Bridging the Gap between Formal Education and Informal Learning via Science Centre Pedagogy

Abstract The role of informal learning is increasing in the modern societies. This phenomenon is closely related to the growing impact of science and technology on our everyday lives. Lifelong learning needs new practical forms. This presentation describes the developments and results of the widespread Inquiry Based Science Education (IBSE) actions not only in Finland as cooperation between the University of Helsinki and Heureka, the Finnish Science Centre but also in numerous teachers’ communities in Europe by combining formal teaching and informal learning opportunities. The main target for this professional and personal development is in-service teachers and teacher students. The results show how to use modern, interactive science exhibitions combining the best practices of informal learning and formal education. The objective is to utilise the key elements of curriculums in different countries to teach the scientific research process based on learning in science centres and teaching at school. Pedagogical hands-on methods originally developed in science centre context are adopted, converted and moved into the formal education via effective teacher training. The paper presents evidence based results related to open learning environments as well as best practices developed in co-operation with teacher education institutes, school authorities, universities, educational administrations and schools. Especially the role of intrinsic motivation is essential in informal learning settings. The multidiscipline contents of modern science centre exhibitions are large and unique forming a reliable learning source. The science centres use the pedagogical expertise of the teachers and teacher training institutes as well as the curriculum development input by the educational authorities. Also the latest research results related to the affect of the informal learning sources to the career choices of young people – especially as they create opportunities for girls – are used and further developed and disseminated in this project. Teachers as researchers as well as practitioners, who use an evidence-based approach, is a movement that is gaining momentum in several parts of the world. The future dilemma is, if it is possible to create an stable European network linking formal and informal learning. The European Commission has shown clear interest in supporting this type of activities. Keywords: informal learning, formal education, hands-on learning, science centres, personal and professional development, science in society, evidence based education, intrinsic motivation, career choicesPeer reviewe

Film as Historical Narrative

The Polish cinematographer Boleslaw Matuszewski who worked with the famous film pioneers, the Lumiere brothers during the 1890s published a little booklet Une nouvelle source de l’histoire (The New Source of History) in the year 1898. In this text, he suggested that film could offer not only a source for historical research but a suitable medium for historical narration as well.The Polish cinematographer Boleslaw Matuszewski who worked with the famous film pioneers, the Lumiere brothers during the 1890s published a little booklet Une nouvelle source de l’histoire (The New Source of History) in the year 1898. In this text, he suggested that film could offer not only a source for historical research but a suitable medium for historical narration as well

Aili Kari

Aili Kari made a career for herself in the early Finnish film industry, but her name is very seldom remembered or mentioned. During the silent era, she worked as a production secretary and as an actress at the major film company Suomi-Filmi, which had been founded in 1919 under the name of Suomen Filmikuvaamo and regularly produced fiction films. Later, Kari was involved in the founding of another major studio, Suomen Filmiteollisuus, and worked there as an office manager and chief accountant

Imagined Germany

Richard Wagner (1813–1883) has often been regarded as a symbol of "Germanness." Despite this view, few studies have been undertaken regarding his nationalistic thinking. Imagined Germany focuses on Wagner’s idea of Deutschtum, especially during the unification of Germany, 1864–1871. Salmi discusses how Wagner defined Germanness, what stereotypes, ideas, and sentiments he attached to it, and what kind of state could realize Wagner’s national ideals

Imagined Germany

Richard Wagner (1813–1883) has often been regarded as a symbol of "Germanness." Despite this view, few studies have been undertaken regarding his nationalistic thinking. Imagined Germany focuses on Wagner’s idea of Deutschtum, especially during the unification of Germany, 1864–1871. Salmi discusses how Wagner defined Germanness, what stereotypes, ideas, and sentiments he attached to it, and what kind of state could realize Wagner’s national ideals

“Lord Save Us from Champions like This”: The Sonny Liston-Muhammad Ali Heavyweight Championship Bouts as Transnational Sporting Culture in 1960s Finland

The two championship bouts between Sonny Liston and Muhammad Ali in 1964 and 1965 are among some of the most controversial events in the history of boxing. While their significance has been interpreted in the United States against the backdrop of the Civil Rights era, this article opens up a pathway for discussing transnational meanings and functions that African American heavyweight champions assumed in faraway lands, such as Finland. Contextualized within a Transnational American Studies research paradigm, the article considers the multiple ways in which Finnish media reporting made sense of and imposed significance on transnational sporting culture in the 1960s. The article argues that prizefighting served as a lens through which reporters negotiated Euro-American relations, national identity, and the global spread of professional sports at the expense of amateurism. In addition to providing a site for negotiating ethnic and racial differentiation, the primary sources analyzed show the ways in which prizefighting offered a locus for constructing performative, class-based sporting whiteness

Learning by Augmented Reality : Cluster Analysis Approach

Because the use of augmented reality (AR) is increasing, it is important to study its possibilities within both formal and informal learning contexts. We clustered 146 sixth graders using AR at a science center based on their reasoning, motivation, and science learning results using the self-organizing maps method (SOM) to identify AR-using subgroups. The aim was to consider reasons why the AR method could be of more beneficial for some students than others. The clustering results complemented earlier findings on AR gains in learning, as an unexpected response to intervention was discovered using this nonlinear analysis. The previous results had indicated that after the AR experience, science test results generally improved and particularly among students with the lowest achievement. The SOM-clustering results showed a majority group of boys, especially those interested in science learning both at school and at the science center using AR. Despite low school achievement, their high motivation led to good science learning results. The prior results, according to which girls closed the science knowledge gap between boys after using AR, became more relative, as two girldominated subgroups were identified. The reasons for the results were considered on the basis of motivation, multimedia learning theory, and concept formation theories. Keywords: science learning, augmented reality, informal learning environment, SOM-clustering, self-determination theoryPeer reviewe

Madame de Genlis – Educator During Enlightenment and Romance

Madame de Genlis (1746–1830) oli ranskalainen pedagogi ja tuottelias kirjailija, joka on jäänyt Suomessa tuntemattomaksi. Vuosisata-ajattelu jättää helposti siirtymävaiheiden ilmiöt tarkastelujen pimentoon. Nämä katvealueet ja marginaalit ovat kuitenkin kiintoisia. Genlis omaksui 1700-luvun puolivälin esivalistuksen aatteita ja ajatuksia ja laati niistä erityisesti opetuskäyttöön sovelluksia, joiden vaikutukset ilmenivät vasta viipeellä 1800-luvulla. Lisäksi katveeseen jäämistä aiheutti naiseus, hänen tuotantonsa monialaisuus ja valtatutkimuksen keskittyminen usein vain alan suuriin nimiin ja klassikoihin. Genlisin tekee merkittäväksi ja ajankohtaiseksi hänen uudistava pedagogiikkansa myös tiedeopetuksen alalla. Tässä artikkelissa esitellään häntä pedagogina ja tarkastellaan erityisesti hänen opetusmenetelmiään, esimerkkinä eri ammatteja esittelevät pienoismallit. Tutkimus pohjautuu Pariisin Conservatoire National des Arts et Métiers’n (CNAM) arkiston ja sen museon kokoelmiin sekä Ranskan kansalliskirjaston aineistoihin. This article presents the work and pedagogical ideas of Stéphanie Félicité Ducrest (1746-1830), known as Madame de Genlis, especially to the Finnish audience. She was a French educator, a prolific writer and a talented harpist. Before the Revolution, she worked as the 'governor' of the children of the Orléans family. The article focuses on her pedagogical ideas and modern teaching methods: for example, she used magic lantern to teach history and geography, native speakers to teach foreign languages, 1:8 scale models of workshops presenting different trades and professions, and taught her pupils to observe their surroundings. The models were based on picture plates published in Diderot's and d'Alembert's Encyclopédie, although Genlis was a devout Catholic and otherwise contested the perceived atheism of the philosophers. She was well known in Europe in her own time, but her ideas did not reach Finland, and the article reflects upon the reasons for this.Peer reviewe

Madame de Genlis – valistuksen ja romantiikan pedagogi

This article presents the work and pedagogical ideas of Stéphanie Félicité Ducrest (1746–1830), known as Madame de Genlis, especially to the Finnish audience. She was a French educator, a prolific writer and a talented harpist. Before the Revolution, she worked as the ‘governess’ of the children of Louis Philip Joseph (1747–1793), Duke of Chartres. The article focuses on her pedagogical ideas and modern teaching methods: for example, she used the magic lantern to teach history and geography, native speakers to teach foreign languages, 1:8 scale models of workshops presenting different trades and professions, and taught her pupils to observe their surroundings. The models were based on picture plates published in Diderot’s and d’Alembert's Encyclopédie, although Genlis was a devout Catholic and otherwise contested the perceived atheism of the philosophers. She was well known in Europe in her own time, but her ideas did not reach Finland, and the article reflects upon the reasons for this.Madame de Genlis (17461830) oli ranskalainen pedagogi ja tuottelias kirjailija. Genlis omaksui 1700-luvun puolivälin esivalistuksen aatteita ja ajatuksia ja laati niistä erityisesti opetuskäyttöön sovelluksia, joiden vaikutukset ilmenivät vasta viipeellä 1800-luvulla. Vuosisata-ajattelu jättää helposti siirtymävaiheiden ilmiöt tarkastelujen pimentoon. Genlisin kohdalla katveeseen jäämistä aiheutti naiseus, hänen kirjallisen tuotantonsa monialaisuus ja valtatutkimuksen keskittyminen usein vain alan suuriin nimiin ja klassikoihin. Genlisin tekee kuitenkin merkittäväksi ja ajankohtaiseksi hänen uudistava pedagogiikkansa myös tiedeopetuksen alalla. Tämän tutkimuksen tavoitteena on esitellä häntä pedagogina suomalaiselle lukijakunnalle ja tarkastella erityisesti hänen opetusmenetelmiään, esimerkkinä eri ammatteja esittelevät pienoismallit. Tutkimuksen päätulokseksi nousee Genlisin pedagogiikan nojautuminen valistuksen luonnontieteelliseen perustaan ja siitä laadittuihin kokeellisiin opetussovelluksiin, jotka levisivät myös kansainvälisesti hänen kirjallisen tuotantonsa ja sen käännösten välityksellä. Tutkimus pohjautuu Pariisin Conservatoire National des Arts et Métiersn (CNAM) arkiston ja sen museon kokoelmiin sekä Ranskan kansalliskirjaston aineistoihin