Technological products
By the end of this component, students will be able to explain why and how materials are selected and how they enable outcomes (technological products) to function as expected.
Technological products are material objects that have been designed by people and developed through technological practice to serve particular functions.
A crucial relationship between the (chemical) composition and structure of the materials used and their performance properties exists in every technological product.
For this reason, students (technologists) need to be able to evaluate different materials and select the most suitable for their purpose. Students also need to understand how:
- existing materials can be modified
- new materials formulated
- their choice of materials impacts on the design, development, maintenance, and disposal of their outcome.
Related resources
Indicators of progression
Indicators of progression
The indicators of progression describe the knowledge, skills, and understandings that students should be demonstrating in the Technological products component of the Technology learning area.
Indicators are provided for each level of the curriculum and are accompanied by guidance for teachers.
Videos
Engaging with technological products in years 9–13
This video series features senior students working with materials and pushing boundaries.
They also show the value of building school-industry relationships to expand the range of materials available to students and grow their knowledge of working with the materials.
Teaching snapshots
Learning about technology through toys
Years 2–3 students were engaged in a toy inquiry that helped them think about the materials used to make toys and why the materials were chosen.
Activities for building technological products knowledge
Year 9 students at a School in Auckland set out to understand the technological products component of wearable art.
The teacher wanted to focus on understandings from the technological knowledge strand. Technological products was a natural fit for this context because the students were working with multiple types of materials in their practice.
Student showcase
Year 12 student outcome: A pie for Sweeney Todd
Different food materials were considered and those with the most suitable performance properties were chosen to create a pie for the school's production of Sweeney Todd.
Technology in the School Journal and Connected
"The Ukulele Maker", Junior Journal 58, level 2, 2019
This journal report describes how Dave Gilberd makes a ukulele. Use this report to discuss materials and their performance properties.
Technological products: Key ideas (Word 2007, 152 KB)
Acknowledgment: This paper is derived from an earlier version by Dr Vicki Compton and Cliff Harwood.