Technical teachers to change approach

Press, 25 August 1986, Page 24

Technical teachers to change approach

Intermediate and high schools from all over Canterbury will be entering their work in the Workshop Craft Exhibition and Competition to be held at the Building Centre at 211 Cashel Street from today until Friday. The exhibition has been organised by the New Zealand Technical Teachers’ Association as a means to show the public what school craft and technology in the workshop is heading towards.

“We’re trying to show the public that we alm to move away from the ‘We tell and you do’ system of teaching to the ‘We pre-.

sent the problem and you develop a solution’ format of teaching,” said the chairman of the Canterbury branch of the N.Z.T.T.A., Mr Ken McCallum. The new system of teaching in technical education is seen by most teachers as a way of developing individual creativity and presenting pupils with a variety of problems which they must try and solve themselves. “With the changing technology today, it’s highly likely that set methods we teach pupils now may be obsolete by the time they get into the

work force. The new method, however, at least urges them to tackle practical problems themselves — this teaches adaptability," said Mr McCallum. • The new system can present, for example, a class with a problem whereby laminated wood, which cannot exceed $2, must make an object to support a pot-plant. ' Everything from trinket boxes to upholstered stools and copper plates will be on show. Materials are not limited to wood or metal either. They also include plastics and glass. Materials can be used in

combination — a trinket box may he trimmed with brass. ‘,* •'

The standard of work entered ranges from Form one to the more senior Form six entrants. These are further divided into the hours bf labour involved in each piece: 0 to 15 hours, 15 to 30 hours, and the open category of 30 hours and upwards.

Certificates will be awarded to students whose work is deemed by the public to be “worthy of merit.” Presentations will be made on Monday evening, September 1.