Browsing by Subject "pops 2014"

This master´s thesis examines action-based learning as a method. Finnish curriculum mentions action-based learning number of times and it would expect to be part of every teachers work and school culture. The concept of action-based learning is however wide and interpretative. The mission of this study is to clarify where the idea of action-based learning comes from, how it is presented in Finnish curriculum 2014 for primary schools and how the experts – teachers – define and justify action-based learning. The study was conducted using qualitative approach and it is based on the following questions: What kind of assumptions teachers have on action-based learning? How action-based learning shows in the teachers’ perceptions in practice? What kind of experiences teachers have on using action-based learning in primary schools? The data was collected by interviewing six primary school teacher and analysed following the principles of qualitative content analysis. The material was categorized from small categories to larger ones based on the previous shown questions and the themes rose from the interviews. According to the study teachers define action-based learning as an overall way of using action in learning and teaching. It includes multiple ways of studying and brings needed change to the classroom. The teachers` views on how action-based learning shows and why it is used vary, but the content of their answer was quite similar. All the teachers used different learning environments and connected action-based learning to all subjects. Teachers thought it was very important to use all kinds of ways to learn, not just books and passive sitting. The teacher was seen as an enabler and the student as an active participant. Teachers saw that the benefits of using action-baced learning increased motivation, the joy of learning, finding strength in way of studying and developing pupils` social skills. The challenges were lack of space and equipment, difficulty of finding time and ways to interpret the students with special needs in the action. Teachers felt they got support from the school culture, parents and from the other teachers who shared their ideas.