Technological Education 9-10

Strands in the Technological Education curriculum

The overall and specific expectations for each course in the technological education curriculum are typically organized in four distinct but related strands. The strands are Fundamentals; Skills; Technology, the Environment, and Society; and Professional Practice and Career Opportunities.

The Grade Nine and Ten curriculum document Technological Education includes information on how media literacy is relevant to the content of these courses:

Many of the activities and tasks that students undertake in the technological education curriculum involve the literacy skills relating to oral, written, and visual communication. For example, students use language to describe their plans and the progress of their designs and projects in both informal and formal contexts, to produce work orders, and to report on the results of their projects in presentations and technical and other reports in oral, written, graphic, and multimedia forms.

Inquiry and research are at the heart of learning in all subject areas. In technological education courses, students are encouraged to develop their ability to analyse the context and background of challenges and to explore a variety of possible solutions to those challenges. As students advance through the grades, they acquire the skills to locate information relevant to solving problems and addressing challenges from a variety of sources, such as books, magazines, manuals, technical reports, dictionaries, client interviews, videos, and the Internet.

Although the Internet is a powerful learning tool, there are potential risks attached to its use. All students must be made aware of issues of Internet privacy, safety, and responsible use, as well as of the potential for abuse of this technology, particularly when it is used to bully or promote hatred.

The Ontario Curriculum Grades 9 to 10 Technological Education, 2009.
Ontario Ministry of Education and Training

On the left you will find outcome charts containing media-related learning expectations from the social sciences curriculum, with links to supporting resources on the MediaSmarts site. As many of our lessons can be adapted to suit different grade levels and abilities, specific lessons may be listed for more than one grade. Teachers should also note that individual lessons often satisfy a number of expectations.