Reference Group Profiles
Niall Dinning
Project Manager (GIF – Technology Education initiative)
As Head of Department Technology at Rotorua Boys High School he was actively involved in a number of technology education projects including resource development initiatives. In 1999 Niall received a Royal Society Maths, Science and Technology Teacher Fellowship which enabled him to work with a number of technology related enterprises in the Bay of Plenty region.
He moved from Rotorua Boys High School to work with School Support Services, University of Waikato as a secondary technology adviser. From there Niall moved on to a position in the Ministry of Education in Wellington as curriculum facilitator – technology.
Niall believes there is now a level of readiness for this work in the technology education community. "This is the time to build on the significant experience of a number of educators and to provide them with the sort of support they need to make even greater gains," he says.
Dr Vicki Compton
Principal Lecturer / Researcher in Postgraduate Studies and Research (Faculty of Education, University of Auckland)
Vicki's involvement in technology education stretches back to 1992, being part of the groups which developed the original draft technology curriculum, the final 1995 document and more currently in the work on the 'essence statement' for technology.
She was closely involved in the structuring of the 1995/1996 technology facilitator programmes and on the Know How 2 professional Development package for schools. She has played a significant role in the development of unit standards and achievement standards in technology and has undertaken extensive classroom research in the area of technology education over the last 12 years.
Vicki considers that at this stage of the implementation of Technology in the New Zealand Curriculum there are pockets of innovative and exciting technology education from new entrant to senior secondary levels. However she cautions that "there are still significant gaps in people's understandings about the nature and detail of technology education – both within and outside education."
"With the development of senior qualifications, the need for programmes in technology to be strongly embedded in sound understandings is critical for student achievement. The GIF project has a clear focus on supporting the development of such programmes through a range of targeted approaches. " she says.
Cliff Harwood
Professional Support Facilitator
See: Beacon Practice Professional Support Facilitator profile.
Professor Alister Jones
Director – The Wilf Malcolm Institute of Educational Research (School of Education at the University of Waikato)
Chairperson – Board of Trustees (TENZ and TENZ National Council)
Alistair's main fields of research have been in science education and technology education, particularly in learning, teacher development and curriculum development with over 200 publications in refereed journals, books, chapters in books, and commissioned reports on science and technology education as well as presentations of research and development work including many at national and international science and technology education conferences.
As a current Councillor of The Royal Society of New Zealand, he chairs the RSNZ education advisory committee and has been a member of the RSNZ technology advisory group since its inception. He has directed several major Ministry of Education funded contracts and is a member of a number of national and international committees. He is on the editorial board of four key international science and technology education journals. Alister was awarded the New Zealand Science and Technology Medal in 2000 for services to technology education.
Alister believes that the GIF – technology education initiative is significant at this time. "It shows that technology education is developing as area of learning in our schools and that it can contribute to the country as a whole, " he says.
Glynn McGregor
Project Coordinator (Techlink)
Glynn can probably best be described as an 'independent contractor' – "usually working on a handful of education-related projects at any one time," he says.
He came into secondary teaching with a chemical engineering background and has taught maths, chemistry, physics and, latterly in his career – both junior and senior technology courses.
Glynn has been a member of a number of development groups during the implementation of technology education within the NZ Curriculum and Qualification frameworks. These include: the writing of unit standards and achievement standards in technology and resource material to support both; developing and delivering NCEA support programmes; professional networking through Technology Education New Zealand (TENZ); and technology education advisory work for School Support Services and other agencies.
He considers one of the biggest challenges for the GIF-Technology initiative to be to acknowledge and more effectively utilise much of the good work which is being done or has already been done in technology education. "We need to build on this existing resource base to create a more integrated and inclusive support network – one which any teacher can tap into speedily to access the information or assistance required." says Glynn.
Cheryl Pym
Curriculum Adviser for secondary Technology Education, Health and Home Economics (Dunedin College of Education)
Cheryl is currently based at the Southland Campus in Invercargill. She lectures in Education issues to the graduate secondary group and is involved in two Ministry of Education contracts as a facilitator in the Student Wellbeing contract and as one of two national professional leaders in the Beacon School Project in senior Home Economics Education. She is currently the National president of HETTANZ (Home Economics and Technology Teachers Association of New Zealand)
Prior to joining Dunedin College of Education Cheryl was HOD Technology and Health at Northern Southland College.
As a member of the GIF reference group Cheryl sees the major challenge to be that of changing the perception of technology education from within the education sector and in the wider communities of business and caregivers. "Technology education has changed, if we do not manage this change, including the way we understand and teach technology education to our students then they will be ill equipped to function in the rapidly changing world around them." She points to exciting and vibrant technology education projects around the country, and says that "we need to sustain these and at the same time move the rest of the technology education community with us."
Angela Christie
Director (Schools) for IPENZ Professional Engineers New Zealand
Angela is currently working with IPENZ as Director-Schools, responsible for the Futureintech and Techlink projects. Futureintech is a government-funded initiative that promotes careers in technology, engineering and science by supporting the work of teachers in these learning areas.
She has a primary teaching background and was seconded as a technology education facilitator by Wellington College of Education in 1995-96. She received a Science Maths and Technology Fellowship in 1997 working with Technology Education New Zealand (TENZ) as the host organisation. An important outcome from the Fellowship was the publishing of The DELTA Series – seven case studies showing technology education in action in New Zealand classrooms. Angela was appointed as Adviser – Technology and Technology Education at the Royal Society of New Zealand before moving on to IPENZ in 2002 to direct their two-year Techlink project which was funded by New Zealand Trade and Enterprise.
Angela considers there to be growing awareness by government and industry of the potential for technology education to make a significant contribution to New Zealand's social and economic development. "I hope that one of the major outcomes of this initiative will be a better general understanding of the benefits of technology education and I look forward to advancing industry and tertiary support for this learning area," she says.
RSS Feed
