Redesigning school environment @Innokomp
Noora Salonen & Tellervo Härkki
Department of Education, University of Helsinki
A new service-design oriented craft project model that was piloted at Helsinki, Finland, set pupils, teachers and student teachers in new challenging roles. Pupils were tasked to discover and redesign non-functional areas from their school, which is one of the oldest Finnish school buildings still in operation. The main aim was to engage and empower pupils to see themselves as experts of their own life and everyday environment, as well as capable of designing and bringing in change into their own and their peers life. This project was part of program Innokomp, a Finnish initiative that develops pedagogical models for craft education. In Innokomp, not only pupils but also teachers and student teachers are learners, and teachers collaborate closely.
Two enthusiastic and open-minded craft teachers, with the help of an external service designer and a researcher, guided pupils through early phases of co-ideation and co-designing, and later, through co-making of prototypes. While one of the teachers taught new techniques (drilling, welding, 3D-printing, etc.) to pupils, the other one ensured overall progress. Student teachers faced a role very different than in previous practicums: pupil-centred projects proceeded in their own pace and to their own directions. Student teachers and teachers could do very little pre-planning, and the main task for student teachers was to motivate and encourage groups to divide labour and to overcome obstacles. According to end interviews, one of the most important learning outcomes was how to work with others. As a whole, the experience was demanding but rewarding.
Discover and make projects @Innokomp: A case example
Tellervo Härkki & Auli Saarinen
Department of Education, University of Helsinki
Learning at school is not a privilege reserved for pupils only. A Finnish programme designed to develop pedagogical models for craft education introduces a concept with ambitious discover and make projects to pupils at elementary schools. Additionally, it caters for teachers as well as teacher students entering their third (and penultimate) practicum period. This national-level program Innokomp provides pedagogical tools and models for teachers to refresh their craft teaching competence in co-operation with their colleagues. Further, student teachers get experience of novel approaches.
The core elements of the program include phenomenon-based projects, pupil-centred collaborative discovery and making, and digital modelling. In these projects, pupils work at groups, which is novel for craft education. Textile craft and technology teachers are encouraged to work closely as a team in all phases of planning, teaching and evaluating; another novelty. Typically, several student teachers practice in one project. All in all, peer learning and collaboration occurs at three different levels: pupils, teachers and student teachers and in all directions.
Pupils, teachers and student teachers face different learning challenges in each school and in each project. In this particular elementary school, craft teachers have a long shared history; yet collaboration at this level is new. This year is the second time when 5th and 6th grade pupils innovate and create games, and the first year when 6th graders discover and prototype technological solutions to everyday problems. Feedback from the school tells that the projects are fun, exiting, rich and intense experiences.
Co-teaching as a way to enhance students’ pedagogical innovation processes
Sofia Krapi, Eila Lindfors & Marja-Leena Rönkkö, Department of Teacher Education,
Rauma campus, University of Turku, Finland
Co-teaching is a method in which craft teachers implement multi-material craft teaching in collaboration. Main elements of co-teaching are co-planning of teaching, co-defining a learning tasks, practical teaching and tutoring of students in makerspaces and evaluation of learning outcomes and management of co-teaching. The aim of this study is find out how co-teaching supports students’ innovation processes. The research question is: What are the challenges of co-teaching in enhancing students’ pedagogical innovation processes in comprehensive education? Research is a qualitative multi-case study. The research material will be collected as group interviews. The respondents are 10 pairs of co-teaching student teachers (n=20) in their final teaching practice at master level and craft teachers (n=22) who started to develop co-teaching as part of the InnoKomp-project since 2017. Teachers and students participate in the interview together as co-teachers. The result will be presented on the basis of a theorydriven analysis. Results unfold challenges teachers meet as beginners, advancers and professionals in co-teaching. The results can be applied in pre- and in-service teacher training. Co-teaching seems to be one solution to enhance students’ pedagogical innovation processes in a way that different learners can have timely support during their process.
Keywords: co-teaching, craft, pedagogical innovation processes, interview
Self-assessment in craft, design and technology education – teachers’ views
Sari Saarnilahti
Faculty of Education, Department of Teacher Education
University of Turku, Rauma Campus, Finland
The purpose of the study is to deepen understanding of how self-assessment appears in the craft, design and technology education (CDT) subject in the Finnish basic education. Self-assessment is understood as a student’s consideration and reflection during and after a design and manufacturing process, a holistic craft process. Self-assessment is an active and targeted consideration and reflection on one’s own work progress of during the process. In the study the subject teachers of CDT (N=8) were interviewed.
The study at hand is a part of a larger research project of student’s self-assessment in CDT. In the theme interviews teachers acted as experts of their own subject. These teachers represent seven schools and teach in grades 1-9 in basic education. The themes of the interviews were formed on the basis of a student survey results on self-assessment (N= 508). The interview data is analysed by using NVivo qualitative analysis programme with the methods of abductive reasoning. The objective is to form a clear picture of self-assessment as a part of student’s holistic craft process.
The results of the analysis strengthen an earlier observation that the skill of self-assessment is gradually increasing. According to teachers, self-assessment as a learnt skill helps students to consider their working process positively and they understand the power of it as a part of learning. The teachers were concerned of the future of CDT and the pupils’ minor interest in the subject. It was experienced that also the students’ skill level and the ability to concentrate on their work is partly weak. However continuing self-assessment as a part of a holistic crafts process might focus students work and able them positive feed-back and learning experiences. The results of this study offer a scientific basis for new ways in strengthening and advancing students’ self-assessment skills as a part of the holistic craft process.
Keywords: self-assessment, craft, desicn and technology education, holistic craft process, basic education
Nordic Research Conference in Sloyd, September 17-20, 2019
Make&Learn is primarily aimed at researchers and teachers at universities and university colleges in the Nordic countries. The conference is also open to participants in research and development outside institutional sloyd activities where you process material using various tools to make physical objects. The conference languages will be Scandinavian languages and English.
The conference will take place September 17–20 2019 at HDK – Academy of Design and Crafts in central Gothenburg, with a posibility of visiting Nääs old Sloyd seminar.
The conference is organized by HDK in cooperation with the Nordic organization NordFo, Nordic Forum for Research and Development in Educational Sloyd, which works for various forms of Sloyd related cooperation between the Nordic countries.
