Russia in transition: the concept and practice of technology education in schools - the programme "technology and enterprise education in Russia"

This paper describes and analyses a programme aimed at developing a humanistic, design-based approach to Technology education in Russian schools. Most Russian children are still taught craft skills in wood and metal (boys) and cooking and sewing (girls). There is no tradition of teaching design, nor of developing problem-solving capabilities. However, the Russian Education Law of 1992 demands curriculum reform which is humanistic, and geared towards developing a creative, proactive individual, capable of life-long learning. The programme started in 1994, and was adopted by the Ministry of Education of The Russian Federation in 1996. The authors describe some of the difficulties ­ there is no Russian word for 'Design'; teachers need to reinvent a wide range of pedagogical technologies; the climate is uncertain politically and disastrous economically. Issues of impact assessment are considered, and a possible structure for national curriculum order outlined. Finally, the paper raises questions of the suitability of such an approach for Russia.