AND THE TECHNOLOGY LEARNING AREA |
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Technology education involves “the purposeful application of knowledge, experience and resources to create products and processes that meet human needs” (Curriculum Corporation, 1994a, p.3). One human need which constantly needs to be satisfied is the provision of food. The way that the need is satisfied can determine the quality of human life. For example, inutritionally unbalanced diets increase the potential for diet-related diseases and possibly an earlier-than-necessary death. | |
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But the nutritional value of the food is only one consideration when making food choices - food also plays a major role in meeting social, emotional and spiritual needs. There are no simple answers for getting the balance right, especially when some large influential companies have a vested interest in deliberately encouraging the population to consume a diet that far from meets its nutritional needs. The technology learning area has the potential to play a major role in developing in students the action skills and understandings to:
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These are very different action skills and understandings to those needed to just KNOW about a healthy diet. It is one thing to KNOW, but another to DO. Teachers are familiar with the frustrations of awarding a student a grade of excellence for an assignment or examination related to nutrition, only to find that student eating the same “junk food” for lunch as the student who failed the assignment!! | |
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Fortunately, recent research in Australia has determined a way forward, a way to empower students to have a healthy diet - yet still fit in with their cultural needs (even my family would eat this, Miss), their social needs (what will my mates say if I eat that stuff?) and their spiritual needs (thank heavens I don’t have to cook meat anymore). And even more fortunately, this approach can be applied to the technology learning area. |
AND THE TECHNOLOGY LEARNING AREA |
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The imperative for a new approach to school-based nutrition education came at a time when research from around the world challenged the effectiveness of food and nutrition education programs in changing food consumption patterns (Johnson & Johnson, 1985; NHMRC, 1988). Whilst the knowledge base of students was changing considerably, their behaviours did not reflect this knowledge. | |
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The importance of school-based food and nutrition education was acknowledged by the Commonwealth Government of Australia with the National Nutrition Education in Schools (NNES) project. Following a three year period of intensive research, the project identified a number of key concepts which would support health-promoting behaviours with respect to food, rather than students just knowing what to eat to be healthy. These key concepts have been presented as a comprehensive professional development resource for teachers - called Food and Nutrition in Action (National Nutrition Education in Schools project, 1996). The resource was released in 1996. | |
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The resource was developed to enhance teachers' ability to teach in a way that facilitates students' engagement in health promoting behaviours, rather than just learning about what they should be eating. In developing the curriculum framework for the resource, there emerged a number of key concepts relating to the following:
These concepts were grounded in the notion that nutrition education should assist students to develop health-promoting food-related behaviours. This should happen at two levels. | |
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1. At one level, students should be empowered to make changes to their own diet. They should be able to address a wide range of factors which influence their food choices - family, friends, media, advertising and so forth - and make changes which are both nutritious as well as fitting in with the way they like to lead their lives. | |
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2. At another level, they should be able to challenge those aspects of society which make it difficult for them and for others to make healthy choices - so, for example, they might challenge what is sold at the school canteen, what television shows promote, advertising, what is available at home, and many other influences which go against the concept that “healthy choices should be easy choices”. In this way they work to making a healthier society. | |
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Research has shown that an empowerment approach to nutrition education can develop action skills and understandings to enable students to be in control of their own diet, as well as promoting a healthier community. These skills are developmental and can be developed during the compulsory years of schooling. Teachers can apply the Key Concepts to develop these action skills and understandings. Applying these concepts in the classroom will enhance teachers’ abilities to teach in a way that facilitates students’ engagement in health promoting behaviours, rather than just knowing what they should be eating to be healthy. These Key Concepts are described in greater detail in the section which follows. | |
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The development of the project took place at the same time as the nationally developed eight curriculum frameworks for Australian schools, with the project linking most strongly to the Health and Physical Education curriculum framework (Curriculum Corporation, 1994b). However, it is now widely acknowledged that food and nutrition education occurs in more than just the Health and Physical Education learning area. One of the other learning areas which has potential to embrace effective food and nutrition programs is the Technology learning area. Part C of the paper describes how the Key Concepts can be applied in the technology learning area. |