Supporting Learning Environment Level 3

To support students to develop understanding of characteristics of technological outcomes at level 3, teachers could:

• provide students with a range of technological outcomes with unknown functions to explore and guide them to make informed suggestions regarding who might use them and the possible function they could perform, as based on an exploration and analysis of their physical nature
• provide students with the opportunity to explore a range of technological outcomes that are similar in their functional nature but have differences in their physical natures and vice versa
• support students to understand that the intended use and users, socio-cultural and physical locations all combine to determine how the physical and functional attributes can be best matched for optimum fitness for purpose. For example; a selection of brooms could be described as having similar functional attributes (clean an area by sweeping unwanted material to another location, able to be used while standing) but whether they are for a young child to sweep dust of the kitchen floor or for an adult to sweep water off driveways will mean quite different physical attributes will be decided upon to ensure the broom is fit for its purpose. Alternatively, a selection of brushes could be described as having similar physical natures (all have flexible bristles) but the way in which they are used will determine their functional nature as to whether they function to clean, act as a reservoir to spread a substance, or to separate something
• guide students to understand the relationship between the physical and functional nature in a technological outcome. That is, the functional nature requirements set boundaries around the suitability of proposed physical nature options (for example a chair for a child will constrain the dimensions of the chair) and the physical nature options will set boundaries around what functional nature is feasible for a technological outcome at any time (for example heavy cast iron pots will not be suitable for everyday use by the elderly)
• guide students to understand that the judgment of a technological outcome as a ‘good’ or ‘bad’ is related to the match between its physical and functional nature, its intended user/s and the context they would normally use it in.

Describe possible users and functions of a technological outcome based on clues provided by its physical attributes

If I need something to … it will look like… and will need to…

Have student focus on a specific technological outcome and complete the sentence e.g. if made it from metal it would be strong; if I made it from aluminum it would be light

Use multiple problem scenarios to challenge students to think about possibilities for a technological outcome in terms of the end user and the physical attributes needed and what it will do in each context.

e.g. I’m working as a food technologist (chef) so if I want a mouth texture that is crunchy, what does the physical nature of the ingredients of the product need to be?

Describe examples of technological outcomes with different physical natures that have similar functional natures

Use multiple examples of similar products that have the same functional nature, but different physical natures.
Use a combination of both actual outcomes and images of outcomes.
Students source own examples to demonstrate independent understanding .

For example:.

• a range of raising agents explore how different raising agents effect the physical outcome.
• range of potato peelers, different looking ones, made from range of materials, but all have same function
• categories of finishes (e.g. oil, varnish, paint)
• a range of brushes (hair, paint, washing up … )

Describe examples of technological outcomes with different functional natures that have similar physical natures

Use multiple examples of similar products that have the same physical nature, but with different functional natures

Explore functions of e.g. bags that are there to do similar things in terms of physical nature.
Use a combination of both actual outcomes and images of outcomes.
Students source own examples to demonstrate independent understanding

The cake, the muffin, the bread, all three have similar functional natures, but all three have different physical nature… e.g. crust, batter to make etc

Different products with the same functions

Develop a picture chart to illustrate how different products are used for similar purposes, Explain how/why do these products can do this

Explain why a technological outcome could be called a ‘good’ or ‘bad’ design.

Teacher sourced examples of ‘good’ or ‘bad’ (failed ) technological outcomes.

Images and text about successful and failed outcomes.
Teacher led discussion about why these technological outcomes might be perceived this way
Students in groups discuss merits of “good” and “bad” design using guided sentence starters.