Introducing Maker-Inspired Technology in the Finnish Craft Subject – A Case Study from One School

Abstract

In the last two decades, the use of technology in Finnish basic education has developed rapidly. The combination of digital and analogue resources is emphasized especially in the maker movement to reduce abstraction in digital equipment. Craft as a learning subject has substantive conditions for offering pupils instruction in both traditional analogue and current digital working methods within the subject area. The purpose of this study was to examine what kind of knowledge and skill development are expressed when three types of maker-inspired technologies consisting of 3D modelling, 3D printing and e-textiles, are integrated into a lesson sequence in craft in Grade 7 in a Finnish basic education school. The study was conducted as an action research cycle consisting of seven lessons within a craft sequence. The data collection method was a questionnaire. The study shows the development of pupils' self-reported knowledge and skills as well as their attitudes towards the technological contents of the lesson sequence. Keywords: craft, sloyd, maker movement, basic education

Student and teacher co-agency when combining CT with arts and design in a cross-curricular project

“…Introducing programming in sloyd is hence closely related to the maker culture discussed above. Sloyd has been part of the Finnish curriculum for over 150 years, so schools in Finland have had their own kind of maker activities long before the establishment of the maker movement [8].…”

“…In Finland, a new national curriculum for grades 1-9 (approximately ages [7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15] was accepted in 2014, coming into force gradually starting in 2016. The curriculum does not explicitly mention CT but introduces programming as part of the cross-curricular theme digital competence.…”