"Not standing alone, day after day after day, makes all the difference."

 Impact of teamwork on the professional initiative of teachers when changing teaching methods in arts and crafts.

 
 
This thesis examines the impact of teamwork on the professional initiative of one teacher team when changing teaching methods in arts and crafts.
 
After a new National Curriculum Guide was published in 2011, this teacher team took an independent decision to move the arts and crafts course up to the 10th grade in the autumn of 2012, changes that got positive support from the school leaders.
 
The study was qualitative and individual interviews were conducted with three teachers from the arts and crafts team and two school managers who worked with the team when the changes took place. For fuller information the four arts and crafts teachers were also interviewed as a focus group.
 
The study examines the effects of teamwork and empowerment as well as how teamwork can potentially enhance the teacher's efficacy.
 
An overview is given of the development of arts and crafts teaching in Iceland and how the situation is today. Then the effect of the new National Curriculum Guide 2011 in changing the teaching methods of the research team is reviewed. The appendix contains an example of the work of the research team, which emphasized that students should influence their studies in arts and crafts and build up their strong sides.
 
The impact of teamwork on the professional initiative of art and craft education teachers has not been widely studied in Iceland, but research has shown that art and crafts teachers generally have less cooperation between themselves than other teachers and they seem to use lesson programs to a lesser degree than others.
 
The main results indicate that the teamwork, with support and trust between team members, has empowered the teacher team and increased their collective teachers efficacy that had the effect of enhancing the professional initiative of the team.
 
 
 
Þórhalla Laufey Guðmundsdóttir
thorhalla [at] akmennt.is
Instructors: Dr. Ásthildur Jónsdóttir og Dr. Ellen Gunnarsdóttir
2018