The Future of Education

In Sweden the syllabuses since 2011 are oriented toward work with creating knowledge at school that is measureable and evidence based. At the same time the overarching aim with the work at school, stated by goals in the curriculum for comprehensive school, stresses work with equality and everyone’s right to express themselves by using a language of their own (https://www.skolverket.se). This conflict characterizes the teachers education, and makes students’ views on the role of poetry at school engaging.  Do the students regard knowledge in poetry as a competence worth achieving, and if so, for what reasons? In our article we give a historical background to the use of a variety of forms of aesthetics in the Swedish school system, by discussing how work with aesthetics (like poetry) is stated by syllabuses before 2011, and how these syllabuses are related to the overarching aims expressed by the curricula linked to them. We are also presenting qualitative data consisting of interviews with teachers being educated to work in primary school. By this, a variety of conceptions of poetry, and the role of poetry at school, is grasped and analysed, which in turn makes it possible to discuss what counts at school as a competence. 

Keywords: aesthetics, poetry, teachers education, curriculum studies, competence;