Technology Education Pedagogy: Enhancing STEM Learning

Abstract

Depending on the educational context, technology education can be addressed in curricula as a separate or cross-curricular subject, and one that is either compulsory or an elective. Regardless, the nature of technology is clearly integra-tive, given that technological systems must incorporate and contextualize knowledge and practices from a broad range of disciplines. Furthermore, the scope of research and implementation strategies observed in authentic educational contexts embraces the breadth of integrative possibilities. Technology educators, therefore, have an intrinsic opportunity to investigate the potential of multiple approaches in technology education pedagogies. Furthermore, technology educators might also find themselves confronted with misconceptions about the nature of technology and the versatility of its research, design, and production processes, especially during curricular and interdisciplinary STEM team collaborations. In addition, in an educational context where technology, at one end of the spectrum, might well be misperceived as an applied activity, the technology educator is capable of introducing a richer and more accurate picture of the integrative nature of technology. At the other extreme, when only procedural or declarative aspects are emphasized, or when conceptual knowledge is handled only in the abstract, the technology educator is able to strengthen relationships with math and science by bringing in conceptual knowledge through the design of technological systems and demonstrating the authentic utility of scientific knowledge in context. Set within the context of STEM education reform, this chapter presents an exploration into the pedagogical continuum for teaching technology education through