General Resources in Technology
Cooperative Learning Resource Section
Problem Solving Resource Section
Problem Solving Model (full size)
International
Technology Education Association (ITEA)
1914 Association Drive
Reston, Virginia 22091-1502
Maine State Library
Station #64
Augusta, Maine 04333
(207) 289-5600
Technology Education Electronic Bulletin Board
Part of ........ ME-LINK (Electronic Information Service for Maine
Educators)
Maine Computer Consortium
Division of the Maine Center for Educational Services
P.O. Box 620
Auburn, Maine 04210
Phone....... 207-783-0833 (Voice) 207-783-9776 (ME-Link)
Technology Education Association of Maine (TEAM)
c/o State Technology Education Consultant
(address below)
The Information Exchange
1-800-322-8899
University of Southern Maine
School of Applied Science
Department of Technology
Gorham, Maine 04038
Vocational Curriculum Resource Center of Maine
KVVTI
P.O. Box 29
Fairfield, Maine 04937
(207) 453-9762 ext. 170
GENERAL RESOURCES IN TECHNOLOGY
A suggested list of available resources, by no means all inclusive.
DeVore, P. W. (1980). TECHNOLOGY an introduction. Worcester, MA: Davis Publications, Inc.
Fales, J. F. and Kuetemeyer, V. F. (1988). Technology today and tomorrow. Mission Hills, CA: Glencoe Publishing Co.
Fuller, B. R. (1983). Inventions. New York, NY: St. Martin Press
Goetsch, D. L. & Nelson, J. A. (1987). Technology and you. Albany, NY: Delmar Publishers, Inc.
Hacker, M. and Barden, R. A. (1988). Living with technology. Albany, NY: Delmar Publishers, Inc.
Hacker, M. and Barden, R. A. (1988). Technology in your world. Albany, NY: Delmar Publishers, Inc.
Heiner, C. W. and Hendrex, W. R. (1980). People create technology. Worchester, MA: Davis Publications, Inc.
Listar, G. (1987). Technology activity guide - 1. Albany, NY: Delmar Publishers, Inc.
Listar, G. (1988). Technology activity guide - 2. Albany, NY: Delmar Publishers, Inc.
MacAulay, D. (1988). The way things work. Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin Co.
McCory, D. L. and Maughn, G. R. Resources in technology. Worcester, MA: Davis Publications ,Inc.
Micklus, S. C. (1988). Making learning activities fun, activities to develop creativity. Glassboro, NJ: Creative Competition, Inc.
The Commission on Technology Education for the State of New Jersey. (1987). Technology education: learning how to learn in a technological world. Aberdeen, NJ: Vocational Education Resource Center.
New York State Depaertment of Education. (1986). Technology education introduction to technology - grade seven . Albany, NY: New York State Education Department.
New York State Depaertment of Education. (1986). Technology education introduction to technology - grade eight . Albany, NY: New York State Education Department.
GENERAL RESOURCES IN TECHNOLOGY (Cont.)
Rutherford, M. A. and Rye K. J. (1989). Living with technology - teacher's resource book. Albany, NY: Delmar Publishers, Inc.
Standards for Technology Education Project. (1985). Standards for technology education programs. South Holland, IL:The Goodheart-Wilcox Co., Inc.
Todd, R., McCrory, D. & Todd, K. (1985). Understanding and using technololgy. Worcester, MA: Davis Publications, Inc.
Virginia Department of Education. (1988). The technology education curriculum K-12. Glen Allen, VA: The Virginia Vocational Resource Center.
Waetjen, W. B. (1989). Technological problem solving. Reston, VA: ITEA.
Wright, T. and Sterry, L. Industry and technology education - a guide for curriculum designers, implementors, and teachers. Lansing, Ill: Technical Foundation of America
As teachers become involved with Technology Learning Activities (TLA's) they will find themselves in more and more situations that require students to work in groups. These groups may be student formed companies or a groups chosen to perform some activity. The groups may vary in size from as few as two members up to an entire class. The ability to function as a member of a group is not an innate ability; it is a learned one. The students ability to cooperate with the teacher and team members is essential to a successful TLA.
Most TLA's consist of several sections: design, construction, testing and evaluation. For example, you may find yourself with ten students in a group; nine want to pound nails and one would help with the design if needed. You can threaten failure, upset students, upset yourself, etc., but there are other and much nicer ways which tend to keep (most) students and instructors smiling. A little time spent studying cooperative learning and then a little time spent working with students on cooperative learning, will (may) solve the problem, or better yet, prevent the problem from ever occurring.
This curriculum guide was not intended as a Cooperative Learning Guide, and therefore the most it can do is:
1. Make you aware that the lack of cooperative learning skills may be the cause of TLA failure, rather than the TLA itself.
2. Direct you to some sources of Cooperative Learning Materials:
SELECTED MATERIALS ON COOPERATIVE LEARNING
Books
Aronson, E., et al. (1978). The jigsaw classroom. Beverly Hills, CA: Sage Publications. 197 pp.
Johnson, D.W. (1986). Reaching out: interpersonal effectiveness and self-actualization (2nd ed.). Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall.
Johnson, D.W. , Johnson, R. (1987). Joining together: group theory and group skills (3rd ed.). Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall.
Johnson, D.W. , Johnson, R. (1987). Learning together and alone: cooperative, competitive, and individualistic learning (2nd ed.). Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall.
Johnson, D.W. , Johnson, R. , and Holubec, E. (1986). Circles of learning: cooperation in the classroom (Revised Edition). Edina, MN: Interaction Book Company.
Johnson, D.W. , Johnson, R. (1987). A meta-analysis of cooperative, and individualistic goal structures. Hiddsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.
Kagan, S. (1985). Cooperative learning: resources for teachers. Riverside, CA: University of California. 300 pp.
Okebukola, P. A. (1986). "Cooperative learning and students attitudes toward laboratory work." School Science and Mathematics, 86, 582-590.
Slavin, R. E. (1983). Cooperative learning. New York: Longman.
Slavin, R. E. (1986). Student team learning: an overview and practical guide. Washington, D. C.: National Education Association. 79 pp.
Slavin, R. E. (1986). Using student team learning (3rd ed.). Baltimore, MD: Center for Research on Elementary and Middle Schools, The Johns Hopkins University.
Slavin, R. E., et al., (Eds.). (1985). Learning to cooperate, cooperating to learn. New York: Plenum Press. 472 pp.
Wood, K. D. "Effective content area instructional practices". In Dishner, E.K., Bean, T. W., Readence, J. E. & Moore, D. W. (Eds.). (1988). Reading in the Content Areas: Improving Classroom Instruction. Dubuque, IA: Kendall/Hunt.
Wood, K. D. (1985). "Free associational assessment: an alternative to traditional testing." Journal of Reading, 29, 106-111.
Teacher Materials
Johnson, D.W. , Johnson, R. T. (1985). Cooperation in the classroom . Edina, MN: Interaction Book Company.
Johnson, D.W. , Johnson, R. T. (1985). Cooperative learning: warm-ups, grouping strategies and group activities. Edina, MN: Interaction Book Company.
Johnson, R.T., Johnson, D.W. & Holubec, E.J. (1987). Structuring cooperative learning: lesson plans for teacher. Interaction Book Company, 7208 Cornelia Drive, Edina, MN 55435
Movies
Johnson, D.W. and Johnson, R.T. (Producers), 1980. Belonging. 16 mm film or VHS videotape, 27 minutes. Edina, MN; Interaction Book Company.
Johnson, D.W. and Johnson, R.T. (Producers), 1983. Circles of Learning. 16 mm film or VHS videotape, 32 minutes. Edina, MN; Interaction Book Company.
PROBLEM SOLVING IN TECHNOLOGY EDUCATION
One of the distinguishing characteristics of technology education is an increased and somewhat different focus on problem solving. Problem solving activities can contribute to the achievement of all the objectives of technology education ( see page 1-6 ), but focus specifically on the development of critical thinking skills necessary to evaluate technology and its products in their environmental, cultural, and personal contexts; and on the development of creative problem solving skills necessary to identify, develop, implement, and evaluate solutions to technical problems ( objectives # 1 & 5, page 1-6 ).
The programs that have preceded technology education have always required problem solving, so, an examination of how it differs in technology education is important. It differs in that increased importance is given to problem solving, the nature of the problems situations presented to the students, the method the students are expected to use to solve the problems, and the way in which their efforts are evaluated.
In technology education, the development of problem solving skills is considered to be more important than the development of tool using skills or the understanding of specific technical knowledge. Tool skills and knowledge are important, but are viewed more as means to develop problem solving skills rather than ends in themselves.
The nature of the problems differ in that they are broader in scope, less well defined, and require higher levels of cognitive activity such as analysis, synthesis, and evaluation. They are broader in scope in that they go beyond the making of products and include basic design and investigative studies relating to environmental, cultural, and historical relationships.
They differ in the way they are presented to students by being presented as real problems to be solved through investigation and design rather than just objects to be built. For example, when a student is assigned or selects to build a shelf, the solution is known - a shelf - and requires little analysis, synthesis, or evaluation of alternatives. If ask to solve a storage problem, however, the student is required to analyze the situation, identify possible solutions, select between alternatives, develop details, and evaluate the results relative to the problem, as well as construct an object. As the students progress, the problems become less well defined and more complex to require even higher levels of thinking.
The problems are approached in systematic ways that represent the techniques used by designers, engineers, and scientists. The methods used include various forms of problem analysis through research, creative idea generation, evaluation of alternatives, detail development, construction of prototypes or plans of action, and critical evaluation of the results.
Finally, the students efforts are evaluated through an examination of their use of the problem solving methods and not by grading only the object. In such evaluations, evidence of the developmental stages of the students work is many times presented in portfolios which are used to provide the basis for grades.
Problem solving in technology education differs significantly from much of that found in previous programs, and requires that many technology educators develop their own understanding of it characteristics and methods. The following list is a brief sample of the growing body of literature available to assist in that development.
Anderson, Lowell D. ( 1989, September / October ) "Problem solving in technology education", The Technology Teacher., 49; pp. 3-7.
Barnes, Wiatt, & Bowen. ( 1990, January ) "The NASA / elementary technology education project", The Technology Teacher., 49; pp. 13-17.
Cross, Nigel. ( 1989 ) Engineering design methods, John Wiley & Sons.
Hanks, K., Belliston, L. & Edwards, D. ( 1978 ) Design yourself, Los Altos, California: William Kaufmann, Inc.
Hatch, Larry. ( 1988 ) " Problem Solving Approach ", in The 37th. Yearbook of the Council on Technology Teacher Education: Instructional strategies for technology education, pp. 87-98.
Hutchinson, P., Davis, D., Clark, P. & Jewett, P. ( 1989, November / December ) " The Design Portfolio: Problem -Solving Illustrated", TIES., pp. 17-27.
Hutchinson, Patricia. ( 1989, March / April ) " Ideas Take Shape: Models To Fool The Eye", TIES., pp. 23-30.
Koberg, D. & Bagnall, J. ( 1981 ) The all new universal traveler, Los Altos, California: William Kaufmann, Inc.
Sellwood, Peter. ( 1989, December ) "The Roll of Problem Solving in Developing Thinking Skills", The Technology Teacher. 49; pp. 3-10.
Yarwood, A. & Orme, A. H. (1983 ) Design and technology, Sevenoaks, Kent, England: Hodder and Stoughton.
Zaner, John A. ( 1987, April ) " Problem Solving in Technology Education", Industrial Education ., p. 35.
TITLE:
PROBLEM STATEMENT:
OBJECTIVES:
MATERIALS & RESOURCES:
LIMITATIONS:
PROCEDURES:
EVALUATION:
FEEDBACK FROM STUDENTS & SUGGESTED CHANGES FOR IMPROVEMENT: