Browsing by Author "Johansson, Ani"

In elementary schools, a new curriculum (POP2014) was introduced in autumn 2016. The new curriculum no longer specifies the content of technical and textile handicraft, but the students study a shared, multi-material craft subject. Among both elementary school teachers and handicraft teachers, this change has raised a lot of uncertainty and has affected craft education. The purpose of this study is to find out how schools organize a shared craft and how teachers interpret the curriculum in this context, how teachers understand the multi-material and how it is appears in the work of the pupils. The research was carried out using qualitative methods. Three textile craft teachers, three technical teachers and two elementary school teachers were interviewed for the material. Interviews were conducted as a semi-structured theme interview. Based on research questions and previous theory, the material was analyzed theoretically by classifying it into different themes. The results of the research were finally divided into five different theme sections. Craft teaching was organized so that students were about 10 weeks at a time in the class of technical work or in the class of textile craft. The pupils first did experiments and then they designed and produced the project work. Multi-material was understood so that the student is free to use different materials and techniques in his own craft project. The teachers were worried about the survival of craft in basic education and the contraction of the craft areas to be learned. There was also concern about the reduction in teaching hours, the low popularity of handicraft and the future employment of craft teachers. Interaction between handicraft teachers and the resulting successful cooperation is the starting point for the implementation of a shared craft, and a prerequisite for the craft subject to continue to be taught in basic education in the future as well. In the future, handicraft teachers also wish to cooperate with elementary school teachers in order to create a continuum of handicraft learning from sub-classes to upper classes.