Technique, Creativity, and Sustainability of Bamboo Craft Courses: Teaching Educational Practices for Sustainable Development

Ying Dai,Shyh-Huei Hwang

doi:10.3390/su11092487

Abstract

The 18-year history of bamboo craftsmanship in the university curriculum of Taiwan started with the popularization of concepts such as green design, community building, and cultural and creative industries. Bamboo is an environmentally-friendly material that has received much attention in the 21st century. Craftsmanship has drawn the attention of universities. This study uses participatory observation and interviews to collect information on bamboo craft courses in four departments of three universities and uses qualitative coding analysis to explore the sustainable teaching methods of craftsmanship teachers, sustainable development learning effects on students, and different ways of promoting sustainable development education (ESD) with bamboo craft courses in different universities. The research results show the following: (1) There are differences in bamboo craft courses: teachers’ craftsmanship and curricula are different, resulting in differences in technical depth and creativity; (2) with respect to the ESD evaluation criteria of the four bamboo craft courses, skills learning itself is not complete, but students are provided with a path to self-reliance in the craft and in responding to cultural sustainability challenges; and (3) regarding the relationship between ESD and bamboo craft education, bamboo craft education promotes the concept of sustainability and is important for the creation of crafts; universities offer opportunities for testing students’ technical talents and knowledge, but ESD is limited and blurry.

Highlights

Bamboo craft is a cultural tradition with a long history
This study explores the teaching practice and promotion methods of bamboo craft courses in universities as related to the concept of sustainable development education (ESD), including the value of disseminating techniques and knowledge, learning effectiveness of students, and the role of craft courses
This chapter mainly discusses the teaching methods, learning effectiveness, and methods of promotion regarding bamboo craftsmanship courses from October 2016 to November 2018offered by the following departments and institutions: YC; YD; STL; and APT

Summary

Introduction

Bamboo craft is a cultural tradition with a long history. With the spread of globalization, it has generally become an important aspect of cultural heritage to show the unique features of different places and symbols of cultural differences. In the early stages of the Industrial Revolution, as the social division of labor became clearer, Taiwan’s bamboo products flourished. Bamboo craftsmanship emerged as an important industry during Japanese rule, when many bamboo products, including sanitary chopsticks, bamboo brooms, and bamboo fans, became daily necessities for the populace. Some of these products were exported to Japan and the West [1]. Only a tiny number of small, household workshops or individual bamboo handicraft practitioners remained, with their focus turning to individual workshops or craft teaching [2]. In the age of the internet, bamboo handicrafts serve as useful tools in daily life, but they are becoming endowed with new social functions

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Results

Conclusion