In the Swedish curricula, Technology is described in terms of five skills and core content divided into three areas. In this paper, we interpret and define the three areas of core content, founded on different scientific base areas (SBA): (1) Engineering science, (2) Developing and making and (3) Human, society and environment.The SBA-model is based on the Swedish Technology curriculum and is constructed with inspiration from previous research in natural science education (Östman, 1995); with relation to the philosophy of technology knowledge (e.g., Ropohl, 1997) and to technology education; in curriculum emphasis (Klasander, 2010), in different views of technology among students (DiGironimo, 2011).Technology has developed from being a vocational subject to a broader, complex and comprehensive subject. Evaluations show that teachers in Sweden have difficulties in interpreting the content of the whole subject and its skills. During the autumn and winter 2018-2019, CETIS developed a material for inspiration of teachers, which shows the width of the subject including skills, content and time consumption. In the present study, we showed the material to about 130 teachers. We asked them to discuss it in groups and to fill in a form. In the form, they were asked to value the five skills of technology, based on how important they rate the skills in comparison to each other. They could also express their opinions of the material. We analysed their values of the skills and their opinions about content in relation to SBA. The result shows that the teachers focus on SBA 2 Developing and making and SBA 3 Human, society and environment when they teach Technology. Compared to previous studies, the focus in teaching is transferred towards social and environmental aspects

In this paper we survey different teaching traditions in Swedish Science Education. The purpose is to map and investigate patterns in teachers’ views of what constitutes “good” Science education in the middle years of compulsory school in Sweden. This is done with the background of a new curriculum with national testing and grading being introduced, which could potentially alter teachers’ views of what is relevant content. A web-based questionnaire to teachers all throughout Sweden (response rate 43%, N=796) was used. The results show that groups can be formed with teachers emphasizing different teaching objectives including emphasis on; scientific facts and concept, laboratory work, everyday knowledge, and political and moral questions, even though the groups had a lot of similarities. The teachers indicate that they changed their instruction to a considerable extent after the three parallel reforms carried out 2011-13.

Today, many people live with climate anxiety, and both politicians and companies emphasize how important sustainable strategies and activities are for developing a society with less impact on climate change. Within education, it is central to implement themes dealing with such issues as well. As a technology teacher, one will be expected to have knowledge and ideas about teaching the climate issue, and to be prepared to manage climate anxiety among students. With the aim of supporting teachers, a group of climate researchers, professional teachers, and pedagogues from a science centre, have cooperated in developing a Climate Kit, including an instruction sequence, and teaching materials. This climate kit will be used in primary and secondary schools during 2018. When the kit will be (1) developed, (2) tested and (3) implemented to teachers within a course and (4) used in classrooms, a research study will be accomplished as well. Empirical data in this present study emerge from observations of (1) workshops with the actors when the kit is created and (2) tested in classroom as well. The observations will thereafter be analysed using a discursive perspective partly with aim to identify what knowledge content in relation to climate change that is highlighted in the technology teaching, and partly with a discourse analytical perspective focusing on the values and steering strategies within the teaching practice. The research question: What content, values, and strategies concerning technology and climate change emerge as important? The aim of the study is to investigate teaching content and teaching approaches within technology education, focusing on climate change, with an overall aim to analyse and describe technology education for social and environmental change. This paper presents the results emerging from analyses of empirical data, see above, from workshops and test of the climate kit. Both the collecting of empirical data and the analyses was completed during March 2018.

Within technology education in compulsory school in Sweden, materials are part of the core contents. What kinds of materials, and which characteristics that should be highlighted is open to interpretation. The study includes three sub-studies: 1/ An analysis of classroom activities during two lessons about materials in primary school, 2/ A Delphi study (Osborne et al. 2003) with experts on materials to gather their thoughts about materials in elementary technology education, and 3/ A review of text books. The purpose of this study is to put light on the field of materials as a content area by investigating what aspects of materials are highlighted in the three contexts. Two teaching sessions were video recorded. The data analysis focused on the content highlighted by teachers and students. Results suggest that the teachers and students highlight different aspects of materials. Nine experts participated in the first round of the Delphi study. All data were coded reflexively and iteratively. Results indicate the following major categories of material-related subject content: materials’ usage, groups of materials, properties, creation and refinement, environmental aspects, and modern materials. The themes identified in the study could be seen as limited and concretized set of content, and thereby a guiding tool for technology teachers.