Craft - Reclaiming the Word

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At a recent training event I was pulled up by one of the delegates by denigrating the word ‘craft’. The subsequent discussion lead me to really reconsider the use of the word in the context of D&T and how craft is perceived in our subject.

This came about as I was leading a session on ‘deep learning’ I was explaining the concept of the second 50% of excellent learning (the first 50% being engagement, motivation and determination) coming from opportunities for independence, critical thinking, problem solving and most importantly design thinking. I explained that I believe D&T teachers should remove scaffolds for design and make work overtime and ‘not simply create crafters who can follow instruction’. My point was that we often see D&T outcomes from KS3 lessons as deemed more important than the journey to get there.

For example: If Jenny has a beautiful gift to give her Mum at Christmas time, has her learning automatically been more successful than Tom who’s product broke a couple of weeks ago and has spent time rethinking and redesigning it. My point was it really depends on whether Jenny was given the opportunity to problem solve and ‘think deeply’ along the way or if she followed a step-by-step guide very closely to create a finished product that looked amazing but left questions around how much Jenny had actually retained.

I went further into my explanation by saying that the D&T teacher should not simply be like a craft box children can buy off the shelf in a toy shop but provide opportunities for students to become designers not ‘just crafters’.

Everything I was trying to explore in my speech and materials I still think is valid. However, it is the use of the word 'craft' that I would now like to reconsider.

I was using it in the context of following instruction essentially being mind-less when making. The use of the word in this context denigrates the term and belittles the age-old concept of ‘honing a craft’

Merriam Webster’s dictionary describes ‘craft’ as: an activity that involves making something in a skilful way by using your hands: a job or activity that requires special skill: objects made by skilful use of the hands.

I had (as many others currently do) removed the idea that craft takes a long time to perfect and requires practised skill. Describing students as ‘crafting’ or ‘crafters’ should not simply mean they are making something with instruction but that they have reached a level of practical skill worthy of the description.

Essentially, we need to reclaim the word and flip the negative connotations of ‘craft’ within the D&T community.

I am passionate about driving our subject forward, about creating a robust, forward-thinking subject that is worthy of academic respect and shakes off the historic notions and descriptions of ‘woodwork’ or ‘CDT’. Even the description of ‘resistant materials’ belittles the design thinking that goes into being a product designer and/or engineer. However, in this rebranding and rethinking of the subject we have been guilty of simplifying the use of the world ‘craft’ and undermining the true meaning of what it takes to truly have a craft or hone a craft.

I will be more careful when using the word in future and I’m glad that it was pointed out to me that I was not using the word with the respect that it deserves.  

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