Make the Future! Craft Education in the

Finnish Basic Education and Teacher

Education 28.9.2016

University Research Fellow Jaana Lepistö, PhD

Jaana Lepistö Background

• Textile work teacher 1992 (Helsinki University)

• PhD in Craft Education 2004 (Turku University)

• Craft teacher 1993-2004 in Teacher Education (Turku University, Rauma)

• Lecturer (Craft didactics) 2004-2009

• University Research Fellow (Craft Education) 2009-

• Vice-Head and Head of Rauma Unit 2010-

Research interests

• Multimaterial and educational craft and Enterprise Education

Expertises

• National Core Curriculum (Crafts)

• Enterprise education in the Teacher Education

TODAY • In Finland the National Core Curriculum is formulated pursuant to the Basic Education

Act and Decree and Goverment Decrees that specify to goals of education and the

distribution of lesson hours.

• The core curriculum in Finland is a national regulation issued by the Finnish National

Board of Education, in compliance with which the local curricula are prepared.

• Teachers who can teach craft in the Basic Education are Class Teachers or Craft

Subject Teachers

• Teacher Education in Rauma is one out of for units that educates Craft Subject Teachers

• Craft Student Teachers’ Views on the Future of the Craft Subject

Regulation for Finnish Basic Education

• Basic Education Act 628/1998 • The Basic Education Act regulates the subjects included in the curriculum and student

counselling.

• National Core Curriculum 2014 • The national core curriculum is determined by the Finnish National Board of Education. It

includes the objectives and core contents of different subjects, as well as the principles of pupil assessment, special-needs education, pupil welfare and educational guidance.

• Distribution of Lesson Hours in Basic Education 2012 • The Government decides on the overall time allocation by defining the minimum number of

lessons for core subjects during basic education.

• Teaching Qualifications Decree (986/1998) • The decree prescribes on the qualification requirements of educational staff.

• In the Finnish Basic Education Act (628/1998) the subject is called crafts. Crafts are a compulsory subject in Finnish primary schools from the first to sixth grades (ages 7 to 12), and in the seventh to ninth grades (age 13-16) in secondary schools. Often the eight and the ninth grades, students can select craft as an optional subject.

• Craft is regarded as a diverse and versatile subject on the basis of curriculum objectives since 2004

• In spite of this, teaching and learning craft has been based on the traditional gender segregation. This has been possible on the basis of the curriculum: the content areas of craft subject are technical and textile work (FNBE, 2004)

• The division between the contents and teaching methods has maintained and supported gender segregated craft education (Kokko 2009, 2011,2012; Marjanen 2012; Lepistö 2010, 2011; Lepistö, Rönkkö, & Tuikkanen 2013; Lepistö & Lindfors 2015; Lindfors 2012)

Photos: Yliverronen Virpi 2010

Gender-segregated craft in Finnish Basic Education

Subject Grades 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Total

Craft (compulsory) 4 5 2 11

Optional arts and crafts subjects 6 5 11

Arts and crafts subjects

total (Music+Visual arts+Crafts+Physical

ed.+ Home economics)

62

THE NEW DISTRIBUTION OF LESSON HOURS OF BASIC EDUCATION (Government decree 28.6.2012)

Subject Grades 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Total

Craft (compulsory) 4 7 11

All optional subjects 12 12

Arts and crafts subjects total

(Music+Visual arts+Craft and Physical

ed.)

56

THE OLD DISTRIBUTION OF LESSON HOURS OF BASIC EDUCATION 2001-2015

The new National Core Curriculum for Basic Education 2014 defines craft

education: Making crafts is an exploratory, inventive, and experimental

activity in which different visual, material and technical solutions as well

as production methods are used creatively. (FNBE, 2014)

Lacenymous: Pitsi-Illuminati

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W_5pFmYVcdc

REFLECTIVE CRAFT

Unfortunately but naturally some moron stole this

one also. So after this theft the bollard continued

it’s life getting hits by sloppy car drivers.

Until this fall I got an idea to make a reflecting lace

that can’t be stolen, unless you steal the whole

bollard as well. I made a lace stencil and then with

reflective lace spray paint I just simply painted the

lace. Or to be precise I painted the empty areas in

the lace so in the bollard you can see the lace

made of stone that doesn’t reflect light as well as

the surrounding areas. (Thorström 2015)

Photo: Thorström 2014

CRAFTS The task of the subject of crafts is to guide the pupils to manage a holistic craft process. Crafts is a subject in which multiple materials are used, and its activities are based on craft expression, design and technology. (Nationale Core curriculum for Basic Education 2014)

MULTI-MATERIAL CRAFT?

Multi-material craft subject includes: experimenting and testing of familiar and

new materials and possible combining in the same product or pieces. It is

essential, that the emphasis in the starting point for pupils’ planning is

usability and it’s based on some phenomenon. In this case it will not be

possible to stick only in some certain material area for example called

technical or textile work. (FNBE 2014)

One example of the Key content areas: Producing ideas (FNBE 2014)

• Grades 1 – 2: The design process is based on the pupils´

personal feelings, stories, and imaginary environment .

• Grades 3 – 6: The pupils learn about different approaches to

design and draw on their own multisensory experiences.

• Grades 7 – 9: The pupils complete different product design

assignments creatively and innovatively using the concepts,

signs, and symbols of crafts.

The Curriculum of the Teacher Training School, Rauma (2016)

GRADE 8:

2 lessons/week

Teknological

expression and

innovation

Application of

the previous

learned

knowledge and skills

Pupils´own

visions

Pupils´own

experiences

Enterprising

planning

Occupational

safety

”CHALLENGE YOURSELF”

OBJECTIVES:

CRAFTS GRADE 8

(optional crafts)

Design

CLASS TEACHER EDUCATION IN FINNISH UNIVERSITIES

Studies lead to the degree of Master of Education, 300 ECTS

credits.

In a two-cycle model:

1. bachelor's degree 180 ECTS credits (3years)

2. Master of Education 120 ECTS credits (2 years)

Studies aim to provide students with professional and

academic skills required as a class teacher. Major subject is Educational Science.

Craft studies are included in the multidisciplinary studies (BA).

The number of ECTS varies between 3-6 in separate

universities. ( Crafts, 6 ECTS in Rauma and Turku)

Photos: Jaana Lepistö 2007, Virpi Yliverronen 2010

CRAFT TEACHER EDUCATION IN RAUMA

• Intake: 39 students each year – This year 2016: 22 female, 17 male

• Major subject is Craft Education:

– Basic Studies 25 ECTS

– Intermedia Studies 44 ECTS

– Advanced Studies 70 ECTS

(includes Master Thesis studies, 34 ECTS)

Photos: Jaana Lepistö

TRADITIONAL MATERIAL –

NEW TECHNIQUE

TRADITIONAL MATERIAL –

TRADITIONAL PRODUCT

Photos: Lepistö 2006

One example of the Basic Studies (Craft Education)

E-TEXTILES – PHYSICAL AND DIGITAL – EMBEDDED SYSTEMS; SOFT

AND HARD

Photo: http://gizmodiva.com

Photos: Tervaselkä-Jalonen 2010 Photo: Buechlay et al. 2013

Arduino tank:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2P

zNAAP5VMM

Craft Student Teachers’ Views on the Future of the Craft Subject (Lepistö & Lindfors 2015)

Craft as a holistic process

The student teachers emphasized the craft learning where pupils develop as independent makers. The data revealed that student teachers combined conscious thinking to hands-on doing, which is a key element in understanding holistic craft.

Reflective action readiness

The student teachers emphasized that the skill to use technology is not only enough. There is also a need for practical doing, in other words, hands-on doing and working with materials and tools. In student teachers´ opinions, craft is the key element in developing pupils´ common sense and the use of it in practical situations.

Photos: Lepistö Jaana 2010

Craft Student Teachers’ Views on the Future of the Craft Subject (Lepistö & Lindfors 2015)

Entrepreneurial behaviour The student teachers emphasized that pupils should be allowed to make decisions on what they are taught in crafts instead of being only the recipients of information delivered by the teacher. (Rönkkö & Lepistö 2016)

This is in line with entrepreneurial pedagogy where the entire learning process can be seen as learning by doing (Cope & Watts, 2000).

It is a process where pupils’ participation, interaction, decision-making, and problem-solving skills develop (Rönkkö & Lepistö, 2015, 2016).

Photos: Lepistö 2014

Craft Student Teachers’ Views on the Future of the Craft Subject (Lepistö & Lindfors 2015)

Versatile skills and multimateriality

Learning of holistic craft should include all kinds of materials and techniques

Meaningful learning experiences and liberal learning environment are needed

“the only way to survive” is breaking the traditional conceptions and bounds of craft: textile and technical work

Photos: Lepistö 2009-2013, Pirttimaa 2013, Tervaselkä-Jalonen 2012

Craft Student Teachers’ Views on the Future of the Craft Subject (Lepistö & Lindfors 2015)

Source of pleasure The student teachers emphasized that making craft gives a person joy and has a positive influence on his or her brain. (Huotilainen 2013)

The results revealed that craft making is the source of pleasure and success for the maker. The learning should be meaningful and significant. What is learned and why it is learned is important to understand.

Teachers should also understand that instead of learning skills perfectly, the joy of doing with hands should be the most important in the learning of craft.

Photos: Lepistö 2013

WHAT KIND OF FUTURE WE ARE MAKING FOR CRAFT

LEARNING AND TEACHING?

• Possibilities: • to emphasize students´ exploratory, inventive and experimental activity

• To have new contents in the craft subject

• To promote discussion with policymakers on the renewed craft subject and its meaning for personal well-being and society’s entrepreneurial behavior

• Challenges: • Learning environments

• Teachers´ biased education (technical/textile) -> updating teachers´education

• Distribution of lesson hours

• Multidisciplinary integration of subjects