Integration of technical education in primary education

 

1.   Introduction

In this chapter we will try to identify the real problem in integrating technical education into primary education.  

 

Following the state of the art of technical education in our countries described in chapter 1 and the educational approach, we will concentrate on the consequences of making products within this project.

 

What is the problem?

Not the child! On the contrary: Children really do want to use technology. Several studies (e.g. the PATT studies) prove this. Technology is a challenge for children: they can make things themselves; they are the inventor. Meanwhile, a lot of ready-to-use lesson materials are developed in the process. The main question is: how do you get the teachers to use the material? 

It looks like the teacher is the real problem to make a start with technology.

So far, there is not much research on the attitude of teachers towards technology. A recent small study of the teachers of a big school in The Hague had a surprising result: older teachers appeared to pay more attention to technology than younger teachers. An explanation might be that, though younger teachers had technology as a subject in their own teacher-training curriculum, they are not that experienced as their older colleagues to solve several problems while introducing technology. The older teachers are missing the subject knowledge to work with technology as a subject. They do, however, have enough experience to put it in their curriculum.

Though this was not a scientific research project, it might indicate that this is a signal worth keeping an eye on while making materials for primary education.

 

What are the basic conditions?

In the circle of development-oriented approach three concepts are in the centre. These are at the same time preconditions and aims for the same learning process. This goes for the learner as for the teacher.

-          being self-confident

-          being emotionally free

-          being curious.

 These conditions must be fulfilled in order to function well. They are very much equal to what Prof. Stevens, educationalist in the Netherlands, describes as the concepts of autonomy, relation and competency. We will explain this further in the following paragraphs.

 

Most of the time we concentrate on the learner, but the conditions for an optimal learning process are equally important for the teacher.