Supporting Learning Environment Level 8

To support students to undertake brief development at level eight teachers could:

• support students to identify a context that offers a range of issues for them to explore
• support students to select an authentic issue within their selected context
• support students to identify a need or opportunity relevant to the issue and context
• support students to understand the physical and functional nature required of their outcome
• support students to justify the nature of their outcome in terms of the issue and context
• support students to develop and justify specifications that will allow the evaluation of the outcome and its development to be judged as fit for purpose in the broadest sense. Fitness for purpose in its broadest sense 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).

Identify and evaluate a range of contexts to select an authentic issue

Use student exemplars and case studies of technologists practice

Analyse previous students’ technological practice/case studies to identify the critical evaluation that occurred to determine a suitable context and issue to undertake technological practice. Questions that could be answered by students include:

• what implications did the selected context impose on the technological practice undertaken to develop the technological outcome, who initiated these and who (stakeholders) were the beneficiaries/losers
• what consequences resulted due to implementing the technological outcome
• what was prioritised in developing and implementing the technological outcome.

Use of compare and contrast templates (e.g. Venn Diagram)

Exercises in comparing and contrasting such things as:

• contexts
• technological outcome, technological practice undertaken and specific parts of practice
  e.g. stakeholder interactions, technological modelling, planning techniques etc.

Identify suitable clients from possible issues

Scenarios of potential client issues – students to critically evaluate clients and issues to determine their suitability for engagement. Justifications required to support their inclusion or rejection as potential clients.

Developing questions to determine client suitability

Brainstorm to identify questions that will elicit information that will determine if a client is potentially suitable i.e.

• is the client providing an opportunity to undertake technological practice to resolve an issue
• can a technological outcome be realised within the time constraints and using the available resources …

Identify a need or opportunity relevant to their selected issue

Relevance of need/opportunity to the issue

Student presents their need/opportunities to class.
Class critiques the need/ opportunities relevance to the selected issue

Establish a conceptual statement that justifies the nature of the outcome and why such an outcome should be developed with reference to the issue being addressed and the wider context

Expand on examples listed in level 7

What is the wider context?

A wider context is …

Establish the specifications for an outcome and its development using stakeholder feedback and based on the nature of the outcome required to address the need or opportunity, consideration of the environment in which the outcome will be situated, and resources available

Expand on examples listed in level 7

Communicate specifications that allow an outcome to be evaluated as fit for purpose in the broadest sense

Students critique a range of practicing technologist briefs.

Students critically analyse the technological practice undertaken by a range of practicing technologists to develop a brief, to identify if their specifications are robust and allow a developed technological outcome to be evaluated as ‘fit for purpose’.
Select technologists that are varied i.e. architect, product designer, graphic designer, engineer, food technologist etc.

Justify the specifications as based on stakeholder feedback and the nature of the outcome required to address the need or opportunity, consideration of the environment in which the outcome will be situated, and resources available.

Expand on examples listed in level 7