if you care about the loss of traditional craft skills read this

[robin wood]

One of the reasons for the loss of craft skills has been the lack of an organisation to campaign for their cause, to spot endangered crafts and step in to make sure they get passed on to the next generation.

Have a look here www.heritagecrafts.org.uk

The Heritage Crafts Association has been set up by a group of craftspeople and others passionate about the loss of crafts skills. Everyone who cares about the loss of these skills can make a difference, simply by telling other people about the website, by signing up to the facebook group here http://www.facebook.com/pages/Heritage-Crafts-Association/76521534812?ref=mf
or signing up as a supporter (it's free) here http://www.heritagecrafts.org.uk/signup.html

I hope you will consider joining this campaign to stop the loss of traditional craft skills.

 

[scrubcutter]

Good to see this, and I think there was another site which encouraged traditional crafts - I'll see if I can find it again and post it here.

While not exactly traditional crafts, I used to coppice hazel and make hurdles as well as lay hedges and other forms of traditonal countryside 'management'. Nowadays I see hazel coppicing done with a chainsaw and the brash burnt or ineffectively dumped over the stool to prevent deer from grazing the shoots, not that they would grow very well after being attacked with a chainsaw. These particular examples, by the way, were undertaken by English Nature and the National Trust no less!!!! - a sure sign that ignorance has entered the mainstream conservation bodies.

No-one now wants to pay for these traditional services because they feel there is no knowledge or skill required! While large landowners still practise traditional countryside management it now seems to be the forte of voluntary groups. Unfortunately, their work is often shoddy and sometimes damaging. While I encourage awareness and participation I do wish that the organisers would employ people who have extensive knowledge and experience of these traditional methods so that the volunteers have a better and more enjoyable experience as well as taking away with them an understanding of the skills required and the reason why certain methods are used.

Hopefully in time there will be more emphasis and awareness in traditional habitat management as well as traditional crafts before some of us drop dead without passing on our knowledge.

Scubbity

 

[Kerne]

No-one now wants to pay for these traditional services because they feel there is no knowledge or skill required!

As a DT teacher I can tell you that very few people indeed have respect for making skills: either traditional or contemporary. I am constantly given students who cannot read, write, draw, do mathematics or behave on the basis that "they'll be OK in the workshops". (They are not - but we tend to keep them in the room longer than most!) The worst of it is that teachers of "important" subjects like history, psychology and drama assume that I and all the other teachers of DT cannot read, write, draw or do mathematics either. The kids themselves pick up on this early on and all want to be office workers (or premiership footballers!)

Time I started misbehaving...

 

[robin wood]

As a DT teacher I can tell you that very few people indeed have respect for making skills: either traditional or contemporary. I am constantly given students who cannot read, write, draw, do mathematics or behave on the basis that "they'll be OK in the workshops". (They are not - but we tend to keep them in the room longer than most!) The worst of it is that teachers of "important" subjects like history, psychology and drama assume that I and all the other teachers of DT cannot read, write, draw or do mathematics either. The kids themselves pick up on this early on and all want to be office workers (or premiership footballers!)

Time I started misbehaving...

Did you know OFSTED agree with you?

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/2187675/Ofsted-Children-missing-out-on-woodwork.html

 

[Minotaur]

I remember talking to a traditional Bow Maker, and he was moving to France to sell Yew bows, that says the world has gone mad. No market in England for Yew Bows.

What we need is, instead of wasting money on bankers, lets buy traditionally made rakes. Fund traditional crafts, traditional skills.

The problem is the bow, you can teach someone to use a gun in a day, make a master in 18 weeks, and they will always have the skill. To be a master at the bow takes years of constant practice, which you can never give up to keep the skill. Make a plastic rake, takes no one any time because it is done by machine.

The worst of it is that teachers of "important" subjects like history, psychology and drama

Psychology important?

You need to start a campaign on the Drama students, learn a skill, keep yourself in dosh, while all the other idiots are waitressing. Harrison Ford, Carpenter etc. Makes sense. Also lots of jobs behind set can lead to jobs in front of set.

 

[Eric_Methven]

I've signed up. Been waiting for something like this to come along for a very long time.

Eric

 

[Wilderbeast]

As a DT teacher I can tell you that very few people indeed have respect for making skills: either traditional or contemporary. I am constantly given students who cannot read, write, draw, do mathematics or behave on the basis that "they'll be OK in the workshops". (They are not - but we tend to keep them in the room longer than most!) The worst of it is that teachers of "important" subjects like history, psychology and drama assume that I and all the other teachers of DT cannot read, write, draw or do mathematics either. The kids themselves pick up on this early on and all want to be office workers (or premiership footballers!)

Time I started misbehaving...

I have joined..................

case in point, DT is my favourite subject, I have never done a piece of coursework that has scored less than full marks, I LOVE DT!! But I have to drop it for my A2 levels........why??

Because my other subjects are Physics, Maths and Ancient History, and according to Cambridge "We'd ask you to drop DT because it's not as traditional" ie they think iit's a doss subject so now i'm in this horrible situation where I can't do what I really want if I want to go to the unversity I really want.......

PS i CAN do maths!!

 

[Minotaur]

I have joined..................

case in point, DT is my favourite subject, I have never done a piece of coursework that has scored less than full marks, I LOVE DT!! But I have to drop it for my A2 levels........why??

Because my other subjects are Physics, Maths and Ancient History, and according to Cambridge "We'd ask you to drop DT because it's not as traditional" ie they think iit's a doss subject so now i'm in this horrible situation where I can't do what I really want if I want to go to the unversity I really want.......

PS i CAN do maths!!

Your problem is you want to go to Cambridge.

It works like this, 20% of their places go straight abroad, or to Private schools. Your problem then becomes you have to stand out in an exam market designed to not let people stand out. Lots of people getting A's, is not a good thing because it means they have no way of deciding who to pick. I know law students who suddenly had to take General Knowledge tests, and that is how they decide who got on the course. I lost out on a course because of my age, and lack of practical experience. It is a system, if you can find someone who understands your branch, they can help you work it.

Depending on what you want to study, is Cambridge the best choice?

Sounds a strange statement, but count how many History people on the TV have gone to Birmingham, or Warwick.

Just because people say it is one of the best Universities does not make it so for what you want to go on, and do.

Otherwise, if you are not afraid of hard work, can you do the IB?

The problem with the system at the moment was explained to me, on an OU course. GCSE is what is in the TEXT book, A level is more advanced Text Book, and Degree is writing the text book. On my course where A level, A students, who had no opinion on History because they were told how to answer the questions to get an A, so it was a big shock to be asked what do you think.

My point is, if you have a career goal in mind, pick a few people doing that job, or companies, and ask them.

 

[BOD]

.....Degree is writing the text book. .

??????

I can agree with you on everything else but am confused by this one.

 

[Kerne]

according to Cambridge "We'd ask you to drop DT because it's not as traditional" ie they think iit's a doss subject so now i'm in this horrible situation where I can't do what I really want if I want to go to the unversity I really want.......

This is exactly my point! We seem in this country to assume that hand skills are a last resort for those who cannot do anything else, yet I have worked with traditional (and modern) craftspeople who can: speak umpteen languages, play musical instruments to virtuoso level, write novels, do research into the genome... etc, etc...

But I do not want to usurp this thread - this seems like a superb initiative and one well worthy of our support.

 

[robin wood]

Well in little over 12 hours 35 folks have signed up to the facebook group and over 50 pledged support on the HCA site. At that rate in a year we would be over 13,000, you first folks are the start of something quite big and it will really make a difference having numbers of folk signed up to add weight to our arguments when we lobby government.

If anyone has a website or blog and supports the cause you could pop one of these buttons on it.



It's very easy just cut and paste the code form the HCA site, there are other banners and buttons there too.

 

[sam_acw]

I have signed up.
Minotaur, I think you do overvalue university education a little, It wasn't so much writing the textbooks as quoting from 5 different ones. My studies taught me that the most important skills were planning and referencing as these were the easiest things to check and hence the most important. Original thought wasn't really encouraged and many students had a nasty shock in the first year. One of the great lies in education is that when you get to the next level, whatever it may be, your opinion will count.

 

[Wilderbeast]

Your problem is you want to go to Cambridge.

It works like this, 20% of their places go straight abroad, or to Private schools. Your problem then becomes you have to stand out in an exam market designed to not let people stand out. Lots of people getting A's, is not a good thing because it means they have no way of deciding who to pick. I know law students who suddenly had to take General Knowledge tests, and that is how they decide who got on the course. I lost out on a course because of my age, and lack of practical experience. It is a system, if you can find someone who understands your branch, they can help you work it.

Depending on what you want to study, is Cambridge the best choice?

Sounds a strange statement, but count how many History people on the TV have gone to Birmingham, or Warwick.

Just because people say it is one of the best Universities does not make it so for what you want to go on, and do.

Otherwise, if you are not afraid of hard work, can you do the IB?

The problem with the system at the moment was explained to me, on an OU course. GCSE is what is in the TEXT book, A level is more advanced Text Book, and Degree is writing the text book. On my course where A level, A students, who had no opinion on History because they were told how to answer the questions to get an A, so it was a big shock to be asked what do you think.

My point is, if you have a career goal in mind, pick a few people doing that job, or companies, and ask them.

I know what you mean but I want to study land Economy so DT isn't really applicable , and yeah Cambridge is deffinatley the one I want to go to, had loads of the family go there etc..........whether or not I actually get in, thats another matter........

 

[Wallenstein]

I know what you mean but I want to study land Economy so DT isn't really applicable , and yeah Cambridge is deffinatley the one I want to go to, had loads of the family go there etc..........whether or not I actually get in, thats another matter........

Heh... you do know that land economy is viewed as a "doss" subject in Cambridge

It's what all the rowers / rugger players take to make sure they have time to practice for the Varsity matches.

 

[Wilderbeast]

Heh... you do know that land economy is viewed as a "doss" subject in Cambridge

It's what all the rowers / rugger players take to make sure they have time to practice for the Varsity matches.

yeah i know but........

1) I am a rugger player

2) It's going to have a law course tagged onto it aswell.....not so easy!!

 

[British Red]

Thanks for the link Robin - joined and forwarded

Red

 

[MikeE]

Thanks for the heads up, just joined!

 

[loz.]

Joined,

And ill link from my site also

 

[Kerne]

Just added it to my links page: http://www.accidentalimage.co.uk/links.html

 

[harryhaller]

I've signed up - but not to facebook - I don't use it nor do I understand why it is necessary.