FIGURE 1: Orientation Basis

 

2. Active Learning

What is active learning? Does a visitor entering a classroom where active learning methods are used actually see students accomplishing different tasks on their own: discussing, making products? What about the “old” teaching methods! Are they totally outdated and tramped by PBL, co-operative, experiental, artistic, drama teaching? Could plain lecturing activate students?

Engeström writes about the inner and outer factors of learning. Outer factors are the ones we can immediately see when we step into a classroom. They include questions like: Who is speaking?  What are the students doing? What kind of working methods do they use? Inner factors are more difficult to see: we have to understand the contents and goals before comprehending why a teacher has chosen to use particular methods. (Engeström 1996, 15-17.)

It’s important to discover the most functional working methods for different learning contents and phases (Engeström 1996, 15-17). The outer decisions have to be justified by inner factors. It is easy to understand that it isn’t relevant to teach pottery making only through group discussion or lectures, in cases actual training is needed. Despite this, quite a lot of things are taught without really thinking the justification of the methods applied. Any method isn’t “good” or “bad” in itself – the value depends on the learning objectives and contents. (Engeström 1996, 122-123. / Rauste-von Wright 1998, 124 / Vuorinen 1993, 69.) For example, lecturing is still a good way to present information, even though it doesn’t provide opportunities for training concrete skills (Paulson & Faust, web). Thus, we may plan an extremely active course grounded on the outer factors, but it isn’t granted that the learning would be any more active than in a situation students are sitting at their desks (Vuorinen 1993, 52).

A human being can be very active even though he/she seems to be passive observed from the outside. Considering learning, the inner processes are far more important than the ones we can see from the outside. The skills that look similar, can be attained in different ways and, because of that, they can be actually mastered at different levels. Therefore, it isn’t possible to define the level of a person’s activity perceived from the outside, as it isn’t always possible to see the deepness of his/her understanding of the task he/she is involved. (Engeström 1996, 121-123.) The word activity in this context means the learner’s active construction of knowledge, not only passive receiving of the “ready-made” information (Lonka 1991, 12). Despite this, the external activities are often involved, because they are efficient aids for activating human minds. In order to learn deeply students have to actively think about what they are doing, which involves higher-order mental tasks like analysis, synthesis and evaluation (Bonwell & Eison, web).

In the following chapters I will treat the background, justifications and methods of active learning. The concept is broad, and that’s why I restrict my task to finding out the main lines focusing on the viewpoint of active learning based on the principle of inner activity which the outer working methods are only supporting.

2.1 PHILOSOPHICAL FOUNDATIONS

Teaching is never objective or free from values, beliefs and preferences (Sieppi 1997, 61). Inkeri Sava writes how important it is for an (art) educator to understand his/her learning philosophies in order to justify the educational solutions made (Sava 1993, 15). Talvio also writes about the significance of understanding the crucial lines behind the practical solutions made in the teacher's work (Talvio 2002, 158). She refers to the Level model of educational thinking (developed by Kansanen & co) which I found very interesting. In this model the educational process is represented to occur at three levels (Talvio 2002, 159):

FIGURE 2: Level model of Educational Thinking

At the basic level a teacher is acting with students in the complex teaching situations of the school environment. The solutions he/she makes in these quick, altering situations emerge from many sources: from the common-sense thinking of the teacher and from his/her overall concepts of human nature, learning, values etc.

But as mentioned before, a competent teacher has to be able to reflect and justify all the solutions made. At the following level are teacher's object theories (practical theories). These theories emerge from didactic intuition which has generated from education and previous experiences and form the background for the decisions made in everyday work.

The final evaluation of the educational solutions takes place at the meta-theoretical level where the teacher analyses the backgrounds of his/her practical theories. All these levels are simultaneously in use and have an impact on each other: experiences concerning the practical work change the theory and new information about the theory changes the practical way of working. (Talvio 2002, 159-161.)

In this chapter, I am trying to work out my meta-theoretic framework through describing the backgrounds of my own beliefs. I will briefly go through the concepts of knowledge, learning, and human nature. I will define the main beliefs concerning active learning approach and enlighten my own insights, because they are the foundations on which I build my concept of active learning.

2.1.1 Epistemological Problems

A territory of philosophy called epistemology explores the nature of human knowledge - its origin, possibilities and quality (Hautamäki 1988, 159). According to the classical definition of knowledge, it is a belief which is true, actionable and justified. I will focus in the following only on the questions of the origin and possibility of human knowledge, because they are crucial to constructive thinking.

There are three approaches concerning the origin of human knowledge:

1)      Rationalism: we gain our knowledge with the help of our logical thinking – i.e. the origin of knowledge is not dependent on our perception of the "outer world" (for example, Descartes)

2)      Empirism: all knowledge is based on sensory perceiving and experiences in the world (for example, Locke)

3)      Synthesis developed by Immanuel Kant lies between these two approaches: according to Kant, logic and experience are both required in order to gain knowledge.

There are two main views on the possibility of human knowledge:

1)      It´s possible to acquire realistic knowledge of the world, because the objects of knowledge have no dependency on the perceiver (realistic approach)

2)      We can not acquire (objective) knowledge, because our thinking and perceiving has a very strong dependency on our inner concepts and points-of-view (for example cultural traditions) (Fallabilistic / constructivist approach).

(Rasinkangas 2004, web.)

If we accept Kant's synthesis, our perceptions will have a strong role in our acquisition of knowledge. Puolimatka (2002) writes about some kind of synthesis between the realistic and constructivist views: if it is true that only cultural aspects affect our perception, how is it possible that people from different cultures or historical periods can have the same kind of experiences concerning the same objects (for example a hard stone or a soft pillow)? (Of course, they could still interpret the objects differently). Thus, there must be two different levels of perception: the basic and cultural level. (Puolimatka 2002, 99-101.)

I am of the opinion that there is enough evidence to show that our previous knowledge and attitudes influence our perception and learning, therefore, personally I dismiss the idea of the realistic view. On the other hand, if we think according the second claim (constructivism), we must admit that we must have a kind of "objective" knowledge of the outer world, because we can act successfully in the world around us (Puolimatka 2002, 99-100). If we only believed that flowers need water and light to grow, but actually they would need, for example, acid instead of water, we would realize that our belief isn't correct, because all our flowers would die in spite of loving care. But now we can successfully grow flowers in the outer world, and thus get quite a good response to our beliefs. Of course there is a possibility that flowers, however, grow better nursed with water and acid, and, thus, our knowledge can be insufficient, but at least it is leading to the right way.

The realistic approach is connected to behaviorism and the mechanistic concept of the human being while the constructivist view is classified as being a more advanced approach. They can be understood as a modern and a postmodern way of thinking. According to Efland et al (1998), the main principle of modernism is to seek the universal truth, while postmodern thinking is aiming for plurality (Efland et al 1998, 17). Antero Toskala, Professor of Psychology at the University of Jyväskylä writes about critical constructivism which is a compromise between realistic and constructivist approaches. It doesn't deny the possibility of objective knowledge, but it reminds us how personal and contextual our knowledge always is (Toskala 2003, web). Interesting is that, even though Puolimatka lays strong emphasis on the realistic view, and Toskala on his behalf stands for constructivism, their thoughts,to my mind, appear to be very similar.

As for me, I regard cultural relativism (extreme constructivism) as being a dangerous way of thinking, because, if we did not have any common agreement concerning truth and knowledge, we could neither have common ethics nor the human rights. Equally dangerous would be the extremely realistic concept of knowledge according to which we would think there is only one single truth. Therefore, I am inclined to accept the compromising views; as far as human knowledge is concerned, it is apparently based on both logic and perception, and, thus, depends on the outer world and the experiences of the subject.

2.1.2. Concepts of Human Being

The basic nature of human race can be depicted along the following few dimensions:

TABLE 1: Concepts of Human Being

“Good”	---------------	“Bad”
Autonomic (Has freedom of choice and ability to assess the decisions made. Can affect one’s own life)	-----------------	Deterministic (No freedom, does only what he/she is “programmed” for. Doesn’t have any power over own life)
Self-directed (Intrinsic motivation)	-----------------	Directed from the outside (Rewards from outside needed)
Active	-----------------	Passive
Indivisible whole – Body + intelligence + feelings etc.	-----------------	For example feelings are not considered very important.
Part of society	-----------------	Independent individual

As is seen, the difference of the concepts indicated in the squared vertical spaces on both sides of the table is the level of optimism. If teachers believe people are bad and passive, they can’t appreciate and rely on their students very much. This is also a very elitist point of view (because I don’t really think teachers would classify themselves as being lazy and bad). On the left side of the table, we can find some ideas, which are close to humanistic and cognitive concepts of the human being. The concepts on the right side refer to mechanistic (behaviouristic) view of man. (Salo 1997, 180-181.)

My own standpoint of the human being is located undoubtedly on the left side of the table. I am of the opinion that people have an ability to choose their actions and take responsibility for them. I’m more interested in the inner actions of the humans than the outer reactions, because I hold that the deepest learning takes place, when the learner really processes the content (active learning). I am convinced that we are, in a sense, products of our culture, but at the same time we can critically evaluate our culture and direct ourselves to the way we consider suitable for ourselves. I also see humans as multidimensional beings – all the different aspects of humanity affect, for example, cognitive processes.

2.1.3 Different Focuses on Learning

The main learning concepts can be roughly divided into two parts, behaviorist and constructivist approaches, on the basis of the interest orientation to the learner’s outer or inner processes (Rauste-von Wright 1998, 18-19). The behaviorist approach is based on the mechanistic view on the human being (see the right side of the table in the previous chapter). The learning process is not considered interesting: most important is the learning product. Thus, the interest is to be found in the outer processes of learning – for example, in the selection of the tasks and rewards given to the performer and in the methods measuring the results. (Salo-Gunst & Vilkko-Riihelä 1992, 22-29.)

The constructivist learning theory is based on cognitive psychology which explores the problems of human thinking, problem solving, learning etc. (Hautamäki 1988, 11 / Puolimatka 2002, 85). A learner is termed as being an active, self-directed actor who can master hihe/sher learning processes (Vuorinen 1993, 3). The advocates of the constructivist theory are interested in the inner conditions of learning: motivation, learning strategies, emotions etc. Learning is understood as a construction process: a learner must build hihe/sher own knowledge out of the information he/she obtains in order to understand it deeply (Puolimatka 2002, 33). The constructivist theory also takes the earlier experiences and the emotions of the learner into account. It has different sub-approaches (which all are associated with the learner’s active knowledge building process), for example, the co-operational paradigm which highlights the social nature of human knowledge and the idea of the group as a knowledge builder. Constructivism differs from the humanistic approach, particularly in light of the sub-area of the experiental paradigm typical of the humanistic approach (which suggests that the learning process should be arranged on the basis of the student’s experiences), in its presumption that the student’s outer activity doesn’t have any pedagogical value in itself – although it can be used as a tool for learning (Rauste-von Wright 1998, 20).

I’m myself a great believer in the constructivist approach, because, to my mind, it is most important to account the different dimensions of the human being as a psychological, physical and social entity (Salo 1997, 16). I also hold that learning can be fun – even though we all certainly have a number of unpleasant experiences from our school years. I believe it’s possible to deepen the learning process and, at the same time, to make it more enjoyable, for example, through respecting students’ own interests and paying attention to their meta-cognitive skills. Learning is undeniably hard work but despite my strivings for making it more delightful, I certainly don’t want to change it into pointless entertainment. Provided that it can be fun and efficient at the same time, why not to try!

2.2. WHY ACTIVE LEARNING?

Active learning is based on constructivist learning theory which rests upon concepts of knowledge as a personal, constructed structure rather than objective truth, and the human being as a responsible, active actor (Engeström 1996, 19). Because of these basic insights it is perfectly well-suited to our postmodern society which requires flexibility, change, and continuing education (Helakorpi, web). Our theoretical knowledge, objectives, and environment affect the concept of useful knowledge and good teaching which varies from time to time. To my mind, in our present society the best type of learning can be attained through approaches, which respect the learner and rely on his/her intelligence.

According to Engeström (1996) deep level high quality learning requires three basic conditions:

1. Motivation
2. Learning the contents bound to structures instead of loose facts
3. Holistic learning process

(Engeström 1996, 28.)

In this chapter, I will first treat the role of motivation and, after that, structuring the content and learning process.

2.2.1. Motivation as a Facilitator and a Goal of Learning

A person will not learn anything, if he/she doesn’t have motivation. Motivation can be explained as being a will-centred striving for learning a job, making money or just a pure will to know more about the topic concerned. Because studying is hard work and results are not always achieved easily the learner has to rely on his/her learning abilities and the significance of the topic. Without these presumptions it is quite impossible for a student to pass the working process successfully. (Puolimatka 2004, 127.)

Motivation can be understood as working towards a reward. The reward can be intrinsic – feeling of success in learning, joy of new skills and knowledge, and improved self-esteem. It can also be extrinsic – a better job and social status, or higher standard of living. Usually, study motivation is mixed up with both kinds of rewards, because studying is highly esteemed in our society. Neither is it always easy to divide these two aspects. Outer rewards can satisfy also intrinsic aspects, because, for example, a grant the student is provided with shows that the scientific society relies on him/her. According to the rewards aimed for, motivation is divided into intrinsic and extrinsic ones. Intrinsic motivation stems from the learning itself: the process is felt satisfying or the learned content important. Extrinsic rewards are derived from the environment. Studies can be seen worth working, for example, because the student wants that his/her parents are proud of him/herself; he/she is trying to get a raise in wage to be able to buy a new car or wants to show the society his/her abilities. The problem with the extrinsic motivation is that the satisfaction is usually very short-term compared to intrinsic, which can be a permanent source of enthusiasm. (Ruohotie 1998, 37-39 / Vuorinen 1993, 25.) Considering teaching, this means that teachers should aim to support and arouse the students’ intrinsic motivation. Of course, every student can’t be enthused by every issue, but it should not be forgotten, that a teacher has considerable power and ample possibilities to support or kill existing motivation. (Vuorinen 1993, 23.)

In an ideal situation the topic of learning is personally important to the student. Considering the contents of courses, it still doesn’t have to mean “anything goes”. The teacher’s task is to restrict the studied problems so that they are relevant from the viewpoint of the course’s objectives (Rauste-von Wright 1998, 96 / 123). It’s still possible to give relatively broad freedom of selection to the students. If learning of a particular topic is deep thanks to the strong motivation, the possibility of transfer is more probable. For example, while doing particular research students also learn universal researching skills (Lonka 1991, 15). The students’ own thinking and information processing usually gives fresher viewpoints to the studied topics than plain lecturing (Rauste-von Wright 1998, 131).

Other issues, which affect intrinsic motivation, are:

1)      The teacher’s attitudes: what is hihe/sher position in relation to personal working methods and students’ failures; how does he/she instruct, give feedback, and help the students in their learning process (Ruohotie 1998, 39)?

2)      The level of assignments: they should be challenging but not too difficult. The feeling of success after hard work creates intrinsic interest. Too many failures in the performance of too difficult tasks decrease the students’ effort. On the other hand, too easy tasks don’t stimulate intellectual curiosity. The assignments should also vary from each other to avoid monotony. (Ruohotie 1998, 39 / Engeström 1996, 34.)

3)      The outer factors which affect the students’ energy level: breaks, classroom arrangements etc. (Vuorinen 1993, 22).

Engeström (1996) writes about content-based motivation (which I understand to be quite similar to intrinsic motivation). He emphasizes the importance of cognitive conflicts in learning. If the students are shown the defects in their knowledge or skills, they will notice they must get new information in order to solve the given problem. They also have to assess critically the knowledge they already have acquired. The situation will arouse their curiosity and desire to solve the problem. At the end of the process, the students must get possibilities to use the new knowledge which helps them to solve the problem. Concrete consideration of the results of the study process gives intrinsic satisfaction. (Engeström 1996, 29-34.) Thus, the native curiosity of the human being is one of the most important tool for a teacher.

2.2.2 Learning Process

According to cognitive psychology, learning occurs, when a learner’s internal models, schemas, change. The approach is based on Jean Piaget’s classical investigations of accommodation and assimilation. In a learning situation there is a conflict between the previous and new knowledge which has to be solved in a way or other. New information cannot be associated with the old structures, if there is a conflict between them, because we aim to construct coherent information structures. Therefore, either the new information (assimilation) or the existing structures (accommodation) must be adapted so that they fit together (Vuorinen 1993, 4). Humans tend to adapt the new information, because it’s quite hard for a person to admit the inaccuracy of hihe/sher own information structure. That’s why previous beliefs can prevent deep learning. (Poikela 2003, 115-116 / Hakkarainen, Lonka & Lipponen 1999, 91-97.) Information being stored in our memory as structures, we can’t make use of loose facts which don’t make any sense to us. That kind of information is easily forgotten or denied (Engeström 1996, 37 / Vuorinen 1993, 5). That’s why the most important question in the constructivist learning process is why? (Rauste-von Wright 1998, 99). Constructing a firm structure of knowledge clarifies the function of its particulars and gives meaning to each of them.

We have a pre-understanding of many phenomena before we start to study them formally (Rauste-von Wright 1998, 108). These schemas can be more or less accurate and correct. Old schemas form a basis for all learning and because of this, it is very important to find out what kind of concepts the students have before starting to teach the new content. In practice, this is carried out in the simplest way through initial exams. (Lonka & Lonka 1991, 29 / Hakkarainen, Lonka & Lipponen 1999, 96.) Even though constructively oriented studies don’t emphasize the plain collecting of facts, information isn’t of course not abandoned, because it forms the basis for successful work. More important is how the facts are learned. The quantity of learned information is not as important as its quality. If a student remembers a huge mass of facts but can’t apply them in different situations, the knowledge is worthless. (Hakkarainen, Lonka & Lipponen 1999, 90.)

The question of understanding is a crucial one. It’s possible to study a particular content for passing an exam or understanding it in a broader context. (Rauste-von Wright 1998, 121.) Externally the same methods can be employed in different ways: an exam can be intellectually interesting, if you have an ability to study the content in a meaningful way instead of plain memorizing. Working with the learning topic, thinking about it actively makes deeper understanding possible. Because of that, constructively oriented courses usually cover less topics, only the most important ones. Although there is more freedom in a constructive learning process, it does not mean floating around the learning topics without a goal. The process demands self-discipline, self-guidance, and responsibility, skills, which are not very often required from students in traditional teaching.

The type of evaluation affects the type of learning. That’s why assessment has a strong role in the construction of students’ learning strategies. It has an impact on the level and type of knowledge achieved, because students study contents, which according to their observations are valued in the school. If for example memorizing is highly rewarded in evaluation, a student will gradually start to concentrate on that kind of action. Thus, assessment and assignments are important tools in facilitating the learning in the intended way (Pillay 2002, 98-99 / Hakkarainen, Lonka & Lipponen 1999).

Emotions are included in the constructive learning process. Both learners and teachers are human beings, and humans can’t be detached from their feelings, even though, in traditional school environment this has been a purposed goal (mechanistic view on human). The learning atmosphere should be safe, open, and positive, because a learner is always in a risky situation considering that there is a possibility of failing in the application of the information in question in front of the group members. (Rauste-von Wright 1998, 114.) Giving students possibilities to use their own expertise, for example, as topics of assignments can decrease this kind of stress.

According to Engeström constructive holistic learning process can be supported through teaching which is structured to six phases. In the core of the process is a real problem in which the learner is personally interested (Engeström 1996, 47).

Holistic learning process:

1)      Motivation

A teacher has to be able to cause intellectual conflicts in the learners’ minds. Motivation to learn emerges when a student notices he/she doesn’t know everything about the subject.

2)      Orientation

A student has to form an initial model of the structure of learning topic. He/she has to understand the significant lines of the structure. At this phase external aids (figures, tables etc.) are important.

3)      Internalisation

Is the phase when a student modifies his/her earlier internal models to confront the new knowledge (schemas change). A concrete structure model made in the previous phase is now changed into an inside-mind model –thus, external aids are not needed any more. This is attained by training.

4)      Externalisation

Is the application phase. Now the student uses the learned knowledge in new situations. He/she has to reflect on his/her own knowledge structure when using the information in a practical problem solving.

5)      Assessment

A learner has to consider critically the usefulness and competence of the knowledge he/she has learned. What are the model’s restrictions, exceptions and weaknesses? How could it be developed further?

6)      Control

Could be also labelled as a self-reflection or meta-cognition: a learner critically assesses his/her learning processes, strategies, and outcomes in order to improve them in the following learning tasks.

(Engeström 1996, 45-47.)

Lonka (1991) has defined three principles for an active learning process.  First, it’s crucial to connect the studied content to the student’s earlier experiences. A student has to be able to understand what kind of relations the new information has with the old knowledge. If he/she is not able to do that, he/she can’t really understand the content, adapt it to his/her previous schemas. Secondly, a teacher has to pay attention to the students’ learning strategies and former structures of knowledge during the whole learning process, not only after the exam when the study entity already is over. So the process has to be noticed, not only the product. Thirdly, feedback is very important to learning. Evaluation should be a tool for the student to assess his/her learning during the process, not only a mark given at the end of the course, when you can’t do very much to affect the process any more. (Lonka 1991, 21-22.)

Lonka presents three important phases for a practical teaching situation. The phases are derived from the previous principles.

1)      Diagnosing and activating

A course should start with diagnosing the students’ previous skills (thus, the teacher comes to know the earlier experiences he/she is able to connect to the new information). It’s also relevant to activate the connections of the students’ old schemas.

2)      Supporting the learning process

3)      Giving feedback and holistic assessment

The assessment should be planned to support the student’s learning as much as possible.

(Lonka 1991, 23-25 / Hakkarainen, Lonka & Lipponen 1999, 184-185)

I have attempted to apply the principles of both models in my teaching experiment. They emphasize the importance of the learning process and the teacher’s role as its supporter and facilitator. The importance of assessment is very easy to understand seeing it as a tool given to the students to guide their own learning instead of an instrument with which to put them in order from the best to the worst.

2.3 SUPPORTING ACTIVE LEARNING

In this chapter I will treat the practical choices, which support active learning process. I will start with a few words concerning some practical approaches emphasizing the importance of a student’s mental activity. I’m not going to discuss these items deeply, because in this paper I’m not primarily interested in the approaches in themselves. My focus is on the justification of choosing methods which I will discuss later in this chapter.

2.3.1 Different Paths to Activity

There are many approaches promoting active learning. Virtually, all of them have their roots in John Dewey’s pragmatism (Sahlberg & Sharan 2002, 10 / Poikela & Nummenmaa 2002, 38 / Poikela 2003, 107-108) which emphasizes the subjective nature of knowledge, process over the product, and utilisation of learner’s prior experiences. These approaches differ from each other in relation to what is emphasized and in some cases in the background assumptions, deriving from cognitive, constructive, or humanistic paradigms.

Cooperative Learning emphasizes the social nature of learning process and the importance of peer support. The way of working is considered equal to the content of learning. Sahlberg and Sharan highlight the idea that, even though there are many techniques for organizing co-operational learning processes, the approach to them is not only based on a pile of methods but more broadly on a way of thinking (Sahlberg & Sharan 2002, 10-11). This duality can be seen in all approaches: even though they can be employed at a very practical level, they are underlined by deeper philosophical meaning.

Problem Based Learning (PBL) rests upon open questions as the starting point of learning. The process is usually based on multi-disciplined “real” problems which the students solve in different projects. It’s important that the learning contents mimic the problems confronted in working life. The projects are usually implemented as small group work. Students’ own active thinking and information processing is in a crucial role. The teacher is a tutor who motivates and facilitates the students’ learning. (Poikela, Lähteenmäki & Poikela 2002, 26-28 / Poikela & Nummenmaa 2002, 38-39.)

Hakkarainen, Lonka & Lipponen (1999) present their model of Learning-by-research, which in my opinion is almost parallel to PBL (the writers refer to PBL as part of learning-by-research approach). It is also based on co-operational learning situations and open problems. The approach is grounded on the idea that the processes of creating new knowledge and learning existing theories don’t actually differ from each other. In the learning process, learning and the construction of new information should always be connected to each other. The development of information is the purpose of all activities. Therefore, mental processes are considered far more important than material learning outcomes. Even though the projects can take very practical shapes, the writers explicitly emphasis the idea that they are not speaking of Learning-by-doing. According to Hakkarainen, Lonka & Lipponen, in a learning-by-doing learning process students can only learn the skills required in the activity itself. There is no scientific evidence that working with concrete tasks would deepen conceptual understanding. (Hakkarainen, Lonka & Lipponen 1999, 199-206.)

Experiental Learning approaches place a strong emphasis on the employment of learners’ prior experiences and on the creation of new experience-based learning situations. Self-reflection is considered a very important tool of learning. The best-known experiental learning approach is Kolb’s model which divides the learning process into four phases. According to this model, the process starts from having 1) concrete experiences, which will be 2) observed reflectively, i.e., the studied phenomenon is connected to a broader structure and to the learner’s own learning process. The next phase is 3) abstract conceptualisation, in which the experienced phenomenon is organized by seeking an explaining theory with the help of logic thinking. The last phase is 4) active experimentation, the application of the theory to practice. (Poikela 2003, 123-130.)

2.3.2. Choosing the Methods

A teacher can’t choose a method in a comprehensible way without knowing the objectives of his/her teaching (Vuorinen 1993, 70). Rauste-von Wright emphasizes the idea that a teacher, who applies constructivism, should not make his/her teaching plans too strict, because they restrict the freedom of the students. Instead, the teacher has to define exactly and extremely deeply the course objectives on the basis of which the contents and methods used are determined. (Rauste-von Wright 1998, 98.) Vuorinen (1993) defines four aspects, which affect the selection of method:

1. Objectives and contents
2. Teacher’s abilities
3. Student group’s conventions and motivation
4. External resources: classrooms, time, materials etc.

Many efficient methods may be deleted, for example, if the materials are insufficient, or the teacher prefers familiar working methods. The group may also object to new working methods. Especially, adult students may have deeply rooted schemas concerning studying in an auditorium, which makes it hard for a teacher to put them to work, in case different methods are employed in teaching (Lonka 1991, 20). Time often causes the strictest limits: it’s again very important to consider carefully what the core contents are and what can be left aside. (Vuorinen 1993, 71-75.)

Examining new methods is always a risk to a teacher. Routine work is much safer, because the danger to fail is minimal. Teachers personally tend to prefer particular methods. The selection is grounded on the teacher’s values and concepts of the students’ personality traits, learning and contents. Thus, one should strongly stress the idea that it is extremely significant for a teacher  to consciously consider the justification of hihe/sher own work. (Vuorinen 1993, 71-75.)

Considering the importance of the balance of contents and methods Engeström (1996) writes about the present dominance of methods which can be seen as being a logic contrary of the previous “teaching-all-content-in-the-same-method” -paradigm. The application of constructive approach can in extreme lead to a conclusion that the existing information is only an obstacle to personal growth. If teaching becomes only a parade of different working methods without the content to be learned, it will change into entertainment rather than personal development. (Engeström 1996, 101-102.) Modern teaching can’t constitute only activities without objectives; neither can it solely consist of delivery of information.

It’s nowadays commonly acceptable, that it’s far more sensible to teach fewer facts on a deeper level than to lean to plenty of information superficially (Engeström 1996, 102 / Vuorinen 1993, 112). Present day students can find all the facts they need in the library or on Internet. Thus, it is far more important to use learning occasions for motivating and activating thinking (Pihlman 1991, 123). Expertise is constituted by many blocks: it requires, for example, social, meta-cognition and self-reflective skills added to the actual professional knowledge. These skills don’t improve without long-term training. Sharing plain information was a good way to teach in the Middle Ages, when there were only few books and less information, the professionals had strict roles and one profession was a life-long choice. Now we have to consider different ways of teaching.

According to Engeström, every teaching method consists of three parts. The first two issues belong to the outer and the last one to the inner factors of learning.

The parts are:

1)      Teaching modes (Who is acting?)

Three options:

            - Performing teaching (somebody is speaking, communication is extremely one-way)

            - Task making (when students do assignments without the teacher’s help – no communication)

            - Co-operational teaching (the students and the teacher work together, includes two-way communication)

2)      Social modes (In what kind of groups are the students working?)

Options:

            - Classroom teaching

            - Individual working

            - In pairs

            - Small groups

            - Bigger work groups

3)      Function in the learning process (What kind of intellectual work is aimed for? What is the function of this working phase in the student’s learning process?)

Eight functions:

            - Preparing for new topic, motivating

            - Orientation to the study topic

            - Giving new information

            - Review of the studied contents

            - Systemizing: making relations of studied content clearer, answering the questions

            - Practice: changing the learned content into a skill

            - Applying learned knowledge to new tasks

            - Control: assessing the learned knowledge and one’s own learning.

(Engeström 1996, 121-130.)

I found this analysis very useful, because it helps a lot in the selection of appropriate methods and in the creation of diversity for working. I have used it as a tool when designing my teaching experiment. My main guides in selecting methods for the course have been the course objectives and the will to motivate the students by constructing a holistic learning process. 

3. Teaching Experiment

In this chapter, I will describe the course I planned in the light of active learning concepts defined in the previous chapters. The last concluding chapter 4 is for the assessment of the experiment. A reader can’t assess my solutions without first knowing what they were and how I justify them. That’s why I see it important to write about the plans and arrangements quite broadly.

3.1 FINE ART AND CULTURE AS A STUDY ENTITY

The one-credit unit course is part of obligatory studies for all vocational students. The national core curricula vary considerable according to the vocational branches: for example, a course for dressmakers can concentrate on issues connected to fashion and history of different styles. Thus, in the media branch it’s well grounded to concentrate on media analysis.

I studied a five-credit unit course in the University of Art and Design concerning Fine Art and Culture study entity. We analysed the national basis of the curriculum, in which the course was divided broadly into five content areas:

1)      Art and culture of one’s own town

2)      Media education

3)      Environmental issues

4)      Multicultural issues

5)      Making art

(University of Art and Design: Lecture materials 2003, not printed)

In the course we were instructed to restrict the contents concerning our own expertise and the relevance to students. We were allowed to deal with all the topics or focus only on one or two of them. There were many different insights in the course: some participant teachers taught the entity by lecturing about Finnish art history, while others organized exhibitions and multicultural events. So the options how to implement the course rise to a myriad.

The national basis of the curriculum for media assistants defines three core issues for the course contents:

1)      Taking part in the cultural life of one’s own town

2)      Acquisition of information about the traditions of audio-visual media branch and applying it to one’s own work

3)      Making one’s own artistic product accounting the environmental issues

(Opetushallitus 2001, web)

The school, where I did my teaching experiment (The Vocational School of Ylivieska Region), has listed in its own curriculum the following issues as the core contents:

1)      Taking part in the cultural life of Ylivieska and/or YSO (the school)

2)      Coming to know the history and present time of the audio-visual media branch

3)      Analysing an art or culture event

4)      Making one’s own product

(Curriculum for media assistants of Vocational School of Ylivieska Region 2003, not printed)

On the whole, the contents and goals are very broad for a one-credit course. That is why a teacher is forced to restrict the topics. The concept of culture includes, for example, opera, visual arts, and popular culture, as well as modern dance and ancient cultures. A teacher can’t be qualified in so many fields. Therefore I think it’s wise to focus on the issues in which he/she has expertise.

3.2. TEACHING PLAN

3.2.1 The Foundations

In this chapter, I will clarify the foundations of my choices concerning the teaching plan: Why do I use particular methods, restrict in particular contents etc.? In the following chapter, I will define the actual choices I made.

My teaching plan for the course has several starting points:

1)      Experiences and feedback from the previous course

2)      My orientation towards constructivist approach

3)      The national and the school’s curricula

4)      Literature concerning

- Active learning

- Postmodern art education

5)      Areas I am specialized in and the students’ vocational field

1 and 2) my former experiences mainly affected the type of teaching methods. I had noticed that lecturing isn’t a good way to teach vocational students, because they haven’t got used to conceptual thinking and theoretical lectures. My personal constructivist thinking also affected the form of the course and the methods of working. I will have to teach and evaluate differently, if I want to get different types of learning results (Rauste-von Wright 1998, 19). My general goal is to make the students exercise their critical thinking through analyzing the course topics on their own. I don’t want that they sit quiet and accept the issues without questioning them. I also hope they could enjoy learning and attending the classes.

3) From the curricula I found three different fields of learning:

1)      Taking part in cultural life

2)      Making one’s own products

3)      Analysing cultural objects

The first field of learning is implemented in this course with the help of Internet. We didn’t actually visit any museums or go to the theatres or organize any art event in the school but did produce a web magazine which bridged our course to the surrounding community. The making of the web magazine was also related to the second field of learning. The third one, analysis, was the main content of the course.

4) I found criteria for choosing the viewpoints of the course in a book concerning postmodern art education. I have always been interested in questions concerning emancipation, which fits well in the course topics.  Arthur Efland (1998) writes about four aspects which differ postmodern teaching from the modern one. In this course I have focused on two of them:

1)      Postmodern art education concentrates on mini-narratives instead of the great ones. For example, instead of going through the “official” western art history it’s possible to concentrate on the art of minorities.

2)      It emphasizes the relation of power and ”true” knowledge. There is not only one truth, but usually we believe in a certain viewpoint as being more true than others. Money and power usually affect the selection of the information which is considered to be true in particular time and place. 

(Efland 1998, 112-128.)

I referred to the literature concerning active learning in the previous part of the report. Among the others, an important source has been a book on learning-by-research (Hakkarainen, Lonka & Lipponen 1999) in which I found many interesting ideas concerning  the selection of methods. I’m definitely not implementing literally all the ideas presented in the book. Instead, I found in this book one of my basic principles of working: students should examine things first themselves, and only after that can I present the existing theories (Hakkarainen, Lonka & Lipponen 1999, 203-204). When working according to this method, the students can certainly understand and motivate themselves better.

5) I restricted the course contents to visual culture, because my own background lies in the art and media field. Then I further chose to focus on media, because it was the students’ specific area. This focussing did not, however, mean that “art” and “culture” would totally be left out (keeping the course’s name Fine Art and Culture in my mind): the phenomena are just scrutinized from the media’s point-of-view. The contents definitely did not fit perfectly well in the field of the students of practical nursing, but, I am of the opinion that the reading skills of visual media are important to everyone living in the present world crammed with pictures. Halme (1999) criticises the gap between traditional “school knowledge” and students’ own media embedded world. The function of media education is to fill this gap and to give students tools for understanding deeper the effects of media. Media is of course nowadays used in schools in many formats, but media education takes the media as the content of education, not as a tool. (Halme 1999, 9-10.)  The goal of media education is a citizen, who is able and willing to join the public discussion, which takes place in different medias (Kotilainen 2002, web). In order to do so he/she has to learn the basic understanding of the structures and practices of media.

Media education can be implemented in many ways which usually include analysing and hands-on media making. According to this approach, a student can be understood as a

1)      Receiver of the media messages

2)      Sender of his/her own messages

3)      Critic, who has to have knowledge of media in order to make justified conclusions

 (Halme 1999, 9-10.)

I see it important to combine all these roles. It’s very important to give students conceptual tools for understanding media, because it is not only a way to reflect on our reality, but it is also a strong constructor of reality. Media shapes our lives affecting strongly our dreams, fears, and values. (Kupiainen 1999, 80.) Nowadays, an average citizen is far more influenced by media than by fine art and that’s why I chose to concentrate the course mainly on media.

Starting points 3, 4 and 5 form together the course objectives: what kind of learning do we aim for on the level of type of the skills and knowledge (3), concerning values and attitudes (4) and also what are the exact skills and knowledge we aim for.

FIGURE 3: Different Sources Affecting the Course

3.2.2 Objectives, Methods and Evaluation

The course objectives are:

1)      To make the students familiar with the concept of culture

2)      To exercise critical thinking and the skill to analyse visual culture

3)      To exercise the abilities to discuss, give and receive feedback

The first objective is to draw a picture of the word “culture”. It is a broad concept which is usually only partly understood. The most complex and most important goal is to reach the grounded critical attitude towards media. I believe the students are, at some level, to a certain extent aware of the type of information the media provides, because they have lived their whole lives in the media stream. I still want to reinforce the critical attitude so that the students would always remember, for example, the relationship of money and official truths. The goal of improving discussion skills is a common objective in all my courses. In the media branch it’s very important to have a capacity to talk about one’s own and other people’s work and opinions.

I chose the methods to support active learning. The working was divided into five types of activities (according to Engeström’s Teaching and Social modes in chapter 2.3.2):

1)      Individual tasks (in the class and independently)

2)      Small-group activities / discussions (in the class and independently)

3)      Sharing the results of working

4)      Whole group discussions

5)      Lectures

I am a great believer in the power of social learning and therefore I used quite a lot group work. Still most important is to choose the working methods according to the contents and goals. Group work is well-suited to certain issues and viewpoints, but some other tasks have to be done on one’s own. My general goal in the selection process of the working methods is to find a suitable way to approach different types of contents.

I wanted to reduce the amount of teacher’s speech and give more space to the student’s own explorations and opinions. In art and media issues there is not only one right answer. Thus, it is a fruitful territory for a discursive teaching style. I had noticed in my previous courses that if I rose questions and addressed the whole group, there are maybe only few ones who join the discussion. I think that when no one feels responsibility for participating, it’s easier to be silent. A big group can also frighten some of the students. That’s why I have now usually structured the discussions. I divide the class into small groups, which now have the responsibility for producing results. In my courses, small group or individual tasks are always shared and discussed with the whole group. After sharing the small groups’ conclusions we already have quite a lot of material, and so it’s easier to talk in the large group.

Most of the working methods used provide external activity, because it binds the students better to the learning process. When solving concrete tasks the students have to concentrate on the activity and content. That is why they really have to process the issue they are, for example, drawing a picture of. Therefore, I am subscribed to the opinion that physical and psychological activities can enhance each other.

Evaluation consists of different course parts

1)      The level of concentration and effort put on the exercises

2)      Activity in the lessons, discussions etc.

3)      The quality of the independent assignment

4)      Ability to listen to the instructions

5)      The amount of exercises done (so a student can’t only be physically present at the lessons without doing anything)

I tried to list the criteria in an order of importance, even though every issue naturally affects the others. The artistic quality of the works is not evaluated at all, because the main point in this course is to understand concepts, not educate the students to be artists. I think that the most important criterion is the amount of the students’ effort. It is connected to his/her will and awareness of the fact that he/she must really work for his/her own learning. I also highlight this to the students. Thus, my evaluation criteria for this course in a nutshell is: a work of art of low artistic quality created with thought and consideration is much more valuable than an artistically perfect work made without concentration. This reflects my aim to use artistic work only as a tool for building conceptual constructions. This “art as a tool” thinking applies only to this course: when I teach art courses the artistic skills are evidently of main importance. The assessment was given orally through the whole course. I commented the students’ works on the sharing occasions, which we had after every assignment. I tried to make the students also comment on each other’s works, but that did not succeed well. Peer feedback is still one of my permanent goals in teaching, as is also the giving of continuing feedback recommended by Lonka (chapter 2.2.2). In this course I had to give numeral evaluation in addition to oral assessment.

I restricted the course contents to the different aspects of culture with an emphasis on media. The course was divided into four themes which were considered quite deeply. The contents are clarified in detail in chapter 3.3 Implementation. The themes are: 1) The Concept of Culture and the viewpoints of 2) Visual culture, 3) Multiculturality and 4) Digital culture. There are three main concepts in the course: culture, fine art, and media.

In the table below you can find all the course features in a nutshell. Methods are analysed according to Engeström (Chapter 2.3.2).

TABLE 2: Course Features

		0.	1.	2.	3.	4.
Theme		Course Introduction	Introduction to concepts of culture, art and media	Visual culture: Picture Analysis	Multi- culturality	Digital Culture
Time		1h	9h	10h (7+3)	7h	3h
Contents		-Presentation of course content & structure -Instructions for the independent assignment which is demanded for passing the course -Forming the groups for independent work	-What does concepts of culture, art and media mean generally and to me? -What is multiculturality? -What is my own culture like? -What kind of art / media do I like?	-Introduction to basic concepts of picture analysis -Watching and analysing a movie (Run Lola Run) -Introduction to visual culture research -Analysing the pictures of mainstream magazines	-Grounded on two previous themes, not new information any more -Writing articles and illustrating them for our own web magazine -Topic: the groups of people, who weren’t visible on the pages of mainstream magazines	-The theme is partly blended with the previous one: -Implementing the web magazine (couple of students) -Presentation of the independent tasks -Getting familiar with web art -Reviewing the course content and writing feedback and self-assessment
Outcomes		-Initial exam / questionnaire	-Poster of own “cultural map” -List of own art & media favourites -Poster of the good sides of one art/media product	-Two posters concerning the movie -Critic text -Poster and memo of magazine pictures	-Articles and pictures	-Web magazine -Independent task presentations -Presentations of web art -Self-assessment and course feedback sheet
Content Goals All goals aim towards seeing familiar things in different viewpoints, understanding them deeper.		-To understand the structure of the course	-To understand how multicultural we all are -To consider different art & media genres and one’s own preferences	- To give a picture about visual culture analysis -To notice how complex every picture is -To start thinking what for pictures are constructed in a certain way -To notice the inequality in the mainstream media	-To notice that we have a power to make more equal media ourselves	-To notice how digitalisation has affected our life
Other Goals = Social, working methods etc.		-To motivate the students and activate previous schemas -For teacher: to get basic information about the group in order to adapt the course	-To get familiar with artistic work (if there has been a long time without drawing / painting…) - To exercise group work	-To exercise group work	-To exercise writing and using sources	-To exercise giving presentations
Working methods	Way of working	-Discursive lecture -Initial exam individually	-Discursive lecture -Making an individual artistic product -Individual and small group task + presentation about art+media favourites	-Discursive lecture -Watching a movie -Writing an individual movie critic (homework) -Small group movie analysis task + presentation -Small group magazine analysis task + presentation	- Individual or pair task: writing and illustrating an article	-Small group presentation of the homework -Examining web art in small groups -Course feedback individually
	Function in the learning process	-Preparing for new topic, motivating	-Orientation to the study topic -Giving new information	-Giving new information -Practice: changing the learned content to a skill -Systemizing: making relations of studied content clearer, answering the questions	-Applying learned knowledge to new tasks	-Review of the studied contents -Control: assessing the learned knowledge and own learning.
	Teaching mode (way of communication)	-Performing (teacher)	-Performing (teacher) -Co-operational	-Performing (teacher) -Co-operational	-Co-operational	-Performing (students) -Performing (teacher) -Co-operational
	Social mode (work groups)	-Classroom teaching -Individual task	-Classroom teaching -Individual task -Small group	-Classroom teaching -Individual task -Small group	Optionally individual or pair task	-Small group

  

3.3 IMPLEMENTATION

3.3.1 Practical Arrangements

The course, Fine Art and Culture, was arranged at the Vocational School of Ylivieska Region where I taught for six weeks as a visiting lecturer. Because of my short stay, all my courses had to take place within that period, which meant long days for the students and me. The course was one credit unit long, i.e., 30 hours teaching and maximum 10 hours homework. At the same time with the Development Project course I taught one of the groups a course in the same method with almost the same kind of content. The result was that sometimes we worked together 8 hours per day analysing almost similar questions.

The group size was about 25 students. They were first-year media assistant students, mainly from 16 to 20 years old. The group was active and participated well. I hadn’t taught them before, but I came to know them to a certain extent, because I gave many lessons to them during that period. The course was planned mainly for media students, but I also had two small groups of practical nursing students. I taught the course similarly to all three groups in order to get more experiences in its functioning.

We worked in a very small classroom, but we managed to do with it. There were a computer, data projector and Internet connection in the class, which was very important, because I frequently used Internet sources. The number of artist’s tools was sufficient and the school provided us with every kind of material I had planned to use. On the whole, the arrangements were very good: we had only minor problems mentioned above with the small classroom and long working periods.

3.3.2 The Process

I will briefly describe the working process we went through during the teaching experiment. The focus is on the description of the assignments, because the course advanced from task to task. The lectures were only very short introductions or aftercomments concerning the working. All assignments and material used were developed exclusively for the course on the basis of active learning approach. The function of the course’s different themes in Engeström’s holistic learning process can be found in table 2 in chapter 3.2.2.

1. Course Introduction

I used an initial exam for getting information about the students’ knowledge and motivation before the course. I wanted to activate their previous schemas by asking them to explain individually what they knowed about media analysis. I asked also about their expectations and motivation for the course (You can find the question sheet as an attachment 2 and the summary of the answers in chapter 4.1). I clarified the features of the course and the independent assignment, which the students had to do in small groups outside the classes in order to pass the course (information of the task in attachment 1). The work groups were also formed and topics were already shared i.e., the students would have maximum time for doing the assignment which had to be presented in the last classes of the course. They had freedom to share the work in the group as they wanted. The task was to prepare a presentation, which would compare the features of analogue and digital technologies (for example LP – CD, VHS – DVD) from different viewpoints. The question was How does the digitalisation affect 1) technically 2) the use of applications 3) the content offered? I had prepared the topic options beforehand, and the groups could choose the most interesting of them. The other groups were the only ones to restrict the selection, because one option could be chosen only once. The goals of the task were 1) to consider how much the surrounding technology affects our life and 2) to exercise giving oral presentations. You can find the handout given to the students about the course contents and the independent assignment as an attachment 1.

2. Introduction to the Concepts of Culture, Art and Media

The first task after the introduction of the course was a small group discussion. Students had a span of ten minutes for the discussion in 4-5 person groups about the question: How do you define concepts “culture”, “art” and “media”? The definitions were presented orally to the whole group. The task had three goals: 1) to familiarize the students with discursive small group working, 2) to activate their schemas of the topic and 3) to give me information about their previous knowledge. After the presentations I gave a short lecture about the different meanings of the concepts.

After analysing the concept of culture and multiculturality by means of a discursive lecture the students produced an individual work about everyone’s own culture, i.e., a “cultural map”. I asked the students to make a map of the cultures, which have most strongly influenced their present-time personality. It was a visual task, which was made in an A3 sheet with free technique. Most of the students did it by drawing and cutting out pictures from magazines. The shape of the mind-map was popular. The goals were: 1) understanding the concept of multiculturality: it doesn’t apply only to some mystical “Others” because we are all different, 2) getting familiar with making a work of art with one’s own hands and 3) deepening the concept of culture.

Next we moved to the sub area of visual culture and started to analyze the concepts of art and media. I spoke first a couple of words of the relations of the concepts and we had a discussion in the whole group about the topic: what differs art from media? The group discussions didn’t always succeed very well in the large group, but I still kept on asking the students their opinions through the course while lecturing. Then I asked them to write down individually first their favourite art works (in any branches of art) and after that their media favourites. These lists of views weren’t shared orally – I just glanced at them when walking around the class. It was no wonder that the media lists were far longer than the ones about art. The goals of this task were 1) to introduce different art and media genres and 2) to make the students pay attention to their art / media using habits. The task continued: the students had to find at least one person who had listed one of the same or the same kind of product. They formed a group and made a “marketing speech” for the product they both liked. The task was to justify why they liked the product. The outcome was a presentation on an A3 sheet and oral sharing of the views. The goal of this task was to encourage the students to use grounded opinions as a basis of critic.

3. Visual culture: Picture analysis

This was the core theme of the whole course, because it isn’t possible to have a grounded critical attitude towards the media, if you don’t have skills for analysing it. Only at this phase of the course did I first give a broader lecture, and after it we accomplished a task which was linked to the lecture. I thought it would be easier for the students to approach movie analysis, if they had first some examples how the movie can be sliced to smaller analysis units.

The analysis assignment was divided into two parts. First we did the easier part, observation (what is in the movie?) and, after that, the difficult one, interpretation (why were the observed things in the movie?). For the first part the students formed small groups and chose a feature to which they would pay attention while watching the movie. Every group concentrated on a different feature to cover each of them. I chose the options beforehand to make them easier to approach in the movie analysed (Camera work, Cutting, Actors, Sounds, Staging and Costumes).

Then we watched the film Run Lola Run. I chose it because its structure differs from the usual. In the film the same story is told three times with different events and ends. The film was German, which caused me to think that the students may not have been seen it (no one actually had). It is also short, about 70 minutes so it did not take too much time.

After watching the movie the groups gave a presentation about their observations using an A3 sheet. The idea was that because of the limited time which did not allow us to watch the movie many times, as you do when making “proper” analysis, the group members could complement each other’s perceptions: somebody has maybe noticed something the others didn’t, and one could say the whole picture grew richer. The task was just to write a list of the features in the chosen sub area. The lists were presented orally to the whole class. After that the group members returned to their individual status and new groups were formed so that in every group there was only one “expert” in every sub area (one from Camera work, one from Sounds etc.). The new groups worked all around the same questions doing the interpretation. I had prepared a long list of questions concerning the meanings of behaviour of the characters and visual composition etc. The groups could choose the most interesting ones, so there was a lot of variety. I walked around the classroom and helped the groups, because this was quite a difficult task to the students. These groups made again presentations on A3 sheets which were shared and discussed in the whole group. The goals were 1) to understand that every little detail of a movie is constructed and has a meaning 2) to think about the messages and interpretation of art / media product: “why do you interpret it like this when somebody else thinks it means that?” 3) to exercise finding the justifications to own interpretations and opinions.

An analysis isn’t a critic and you can’t focus on your opinions when analysing a product. The movie still aroused a lot of opinions of its exceptional structure. That’s why I gave the students individual homework which was to write a short, grounded critic of the movie. The goals were 1) to make clear the difference of concepts analysis and critic and 2) to exercise the skills to justify one’s own opinions. This task wasn’t shared very profoundly. I commented on the writings generally with a few words in the next lesson.

The movie analysis task concerned electric media and fictional content. Next we analysed printed media and “factual” content to obtain a broader concept of media. I paved the way for the task by a brief lecture about visual culture research and the Grounded Theory method. We made our own Grounded Theory of the topic: What kind of people are there in the pictures of mainstream magazines? We started as a whole group by forming a hypothesis based on our previous experiences. I wrote a list on the whiteboard of the students’ suggestions which were left to be seen, which made it possible for us to compare our conclusions with the hypothesis.

Next we started to collect the material. The students formed small groups, which got a couple of copies of one magazine each. The printed papers were of four types: newspapers (The Helsingin Sanomat, The Kaleva), yellow press (Ilta-Sanomat), women’s magazines (Anna, Kotiliesi), and gossip magazines (7 päivää). Because there were only four types of magazines, there were also groups with the same type of the magazine. I had chosen the magazines representing 1) the mainstream magazines, because they don’t have any specific target group and can be understood as a “portrait of society” more than, for example, skateboard magazines. 2) different magazine types so that we could compare the difference of the people portrayed in the “high class” papers to those depicted in the pulp magazines. The groups collected the research material by opening the magazines randomly and clipping out all the pictures of people. They also had to write down the role (an expert, a celebrity, a passer-by, a person visualized for decorative purposes) and the name + profession of the person, in case it was told in the article. The groups attached these clip-pings and the information on the A2 sheets so that the persons, who were presented in the magazine in a positive light, were on the left side and those being negative on the right side; neutral ones were placed in the middle of the paper. Thus, the students had to interpret the articles and the ways the press treated the photographed persons in question. Every sheet expressed samples of different types of mainstream magazines, which, after all, provided us with research material in compact mode.

After that, we started the actual research phase. The sheets were displayed on the wall so that everyone could examine them. I gave each groups different questions which they had to solve on the basis of the collected material. The questions were:

1)      What kind of people are there in the pictures of mainstream media?

2)      Can you find differences in the roles on the basis of gender, ethnicity etc.?

3)      Does the distribution of roles differ in various types of magazines?

4)      What groups are not portrayed in the pictures of different types of magazines?

Every group wrote again their conclusion on an A3 sheet and presented it orally. We compared the conclusions with the hypothesis. After that we discussed as a whole group, amongst others, the following questions:

- How do the pictures of celebrities differ from those of “ordinary people”

- What does it mean to be depicted / invisible in the magazines? (for example politically)

- How could we affect this inequality?

Goals of this assignment were to 1) give the students a picture about the nature of visual culture research 2) arouse consciousness of the inequality and inaccuracy of the media (power and knowledge) 3) affirm the understanding of the "falseness" of every media / art product (someone has always made them for some reason).

4. Multiculturality

I wanted to emphasize the idea that we all can influence the inequality of media (and of course the media assistant students have very good starting point having the skills to use the equipment needed). That is why we processed the multicultural theme by writing illustrated articles of people, who weren’t portrayed on the pages of the mainstream magazines. We published them in our own web magazine which was designed and implemented by two students. The others chose individually or as pairs a topic they were interested in and wrote a short illustrated article or story of it. This task was the “making own artistic product” part of the course. The goal was to have the possibilities of action in the media environment displayed.

5. Digital Culture

This theme was partly mixed with the previous one. Implementing the web magazine was of course related also to this theme. We wrote the articles and illustrated them by computer, and, thus, digital culture was in its behalf involved in the previous phase. The main task of this theme was the independent assignment. The groups presented the works they had produced in the individual groups. The works were discussed, and the students were given feedback on them.

Web art was one of the options I offered the students as a topic of the independent task, but as I guessed, nobody chose it because it’s so unfamiliar an area to them. I still wanted to introduce that media sub area, because I think media assistants have to know at least the existence of this art genre. We learned to know a few works by doing a brief web art analysis. The students formed small groups, to whom I shared addresses of different types of web art sites I had checked in advance. The groups had a span of a few minutes to browse the works and think about the following questions: 1. What is the art work like? (Introduction), 2. What does it tell about? (Interpretation), and 3. What features did you like in it and what you didn’t? (Critique). Having answered the questions they presented the web works to the others with a data projector and commented on them according to the questions answered. The goals were 1) to introduce the web art genre to the students and 2) to exercise visual analysing skills

The last task of the course was filling out a self- and course assessment sheet (which can be found as an attachment 3). Before filling the sheet I reviewed briefly the contents we had gone through in the course. The goals were 1) to review actively the course contents in order to fill the sheet and 2) to assess anonymously the quality of one’s own working in the course.

4 Assessment

4.1 FEEDBACK

4.1.1 Student Feedback

The feedback given by the students was mainly positive. Significant differences could be seen in comparison to the feedback from previous course taught by me through lecturing. That course was considered too theoretical and not very useful, where as this one was referred to mainly as being interesting and motivating. The source material used here is 1) the initial exam and 2) the assessment sheet of the course both of which can be found as attachments 2 and 3. Both sheets were answered anonymously. I wanted to obtain honest opinions and emphasized to the students that they don’t have to be afraid of giving also negative feedback. Answering was made safe by anonymity.

Motivation

From the initial exam I got information about the motivation and preconceptions of the students. The sheet was filled before I presented the course content. Virtually none had previous experiences concerning media analysis, which was asked in the first question. The expectations of the course content were not very specific; a typical answer was “something about culture, art and media”. Also the answers to the question of the skills they would like to learn in the course were very vague, something like “everything the course has to offer”. The last question concerned the initial motivation. Students had five options to choose for describing their motivation level of starting the course: 1) not motivated at all, 2) not very strongly motivated, 3) the topic seems totally insignificant, 4) quite strong and 5) very strong motivation. Out of the 20 answers given by the media assistant students 16 chose number 4 “motivation quite strong”. The other answers were 1 in the borderline of insignificant and quite motivated (3/4), 1 was insignificant (3), 1 not very motivated (2) and 1 strongly motivated (5). The practical nursing students’ answers had quite a similar distribution: the “quite strongly motivated” were a majority in the group but there also were some less motivated group members. So the starting point was quite good.

In the last lesson I asked how the course succeeded and how the students felt about the quality and effort of their own work. I asked again about the motivation: did it change during the course? Most media students answered that their motivation remained at the same level as in the beginning. Somebody had studied quite a similar course before, and the observation that the content was familiar decreased the motivation. A few students wrote that their motivation increased, because the course was more versatile they thought. Most of the practical nursing students answered that their motivation had increased a lot during the course, because they expected they had to participate in a very boring course and this one was interesting, after all. Some expected more artistic work and didn’t like the emphasis on the media. Many of the practical nurses also referred to the course’s difference from their vocational orientation: some considered it a negative feature while some thought it’s refreshing to also participate in general courses which are not bound to the vocation of practical nursing. On the whole, the course members regarded their own working and effort in the course as “proper enough”. I, on my part, certainly agree about this opinion.

The Strengths of the Course

When I asked what the succeeded parts in the course were, I got quite a lot of positive feedback about the methods:

    “Oli mukavaa, kun ei tarvinnut vain istua vaan saatii tehä tehtäviä ja sit ei tarvinu kirjotella eikä ollu tenttii vaan     nuita erilaisia tehtäviä, ku tenttejä on muutenki ihan tarpeeks ja kirjottaaki saa muilla tunneilla.”

Translation: “It was nice, because we were not only put to sit quiet, and we could do things and we didn’t need to write; neither were we forced to take exams, but instead, we were given different tasks. We have already enough exams and we are surely made to write in other lessons.”(A practical nursing student)

    “Pidin siitä että tunnilla ei ollut vain sitä että opettaja puhuu ja oppilaat kirjoittavat, vaan tehtiin paljon asioita     käytännössä ja harjoitustöitä.

Translation: ”I liked the lessons, because the teacher was not always talking alone but we did many things in practice.”(A practical nursing student)

The course was thought as being different from the ordinary one. Most of the students referred to the tasks as being interesting and functional and the course structure in their opinion was clear and well planned.

Defects in the Course

An aspect of the course that was considered negative, mentioned at least in half of the answers was too large an amount of the teacher’s talking. I think this revealed something, because I really have the problem of being too a dominating teacher. I have learned during my working as a student or teacher at school that a teacher has to be active to earn his/her salary. So, despite my aims, I didn’t dare to be as much on the background as I actually considered being recommendable. I kept talking when the students worked with their assignments using the working time for reviewing the lessons for those who had been absent and clarifying the background of the task. Students said that it was very hard to work, as they didn’t know whether they should focus on listening to me or doing the task. Many experts in active learning refer to the problem of being a new teacher, when the old models are simultaneously dominant in one’s experiences (Lonka 1991, 18).

There were almost no complaints about the working methods or the teaching themselves, which makes me very happy. Couple of students didn’t like the large proportion of group working in the course, but they were really a minority. That was also the only methodological aspect mentioned as being negative. The overall conclusion of the feedback was strongly positive; almost the only broader problem was my uncertainty about my role as a teacher. I’m happy about the feedback, because it is a good help for paying attention to this aspect and improving it.

4.1.2 Feedback from the Supervisors

I got feedback from two experienced teachers. One of them was my teaching practise supervisor at the Vocational School of Ylivieska Region, lector Kaija Koivusaari and the other a teacher trainer from Vocational Teacher Education College of Jyväskylä, Eija Maria Teikari who visited my lectures.

Kaija Koivusaari read the course plans and visited a three hour teaching session we had with the practical nursing students. According to her, the teaching plan was clear and enough variety was offered in the tasks. The session she observed went well according to the plans, but still there was enough flexibility. In her opinion, I had good skills to communicate and verbalize my professional knowledge. The course contents were relevant and they can be utilized in the work with different kind of patients as far as practical nursing is concerned. About the methods she writes that the lessons were activating, but it is still possible to develop the working so that the students would participate more. The aim to wake intrinsic motivation could be seen in the tasks (Koivusaari 2004, not printed).

Eija Maria Teikari also observed a three hour session with the practical nursing students. She expressed critical viewpoints concerning, for example, the course contents. According to her the contents should be explicitly anchored to the vocational skills of the students of practical nursing. She observed the functionability of working in small groups and suggested a more structured way for the formation of the groups (co-operational methods). In the course, the groups were constructed mainly by the student’s own selection. She also stated that the working still was very teacher-centred despite of my student-centred plans (Teikari 2004, not printed).

Even though the overall feedback given by the supervisors was positive, both of them mentioned defects in the student-centred teaching and the level of activating. I agree with them because I feel I couldn’t properly get rid of the long tradition of teacher-centeredness.

4.3. REFLECTION: DID MY WORKING EVOLVE?

My goal was to apply the theoretical starting points to my work as a vocational teacher, so I didn’t aim to produce new knowledge in itself. The collecting of theoretical information was a very important task, because now I know more about the approaches which my work is based on. But a theory isn’t anything without its practical applications. These two are inseparable twins who continually need each other.

The name of this report is not accidentally “Towards Active Learning”. Even though I have relatively positive feelings of the course and the feedback was mainly positive, I don’t think most of the principles of active learning really were actualised in the course. It was just a step towards using active methods in teaching. A significant change in thinking doesn’t take place in a minute. Although my career as a teacher is not very long, my working in different schools has lasted almost for 20 years up to now. This time has contained mainly teacher-centred working.  Compared to that, I can be satisfied with this experiment.

On the whole, the project succeeded well. The working process from planning to reporting was interesting and functional. Even though I didn’t totally reach my goals in the teaching experiment, I think I took as long a step forward as was possible during such a limited period. The fact is that my working did improve thanks to this project. A remarkable reason for this was the possibility to really consider the function and background of the teaching plan. Far too often does it happen that a course has to be developed in a hurry. In such cases the main interest is how to fill the lessons in a sensible way and not the question why I am going to fill the lessons in a particular way. The student feedback proved that the feeling of improvement was not only subjective. The students were more involved in working than before and the learning atmosphere was better. Still I unfortunately can’t refer to the learning results. It is difficult to measure the changes in the students’ abilities in course, which aims to arouse critical thinking. Despite this, I think that because the participation in the learning tasks was high, the students had also to learn something.

I think that the course with all its possible defects was still the best one I have taught. The direction was right, but the implementation didn’t meet the plans in two aspects: the teacher’s role and the students’ freedom to participate in the course planning were left insufficient. The most difficult problem is to be a new type of teacher and to find one’s own role in the class. It’s too easy to slip back to the conventional teacher’s role (Rauste-von Wright 1998, 110). Another problem in this context is to rely on young students. On the one hand, I have learned from previous experiences that vocational students need relatively strict guidance, but, on the other hand, they can’t learn independence if they don’t have opportunities to develop it. I should have trusted more the students in order to fill the preconditions of real active learning. I noticed that I had planned the course too strictly beforehand and pre-structured the assignments too tightly. Now the students could only choose from the options I had prepared, and so they didn’t have real power over the course and their own learning process. The learner-centeredness was left only ostensible in its essence.

Still I think I have a potential to develop and to become really an activating and motivating teacher. One problem was now that I was teaching this kind of course the first time and so large a proportion of my energy went to managing the contents and the time. If I teach the same content once again, it will certainly be easier to organize the assignments so that there will be more freedom of choice (in terms of methods and topics) for the students. I’m quite happy with the content of the course. The strict decision to focus on the most important issues was really a correct solution. On my previous courses there has been problems with the huge amount of information, which I have thought the students should at least learn. Of course, there was the conflict between the vocations of media assistants and that of the practical nurses. I still wanted to keep the course similar to all the groups, to be able to have more material when assessing the experiment. In my opinion, teaching should be strongly anchored to the vocational or personal reality of the students. Media education is an overall tool for understanding the society, and that’s the reason why I think the course, after all, was well anchored also to the practical nurses’ world.

When reading my project diary of this course and the previous ones, it is obvious that my general satisfaction with teaching is in a rising curve. This is important, because I think a teacher who enjoys his/her work has great possibilities for development. I found the working with active methods more natural and rewarding as plain lecturing. I think the role of a facilitator suits me well, provided that I first will find a personal way to implement it. My belief in constructive approaches has grown. Even though I did not at this time have the skills and experience needed to fully implement the concept of activity, I will continue experimenting. Now that I have made my concepts and beliefs concerning teaching clear to myself, it is possible to start building a firm practical house on solid theoretical ground.

5 Sources

Printed Sources

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Engeström, Yrjö (1996) Perustietoa opetuksesta. Helsinki: Oy Edita ab

Hakkarainen, Kai & Lonka, Kirsti & Lipponen, Lasse (1999) Tutkiva oppiminen –älykkään toiminnan rajat ja niiden ylittäminen. Porvoo–Helsinki-Juva: WSOY

Halme, Kaija (1999) Hei, kuka muokkaa maailmankuvaamme? in Elävästi kuvaa –Kokemuksia lasten ja nuorten elokuvaopetuksesta. Editor: Välimäki, Matti. Helsinki: BJT Kirjastopalvelu Oy

Hautamäki, Antti (1988) Tekoäly, logiikka ja tiedon esittäminen teoksessa Kognitiotiede Editor: Hautamäki, Antti. Helsinki: Gaudeamus

Kupiainen, Reijo (1999) Median monet merkitykset –kriittinen medialukutaito in Elävästi kuvaa –Kokemuksia lasten ja nuorten elokuvaopetuksesta. Editor: Välimäki, Matti. Helsinki: BJT Kirjastopalvelu Oy

Lonka, Kirsti (1991) Aktivoivan opetuksen pääperiaatteita in Aktivoiva opetus –käsikirja aikuisten ja nuorten opettajille Eds. Lonka, Kirsti & Lonka, Irma. Helsinki: Kirjayhtymä

Pihlman, Maarit (1991) Aktivoiva opetus ammatillisella keskiasteella in Aktivoiva opetus –käsikirja aikuisten ja nuorten opettajille Eds. Lonka, Kirsti & Lonka, Irma. Helsinki: Kirjayhtymä

Pillay, Hitendra (2002) Understanding Learner-centredness: does it consider the diverse needs of individuals? Studies in Continuing Education, Vol. 24, No. 1, 2002.

Poikela, Sari & Lähteenmäki, Marja-Leena & Poikela, Esa (2002) Mikä on ongelmaperustaista oppimista ja mikä ei? in Ongelmaperustainen pedagogiikka -teoriaa ja käytäntöä. Editor: Poikela, Esa. Tampereen yliopistopaino Juvenes Print Oy

Poikela, Esa & Nummenmaa, Anna Raija (2002) Ongelmaperustainen oppiminen tiedon ja osaamisen tuottamisen strategiana in Ongelmaperustainen pedagogiikka -teoriaa ja käytäntöä. Editor: Poikela, Esa. Tampereen yliopistopaino Juvenes Print Oy

Puolimatka, Tapio (2004) Kasvatus, arvot ja tunteet. Helsinki: Tammi

Puolimatka, Tapio (2002) Opetuksen teoria -konstruktivismista realismiin. Helsinki: Tammi

Rauste – von Wright, Maijaliisa (1998) Opettaja tienhaarassa –konstruktivismia käytännössä. Atena

Ruohotie, Pekka (1998) Motivaatio, tahto ja oppiminen. Helsinki: Edita

Sahlberg, Pasi & Sharan, Shlomo (2002) Yhteistoiminnallisen oppimisen käsikirja / Johdanto. Helsinki: WSOY

Salo, Outi (1997) Teema ja muunnelmia – psykologian perustieto I. Espoo: Salutonova

Salo-Gunst, Leena & Vilkko-Riihelä, Anneli (1992) Psykologian opas. Porvoo-Helsinki-Juva: WSOY

Sava, Inkeri (1993) Taiteellinen oppimisprosessi in Taiteen perusopetuksen käsikirja Eds. Ismo Porna & Pirjo Väyrynen. Helsinki: Suomen Kuntaliitto

Sieppi, Helena (1997) Opettaja viestintäkasvattajana In Näkökuvia viestintään. Writers: Liukko, Seija & Sieppi, Helena & Tammi, Tuomo. Tampereen yliopisto

Talvio, Maarit (2002) Tutkimus opetustyössä –kuka, mitä, miten ja miksi? –tutkimus opetus- ja kasvatusalan ammattilaisten ammattitaidon ylläpitäjänä sekä kasvatustieteellisen teorian ja käytännön yhdistäjänä in Luovuutta, motivaatiota, tunteita – opetuksen tutkimuksen uusia suuntauksia. Editors: Kansanen, Pertti & Uusikylä, Kari. PS-Kustannus

Vuorinen, Ilpo (1993) Tuhat tapaa opettaa. Naantali: Resurssi

Web Sources

(documents archived by writer)

Bonwell, Charles C. & Eison, James A. Active Learning: Creating Excitement in the Classroom. Saved 23.3.2004 http://www.ntlf.com/html/lib/bib/91-9dig.htm

Helakorpi, Seppo (Hämeenlinnan AOKK): Oppiminen. Saved 26.2.2004
http://openetti.aokk.hamk.fi/seppoh/web4/uusi%20web/oppiminen.htm

Kotilainen, Sirkku (2002) Viestintäopetuksen käytäntöjä (Internetix –verkko-opintomateriaali). Saved 23.3.2004 http://www.internetix.fi/opinnot/opintojaksot/3yhteiskunta/viestintakasvatus/kaytanto.htm#aktiivista

Opetushallitus (2001) Ammatillisen peruskoulutuksen opetussuunnitelman ja näyttötutkinnon perusteet: audiovisuaalisen viestinnän perustutkinto, media-assistentti
http://www.oph.fi/SubPage.asp?path=1;17627;927;1561

Paulson, Donald R. & Faust, Jennifer L. Active Learning For The College Classroom. Saved 23.3.2004
http://www.calstatela.edu/dept/chem/chem2/Active/

Poikela, Sari (2003) Ongelmaperustainen pedagogiikka ja tutorin osaaminen. Akateeminen väitöskirja / Tampereen yliopisto. Acta Electronica Universitatis Tamperensis 250. Saved 23.3.2004
http://acta.uta.fi/pdf/951-44-5661-0.pdf

Rasinkangas, Reijo (2004) Tieteen ja ajattelun historiaa / Johdanto. Saved 23.3.2004
http://cc.oulu.fi/~rar/historia/johdanto.html

Toskala, Antero (2003) Henkilökohtainen totuus: uusi näkemys totuuden luonteesta in web magazine Yksilöstä Yhteisöön. Saved 23.3.2004
http://www.jyvaskylankoulutuskeskus.fi/lehti/artikkelit/2003_04_henkkoht_totuus.html

Unpublished Sources

(documents archived by writer)

Curriculum for Media Assistants of Vocational School of Ylivieska Region (2003)

Koivusaari, Kaija (2004) Feedback of teaching practice of Oona Tikkaoja

Teikari, Eija Maria (2004) Feedback notes from observing a teaching session

University of Art and Design (2003) Lecture materials Fine Art and Culture as a Study Entity in Vocational Education

6 Attachments                                                       

ATTACHMENT 1: Handout for the Students

Ylivieskan seudun ammattioppilaitos                             

Kevätlukukausi 2004                                                   

Oona Tikkaoja

oona@vikuri.com

Taide ja kulttuuri 1 ov -mediapainotteinen kurssi

Kurssin sisältöteemat

1. Kulttuurin käsite

· mitä on kulttuuri, taide ja media?

· millainen on oma kulttuurini?

2. Visuaalinen kulttuuri: kuva-analyysi

· elokuva-analyysi

· lehtikuva-analyysi

3. Monikulttuurisuus

· kulttuurien kirjon käsittelyä taiteellisin keinoin

4. Digitaalinen kulttuuri / harjoitustyö

· miten kulttuurimme on muuttunut digitalisoitumisen myötä?

Tavoitteet

· tutustuttaa kulttuurin käsitteeseen

· kehittää visuaalisen kulttuurin lukutaitoa ja mediakriittisyyttä

· kehittää kykyä keskustella, antaa ja vastaanottaa palautetta

Suorittaminen

· läsnäolo tunneilla

· aktiivisuus tuntikeskusteluissa ja ryhmätöissä

· harjoitustyön tekeminen

Harjoitustyö

Pohditaan 3:n hengen pienryhmissä digitaalisen tekniikan vaikutuksia taiteeseen ja mediaan. Työtä tehdään sekä tunneilla että itsenäisesti. Voitte jakaa työn esim. niin, että jokainen ryhmän jäsen on vastuussa yhdestä näkökulmasta.

Verrataan nykytilannetta aiempiin tekniikoihin kolmesta näkökulmasta

1.      Teknisesti –miten esim. tiedon tallentaminen on konkreettisesti muuttunut?

2.      Käyttäjän kannalta –miten käytämme eri tavoin esim. LP-levyjä ja CD:itä?

3.      Sisällön kannalta –vaikka voisi ajatella, ettei se, onko viesti lähetetty kirjeenä vai sähköpostina vaikuta itse sisältöön, uudet tekniikat kuitenkin muokkaavat myös sisältöä ajan mittaan (esim. sähköpostin sanotaan olevan kirjoittamisen ja puhekielen välimuoto)

Aiheita

· DVD – VHS

· CD (MP3) – LP

· sähköposti – kirje

· tekstinkäsittely – kirjoituskone

· digitaalinen kuvankäsittely – käsin retusointi

· digikuvaus – perinteinen

· digiTV - analoginen

· verkkolehti – painettu lehti

· sähköinen kirja – painettu kirja

· verkkotaideteos – perinteinen taideteos

· tietokonepeli – lautapeli (tms.)

Aineistoa löytyy verkosta ja kirjastosta. Käyttäjän näkökulmaa kannattaa pohtia myös omien käyttötottumusten pohjalta tai esim. haastattelemalla vanhempia tai ystäviä. Tehtävässä on tarkoitus käyttää kahdenlaista tietoa:

1.      faktat esim. tallennustekniikoista

2.      omat pohdinnat ja johtopäätökset (ja tämä on tärkeä osa!)

Kirjoittakaa työstä lyhyt raportti (2-3 sivua). Käyttäkää paljon konkreettisia esimerkkejä. Työt esitellään luokalle kurssin loppupuolella. Esityksiin varataan aikaa noin 15 minuuttia.

Töiden esittely aloitetaan viikolla 7, joten tehkää ne valmiiksi siihen mennessä!

ATTACHMENT 2: Initial Exam

Taide ja kulttuuri                                                                                                                                                                        

Ylivieskan seudun ammattiopisto                                                                   

Oona Tikkaoja

Kevät 2004

Alkukysely

Mitä on media-analyysi? Kuinka paljon olet perehtynyt siihen (esim. aiemmat kurssit)?

Mitä oletat tämän kurssin sisältävän?

Mitä toivot kurssilla oppivasi?

Kuinka innostunut olet aloittamaan tämän kurssin?

en lainkaan en kovin innostunut samantekevää melko innostunut erittäin innostunut .

ATTACHMENT 3: Self-assessment and Course Feedback Sheet

 

Kurssipalaute                                                            

Oona Tikkaoja: Taide ja kulttuuri 1ov YSO:lla, kevätlukukausi 2004

Toivon, että vastaat kysymyksiin huolella, sillä palaute on tärkeä apu kurssien kehitystyössä. Olen erityisen kiitollinen perustelluista mielipiteistä! Voit kommentoida mitä tahansa kurssin osa-alueita sisällöstä käytännön järjestelyihin ja tuoda esiin sekä hyvät että huonot asiat. Jatka tarvittaessa paperin toiselle puolelle. Kiitos!

1. ITSEARVIO

Muistele, millaisia odotuksia sinulla oli kurssista ennen sen alkua (alkukysely). Muuttuiko motivaatiosi kurssin kuluessa? Jos muuttui, mistä oletat sen johtuvan?

Miten arvioisit omaa työpanostasi tällä kurssilla? Työskentelitkö täysillä vai jäikö lorvimiseksi…

Oletko tyytyväinen kurssin aikana tekemiisi töihin? Minkä arvosanan antaisit itsellesi?

Perustele, MIKSI annoit juuri tuon arvosanan itsellesi?

2. KURSSIARVIO

Opitko kurssilla mielestäsi paljon uutta? mitä?

Oliko kurssin vaikeustaso sopiva? Jos ei, mihin suuntaan sitä pitäisi muuttaa?

Arvioi kurssin osa-alueiden kiinnostavuutta  (ympyröi sopiva vaihtoehto)

Teema kiinnosti                      ei kiinnostanut 1. Kulttuurin käsite 5           4           3           2          1        0 2. Taiteen ja median käsitteet 5           4           3           2          1        0 3. Elokuva-analyysi 5           4           3           2          1        0 4. Lehtikuva-analyysi 5           4           3           2          1        0 5. Verkkolehden teko 5           4           3           2          1        0 6. Harjoitustyö 5           4           3           2          1        0 Mikä oli kiinnostavin harjoitustyö? Entä tylsin?

Arvioi kurssin osa-alueiden hyödyllisyyttä  (ympyröi sopiva vaihtoehto)

Teema hyödyllistä                     ei hyödyllistä 1. Kulttuurin käsite 5           4           3           2          1        0 2. Taiteen ja median käsitteet 5           4           3           2          1        0 3. Elokuva-analyysi 5           4           3           2          1        0 4. Lehtikuva-analyysi 5           4           3           2          1        0 5. Verkkolehden teko 5           4           3           2          1        0 6. Harjoitustyö 5           4           3           2          1        0 Mikä oli hyödyllisin harjoitustyö? Entä turhin?

Mikä oli kurssissa mielestäsi onnistunutta? Miksi?

Mikä oli vähemmän onnistunutta? Onko sinulla ehdotuksia epäkohtien parantamiseksi?

Minkä arvosanan antaisit kurssille asteikolla 1-5? Miksi?

Onko sinulla muita kommentteja kurssiin tai sen aihepiiriin liittyen?