In a new Context, we are all Apprentices: How Dialogue Between the Three States of Craft Education is a Catalyst for Adaptation

Kerlaff, Paul

Abstract

This essay argues that dialogue between the three states of craft education is a key mechanism for adaptation. Adaptation here is taken as the act or process of adjustment to changing circumstances (Merriam-Webster 2022), with a particular focus on communal knowledge of making. The three identified phases of medieval craft education-apprentice, journeyman, and master-are not only relevant to current debate around workmanship (Pye), but also resonant in modern design education. Through reflection on key texts and case studies, this essay proposes the three phases can be seen as states which are fluid, co-existent and in dialogue with one another. Dialogue between these states is a key mechanism for adaptation, for which convivial (Illich 1973) and dialogic (Sennett 2012) environments are a prerequisite. In better understanding this mechanism, we can engage it to create resilient, adaptive communities of practice and learning.

Citation

Kerlaff, P. (in press). In a new Context, we are all Apprentices: How Dialogue Between the Three States of Craft Education is a Catalyst for Adaptation. In Cumulus Conference Proceedings

• Conference Name: Cumulus Conference
• Start Date: Jun 1, 2022
• Acceptance Date: Sep 1, 2022
• Deposit Date: Nov 7, 2022
• Book Title: Cumulus Conference Proceedings
• Keywords: raft; Community; Adaptation; Dialogue; Apprentice; Conviviality
• Public URL: http://researchrepository.napier.ac.uk/Output/2948521
• Related Public URLs: https://cumulusassociation.org/resources/conference-proceedings/