At the Intersection of the Digital and the Material: Teaching and Learning Crafts during the Pandemic

Authors

• Anna Kouhia University of Helsinki
• Sirpa Kokko The University of Eastern Finland

DOI: https://doi.org/10.54916/rae.122976

Keywords:

Crafts, craft education, digital materiality, pandemic pedagogy, educational change

Abstract

Although the value of crafted artefacts and craft activities is recognized in contemporary research and discussion, crafts as a standard school subject is still struggling with stereotypic labels; some consider the subject a relic from the past. This commentary demonstrates that crafts is an innovative school subject that engages students in creative thinking and up-to-date digital-material practices. The commentary relies on Finnish craft teachers’ experiences of learning and teaching crafts during the Covid-19 pandemic. Material was collected in two webinars in autumn 2020.