Endelig mandag 24mai - Arkitektur- og designhøgskolen i Oslo

Summary
In this thesis I address how Architecture as a main area within Art and Crafts,
in primary and lower secondary school, has developed and been presented. I
do not address architecture as a field. The thesis attempts to illuminate
Architecture as a part of the school subject, and the Art and Crafts
community’s own reflections upon the teaching practice.
Through a thorough study of the journal FORM, limited to the period 2003-
2007, the time when the Norwegian 2006 curriculum (LK06) was developed
and implemented, the subject history and socio-cultural perspectives work as
a basis to deliberate on the position the main area Architecture has been given
in Art and Crafts education. An analysis of the main area Architecture and
the teaching practice that is outlined in FORM is the basis for this discussion.
The analysis of the main area Architecture, as formulated and interpreted by
the Art and Crafts community, emphasises a discursive practise where the
local environment, reflection, and societal relevance is central. To qualify for
democratic participation through a distinct subject-matter content, is an
important component. Through practical work the pupils are meant to
increase their reflection and to develop their visual repertoire. These ideas
can be traced back to the critical art pedagogy from Sweden, introduced in
the 1970s, and the Norwegian political culture strategy from the 1990s,
where increased awareness about aesthetic quality in the built environment
was one of the main issues. My analysis shows that the introduction of the
main area Architecture is an indicator of a movement within the subject. In
this thesis the development of the school subject Art and Crafts is traced to
issues such as quality and high education standards within the general
educational field. By emphasising the subject-matter content and the thoughts
of responsibility for the community, the main area Architecture operates as
an alternative to the charismatic heritage from the previous century. Within
that tradition creative self-expression was presented as the ideal. The thesis
opens for further research, where studies of projects where professional
architects and schools work together, like within Den kulturelle skolesekken,
represents an interesting perspective.
iii