Description
Are you looking for new ways to enhance creativity and artistic skills among your pupils or students?
Then the Finnish approach to Art and Design in Education could be of interest! It emphasizes creativity, fun, and skills, and is well known to have positive impacts on children and on young people’s well-being.
In Finland, ‘Art Education’ covers multiple fields: classical and modern art (visual), Finnish art history and our influencers (well-being, nature’s role when it comes to creativity), and also handcrafts education (design and creating).
The Finnish all-around art education aims to develop the overall personality of the students. Instead of practicing a narrow set of skills, among others, children and young people learn perseverance, thinking skills, and expressing themselves in artistic forms.
Students make new experiences with the joy of learning and, at the same time strengthen the skills that enable them to apply for further art education.
This course will take you into the Finnish way of art education. As a participant, you’ll explore how arts, crafts, and design play an important role in the Finnish education model from early childhood to higher education and lifelong learning.
You will learn how various learning environments nurture artistic educational experiences. You will experience the Finnish way to inspire creativity in nature and public spaces.
Moreover, you will discover how the minimalistic and sustainable lifestyle is interwoven into the Finnish values in art and design. You will also reflect on how art education nurtures and supports the growth and development of children and young people.
The course will also teach participants through experiential learning. You will participate in collaborative group activities that promote professional exchanges, and create your own learning activities based on the Finnish model of Art Education.
Participants will also take field trips to unique public spaces and urban nature that support and inspire artistic senses and creativity.
By the end of the course, participants will fully know the Finnish approach to creativity and art, and feel confident to transfer it to their own educational contexts. Thus, they will be ready to create learning opportunities that enhance their students’ creativity and artistic skills… in the Finnish way.
Note: The course is recommended for both Primary and Secondary school teachers.
What is included
Learning outcomes
The course will help the participants to:
- Gain an understanding of the Finnish Approach to art education;
- Discover the main principles to strengthen a creative mindset with respect for nature;
- Explore Finnish ways to inspire creativity and nurture artistic skills through study trips;
- Create lesson plans based on the Finnish approach to art education;
- Reflect on how art education nurtures and supports the growth and development of children and young people;
- Create learning opportunities to enhance students’ creativity and artistic skills.
Tentative schedule
Day 1 – Art education in Finland: an introduction
- Introduction to the course, the school, and the external week activities;
- Icebreaker activities;
- Presentations of the participants’ schools;
- Goal setting for the week;
- Finnish Education System in a Nutshell.
Day 2 – The Finnish way of art education
- How does art education in Finland nurture creativity and bring fun?
- Art and Craft Education in the Finnish School System;
- Ways to bring creativity to the school environments.
Day 3 – Nature and the creative mindset
- How does art education in Finland use nature to nurture a creative mindset?
- Outdoor Art Education and Sustainability;
- Study trip to nature to experience the Finnish way of art education.
Day 4 – Public spaces and artistic skills
- How public spaces are used to support the development of artistic skills?
- The minimalistic perspective of Finnish art and design;
- Study trips to museums, libraries, or other public spaces to experience how the public spaces support the development of artistic skills.
Day 5 – Let’s be creative!
- Reflection on the role of art education in supporting the growth and development of children and young people;
- Create your own learning activities with reference to the Finnish Educational Approach to Art and Creativity.
Day 6 – Course closure and cultural activities
- Course evaluation: round-up of acquired competencies, feedback, and discussion;
- Awarding of the course Certificate of Attendance;
- Excursion and other external cultural activities.
