This body of work explores the tension between a curriculum that aims to be a world leader in sustainability by 2030 according to the UK’s Department for Education and an increasingly abstract knowledge hierarchy. I propose an embedded Craft curriculum as a solution, embodying climate positive practices such as resourcefulness and material literacy.
I explore this in 3 Stages:
1: The Maths Bench (sneaking Craft into the curriculum)
Using the prestige and status of Maths, ‘The Maths Bench’ weasels in Making to challenge the ‘traditional curriculum hierarchy’ as outlined by Jennifer Bleazby above (2023) + also position material literacy as an important learning objective.
I developed a framework of graphing that can turn into a chair/bench through CNC milling as well as a process of heat laminating clear soft plastic on to plywood to act as a heat activated ‘glue’ as the chair is decorated with the knowledge used to make it. Using household waste which is not kerbside recyclable such as bubblewrap and plastic bags, this bench gives a taste of the world of recycled plastic craft.
The Maths Bench is a workshop created for Key Stage 3 +
2: The Material Literacy Chair (Craft as a pedagogical tool to learn about materials)
Stage 2 lives in a (near) future where Craft is already and justified in the curriculum. This chair is a system for learning about 3 waste streams (soft plastics, sheep’s wool + coppiced wood) as well as 3 + craft techniques such as green woodworking, simple plastic recycling and wet felting.
It is developed to be made with minimal prior skills, a perfect first craft project that will enable a young maker to not only learn about materials and making but allow Craft to become an agency-maker, thought-provoker and inner-worker.
After accomplishing this project, students now own a handmade functional object to be proud of!
3: The Wholi-est Chair (1 waste stream, looking at the whole Christmas tree)
This stage is deep material exploration into 1 waste stream: the Christmas tree. Grown for 7 years and adorned in our homes for 1 month, these coniferous trees are then disposed of. In Brighton and Hove they are turned to wood chips and/or composted. I wanted to use all the skills I had amassed in my degree to create a process to turn this “waste” into treasure.
During the Early Years, we acknowledge children’s need to play and explore however as they grow into young people, this becomes forgotten. During the time when young people are forming their view of the world and their place in it, the curriculum retracts into an entirely abstract world. Craft is the antidote.