Three technology curricula were published in Israel in the last decade, replacing the crafts curricula that had been implemented for approximately twenty years in Israel's elementary and junior high schools. The curricula for technology studies, too, were replaced in stages following the publication of the "Report of the Superior Committee for Scientific and Technological Education" (1992), which recommended the development of integrated science and technology curricula. According to the new integrated syllabus for science and technology in the junior high schools, Israel has begun to produce new curricular materials in two academic centers, involving hitherto unprecedented costs. The primary goal of this work is to develop a scheme for the analysis of technology learning materials to be used to determine whether the resulting materials address all aspects of the technology area of knowledge. Analysis of learning materials assists educators in making considered choices between the variety of existing materials, and thus contributes to the efficient implementation of the chosen curriculum. Analysis of learning materials may also improve the processes of planning and producing new materials by exposing the deficiencies of existing materials. The analysis scheme presented in this work is based on four basic factors in the education situation: subject matter, learner, milieu, and teacher. The scheme is not to be viewed as a normative measurement tool. The scheme is analytical and not judgmental. A scheme for the analysis of learning materials for science (specifically, biology) served as a model for development of the scheme presented herein. The scheme is intended for the use of both teachers and experts. Consequently, it is comprehensive and includes an explanation of the concepts, and analysts require guidance prior of its implementation. This study employed the qualitative research methodology, mainly documentation analysis and content analysis. The subject area of technology is undergoing process of conceptual consolidation and a search for a common denominator for all technological and engineering specialisations. There are currently numerous definitions that attempt to answer the question, what is technology? The central concepts of technology are unclear and consequently there are many approaches to technology education. (This work surveys twenty of the different approaches that are discussed in the professional literature. ) In the early stages of developing the 'subject matter' dimension of the analysis scheme, it became apparent that a conceptual infrastructure must first be established in order to clarify the "central areas of knowledge in technology" ("substantive structures") and the methodologies and methods used in technology problem solving ("syntactic structures"). The analysis scheme could not be completed without these conceptual frameworks. With the integration of technology instruction and other subjects, and the sciences in particular (the STS approach), technology has often been treated as a "mind-on" rather than a "hands on" subject. As a result, a gap has been created between real technology and school technology. In order to address this problem, an appendix to the analysis scheme has been developed, which details examples of "minds on" and "hands on" activities for the central areas of knowledge in technology. The analysis has been applied to the subject matter dimension of two units of study and has shown itself to be a powerful analytical tool for comparative analysis as
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:bl.uk/oai:ethos.bl.uk:342922 |
| Date | January 2001 |
| Creators | Peer, Moshe |
| Publisher | Anglia Ruskin University |
| Source Sets | Ethos UK |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
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