Processes or/and products – what do teachers assess?

Abstract

This paper draws on research that is part of a larger
project supported by the Swedish Research Council
investigating communication and learning in Sloyd
practices. In the paper I provide a brief outline of what
the Sloyd subject is in Swedish schools and what the
similarities and differences are between Sloyd and
Technology. It is hoped that the issues raised through
the Sloyd research will be helpful in considering
similar issues in Technology Education.
What learning qualities and other values do teachers
describe, when assessing their students? It is known
that classroom talk is not very developed in Sloyd
classes. How then is it possible to teach and to learn
during Sloyd lessons? According to the result from the
National Evaluation of all subjects in Swedish schools,
Sloyd teachers and their students, to some extent,
had different opinions about what qualities of learning
were desirable. The teachers put priority on assessing
the processes, while the students thought it was the
result and finish of every product that was most
important when teachers made their assessments. I
will discuss what teachers think they assess, based on
repertory grid interviews and using analysis
frameworks from other research in art education. The
results indicate some difference between the
language used for thinking and the language used for
communication. I argue for the need to develop
professional languages for use in learning, teaching
and assessment in Sloyd classrooms and suggest
there may be parallel issues for Technology Education.