In the context of contemporary society, the school—required to meet the major imperatives of integrating education with scientific research and production—becomes a highly important factor. The modernization of the educational process involves its development based on rigorous didactic technology, restructuring and innovating most pedagogical concepts within applied didactics. In order to design, apply, evaluate, and improve an educational process regarded as a system, the teacher must develop a set of new pedagogical skills based on a broad foundation of knowledge about modern production, which in turn complements and develops the student’s general culture.
Today, the concept of general culture cannot be understood without basic knowledge in science, technology, and modern production, just as these cannot be conceived without a rich humanistic culture. The formation of professional competence is directly supported by specialized subjects and practical training, yet their acquisition depends on the existence of knowledge and skills outlined in the school curriculum.
Technical subjects must be viewed as interconnected components within a whole—the curriculum designed for a given type of high school and specialization. The development of professional competence in high school graduates is ensured through their complex and progressive training, starting from the general issues of the field and advancing toward the specific requirements of a given occupation. Through technical disciplines, students acquire knowledge and skills specific to various trades and develop moral and intellectual qualities such as technical thinking, inventiveness, scientific curiosity, interest in technology and production, the habit of applying theoretical knowledge in practice, and the ability to identify scientific explanations in technological processes, alongside respect and appreciation for work.
Cultivating and developing professional interests and aptitudes is an essential objective for educators. Preparing students to use modern production tools judiciously and contribute substantially to improving technology and manufacturing processes is necessary, as professional competence is primarily expressed through productive activity.
The transition to a market economy, economic decentralization, the reduction of available jobs, and new social and professional requirements place greater responsibility on technical education in forming and continuously improving specialists.
The training of young people graduating from industrial high schools or vocational schools is ensured through competent and progressive instruction, moving from general topics to those specific to a group of occupations. Understanding technical phenomena, learning specialized terminology, and acquiring the procedures used in practicing a trade represent essential objectives of technical subjects at the pre-university level.
Regardless of the professional field targeted by technical, vocational, complementary, apprenticeship, post-secondary, or foreman education, every type and profile organizes its teaching process so that students can acquire the competencies required for their chosen occupations.
Considering that our educational system ensures the functional unity of its characteristics—being open, continuous, and focused on both general and specialized training—professional education is structured through several instructional forms at various levels, as follows:
- In lower secondary education (grades V–VIII), technological education guides students toward understanding different professions;
- Through vocational and dual education, students acquire qualifications for specific trades;
- Technological and specialized high school education provides scientific, updated, and vocational knowledge needed for higher studies or for preparing for more complex occupations;
- Post-secondary and foreman education further develops specialized competencies for previously acquired occupations.
Alongside specific professional content at every level of schooling, pre-university technical education aims to develop students’ technological literacy. As an integral part of general culture, this increases students’ sensitivity to technology, broadens their technical horizons, and fosters a receptive, creative attitude towards technology in its broadest sense.
The relationship between general education subjects and specialized subjects
The training system that forms professional skills ensures a balance between the subjects studied at each educational level.
The demands of technological and economic progress, as well as labor market competition, require an educational process that provides general culture as a foundation for developing technical thinking, understanding scientific principles, fostering a positive reaction to the technological environment, and creating the prerequisites for successfully learning highly specialized subjects.
The curriculum for technical schools includes:
- general education subjects;
- general technical subjects;
- specialized subjects specific to the trade;
- practical training for general trade-related skills;
- practical training specific to the trade.
The complex process of professional training establishes necessary connections between subjects that contribute to shaping a student’s personality and preparing them for practicing a trade.
Teaching methodology
The two main components of the teaching process are:
- teaching—the transmission of knowledge and the educational component, dependent on the teacher;
- learning—the assimilation of knowledge and the formation of civilised conduct, dependent on the student.
The teacher plays a leading role, and the quality of teaching is fundamental to the student’s solid assimilation of knowledge and overall development. The educational process cultivates students’ curiosity, their desire to understand the world, apply knowledge in practice, and develop observation skills, memory, thinking, language, and creative imagination.
Knowledge must not be absorbed mechanically; it must be processed and internalized, becoming personal intellectual achievements that help students solve real-life problems.
As in any subject, the teaching of technical disciplines has two main objectives:
- knowledge acquisition—transmitting the information, skills, and abilities required for future professions;
- establishing an optimal didactic technology—planning content, distributing hours, setting general, specific, and operational objectives, selecting methods and teaching tools, and defining assessment parameters.
In Romania, the reform of vocational and technical education aims to align professional training standards with those of European Union countries, considering labor market developments.
The curriculum has been redesigned based on a new modular system, enabling flexible methodological adaptation to each school’s specific needs. A module consists of subjects that can be studied independently, starting from groups of trades with basic training modules, followed by additional modules for improvement and specialization.
Each educational process is planned, organized, and carried out to achieve specific pedagogical objectives using appropriate didactic technology. This refers to the set of methods, tools, and modes of organizing learning that teachers select according to objectives, content, and learning systems.
Modes of organizing learning can include:
- computer-assisted learning;
- learning based on programmed textbooks and workbooks.
Didactic technology is also defined as the scientific method of designing, conducting, evaluating, and improving teaching activities.
Effective teaching depends on thorough preparation and planning, which involves:
- studying the curriculum;
- creating the yearly calendar plan;
- designing the instructional units.
Since curriculum design now focuses on objectives rather than strict content sequence, teachers must have a clear overview of the curriculum and identify major themes around which content is organized. Therefore, modern educational planning favors designing units of learning instead of individual lessons.
A unit of learning is a flexible structure characterized by:
- thematic unity;
- systematic and continuous development over a period of time;
- forming specific student behaviors through integrated specific competencies;
- concluding with assessment.
Professional culture and technical aptitudes
Professional culture is strongly influenced by professional and technical aptitudes.
Professional aptitudes include general factors depending on the profession and specific factors for specialized fields. Their structure tends to align with general intellectual abilities, forming what may be called professional intelligence.
Technical aptitudes are complex psychological traits that help young people adapt to a technologically advanced society. Although they have practical applications, they belong to the category of intellectual aptitudes because intellectual components play a major role in their formation.
Thus, professional culture ensures the necessary conditions for integrating individuals into society through their occupation, becoming a means of human specialization and personal development.
Types of lessons used in technical education
Depending on the predominant instructional activity, technical subjects employ:
- mixed lessons;
- lessons for transmitting and assimilating knowledge;
- lessons for consolidating skills;
- workshop-based lessons;
- review and systematization lessons;
- assessment and evaluation lessons.
The role of technological subjects in preparing students for a successful career is crucial in today’s rapidly evolving technological world. These subjects provide essential knowledge, skills, and competencies that allow students to adapt and excel in an increasingly digital and technology-driven labor market. Key aspects include:
1. Developing essential digital skills
• use of digital tools and platforms;
• computational thinking;
• information management;
• digital communication.
2. Familiarizing students with advanced technologies
• introduction to AI, robotics, IoT, data analysis;
• adaptability to technological change.
3. Fostering practical skills and creativity
• hands-on projects;
• innovation and creative problem-solving.
4. Career orientation and understanding labor market requirements
• discovering technological careers;
• understanding employer expectations.
5. Developing critical thinking and analytical capacity
• evaluating the impact of technology;
• interpreting and using data for decision-making.
In conclusion, technological subjects not only prepare students for specific technical careers but also equip them with transferable, essential competencies for success in the 21st century. They help form adaptable, creative, and critically minded individuals capable of navigating an increasingly technology-dependent world.
Bibliography
• Cerghit, I., Teaching Methods, Didactic and Pedagogical Publishing House, Bucharest, 1997
• Joița, E., The Efficiency of Instruction, Didactic and Pedagogical Publishing House, Bucharest, 1998
• Antonescu, E., Methodology of Teaching Technical Sciences, SITECH Publishing House, Craiova, 2000
• Panțuru, S., Păcurar, C., Niculescu, M., Luca, R., Initial Training, “Transilvania” University Publishing House, Brașov, 2001
• Gârboveanu, M., Negoescu, M., Nicola, V., Roșca, A., Surdu, M., Stimulating Students’ Creativity in the Educational Process, Bucharest, EDP, 1991