Commentary: The following reflects the opinions of the author.
Teachers represent one of the most highly educated professions in society, bringing extensive practical experience and a clear professional mission: to educate and create the conditions for learning for children and young people based on pedagogical competence and proven experience.
As society’s digitalization gained momentum in the early 2010s, schools were quickly integrated into this recent landscape. During this process, teachers were sometimes portrayed as resistant to change, despite possessing the experience needed to make digitalization purposeful. Large sums were spent on digital tools, often without considering the actual needs of instruction. The provision of a computer for every student was justified by the school’s compensatory mission, but the tools chosen were often better suited for theoretical subjects – with clear limitations for teaching where image, film, and hands-on work are central.
The True Potential of Digitalization
Hands-on work often contains a tacit knowledge best conveyed through observation and imitation. Words and concepts need to be supplemented with images and film, especially when class sizes are large. Yet, certain forms of knowledge continue to be prioritized in schools. Children are expected to learn to read, write, and calculate, while other areas are often overlooked. This imbalance can impact a student’s ability to develop a well-rounded skillset.
Craft teachers across the country quickly and independently recognized the true potential of digitalization. By developing their own pedagogical resources and filming instructions for tasks difficult to describe in words, they created new learning opportunities. For a subject that has long lacked teaching materials, YouTube became a natural resource for both teachers and students.
Until now.
Students are now unable to independently search for knowledge on YouTube via their school-issued computers, as the service is not included in Google’s so-called core services. Teachers are instead encouraged to select and share clips via Google Classroom. This shift in access has implications for how students develop critical thinking and information literacy skills.
Instruction is Limited
According to our curriculum guidelines, students should develop the ability to navigate a complex flow of information, critically evaluate sources, and understand the consequences of different choices. Here’s still possible with text – but how can these same skills be practiced when instruction based on film and hands-on work is restricted? The ability to critically assess information is a vital skill in the digital age.
How do we approach problem-solving in everyday life? Whether it’s a broken drain or preparing an Italian dish? We search, evaluate, and learn via YouTube. School should be no different. It would be reasonable for craft education to be given the opportunity to equip students with this way of building practical knowledge, and skilled craft students should not be hindered by teachers who do not have time to challenge them at all levels. The craft subject should practice skills, spark interest, and show ways to continue problem-solving.
The problem is not a lack of knowledgeable teachers. The problem is that digitalization has been implemented without sufficient dialogue with those best suited to determine which tools actually enhance instruction. And in that process, it’s important to listen to all aspects of teaching, not just those that are text-based.
Eva Söderberg is a craft teacher at the upper secondary level at Glöstorpsskolan in Gothenburg.
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