5. Technology – The Design Process

By the end of this module you will be able to: 

• Describe each phase of The Design Cycle and explain what ākonga and kaiako will do at each stage of this model, 
• Identify how using The Design Cycle aligns with strands and technological areas within the Technology Curriculum, 
• Give examples of effective feedback teacher that could be used at various stages of the Design Cycle to guide learning, 
• Describe how you might scaffold students towards giving effective peer feedback to guide learning,
• Follow the Design Cycle to create a manu tukutuku| kite.
• Analyse whakapapa of Te Mātaiako to identify how this learning in this module aligns with the underlying principles of this refreshed curriculum document. 

5.1. Where does using a Design Model fit within the Technology Curriculum?

the Technology section of the New Zealand Curriculum is structured quite differently to other curriculum areas. It contains three strands: Technological Practice, Technological Knowledge and Nature of Technology that are embedded through all five technological areas. While the technology curriculum presents these three strands as separate entities, in reality they are taught in an integrated manner within the classroom.

 

(New Zealand Curriculum Online, 2018)

Optional Reading/Viewing

• There are further videos and resources on this page to assist you in unpacking Te Mātaiaho further. 

5.2. Design Models and Design Briefs

Following a Design Model in Technology 

Design Briefs  

A design brief is a statement, a problem, a need, or an opportunity that includes specifications that need to be met in a final product. A design brief does not indicate how a problem might be solved, but simply states the context and specifications. It might indicate aspects of a problem to be solved including: who, when, where, and why as well as whom will be involved in formulating a solution. As kaiako you might need to develop a design brief yourself for ākonga.

When launching your lesson you will need to support ākonga in unpacking the design brief before they start working through The Design Cycle. This might be done by co-constructing a success criteria (e.g. “How will we know when we have been successful?”) or by creating a list of questions that align with each of the specifications (e.g. “Does my final product …….?”). Teachers should encourage learners to return to the design brief at each stage of The Design Cycle to evaluate whether they are meeting all aspects of the brief. 

5.3. The Design Cycle

Take some time to familiarise yourself with each stage of the Design Cycle Below. We will be guided by this model when creating our own manu tukutuku on the following page. 

Taken from: Flinn, E., & Patel, S. (2016). The really useful primary design and technology book: Subject knowledge and lesson ideas. Routledge.  

Research  

The first step in The Design Cycle is Research. This looks quite different to research in other curriculum areas and could be carried out in the following ways:   

• Similar existing products could be examined and dismantled in order to understand components and how these are put together. Concept designs might then be modifications of these existing products, combine aspects of multiple existing products, or perhaps supersede existing products with a revolutionary new concept design. For example, existing kites might be dismantled to examine components and how they fit together.   
• Sources such as books, experts or the internet could be utilised to gather information about existing products, materials and designs. For example, a Kite Surfing manufacturer could be interviewed about materials used in their products.  
• The needs of potential users might be investigated to better understand design requirements. For example, this might take the form of interviewing potential product users to find out what is appealing to them, or by taking measurements of users to make sure that products are the right size for users. 
• Materials that might be used in the product could be analysed according to factors such as their properties, availability, and price. For example, a number of fabrics might be tested to compare their water resistance or durability in windy conditions.    

Design  

At this stage of The Design Cycle multiple concepts (or ideas) should be generated that could meet the design brief. These might be recorded as annotated sketches, drawings or models. Generating multiple concepts at this stage encourages innovative thinking, and provides ākonga with options to fall back upon should they find that they cannot progress with an initially selected concept. After generating multiple concepts, only one of these needs to be selected to be developed further. This part of the design process is iterative, where students make multiple changes and improvements to their selected concept, in order to arrive at a product that has gone through many stages.  

The Design phase is often considered to be one of the most challenging of any Design Model. This is because students frequently start this process with an existing design in mind and accordingly struggle to generate several different concepts, or to make modifications to significantly enhance their selected concept. Furthermore, students might also struggle to select a concept that could actually be created or functional. As you will see on the following page, feedback at this stage is essential to support students through the challenges of this stage of the process.   

Make  

The third stage of The Design Cycle is Make. At this stage, students use the final iteration of their concept design (annotated sketch, drawing or model) to construct their response to the design brief. This might simply be a prototype, where any available material (e.g. paper or cardboard) is used to create a non-functional version of the design. The purpose of this is to show aspects such as size and shape. Alternatively, students might create working versions of their designs using materials that they have sourced during their research stage. When making functional models, lessons will need to include explicit teaching of skills (e.g. measuring, manipulating materials, sewing, gluing etc.) and safety instructions. This explicit teaching is essential in supporting students to construct high quality, working products as well as developing their technological knowledge.   

Consideration also needs to be given to use of space in the classroom throughout this stage: there might be quiet and loud areas allocated for students working at different stages of the design cycle, there might be dedicated areas like hot glue stations, or restricted areas where tools such as drills or spray paint are used under adult supervision.   

Evaluate  

At this final stage of The Design Cycle, students assess whether their product meets the design brief. This might involve referring back to co-constructed success criteria, or questions aligned with specifications that were developed during the launch of the unit. Students might also test their products, or have potential users test these for them, to evaluate whether they carry out intended functions, and are aesthetically pleasing.    

As with many other models, evaluation can occur at any stage of The Design Cycle and should not only focus on the final product but also on how the students have carried out each stage of the design process and worked collaboratively. Ideas for improving their design, or reflections on how they would have done things differently if they could repeat this process should also be encouraged at this stage.   

Recommended Reading

• The Design Process in Engineering
• Flinn, E., & Patel, S. (2016). The really useful primary design and technology book: Subject knowledge and lesson ideas. Routledge.  

5.4. Matariki and Manu Tukutuku

The Context: Matariki

Matariki is a rich and authentic context for placing mātauranga Māori at the centre of planning and teaching. While our focus in this learning experience is Technology, you will notice that there are also many opportunities for connections to other curriculum areas.

Manu Tukutuku

Recent growing awareness of Matariki in Aotearoa, including our first national Matariki holiday in 2022, has increased the popularity of manu tukutuku. Māori ancestors traditionally welcomed Matariki by flying these kites. As they sail close to the stars, manu tukutuku are thought to be symbolic of connecting heaven and earth thus fostering connections between people, papatūānuku, and those who have passed on (Stuff, 2022). You will find out more about these manu tukutuku, as well as the materials used to make these, their various designs, and the different purposes that these were built for during the research stage of The Design Cycle.  A couple of examples are shown below to get you started!

5.7. Using Feedback to Guide Ākonga Learning Trajectories

We know from our Science learning in Module 2 that the teacher plays the role of facilitator while taking students through an inquiry-based model such as The Design Cycle. One of the ways that a teacher can facilitate learning during this time is providing feedback to students to guide their learning. The content below unpacks teacher feedback and peer feedback. We have also included a great (very 80s but still a goodie) video called Austin’s Butterfly for your to watch as an example of how kaiako can teach students to seek, accept and use feedback.  

Teacher Feedback

Hattie (2011) deems feedback to be one of the most important influences on student achievement in classrooms. Some key points for us to keep in mind when giving effective teacher feedback are:

• Feedback should focus on the qualities of ākonga work not on the child themselves, or as a point of comparison to the work of others, 
• Feedback should include specific details of what a ākonga can do to improve their work, 
• Feedback needs to be delivered in small, manageable chunks so that ākonga can process, recall and apply this,
• For feedback to be received effectively, it needs to be delivered within a trusting learning environment,
• Feedback that is given in the moment has been found to be highly effective, but delayed feedback is also valuable,
• Using tools like success criteria to reduce uncertainty between student performance and desired outcomes makes learning visible to students. Teacher feedback that is then based on success criteria can promote learning goal orientation. 

(Albion & Campbell, 2018; Hattie and Clarke, 2018)

Hei Wānanga | Reflect

• Why might commonly used feedback phrases like “You are so smart” or “Great work” be ineffective in improving student work throughout The Design Cycle?  
• How might giving the following feedback in the Design phase of The Design Cycle enhance learning and affirm technological practice? “I love the way you have modified your design in relation to the brief, this is what innovative thinkers do.” 
• Using the feedback points from Hattie and Clarke (2018) above, write down two feedback statements that you might give a child at different stages of The Design Cycle.

Peer Feedback

Peer assessment is another useful tool for developing student learning across curriculum areas. Peer feedback has been found to be effective when students feel that they are in a safe learning environment. Accordingly, teachers need to know their students well, be aware of who might struggle to give constructive feedback, and who might struggle to receive constructive feedback. Furthermore, peer feedback is a skill that needs to be scaffolded. When student are explicitly taught how to do this using tools such as success criteria, a deconstructed design brief, or stem sentence starters like those shown below, this feedback can align well with teacher assessment and be used to support learning effectively (Albion & Campbell, 2018). 

Taken from: Hattie and Clarke, 2018a

Hei Mahi Rua

The video Austin’s Butterfly (below) hows a pertinent example of how children can be explicitly taught to give and receive peer feedback to improve learning outcomes in the context of design. In this video, ākonga are guided towards giving feedback about specific aspects of Austin’s work such as the shape of the wings and the pattern, they observe how Austin’s work improves in response to peer feedback, and discuss how the peer feedback that Austin received was constructive rather than destructive. 

While you are watching this video, consider how you could incorporate similar aspects of this lesson into your teaching while using The Design Model (Hattie and Clarke, 2018a). 

Optional Readings:

John Hattie in Sutton, Hornsey,  & Douglas (2011), Feedback: The communication of praise, criticism, and advice.

Additional Resources

Resources:

• https://www.youtube.com/embed/QIhMiyd0tao?rel=0&wmode=transparent
• https://akau.co.nz/kete/manu-rere-kites

Videos

Matariki

• Matariki Information – Massey site
• Why do we Fly Kites and Matariki?
• Matariki – Ready to Read
• Matariki Breakfast – Ready to Read

Together in Love – A Legend of Matariki

• Modern Matariki pūrākau