Developing Inclusive Communities of Learners in Technology Education: Practical Craft Skills - Facilitator or Hindrance

This paper examines the rationale for the Woodworking Skills section of a course on Practical Craft Skills which forms part of the new technology curriculum in Scottish Schools. Introduced with the intention of making technology subjects more accessible to a wider range of pupils, the subject has potential for contributing to a more inclusive environment in secondary schools. The practical nature of the subject, moreover, should, in theory at least, have been able to contribute particularly well to the development of a “community of practice” (Wenger, 1998).