Browsing by Subject "craft education"

The aim of this study was to clarify which factors constitute an e-portfolio that supports and promotes learning in craft education, and how these factors appear in authentic e-portfolios made by lower secondary school pupils. The Finnish National Core Curriculum for Basic Education 2014 emphasizes learner centrism, self-directed learning, learning-to-learn skills, goal setting skills, and problem-solving skills as objectives of education. The basis of craft education is in the examination of transversal themes in a holistic manner. In addition to learning the holistic craft process, e.g. versatile use of ICT and reflective and critical thinking are considered objectives of craft education. Assessment in craft education is based on documentation of the holistic craft process. In this study, the e-portfolio method is examined as a way of implementing the objectives and meanings of craft education in practice. A content model of e-portfolio for craft education was constructed based on previous studies, literature and the National Core Curriculum for Basic Education 2014, summarising the central contents, aims and potential of e-portfolios in craft education. 8 e-portfolios made by lower secondary school pupils in craft education were analysed. The data was collected as a part of the Growing Mind -research project in one Helsinki-based comprehensive school. The data was analysed through qualitative content analysis to examine the ways the factors of the content model were embodied in the e-portfolios. The e-portfolios appeared as stories and diaries communicating the learning processes from the pupils’ viewpoint. The e-portfolios provided information about the authors’ thought processes, activities, and the grounds of their activities. The e-portfolios were produced in different ways and their contents and emphasis varied. All of the e-portfolios expressed the craft learning process in forms of goal setting, artefact documentation, feedback and inter-action, interdisciplinary learning, learning ICT-skills, and holistic craft process containing the generation of ideas, the design, the making process, and the assessment of the artefact and the process. The results of this study indicate that the e-portfolio is worthy of consideration as a method and tool in craft education especially when it is produced in a dynamic way as a part of a learning task.

The objective of this study was to find out what development targets craft teachers could identify in the comprehensive school classes 1 through 9 after the curriculum of the year 2004 had declared craft education uniform in textile and technical craft. Earlier research had shown that after this curricular reform craft education had been carried out in dissimilar ways in different municipalities and schools. This causes differences in the contents of teaching and thus in learning outcomes on national level. The most problematic situations occur on the 7th grade when the classes contain pupils with very heterogeneous skill levels. My intention is to find general themes in craft education that are significant when considering developmental objectives. The problem was explored by four research questions as follows: What kind of problems have craft teachers confronted during the application of the curriculum 2004, what are the most important objectives and contents in craft for the comprehensive school, how craft education should be arranged in the future and what prerequisites should be considered to generate high quality craft education? The study was carried out by a qualitative research approach. The informants consisted of 21 persons, out of which 15 were textile or technical teachers and six were textile or technical teacher students. The research data was collected in the form of short open narratives, based on a partially structured inquiry. Respectively content analysis was applied for analysis of the narratives. Research results revealed that craft teachers were mainly satisfied in uniform craft and hoped that both textile and technical craft could be compulsory school subjects for both genders. Textile and technical craft should be defined as separate independent school subjects, both of which should be developed with broader and high quality contents. Craft subjects should be allocated more teaching time. Teachers asked for a more logically proceeding curriculum, initiating from the beginning to the end of the compulsory school. It was suggested that this could be done by a qualified subject teacher. A uniform curriculum solution must be found for the whole country.