Browsing by Subject "oppimisympäristöt"

Muuttuva yhteiskuntamme asettaa myös koulutukselle muutostarpeita. Tulevaisuuden yhteiskunnassa vaaditaan yhä monipuolisempaa osaamista, joka on herättänyt ajatuksen perinteisen kouluinstituution muovaamisesta. Ratkaisuna koulun kehitystarpeisiin on ruvettu hyödyntämään pedagogisesti ja fyysisesti joustavia oppimisympäristöjä. Näitä toiminnallista, sosiaalista ja monimuotoista koulutoimintaa tukevaksi kehittyjä muunneltavia tiloja, kutsutaan avoimiksi oppimisympäristöiksi. Avoimien oppimisympäristöjen uskotaan mahdollistavan laajempia opiskelutapoja niin itsenäisesti kuin ryhmässä. Tämän tutkimuksen tarkoituksena oli tarkastella perusopetuksen opetussuunnitelma uudistuksen (2014) myötä vauhdilla yleistyneitä avoimia oppimisympäristöjä. Tutkimuksessa selvitetään avoimien oppimisympäristöjen tavoitteita ja näiden tavoitteiden toteutumista. Tutkimus toteutettiin kuvailevana kirjallisuuskatsauksena. Tutkimuksella haluttiin saada muodostettua yleiskuva avoimien oppimisympäristöjen tavoitteista ja niiden toteutumisesta aikaisempia tutkimuksia hyödyntämällä. Tutkimukseen valikoitui kyseinen tutkimusmenetelmä sen sopiessa hyvin laaja-alaisen katsauksen tuottamiseen, ilman tiukkoja sääntöjä. Tutkimuksessa havaittiin, että avoimet oppimisympäristöt nähtiin pääasiassa potentiaalisena tapana uudistaa kouluja. Avoimet oppimisympäristöt olivat kuitenkin saaneet vaihtelevaa palautetta käyttäjiltä todellisesta toimivuudestaan. Aina tilojen hyvä ajatus, tukea nykypäiväisempää ja osallistavampaa oppimista, ei ole täysin onnistunut tilojen toteutuksessa ja osa tilojen ratkaisuista oli osoittautunut opetusta ja koulutoimintaa heikentäviksi. Monet tilojen epäonnistuneista ratkaisuista näyttäytyvät asioina, jotka olisi pitänyt pystyä huomioimaan suunnittelu- ja rakennusvaiheessa hyödyntämällä eri asiantuntijoiden osaamista. Avoimet oppimisympäristöt vaativat vielä kehittelyä sekä käyttäjien integroimista pedagogiikan muutokseen, jotta muunneltavat ja joustavat tilakokonaisuudet voivat todella tukea ja mahdollistaa uudenlaista koulun toimintaa.

Objective of the study. Previous studies have shown that generic skills required in working life are learned during university studies. However, according to studies, some university graduates may lack generic skills or do not recognise them. This study aims to examine what generic skills graduates from generalist fields have learned during their university studies and whether work experience acquired during studies and participating in practical training correlate with generalist skills learned during university studies. Additionally, it was examined what kind of content graduates would have hoped for during their studies to develop their generic skills and the relationship between these hopes and generic skills learned during university studies. Methods. The data for the study were collected part of a broader study of working life skills (Tuononen, 2019). A total of 1023 University of Helsinki graduates responded to the survey. Respondents were master’s degree graduates from the university’s faculties of arts, social sciences and behavioural sciences (n=372) and their responses were analysed with quantitative methods. Answers to open-ended questions (n=127) were analysed with the abductive content analysis method. Results and conclusions. The results of the study show that graduates had, on average, learned the generic skills measured in the study well or quite well. The respondents had especially experienced to have learned critical thinking skills, multiple perspective viewing skills and structuring and analysing information skills. Co-operation and interaction skills were assessed to have been learned the least of the studied skills. In this study, practical training or work experience acquired during university studies did not correlate with generic skills learned during university studies. Hopes for content to develop working life readiness were divided into formal and informal learning environments. Formal learning environments included courses and practical training, whilst informal learning environments included working life events, alumni activities, study guidance and job-hunting training. The respondents especially hoped for practical university courses with tangible applications to working life. Respondents were divided into two groups based on their hopes for more content in formal or informal learning environments. There was no statistical difference in the assessment of generic skills learned between these groups. More attention should be given to developing co-operation and interaction skills during generalist studies and finding more efficient ways of teaching them. More research is needed to show how studies should be developed to better support the relevance of generalist studies to working life.

Aims. The aim of the thesis was to find out kindergarten teachers' views about early childhood education learning environment and how the learning environment interlinks with the realization of the early childhood visual arts education. It was surveyed what kind of visual arts education methods the interviewees use and how they take advantage of the kindergarten's learning environment in their teaching. The aim was also to find out benefits and challenges the learning environments bring for the visual arts education and what kind of views the kindergarten teachers have about the design of the learning environments. The topic of the thesis connects essentially with the field of research that encompasses the Finnish early childhood education learning environments and how visual arts education is realized in them. This thesis got under way inspired by my bachelor's thesis (Tuovinen, 2013) in which it was studied how the kindergarten teachers realize the visual arts education in practice. In this pro gradu – thesis the learning environment's possible effect on the visual arts education is incorporated. Methods. The research strategy was qualitative and as a research setting a phenomenographic approach was used. The main material consists of themed interviews of four (4) kindergarten teachers. The interviewees who took part in the research worked in the Helsinki metropolitan area in municipal kindergartens with 3- to 5-year-old children. In the process of analyzing and breaking down the gathered results Manninen et al's (2007) classification of the learning environments and Rusanen's (2009) classification of early childhood visual arts education was used. As a method of analysis a theory-driven content analysis based on half-structured theme interviews was used. The results are presented both with tables and with various transcribed passages. Results and conclusions. The results of the thesis show that kindergarten teachers experienced the visual arts education possibilities in early childhood education learning environments mainly positively. The factors that were considered meaningful for visual arts education in early childhood learning environments were atelier, separate rooms, working in small groups and ensuring enough time, kindergarten staff members and high-class mediums for the visual arts education. Visual arts education in the learning environments was realized mainly through artwork expression and aesthetic experience of the environment. The children's personal experiences and trips to local outdoor environments thus formed the body of the visual arts education. Comparing research results to different aspects of learning environment depicts how successful visual arts education needs physical, but also social, local and technical aspects of the learning environment to be successful. Kindergarten teachers viewed their role as learning environment builders in two different ways - as modifiers and as preservers.

Tutkimuksen tavoitteena oli tutkia esiopetuksen opetussuunnitelman oppimiskokonaisuuksien sisältöjen toteutumista metsäesiopetuksessa. Toteutumista tarkasteltiin oppimisympäristöjen näkökulmasta. Oppimisympäristöjä käsiteltiin tutkimuksessa paikkoina, tiloina ja välineinä. Metsäpäiväkoti on päiväkotimalli, jossa lapset viettävät päiväkotipäivän pääasiassa ulkona luonnossa vuoden ympäri. Ryhmällä saattaa olla käytettävissään jokin rakennettu tila tukikohtanaan. Luonnolla tiedetään olevan positiivista vaikutusta esimerkiksi lasten motoriseen kehitykseen, kielellisiin valmiuksiin ja sosiaalisiin suhteisiin (Fjørtoft, 2007; Knight, 2009). Tasa-arvoisen ja -laatuisen varhaiskasvatuksen ja esiopetuksen tärkeys tunnustetaan ja se on ollut paljon esillä viime aikoina. Metsäpäiväkodeissa toimintaympäristö poikkeaa suuresti tavallisista päiväkodeista, joten koin tarpeelliseksi tutkia oppimiskokonaisuuksien toteutumismahdollisuuksia luonnossa. Kaikkien aihealueiden toteutumisella päästään kohti tasa-arvoista varhaiskasvatusta sisällöllisellä tasolla. Tutkimuksessa selvitetään oppimiskokonaisuuksien toteutumista ja luonnon mahdollisuuksia oppimisympäristönä kokonaisuuksien toteuttamisessa. Tutkimuksen aineisto kerättiin haastattelemalla kolmea uusimaalaista metsäesiopetuksessa toimivaa opettajaa. Aineisto analysoitiin teoriasidonnaisen sisällönanalyysin keinoin. Tutkimuksessa saatiin selville, että oppimiskokonaisuuksien toteuttaminen oli kokonaisuudessaan mahdollista luonnossa. Liikunta ja ympäristökasvatus nousivat esiin luonnollisesti tapahtuvina oppimisen alueina, kun taas hienomotoristen taitojen harjoittaminen aiheutti haasteita. Tulosten mukaan metsäesiopetuksessa sisä- ja ulkotilojen joustava käyttö yhdessä on merkittävää toimivan esiopetuksen takaamiseksi.

Aims. Previous studies have shown, that an environment that supports the fulfillment of basic psychological needs such as autonomy, competence and relatedness, has a major impact on human’s well-being. Those studies have also found out that spending time in forest environment decreases stress, increases energy and enthusiasm, improves attention and concentration, and also enhances team spirit and willingness to relate with others. The aim of this thesis is to study how well pupils experience autonomy, competence and relatedness in natural science lessons. The study also explores how teacher’s pedagogical choices in classroom and in forest can create circumstances that support the fulfillment of basic psychological needs of the pupils. Methods. This thesis is a case study about well-being of 4th grade pupils in natural science lessons. The study was conducted in one school in southern Finland in the spring of 2016. There were 25 pupils participating in the study. During the research period, the data of this mixed methods -study was collected by two ways. Pupils were given questionnaires that measured the fulfillment of their basic psychological needs, and their teacher kept an informal diary about the lessons. Statistical methods were used to describe the data collected by questionnaires, and non-parametric tests were used in analysis. Teacher’s diary was analysed by a qualitative theory-based content analysis. Results and Conclusions. In this study, the basic psychological needs of the pupils were fulfilled reasonably well in all lessons. When comparing the learning environments, the results were a little bit better for those lessons that were held in forest environment. The connection between competence and learning environment was found to be statistically significant. In this study, plenty of circumstances were found to contribute to the fulfillment of basic psychological needs. In conclusion, the well-being of pupils can be enhanced by activating them and encouraging them to participate, and by offering them opportunities to have an impact on the issues that are important to them. In addition, the well-being of pupils can also be enhanced by offering appropriately challenging tasks, and by fostering safe and approbative atmosphere.

Objective of the study. Previous research has shown that students learn generic skills during university studies both in formal and informal learning environments. According to them universities’ task is to develop students’ generic skills. The connection between generic skills and learning environments which support their learning needs more research. Objectives of this study were to find out students’ experiences on learning generic skills during university studies, which learning environments supported their learning of the generic skills, and how students experienced to learn generic skills in different learning environments. This study’s aim is to increase understanding of students’ learning of generic skills and to get perceptions of the learning environments which support the learning of specific generic skills. Methods. The semi-structured theme interview material (n=58) collected at the Centre for University Teaching and Learning at the University of Helsinki was used in this study. The interviews collected from the students at the Faculty of Arts (n=20) were selected for this study. The results were analyzed by using abductive content analysis. Results and conclusions. Learning of skills related to forming academic knowledge and thinking skills was highlighted clearly in the results. Furthermore, learning of social and communication skills was emphasized in the results. According to the results, both formal and informal learning environments supported learning of generic skills. Learning of skills related to forming academic knowledge and thinking skills in university studies generally was highlighted in the results. Learning of social and communication skills was emphasized in working life generally in the results. Learning of specific generic skills is essential during university studies, even though it is not always easy to recognize learning them. In the future, students’ learning of generic skills could be studied for example by investigating the relation of some pedagogical approach to students learning of generic skills. In this study, students mainly described learning of generic skills in university studies generally. Moreover, students’ experiences on learning generic skills in the beginning of their studies could be compared to their experiences after completing Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees.

Tavoitteet. Ulkona oppimisen tiedetään edistävän oppilaiden psyykkistä ja fyysistä hyvinvointia. Ulkona oppiessa oppilaiden kommunikaatiotaidot paranevat, ja ulkona oppimisen on nähty vähentävän oppilaiden välistä kiusaamista. Ulkona oppiminen on tärkeä osa koulussa tapahtuvaa opetusta ja mahdollistaa istualtaan vietetyn ajan katkaisemisen. Lapset viettävätkin nykyään paljon aikaa istualtaan, jonka vähentämisessä ulkona oppiminen toimii hyvänä keinona. Tässä tutkielmassa oli tavoitteena tarkastella ulkona oppimisen erilaisia vaikutuksia alakouluikäisiin oppilaisiin. Tutkimuksen tehtävänä oli luoda kokonaisvaltainen kuva erilaisista ulkona oppimisen psyykkisistä ja fyysisistä vaikutuksista. Menetelmät. Tutkielma toteutettiin kuvailevana narratiivisena kirjallisuuskatsauksena. Tutkimusprosessi aloitettiin asettamalla tutkimuskysymys, jonka avulla lähdettiin valitsemaan tutkielmaan sopivaa aineistoa. Aineiston hakemisessa hyödynnettiin Google Scholar -hakukonepalvelua, kirjaston hakupalveluja sekä aikaisempien tutkimusten lähdeluetteloja. Aineistojen etsimisessä käytettiin hakusanoina seuraavia termejä: ulkona oppiminen, ulko-opetus, outdoor education ja outdoor learning. Aineistot käsittelivät alakoulussa tapahtuvaa ulkona oppimista. Aineistoksi valikoitui kymmenen englanninkielistä tutkimusta. Tutkimusten tuli olla toteutettu viimeisen 15 vuoden aikana eli vuosien 2009–2023 välillä. Tulokset ja johtopäätökset. Ulkona oppimisen nähdään parantavan oppilaiden fyysistä ja psyykkistä hyvinvointia monin eri tavoin. Oppilaiden kommunikaatiotaidot sekä sosiaaliset taidot paranivat ulkona oppimisessa. Tähän vaikuttaa se, että ulkona oppilailla on erilaisia tilaisuuksia kommunikoida toistensa kanssa vapaasti. Ulkona oppiminen kasvattaa oppilaiden fyysistä aktiivisuutta ja parantaa motorisia taitoja, sillä ulkona oppiessa oppilaat liikkuvat enemmän ja istuvat vähemmän kuin sisällä. Ulkona oppimisella on myös oppilaita rauhoittava vaikutus. Ulkona oppiminen vaikuttaa oppilaiden oppimiseen, sillä ulkona oppiminen auttaa opittavan asian muistamisessa ja tarjoaa erilaisia aistikokemuksia. Oppilaiden mielenkiinto opittavaa asiaa kohti lisääntyy ulkona oppimisessa, ja ulkona oppiminen kasvattaa myös oppilaiden halua vaikuttaa ympäristöönsä.

Aims. The purpose of this study is to find out how e-learning can promote learning in the context of home economics education. This study focuses on students learning home economics at Kolin koulu in Eastern Finland studied home economics by means of ‘Kulkuri School of Distance Education’. The main research questions are as follows: 1. How e-learning can activate students to learn? 2. In what ways e-learning can promote the development of core skills in home economics education? Methods. The data were collected as using individual interviews together with a stimulated recall method. The research involved five students in Koli and three professionals of education. The data were analyzed with qualitative content analysis. Results and conclusion. From the interviewees point of view collaboration, inclusion and interaction helped their activation process on e-learning. Technical problems, challenges using e-learning platform and lack of instructions were the main reasons to inactive student’s learning processes. It seems to be possible to obtain the targets of national curriculum together with aspects of social-constructivist learning aspects via e-learning. Despite the advantages of e-learning it cannot be seen as the only learning environment for practicing the core skills in home economics.