Learning Areas

Alright, now that we have looked at the core understandings that filter through the two learning areas of Computational Thinking, and Designing and Developing. Let’s circle back to pulling these two learning areas apart.

Hopefully through unpacking these two learning areas of digital technologies, you’ll be able to see how the core understandings come through.

Now, in order to break down these two learning areas into manageable steps, our NZ Educational System came up with the term Progress Outcomes. These are pretty much just a fancy way of saying Learning Objectives. However, Progress Outcomes are different in the sense that, where learning objectives cover a specific focus within a specific year, progress outcomes describe a significant learning step.

I know for those not teaching in New Zealand, this might seem irrelevant. But I think these progress outcomes help break down digital technologies while still allowing for individual and unique problem solving and creativity thinking from students.

So, Progress Outcomes describe a significant learning step that students will take as they develop expertise in computational thinking and designing and developing. These progress outcome learning steps are significant, so much so that one progress outcome may span two-four years within a learning area. Meaning that for some students, in both years two and year six (1st Grade and 5th Grade) , they could be working within the same progress outcome.

This doesn’t mean each progress outcome is small. Quite the contrary. It gives you an idea as to how much scope and sequence there is for students to grow and become digitally competent creators within one of these learning areas.

So, let’s have a look.