Ten Components of a Good Technology Education Activity

Activities are a major part of classroom practice, yet few research studies have examined what students should be doing in technology education activities. The release of Standards for Technological Literacy: Content for the Study of Technology (ITEA, 2000) has increased the need for any technology teachers who have done so to make the change from industrial arts to technology education. During the transition from industrial arts to technology education, the content became blurred. Wicklein (1993) indicated that this problem might stem from the gap between the theory of technology education espoused in various books, journals, and professional presentations and the practice that occurs day-to-day in technology education classrooms. Activities are a major part of classroom practice, yet few research studies have examined what students should be doing in technology education activities. This article seeks to connect theory to practice by providing answers to the following questions. What components comprise a sound technology education activity? Which components are needed to provide the best experience for students of technology education? Identifying these key elements will enable technology education teachers to improve activities in their classrooms and select new ones. A list of such components may also provide a basis for consistency of activities used in the field. Engstrom (2000) conducted a survey to identify which components of technology education activities were perceived as and by teachers and leaders in the profession. The Technology Education Content Rating Matrix (TECRM) survey contained 32 technology education and 20 industrial arts activity component descriptors. Respondents were asked to rate components as being (4), desirable (3), not essential (2), or irrelevant (1) to a technology education activity. All members of the Council on Technology Teacher Education (CTTE) (n=488) and a random sample (n=512) of the International Technology Education Association (ITEA) membership, excluding CTTE members, were mailed surveys. Sixty-two percent of the surveys were returned. CTTE members accounted for 243 surveys, while ITEA members returned 297 surveys. Ten items for a technology education activity were identified. Each of these items received a mean rating of 3.50 or greater based on a 1.00 to 4.00 scale. These mean values were descriptive in nature and inferential and represented the typical response on the TECRM. In other words, a majority of respondents perceived these ten items as components of a technology education activity. All but one of the ten components were categorized as a technology education, rather than an industrial arts activity. Six of these components related specifically to design and problem solving. These findings suggested that there is general agreement among these groups on the components of a technology education activity. Each of these ten items, as they were originally stated on the TECRM, is listed in rank order and explained below. * Safely use tools and machines. Safety is a real concern when working with any type of tool or machine. Students must realize that if tools are used with care and respect, serious injury or illness can result. In addition, some materials or byproducts of processing are poisonous and can cause illnesses that may appear for years. Observation of students' proper use of these safety practices and an exam are both needed to properly determine student understanding. * Consider various solutions. It is important to design a variety of solutions before solving a technological problem. By brainstorming, students' thinking is stimulated, and they are able to generate a list of potential solutions. Many times the final solution is the result of combining several ideas into one. Harmin (1994) indicated that this technique allows students to think open-mindedly about a topic and generate a written [or sketched] list of possibilities without worrying whether any possibility is reasonable (p. …