Beyond words

Abstract

This licentiate thesis addresses the question of how practical knowledge can be documented, made visible, and assessed, using examples from the subject of sloyd. Sloyd is a Swedish crafts school subject that includes both soft (textiles) and hard (woodwork and metalwork) material handicrafts. Traditional forms of assessment in schools tend to reward students who are good at written or oral reflection, while students who primarily express their knowledge through practical action risk not having their abilities fully recognized. This creates a problem of equality and inclusion, especially in practical-aesthetic subjects where knowledge is often expressed through the body, materials, tools, and working processes rather than through words.The study consists of two sub-studies. The first examines how students in Year 9 (ages 15-16) documented their work processes in crafts by recording silent videos. The analyses showed that the films made several categories of practical knowledge visible—such as craftsmanship, material knowledge, planning, creativity, and problem solving—but that the students' reflections and reasoning (“know-why”) were more difficult to capture without verbal language. A model for describing practical knowledge was developed in the first sub-study, with four categories: know-how, know-what, know-when, and know-why, and 16 subcategories. In the second sub-study, groups of craft teachers were shown student films and asked to discuss them based on the model describing practical knowledge. The teachers emphasized that video documentation could serve as a valuable complement to traditional forms of assessment by highlighting aspects that might otherwise be overlooked. They also emphasized that the model helped them to put words to the work process and various aspects of practical knowledge. At the same time, certain limitations were noted, such as the risk that selective filming does not always provide an accurate picture of the student's knowledge, and that the reflective element often needed to be supplemented in other ways. In summary, the thesis shows that video documentation can contribute to more nuanced, inclusive, and fair assessment in crafts. By making students' actions observable and reusable, conditions are created for both individual and collegial assessment, which can strengthen transparency and equality in teaching. The results indicate that alternative forms of documentation are not only didactically useful but also central from a democratic and inclusive  IVperspective. Video documentation offers particularly important opportunities for students who have limited language resources, either because they have not yet learned Swedish or because they have other difficulties expressing themselves in words. The thesis therefore argues for a broadening of what counts as knowledge in school assessment practices. Practical knowledge should be recognized as a legitimate and valuable form of knowledge, where action, reflection, and material knowledge interact. By creating space to demonstrate knowledge in different ways, schools can move closer to their mission of providing a more equal and democratic education, where all students' abilities are given the opportunity to be seen, assessed, and valued on equal terms. 

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