The teaching of the Technology and Society element of the course should be integrated into the ongoing work insofar as this is possible. Thus it may be appropriate to discuss the further dimensions of an issue when it arises in the teaching. When, for example, plastic is first being introduced as a material it would be appropriate to explore the history of its development
- its social impact (How have plastics changed our lives for better and worse?)
- its economic impact, (Plastics generally require high volume production to be economically viable).
Co-operation is another essential skill that should be explicitly addressed in the teaching of technology. Co-operation is a normal practice in modem industry. Modern technology is now so sophisticated that it is dependent on the skills of numerous people working in close co-operation for its success. Students c o u l d experience the benefits and the difficulties of co-operation when undertaking an extensive task which requires input from different students for various parts.
It is necessarily difficult to quantify the resources required for the teaching of the Technology and Society element of the course. Resource needs will b e dictated by the nature of the study undertaken by each teacher. It would be useful for each school to have a small library of reference books for teacher and student use. Such a library might include relevant encyclopaedia, technology dictionaries and reference books and perhaps relevant journals.
A most valuable resource is the work of the students themselves. It is well worth collecting the best student work from each assignment and storing it in a school library for later use and reference. This resource is most valuable in motivating other students as it can be used to set and raise the standard of work expected. Indeed one of the first tasks to be undertaken by the class might be to design a storage system suitable for the students work.