What Next?
Diana plans to drop the Year 10 nutrition unit in 2007 and extend the Beef and Lamb into a longer unit for terms 1 and 2 – students will move on to Batters in a Bottle in terms 3 and 4. The Year 10 class will still focus on basic cooking skills but Diana will emphasise the food formulation aspects and ensure better progression of technological practice within the programme.
Batters in a Bottle could be used at Year 11 (Diana has had one Year 11 student working on this unit).
Diana notes that recycling of containers is something that could be extended in the unit if desired. She has discussed other packaging ideas with the class and some students have decided to use alternative types of packaging
The Year 9 programme will also be changed in 2007. There will be two six-month projects – two classes will work on one project and two on the other, then swap at mid-year. In this new programme students will be taught in four Technology areas and ICT will be incorporated within Technology.
In one project, with a Food/Graphics focus, students will make an ice cream product and create a presentation for it. This will involve Diana, the Graphics and ICT teachers and possibly some Electronics ICT. (This was still in the planning stage in October 2006).
The other project will be a Novelty Items unit, with a Materials/Electronics/Graphics focus, also involving team teaching – this unit was successfully trialled in 2006.
Diana is conscious of the shared aim, with the Bush Primary School's Technology Centre, that the Year 7/8 programme should be a seamless transition to Year 9, and will work with Jacquey Neilson and chat with Carol Pound, food technologist, about what should be in the Year 9 course.
