Innovative Approaches to Technology Education in Estonian General Education Schools

AbstractIn the world around us people's wishes and needs are interrelated with technology and consuming it. In our everyday life we are used to the benefits of technology – electricity and heated rooms, regular transportation and accessible communications services, etc. Technology and teaching it must be an obligatory subject in general education schools, as this would enable young people to obtain basic knowledge, skills and attitudes in understanding and using technology, as well as provide students with the possibili-ty of creating technology tailored to students. Regrettably, in recent years Technology was not a separate subject in Estonian schools; students were taught only Craft. The previous can be viewed as the statement of the problem: what are the educational objectives of the previous (Craft and Technology Education) and the present (Technology Education) syllabus and how do teach-ers assess the educational objectives of the previous and the present syllabus. It is worth noting that for the first time the Estonian National Curriculum for Basic Schools includes a novel field of studies – Technology – and Technology Education as a new subject. The present article is a part of my doctoral thesis