Some thoughts on the diseconomy of the NSW technology education curriculum

Current reviews associated with the possible introduction of an Australian national school curriculum provide a timely opportunity for a critical reflection and evaluation of existing state based curricular across all academic disciplines. In New South Wales for example the technology curriculum has now expanded to include a wide range of subject options across both the primary and secondary school curricular which might be perceived by some technology educators and even members of the wider community as being a positive reflection on the richness, strength and diversity of this curriculum. However, a careful examination of the resourcing implications required to deliver, and service such a diverse curriculum might suggest otherwise.

This paper then presents an overview of enrolment trends in selected subjects of the NSW technology curriculum over the past century with an emphasis on the secondary curriculum and examines how the gradual development of such a diverse curriculum may ultimately impact on its effective delivery and influence the perception of technology as a significant learning area in schools and across the wider community.