Supporting Learning Environment Level 8

To support students to develop understanding of characteristics of technological outcomes at level 8, teachers could:

• provide students with opportunity to extend their understanding of fitness for purpose. This extended notion is called ‘fitness for purpose in its broadest sense’ and refers to the 'fitness' of the outcome itself as well as the practices used to develop the outcome (e.g. such things as the sustainability of resources used, ethical nature of testing practices, cultural appropriateness of trialling procedures, determination of lifecycle and ultimate disposal)
• support students to explore the implications of a commitment to developing technological outcomes that are fit for purpose in the broadest sense on the design, development and manufacturing of technological outcomes
• support students to critically analyse a range of technological outcomes to evaluate their fitness for purpose, in its broadest sense. The evaluation will be based on the physical and functional nature of the outcome, the historical, cultural, social, and geographical location of the final outcome as well as its development, and any information available regarding its performance over time
• support students to explore possible benefits and disadvantages of employing the notion of fitness for purpose in its broadest sense in different contexts related to the design and development, manufacture, evaluation and analysis of technological outcomes.

Discuss the implications of viewing fitness for purpose in its broadest sense on the design and development of technological outcomes

Develop criteria for evaluating fitness for purpose of a technological outcome students are familiar with

Either individually or collaboratively develop criteria for evaluating fitness for purpose that includes the physical & functional nature of the outcome as well as such things as…

• the sustainability of resources used
• ethical nature of testing practices
• cultural appropriateness of trialling procedures
• determination of lifecycle and ultimate disposal.

Test their criteria against the technological outcome

Develop criteria for evaluating fitness for purpose of a technological outcome students are unfamiliar with

As above

View/listen to an engaging video/talk/guest speaker justify the fitness for purpose of a technological outcome they have developed e.g. 'story of stuff'

Students evaluate the justifications provided against the criteria they have developed above

Discuss the implications of viewing fitness for purpose in its broadest sense on the manufacture of technological outcomes

View/listen to an engaging video/talk/guest speaker justify the fitness for purpose of a technological outcome they have developed that has gone on to be manufactured

Students evaluate the justifications provided by the technologist and discuss/debate with them the implications considered prior to and post the outcome being manufactured and released on the market

Justify the fitness for purpose, in its broadest sense, of technological outcomes

Students presenting justifications for the fitness for purpose, in its broadest sense, of a technological outcome they have developed

Students present justifications/ argument in a seminar presentation to the class

Debate the value of employing the notion of ‘fitness for purpose in its broadest sense’ as related to: the design and development, manufacture, evaluation and analysis of technological outcomes.

Discuss examples where describing a technological outcome as fit for purpose in its broadest sense’ is not appropriate

Students explore examples where technological outcomes during its development phase can be justified as fit for purpose but in situ it has proven not to be the case.

Students debate how this situation could have been avoided