Table of Contents Volume XXVI, Number 1, Winter/Spring 2000
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Table of Contents Volume XXVI, Number 1, Winter/Spring 2000 2 machinations from the editor Articles 3 Revisiting Piaget and Vigotsky: In Search of 49 At-Risk Students and Technology a Learning Model for TechnologyEducation Education: A Qualitative Study Pierre Vérillon Phillip L. Cardon 11 Web–Based Portfolios for Technology 58 Comparing the Success of Students Education: A Personal Case Study Enrolled in Distance Education Courses vs. Mark E. Sanders Face to Face Classrooms Michael K. Swan and Diane H. Jackman 19 Current Trends in Technology Education in Finland 64 Industrial Research and Development Labs Ari Alamäki and How They Inform Science and Technology Curricula Marc J. deVries 24 Scientific Visualization for Secondary and Post–Secondary Education Aaron C. Clark and Eric N. Wiebe 71 A Critical Appraisal of Learning Technology Using Information and Communication Technologies 33 Appropriate Technology for Socioeconomic George Shield Development in Third World Countries Anthony Akubue 80 The Paul T. Hiser Award, l998-l999 A. Emerson Wiens, 1999 44 What Happens to Industrial Technology Paul Black, 1998 Alumni? A Comparative Look at Two Paul W. DeVore, 1998 Universities’ Graduates William Brauer 2 machinations from the editor Although ‘machinations’ sounds menacing, I like its classes. secondary meaning a lot: an artful design intended And we offer two thoughtful essays about the impli- to accomplish something. In this case the production cations for transferring technology into cultures staff, proofreader, and art directors just spent the last when the people within that culture are indifferent few months self-consciously constructing the next to its ultimate usefulness. Another philosophical revision of the journal. Our goals were to incor- essay asks us to revisit the works of two theorists who porate more air & light, to imagine more pleasure for have rocked our psychological and educa- you as you read, and to offer a theoretical panorama tional worlds: Piaget & Vigotsky. which keeps you up-to-date on the trends in As I continue to talk with you about technologi- constructing, evaluating, and re-thinking technolo- cal issues that will genuinely affect the tempo & grace gy studies as a theory and as a practice, often in the of our lives, please let me know two things (1) tell me classroom, sometimes the industrial laboratory , or at when an article hits the mark and (2) offer me clues the desks of technologists and designers. about what else you’d like to see happen here. Also, In this issue, we feature ideas of people from our web site is truly under construction, before we around the world, notably, France, Finland, go live, let me know what you wish we’d make avail- England, the United States and the Netherlands. able to you online. I’d be delighted to hear from you: What emerges as I read about our practices in tech- [email protected]. nology studies is the ascendance of distance educa- tion; the value of alternative assessment strategies (for ce ce iandoli, editor example, portfolios); the value of technology’s emphasis on the hands/mind connection, especially p.s. special thanks to tim & briar & amy who rushed. for students usually marginalized in word–based 3 Revisiting Piaget and Vigotsky: In Search of a Learning Model for Technology Education. Pierre Vérillon Technology education has always aimed at forming within this evolution. During the initial phase, tech- knowledgeable adults, responsible citizens, and capa- nology was essentially taught by physics teachers. ble professionals. Among its central objectives are: Curriculum design and curriculum delivery were, – Familiarizing pupils with the concepts, artifacts, however, closely supervised by the influential techni- and skills in a given domain of human achievement; cal education hierarchy which, within French public – Enabling pupils, through a cultural approach of education, is in charge of separate technical and voca- that domain, to give it meaning and sense; tional school systems. Nonetheless, policy was that – Giving pupils a basis for grounding their future technology should be strictly general education and vocational choices and acquisistions; and any vocational connotations were avoided. – Contributing, through the specific forms of cogni- Consequently, the emphasis was non-artifact based, tive involvement required by that domain, to the not making or using learning. Curriculum centered pupils’ general intellectual development. on an analytical, logical, and experimental approach This article focuses on the last objective of of artifacts that were dominantly referred to as education: cognitive development. Drawing upon “technical objects.’’ Textbooks presented elaborate Mitcham’s (1978) observation that technology edu- theoretical fomalizations of morphology, function, cation achieves its objectives via a concern with mak- and kinetics. While this described the scientific status ing and using artifacts, I examine here the of technology, it contrasted with the triviality of the relationship between cognition and the use of arti- devices-essentially mechanical-actually studied in facts in technology education. The idea is to try, from class (e.g., the notorious door-latch, which left its the context of technology education in France, to brand on a whole generation of teachers and pupils). contribute to a fuller understanding of human-arti- From the cognitive point of view, this first version of fact interaction in order to provide more information school technology clearly tapped the rational and and further guidance for curriculum design and abstract capacities of pupils, very much in the way delivery in technology education. that a science course could have. In 1977 this first period ended with a dramatic Epistemological and Psychological Status of shift in the official policy relating to technology edu- Artifacts in French Technology Education cation. Government and management had become Technology education was first introduced into gravely concerned about what they viewed as a gen- the national general education curriculum for French eral disinterest among young people in industry. middle schools (pupils aged approximatively 13 to Also school was seen as laying too much value on 15) in the early 1960s and has been present ever abstract knowledge and skills at a time when it was since, although under different forms (Lebeaume, thought that increased automation would lead to a 1996). In this first section, an attempt is made to general “deskilling” of jobs. A sweeping educational trace the underlying evolution in general philosophy reform was undertaken, and for the first time tech- behind curriculum change during that period and to nology, renamed “manual and technical education” see how it affects the status of artifacts as didactical (EMT), became a mandatory four year subject for all objects. Roughly three periods can be distinguished pupils from 11 to 15 years of age. The stress was on 4 acquiring a basic technical vocabulary; becoming tion, varied complex problem solving, and both tra- familiar with technical plans, graphics, and drawings; ditional and high-tech tool use. They also become and learning practical procedures such as analyzing a familiar with industrial concepts and models. structure, relating an element to its function, organ- Noteworthy is the attention granted to marketing izing one’s work space, rationally using tools or constraints. In many cases the method has led to machines, being observant of method, precision and stereotyped situations and routine activities that have safety. Typical tasks were mostly of a domestic nature, recently come under widespread criticism. The cur- such as laying wallpaper, plumbing and electric main- riculum is currently being altered in order to provide tenance, or changing a window pane. However, for more variety in the simulated industrial situa- pupils were also involved in woodwork and building tions. Also, a number of conceptual and instrumen- coat hangers or mailboxes. In later years, plastics and tal attainments have been redefined. electronics became frequent components in school In each of the three periods that I have outlined, production. Teachers of subjects such as handicrafts the status of artifacts as didactic objects varies. and housecrafts, which had been removed from the During the first period, technology education essen- curriculum, were retrained for EMT, and new teach- tially saw artifacts as objects of study. The word ers were also recruited. Official rationale insisted on ‘technology’ in French, implies an erudite discourse the importance of practical, concrete intelligence and about the knowledge of techniques. During the EMT manual skills as opposed to the more conceptual, period, artifacts were embodied both by the hand- abstract forms of cognition required for other school crafted one-of-a-kind works made in class and by the subjects, and low achievers were explicitely expected material and graphic tools used to make them. devel- to benefit from EMT. oping skills with tools was a major objective and In the early 1980s, policymakers realized that the explicitly sought. advent of new technologies in the workplace resulted During the current phase, the characteristic role in a demand for higher qualifications, rather than of artifacts is as industrial and marketable products. requiring fewer skills. Manual and technical educa- In the latest directive released in 1998, however, tion (with its emphasis on manual and craft skills) pupils are also expected to develop