Essential Learnings = Planning Essentials

For this task we are asked to deconstruct the Essential Learnings for our KLA - in my case this is Technology (for Home Economics/Hospitality) - Essential Learnings by the end of year 9.

So what are Essential Learnings?  They identify what should be taught and what is important for students to have opportunities to know and be able to do at particular year juntctures.  There are 3 parts to the Essential learnings for each KLA (Key Learning Area) and these are: the Learning and Assessment focus, the Ways of Working and Knowledge and Understanding.  All 3 areas inform curriculum planning outlining the agreed core for the KLA.  This agreed core is a minimum only and schools are still able to organise their curriculum to meet the needs of their students. (QSA, 2007)

So, on to the deconstruction process:
I am going to use bold text for the words that I consider to be most important.

Learning and Assessment Focus

• Explore the role of technology in society from a range of perspectives
• Use their imagination and creativity to develop design solutions and make design and production designs that demonstrate consideration of requirements
• They understand how information, materials and systems can be combined in innovative ways
• Understand the importance of matching characteristics to specifcations or standards
• Investigate contributions of technological processes and products in all markets
• Recognise that technology has a rich history, overlapping fields and great career opportunities

Ways of Working

Blooms Taxonomy   Essential Learnings Key Words
Remember                 Identify
Understand                Consult, discuss, communicate, select, identify
Apply                         Apply, make, refine, manipulate, design
Analyse                      Analyse, investigate
Evaluate                     Evaluate, reflect, justify, recommend
Design                        Design, generate, plan, manage, make

Higher order thinking involves the transformation of information and ideas resulting in synthesis, generalisations, explanations, hypothesising, interpreting and the drawing of conclusions. (taken from powerpoint generated for Kurwongbah State School)
I believe that all of the key words listed in the Ways of Working are examples of higher order thinking skills where it is not about simply recalling information, but using the information to make informed decisions, solve problems and generate a deep understanding of the topic by building on previous knowledge (constructivism).  When doing research however, I discovered that Analyse, Evaluate and Design are the highest order thinking levels.

Knowledge and Understanding
Technology as a human endeavour

• New products and technologies are designed and developed to meet changing needs and wants of intended audiences, and include artefacts, systems, environments, services and processes
• Product design and production designs are influenced by aspects of appropriateness and by detailed specifications, constraints and standards of production

Information, materials and systems (resources)

• characteristics of resources are compared, contrasted and selected to meet detailed specifications and predetermined standards of production to best suit the user

Final Reflection
We cannot ask students to demonstrate the ways of working (or Blooms taxonomy) without first teaching them how to do what we are asking.  That means, if we want them to do an analysis on something, we must first teach them how to analyse.  It is only when they understand how to do the task that they will be able to demonstrate their knowledge and understanding of the topic.

I have listed some strategies for each stage of Blooms Taxonomy:
Remember - mnemonics, Rhymes, Acronyms, Music
Understand - concept maps, KWL charts, casue-effect maps
Apply - classification activities, tree diagrams, puzzles, games
Analyse - SWOT analysis, Y-charts, Venn diagram, flow charts
Evaluate - decision making matrix, Judge Jury activity
Design - problem/solution charts, modelling
(ITC, 2009)

 References:
Blooms Taxonomy power point accessed at http://www.kurwongbss.eq.edu.au/thinking/Bloom/blooms.htm


ITC. (2009) Innovative Teachers Companion 2010. Sydney: ITC Publications


QSA. (2007). Essential Learnings – Information Statement.
     Retrieved 30th November, 2009 from
http://www.qsa.qld.edu.au/downloads/learning/qcar_is_essential_learnings.pdf