EDU621: Literature Review
EDU621 A3: Literature Review
Chamuris, C. J., & Wallace, M. (1996). A Framework for the Study of Technology in NJ. A Framework for the Study of Technology in NJ, 1-84.
A Framework is a guiding document published in 1996 by the Technology Educators Association of New Jersey. Its purpose was to establish technology standards and an outline of what students should know about technology at each grade from K-12. These guides and standards are not state standards, but were drafted so that schools had a framework to tailor and implement their own technology education programs. The document also highlights many of the systems, processes, and ways in which technology education can be taken on. The document suggests that in 5-8th grades students should begin to understand and identify how different technologies can impact the environment. Students in 5th-8th grade should also be processing materials such as wood, metals, and plastics in project work. When students are in high-school they should then be thinking about the appropriateness of materials in designs and environmental impacts(50). While there is a section specific to material processing(21) it makes no mention of sustainable practice. Later it is inferred in the role of the teacher section that teachers must thoughtfully guide students through materials processing work(70). This document is important to my research as I can begin to understand the ways in which I can work through content with my students. It is also a respected source for what levels of thinking, content, and projects students should be experiencing throughout their schooling.
Mike Brown, Fabian Sack & Chelsea Piper Rodd (2013) Student voice in ‘skills for sustainability’: A missing component from the demand side of Australian Vocational Education and Training, International Journal of Training Research, 11:3, 213-224, DOI: 10.5172/ijtr.2013.11.3.213
This document seeks to highlight how Vocational Education and Training(VET) students and recent graduates are able to have their voice influence vo-tech education in Australia. The paper notes that students are critical to making change in sustainable technology in education, not just the council of industry. They focus on a spike in the integration of sustainable practices in VET classes in 2011, but that the cost of implementation is the largest barrier(217). In interviews conducted the authors make a connection between content learned in VET programs and its application in the workforce. Specifically how graduates understand why new processes and materials on the job are guided by sustainability as well as other factors(222). The writing relates to my topic of interest in that it suggests that there is a demand and interest in sustainable practice both in training and on the job. In particular the critical thinking and reasoning skills revolving around sustainability are the most transferable skills to the workforce. The writing suggests that there is no clear guide or incentive for these skills, and that all students are calling for more of this content in their educational experiences(223). While this article is 6 years old, it provides a model for collecting data on interest in sustainability and a view on the practical application of sustainable thinking in the workforce.
Taylor, S. K., Creech, H., & International Institute for Sustainable Development. (2013). Technical-vocational education for sustainable development in Manitoba. Winnipeg, Man: International Institute for Sustainable Development.
The goal of this article was to gauge implementation and interest of Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) in VET programs. The article narrates a history of national initiatives to increase ESD in VET programs around the world(4). Conducting interviews of administrators in Manitoba it is uncovered that ESD programs heavily relies on teacher interest and capacity for it within their content area(5). Generally ESD is seen through environmental sustainability and blue recycling boxes, but is not seen as a social or economic responsibility. Cost is also seen as a prohibiting factor, typically there is no federal incentive and private grants for sustainable practices and work are hard to come by. There is mention of sustainable material waste practice from different VET programs ranging from woodshop, culinary arts, electronics, and automotive wastes(9).
The article is of particular interest as it generally documents and identifies the levels of implementation of ESD in VET classrooms from an administrators, teachers, and students perspective. It also provides next steps for the Province of Manitoba for 2013 onward. It also contains a brief precedent for material processing waste management.
Egba, Ernest & Chinweoke Anyigor-Ogah, Augustina. (2018). Enhancing Waste Management in Technical and Vocational Jobs through Information Technology. Chemical Engineering Transactions. 63.
This article suggests that by educating vocational students and workforce on ways to minimize the buildup of solid wastes. That in developing countries solid wastes are a prime vector for disease and hazardous conditions. The article describes how waste is affecting various communities in Nigeria and what social and political elements are at play(626). In researching the major vectors of waste in Nigeria it is uncovered that building development, garment industry, and medical industry are the largest sources of waste. It is suggested that applying technology and app based technology in these vocational or technical fields to document, reduce, reuse, and recycle waste are useful tools for waste management. This article is relevant as it promotes technological intervention to solve a problem relevant to vocational and technological careers and education.
Desa, Asmawati & Abdul Kadir, Nor Ba’yah & Yusooff, Fatimah. (2011). A Study on the Knowledge, Attitudes, Awareness Status and Behaviour Concerning Solid Waste Management. Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences. 18. 643-648. 10.1016/j.sbspro.2011.05.095.
This article sets out to understand student understanding and engagement with sustainable waste management practices between comprehensive and grammar schools. The article goes into detail on EU recycling frameworks and how the questionnaire was conducted. This article is of interest to my work as it does a great job of providing a context for material waste in the school community and national community. It also cleanly extracts data from the questionnaires and tabulates it. In particular the article promotes reducing usage and reusing of material rather than recycling and the social cues given by promoting one method over another.
Arenas, Alberto. (2008). Connecting Hand, Mind, and Community: Vocational Education for Social and Environmental Renewal. Teachers College Record. 110. 377-404.
The purpose of this article is to understand how social justice and environmental advocacy can be stressed in vocational education. It outlines the historical lead up to why environmental advocacy is important and notes paying attention to vocational education is a key area to promote new ways of thinking and working. This article seeks to outline reasons that environmental education has crept into vocational education by means of resource scarcity (286). It also has a very robust methodology for documenting how schools implement sustainable practices, linking the economy to the environment, and how to best track how students may be affected by it.
Miller, B., & Culpepper, J. (2017). From Trash To Treasure: How One School’s Effort To Transform Food Waste Is Connecting Communities In The North Country. The Adirondack Journal Of Environmental Studies,22, 104-111. Retrieved July 21, 2019, from https://digitalworks.union.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1315&context=ajes.
This article documents the lead up to and implementation of a food waste reduction project at a school in New York. Narrates the process of how food waste is processed and how students view and are engaged in the process themselves. In particular it notes what new questions and positions students take from being exposed to a waste reduction program. This article is of interest to me as it is a primary source on how students view the implementation of a sustainable program at their school. While it may be more of a narrative overview than a data driven article it has its place as it documents student experiences and learning from the institution itself.
Ichsan, Ilmi & Wahyu Widi Mulyani, Surandini. (2018). Improving students’ motoric skills through demonstration method in recycling plastic waste. Jurnal Pendidikan Biologi Indonesia. 4. 10.22219/jpbi.v4i2.5890.
This article seeks to understand the best ways of introducing recycling to students within the classroom. After three cycles of data collection on student engagement it is found that project based, student centered experiences are the most effective. It almost goes so far as to say that a flipped-classroom approach is best, but notes that a teacher must have some amount of guidance and presence to make the experience whole. This article is of serious interest to my work as it directly relates to plastic waste in the classroom. In particular it notes that students are given the task of creating products or figuring out ways to reuse the plastic in projects. In particular it notes that problem-solving and critical thinking skills must be taken into account on top of student engagement with the content. While this article utilizes a very small dataset, it is worthwhile as it’s relevant to my area of interest and problem.