Supporting Learning Environment Level 4

To support students to undertake planning for practice at level four teachers could:

• ensure that there is a brief against which planning to develop an outcome can occur
• provide planning tools and support students to record key stages and resources needed, including when they will need to access stakeholder feedback. (Please note; records only need to capture what students plan to do and what they need to do it to guide their practice and allow them to review this periodically)
• support students to review their plans at key points and reflect on progress to make informed decisions regarding earlier plans and resources
• support students to organise their resources (including time, money, materials, equipment and access to stakeholders etc).

Establish a plan to manage resources and stakeholder interactions, setting out key stages, actions to be undertaken and progress review points

In groups students revisit a previous planning tool they have used and discuss the usefulness of this tool as a means of recording and informing the practice that was undertaken.

Students encouraged to reflect on such things as the actual time it took to complete each key stage of the practice, how useful the planning was in informing the next stage of practice etc.

Look at a selection of planning tools used by others (senior students) to see the similarities and differences between them.

Students to identify:

• similarities and differences between the planning tools that were used,
• where within the practice they were used
• how the planning tool(s) were used to inform the practice undertaken.

Review progress according to the current plan, and revise planning as appropriate to ensure completion of outcome

Use planning tool(s) to plan overall practice and structure key stages, base this planning on knowledge gained from undertaking previous planning actions.

Students encouraged to reflect on the tools that worked well and those that didn’t from their previous planning practice. Use understandings gained to inform selection of planning tools for next practice.

Class discussion on the most appropriate planning tool for different aspects of current practice.

Focus discussion on identifying those tools most suitable for:

• initial planning of intended key stages,
• planning for resource management and activities within identified key stages
• planning for outcome testing and evaluation etc.

Strategies for gaining quality stakeholder feedback.

Review others practice (senior students and/or practicing technologists) to identify the planning strategies/tools that were used to obtain stakeholder feedback. Analyse these to identify if they allowed quality feedback to be received.

Group discussion to consider and agree on best strategy(ies) for obtaining stakeholder feedback and most appropriate tool(s) for analysing this feedback.

Students to present to group/class the strategy(ies) they are considering using to obtain stakeholder feedback. Discussion should focus on the merits of the strategy, identifying likely responses and therefore the appropriate tool for analysing the feedback.

Analyse others practice to identify how they planned ahead and documented their practice.

Use case studies off the techlink website of previous students practice and/or the practices of practicing technologists.

Teacher questioning students/groups about the list of resources they have identified as needing in order to undertake technological practice to develop a technological outcome.

Question students/groups about how their identified resources in terms of:

• when (what stage of their practice) they will require the resource(s )
• if they have the appropriate level of knowledge and skill to use the resource and if not how they will access it
• if the resource identified is the most appropriate to complete this key stage of their practice
• what will happen to the resources once the key stage is finished, etc.

Students to sequence photos of someone else’s (senior students and/or a practicing technologists) technological practice.

Beside each photos students to identify the:

• resources that where necessary to enable the practice to occur
• aspects that needed management; for example, safety, storage, resources requiring handling in a specific way, disposal of waste etc.