Design and Technology for Primary School Students: Evaluation Report

This report evaluates approaches to developing student knowledge and skills in design and technology within a primary school setting. It explores the advantages and disadvantages of higher-order thinking skills such as design, computational, and systems thinking. The report analyzes these approaches, drawing on research and literature to provide a comprehensive understanding of their impact on student learning. It further outlines two sets of principles designed to support effective student engagement and learning within the technologies curriculum. The report emphasizes the importance of fostering critical and creative thinking, problem-solving, and innovation in young learners through the integration of design and technology principles. The content is suitable for students and educators seeking to understand and implement effective technology-based learning strategies.

Running head: DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY FOR PRIMARY SCHOOL STUDENTS
DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY FOR PRIMARY SCHOOL STUDENTS
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY FOR PRIMARY SCHOOL STUDENTS 1
Advantages and disadvantages of approaches for developing student
knowledge and skills:
According to Jalaluddin, et al., 2015, it has been found that the pupils are challenged
for obtaining excellent marks in the writing task of them. Higher Order Thinking Skills
(HOTS) is a new concept to the education. , the idea of Higher Order thinking Skills
concentrate on the learning process mainly on the understanding of the students based on
students' methods. The questions that have been asked to the students based on Higher Order
Thinking Skills, helps the students to show creativity in their thinking. The importance of
Higher Order Thinking Skills for development in writing ability of the pupils cannot be
ignored to from the view of enhancing the critical and creative thinking of the students
(Sekaran & Bougie (2016). The main disadvantage of this concept is, for the investigation of
how the questions of Higher Order thinking Skills trigger the thinking skills for the
development in writing ability of the students, limited studies have been carried out. More
studies will be needed for help in filling the gap of literature in the area of HOTS and writing.
At present, computational thinking is becoming so popular in the education system around
the world. There are so many advantages of computational thinking in education.
Computational thinking is a proven and structured method that is designed for identifying
problems regarding age or the computer literacy level (Koehler et al., 2014). If the pupils can
be able to think computationally, then they can be innovators on some day, as an inventor can
create something new. The implementation of a computational system in education will help
the student to improve their skills as well as will so encourage the pupils to invent great idea
and creativity. The computational thinking is so simple as well as it is so interesting for
learning. The students must be having so much fun from the learning strategies of
computational thinking. But there are also some disadvantages; one of the most drawbacks of

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computational thinking is that no reliable research is there for showing computational
thinking is better for new innovations and creative thinking.
On the other side, a conceptual framework is provided by System thinking, which
utilises different tools, theories and techniques such as Software System Methodology
(SSM). The System Software Methodology helps to construct a reliant, holistic perspective as
well as practice that is aimed to disclose the relationships characterising of a system. System
thinking and standard based education approach complement to each other. A common
language is provided by system thinking as well as a set of tools, which facilitate
collaborative problem solving. It also promotes and aligns STEM goals, 21st-century skills
and curriculum standards (Chipman et al., 2013). The engagement between the students as
well as the fosters (a learner centred environment can also be increased by System thinking.
System thinking also cultivates a cooperative educational environment. The benefits to the
system can be maximised from the approaches of problem solving and decision-making, and
lastly, it helps to determine the high advantage actions as well as the solutions according to
the problems. A system thinking model can be used for more than one time.
Principles:
1) As the technologies have developed rapidly as well as manipulating
that technologies have been emerged as, to teach the students how to think, how to
write, questions and the manipulated services that are digital has presently become the
common place in the schools. The students must have to understand the concepts that
have been used behind the application (Kirkwood & Price (2013). After read for the
first time, it is so challenging for imagining the kindergarteners' problem-solving
algorithms. The algorithm thinking involved to develop the solutions of a problem.
Especially, some sequential rules are created for following in order to get the
resolution of an issue. The kids are willing to learn that can have an effect, the order

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of the way of doing something, in their early grading classes. For presenting the idea
to the students, the teacher might ask the students about to make a sandwich. For
making the students thinking about algorithms, the tutor must have to invite the pupils
for designing a path from the gym to their classroom step by step in detail. In
addition, the tutors can share some problems with the students that have multi-steps,
and complex, a conversation that facilitates can help the students to break the problem
down (Bayerlein & Jeske 2018). The tutor will also have to focus on some data or
information that is important as well as relevant. It also involves separating the core
information for the details that are extraneous. To teach the students who are younger,
the strategies of computational thinking goes beyond by increasing the comfort levels
of them with the computers.
2) For developing the system thinking, one of the most critical skills, a
student can easily learn how a system can be identified (Arkorful & Abaidoo, 2015).
A system is basically, a collection of actions or things that can work together as a
whole that is connected. Anything from the freeways to the schedules of the bus can
be included by this even for the natural systems that have been found in nature such as
the water cycle. By understanding, the way of creating the systems can help the tutors
to develop the routines as well as good habits. The students of the kindergarten class
along with all the kids in the same age range are the natural questioners. After
uncovering the systems that are physical into the classroom by the students, make a
specific point for helping the students to see the way the systems that have been acted
out in the daily lives of ordinary people. As an example, it can be said that the way the
transitions of the class to the spaces that are different throughout the entire school
every day (Wenger, 2014). A system is always needed to go out of the classroom for
taking a recess or to go to the library or cafeteria. By empowering the students by

4DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY FOR PRIMARY SCHOOL STUDENTS
offering the solution of the issues of the class system will provide confidence to the
students that they will be needed for applying to the learning about the lives that are
outside of their school life.

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References:
Arkorful, V., & Abaidoo, N. (2015). The role of e-learning, advantages and disadvantages of
its adoption in higher education. International Journal of Instructional Technology
and Distance Learning, 12(1), 29-42.
Bayerlein, L., & Jeske, D. (2018). Student learning opportunities in traditional and computer-
mediated internships. Education+ Training, 60(1), 27-38.
Chipman, S. F., Segal, J. W., & Glaser, R. (Eds.). (2013). Thinking and Learning Skills:
Volume 2: Research and Open Questions. Routledge.
Jalaluddin, I., Paramasivam, S., Husain, S. and Bakar, R.A., 2015. The consistency between
writing self-efficacy and writing performance. Journal of Language Teaching and
Research, 6(3), pp.545-552.
Kirkwood, A., & Price, L. (2013). Examining some assumptions and limitations of research
on the effects of emerging technologies for teaching and learning in higher
education. British Journal of Educational Technology, 44(4), 536-543.
Koehler, M. J., Mishra, P., Kereluik, K., Shin, T. S., & Graham, C. R. (2014). The
technological pedagogical content knowledge framework. In Handbook of research
on educational communications and technology (pp. 101-111). Springer, New York,
NY..
Sekaran, U., & Bougie, R. (2016). Research methods for business: A skill building approach.
John Wiley & Sons.
Wenger, E. (2014). Artificial intelligence and tutoring systems: computational and cognitive
approaches to the communication of knowledge. Morgan Kaufmann.