The Sloyd Teachers’ Working Methods in Finnish Comprehensive Schools

Abstract

The Finnish National Board of Education (FNBE) assessed learning outcomes in sloyd, visual arts and music in the final ninth grade of basic education. The exact part of this assessment was directed to teachers who are teaching those subjects in the comprehensive schools. The teachers were asked to respond to a variety of items about teaching and learning, such as teachers’ working methods in their own subject. In the final report of this assessment (FNBE 2011) the answers sloyd teachers have provided reported briefly and in general way. With the results of the assessment, it is apparent that the sloyd teachers use learner-oriented working methods in general. The teacher-centred instruction and group working methods are unusual in sloyd. The purpose of this article is to examine and carefully describe the answers, which sloyd teachers have given about their working methods.