Ikke bare ”endnu en mursten i muren”: Pædagogiske perspektiver fra en praksis omkring Skills

[Not ‘just another brick in the wall’: Educational perspectives from a practice around Skills]

Abstract

Skills are competitions in local, national, and international events such as WorldSkills and EuroSkills, and schools have developed a pedagogical approach in cooperation with the Skills organistions. However, not only schools and Skills activities are important arenas; apprenticeships are also crucial. This article aims to learn from Skill-pedagogy and find potential for further development. The research question is: What pedagogical practices are established around Skills? Based on Wenger’s learning theory and Kerschensteiner’s theoretical approach to work pedagogy, focus group interviews with teachers and inter­views with students from masonry and carpentry education are analysed. The main findings are that teachers play important roles in the recruitment process, and the training of students supports them in reaching their goals. For students, both school, Skills activities, and apprenticeships are important arenas for the development of their learning and sense of quality. It is concluded that there can be potential in this peda­gogical approach for all students, not only for those who attend Skills. Thus, it seems that all students are winners in some way, even if they do not receive a medal winning at competitions at Skills.