Monialaisuuden haasteita ja mahdollisuuksia opettamisessa ja oppimisessa

Peer reviewe

Yhteistoiminnallinen työskentely ja poikkitieteellisen asiantuntijuuden kehittyminen

Peer reviewe

Powerful disciplinary knowledge and the status of geography in Finnish upper secondary schools : Teachers' views on recent changes

The article examines the status of geography education within Finnish upper secondary schools. During the past few years, there have been many reforms which have affected how much geography ought to be taught and the teaching methods for doing so. In this article, the general aims of the upper secondary geography and content of the compulsory geography course are analysed from the perspective of powerful disciplinary knowledge. The empirical data set was collected through an online survey, which was filled out by 63 Finnish geography teachers in September 2017. The results show that even though the compulsory course in geography was regarded as being important and student-oriented, teachers felt that there were too many geographical phenomena to teach and too many time-consuming digital methods to be used. Teachers highlighted the importance of critical reflection and geographical thinking in the aims of geography curriculum, and they had a positive attitude towards emphasis on current issues in the compulsory course. Many respondents expressed their concern about the fragmented character and the illogical structure of the course. The compulsory course has its focus on global risks and therefore, students have to study the consequences before the causes. The required information on physical and human geography is studied later in optional specialisation courses, which the respondents saw as a major problem. Overall, even when the aims of the curriculum support the ideas of powerful geographical knowledge relatively well, limited time for studies in geography threatens students’ access to powerful knowledge in geography education.Peer reviewe

Perceptions of interconnected sustainability : Students’ narratives bridging transition and education

As sustainability becomes a focal point and important aspect of educational development in several disciplines and universities globally, it is important to critically reflect on the different utilisations of sustainability education. Research on educational aims and the potential transformative impact of sustainability courses is quite timely. Among several others, the theory of interconnected learning has been gaining traction as an approach to transformative sustainability education, as it employs a distinct approach to systemic sustainability awareness. This approach aims to further express the plurality of sustainability, with the aim to foster a deeper comprehension beyond the dichotomous thinking often typical in disciplined science. The aim of our research was to study the efficiency of employing the pedagogy of interconnected learning on the types of sustainability transition narratives produced by the students attending an online sustainability course. The sustainability transition narratives, as expressed through fifty-eight students’ course assignments, were studied pre- and post-course, and analysed against a collection of established narratives drawn from transition studies. The comparison from the pre-to post-course answers revealed that while some of the student narratives remained unchanged, the majority of the narratives were expanded during the course experience. Our analysis revealed that while most of the students’ answers referenced a single type of transition narrative, some students produced narratives that hybridised two or more types of narratives. Additionally, some of the students produced elements of a pathway for a transition narrative that are currently unarticulated in the transition narrative framework employed herein. The elements of this newly articulated narrative focused on changes in the societal mindset, achievable through sustainability education.Peer reviewe

Yhteyksien pedagogiikka kohtaa ilmastonmuutoksen viheliäisenä kestävyysongelmana

Climate change is a wicked problem of our time. It is a phenomenon that is difficult to combat with prevailing ways of thinking and behaving related to a modern understanding of humanity and education. In this article, the challenges of sustainability education are explored from the theoretical perspective of modern dichotomies. The article argues that to combat wicked problems of sustainability, awareness of interconnectedness is vital. In order to increase the understanding of what kind of dismantling of thinking in dichotomies and why the awareness of interconnectedness and pedagogical approaches are crucial in promoting sustainability, the literature of environmental philosophy, sociology and education are brought together with the literature of sustainability sciences and sustainability education. The principles of pedagogy of interconnectedness define the critical awareness of interconnectedness vital for sustainability education dealing with the wicked sustainability issues such as climate change. The pedagogy of interconnectedness underlines the essentiality of understanding of the world and humans as relational: recognizing the interdependence of society and nature, the local and global, and seeing the common reality as socially constructed and humanness and learning in a holistic way. A case of university pedagogy, the Climate.now online course material is presented and analysed as an example of interconnecting climate change education, how to implement the principle of pedagogy of interconnectedness in practice.Climate change is a wicked problem of our time. It is a phenomenon that is difficult to combat with prevailing ways of thinking and behaving related to a modern understanding of humanity and education. In this article, the challenges of sustainability education are explored from the theoretical perspective of modern dichotomies. The article argues that to combat wicked problems of sustainability, awareness of interconnectedness is vital. In order to increase the understanding of what kind of dismantling of thinking in dichotomies and why the awareness of interconnectedness and pedagogical approaches are crucial in promoting sustainability, the literature of environmental philosophy, sociology and education are brought together with the literature of sustainability sciences and sustainability education. The principles of pedagogy of interconnectedness define the critical awareness of interconnectedness vital for sustainability education dealing with the wicked sustainability issues such as climate change. The pedagogy of interconnectedness underlines the essentiality of understanding of the world and humans as relational: recognizing the interdependence of society and nature, the local and global, and seeing the common reality as socially constructed and humanness and learning in a holistic way. A case of university pedagogy, the Climate.now online course material is presented and analysed as an example of interconnecting climate change education, how to implement the principle of pedagogy of interconnectedness in practice.Peer reviewe

Ilmastokasvatuksen polkypyörämalli: mallin esittely ja arviointi

This article presents and evaluates a model made for climate change education - the bicycle model. The model was created based on an extensive literature review, from which, essential aspects of climate change education were drawn out. The bicycle model is a representation of holistic climate change education and emphasizes the importance of the following aspects: knowledge, thinking skills, values, identity, worldview, action, motivation, participation, future orientation, hope and other emotions, and operational barriers. In this study, the model is also evaluated by climate education researchers and educators. The evaluation was done through documented group discussions and an electronic questionnaire. The findings suggest that the model is useful in developing climate change education policy, research and practice. The findings also give insight into expert's perceptions on climate education. Finally, the article discusses how this model could be developed further.Peer reviewe

Finnish matriculation examination and powerful geographical knowledge

This article introduces the main ideas of ‘powerful knowledge’, which have recently been applied to geography education, for example, by Lambert (2011), Maude(2015), and Béneker and Palings (2017). Lambert et al. (2015) have described three levels of geographical knowledge that would enhance young people’s access to powerful geographical knowledge. The first level consists of deep and descriptive world knowledge, the second of relational understanding and geographical thinking, while the third level consists of the propensity to think through alternative social, economic, and environmental futures in specific locations and the ability to think critically. These three levels of knowledge are applied in the analysis of powerful geographical knowledge in the context of Finnish matriculation examinations. The empirical data set consists of 28 geography exams from 2006 to 2019, including 273 questions in total, 63 of which have been published in the form of the digital exams offered since the autumn of 2016. Digital exams have increased the amount of background material included in the questions, but they have also lead to the disappearance of tasks in which students should draw maps. The analysis shows how all three levels of powerful geographical knowledge are present in the matriculation questions. The number of simple first-level questions has been reduced, and the number of questions requesting relational understanding and geographical thinking has increased. However, value-based issues as well as questions requiring the student’s personal reasoning and ability to evaluate certain controversial themes are non-existent in the exams, even though they are described in the framework curriculum.This article introduces the main ideas of ‘powerful knowledge’, which have recently been applied to geography education, for example, by Lambert (2011), Maude (2015), and Béneker and Palings (2017). Lambert et al. (2015) have described three levels of geographical knowledge that would enhance young people’s access to powerful geographical knowledge. The first level consists of deep and descriptive world knowledge, the second of relational understanding and geographical thinking, while the third level consists of the propensity to think through alternative social, economic, and environmental futures in specific locations and the ability to think critically. These three levels of knowledge are applied in the analysis of powerful geographical knowledge in the context of Finnish matriculation examinations. The empirical data set consists of 28 geography exams from 2006 to 2019, including 273 questions in total, 63 of which have been published in the form of the digital exams offered since the autumn of 2016. Digital exams have increased the amount of background material included in the questions, but they have also lead to the disappearance of tasks in which students should draw maps. The analysis shows how all three levels of powerful geographical knowledge are present in the matriculation questions. The number of simple first-level questions has been reduced, and the number of questions requesting relational understanding and geographical thinking has increased. However, value-based issues as well as questions requiring the student’s personal reasoning and ability to evaluate certain controversial themes are non-existent in the exams, even though they are described in the framework curriculum.Peer reviewe

Teachers’ perceptions on addressing global issues in upper secondary vocational education and training in Finland

Kestävyys ja vastuullisuus koskettavat jokaista työntekijää 2020-luvulla. Tutkimuksessa tarkastellaan ammatillisten perustutkintojen opettajien näkemyksiä globaalien aiheiden käsittelystä toisen asteen ammatillisessa koulutuksessa Suomessa. Aineisto koostuu opettajien vastauksista (N=187) keväällä 2022 toteutettuun verkkokyselyyn. Analyysissä käytettiin kuvailevia tilastollisia menetelmiä sekä temaattista analyysia peilaten kyselyvastauksia teoriataustaan, aiempaan globaalin kansalaiskasvatuksen sekä ammatillisen koulutuksen tutkimukseen. Tulokset viittaavat siihen, että globaali kansalaiskasvatus on implisiittisesti läsnä toisen asteen ammatillisessa koulutuksessa Suomessa. Tutkinnon perusteet eivät tue suunnitelmallista syventymistä globaaleihin aiheisiin ammatillisessa koulutuksessa. Silti aiheet nousevat esiin oppilaitosten arjessa ja niitä käsitellään pääosin spontaaneilla keskusteluilla opetuksen ja ohjaamisen yhteydessä. Opettajat näkevät globaalit aiheet tärkeiksi moninäkökulmaisuuden ja yhteenkietoutuneisuuden ymmärtämisen, tulevaisuuden työelämän sekä vastuullisena kansalaisena toimimisen näkökulmasta. Opettajien mukaan globaalit aiheet koskettavat kaikkia ammattialoja ja niiden merkitys kasvaa tulevaisuudessa. Koulutuksellisen yhdenvertaisuuden kannalta on keskeistä, että myös ammattiin opiskelevilla on mahdollisuus harjoitella yhteiskunnallisen osallistumisen taitoja sekä perehtyä globaaleihin aiheisiin koulutuksensa aikana. Globaali kansalaiskasvatus voi tarjota tähän sekä teoreettista että käytännöllistä tukea.Sustainability and responsibility affect every worker in the 2020s. This study examines the perceptions of teachers in initial vocational qualifications on addressing global issues in upper secondary vocational education and training (VET) in Finland. The data consist of teachers’ responses (N=187) to an online survey in the spring of 2022. In the analysis, descriptive statistics as well as thematic analysis were used and the results were reflected against the theoretical framework, earlier research on global citizenship education and VET. The results indicate that global citizenship education is implicitly present in upper secondary VET in Finland. The current qualification requirements do not support structured, in-depth exploration of global issues in VET. Yet, global issues emerge in the everyday life of educational institutions, and they are mainly addressed through spontaneous discussions in connection to teaching and guidance work. Teachers perceive the importance of global issues above all in terms of understanding multiple perspectives, diversity and interdependence, relevance for the world of work in the future and acting as a responsible citizen. According to teachers, global issues affect all professions, and their importance will increase in the future. Educational equity would require that also vocational students have the possibility to learn competences necessary for societal participation and get acquainted with global issues during their education. Global citizenship education can provide both theoretical and practical tools for this