Sirpa Kokko
I work Professor of Craft Science at the University of Eastern Finland. I have about 30 years experience of working at different levels of art and craft education both in Finland and internationally. I defended my PhD in 2007 on gender and crafts. My research interests concern arts and crafts in the culture and society as well as in education both in Finland and in international contexts: e.g. gender, cultural heritage, craft culture, approaches to craft pedagogy, interdisciplinary education, and craft science. I'm a Visiting Professor of the University of Tartu, Estonia, and hold a title of docent at the University of Eastern Finland.
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this study, the aim was to research craft student teachers’ experiences of teaching practices that were
arranged in out-of-school contexts. The data comprised craft student teachers’ (n = 18) written
reflections included in their course portfolios. Their teaching practice took place in adult education
centres, basic education in arts, older peoples' care homes, youth work centres, centres for people with
disabilities, social work centres, museums, craft cafés and clubs and a vocational training institution. The
written reflections concerned the students’ expectations at the beginning and those at the end of the
teaching practice and were analysed according to the principles of qualitative data analysis. The students
found both similarities and differences in craft pedagogy in different contexts. The out-of-school teaching
practice broadened their future career perspectives and equipped them with new pedagogical skills.
communication technology) as a pedagogical tool in the subject areas of craft education and home
economics education in Finnish AECs (Adult Education Centres). We focused on teachers’ experiences
of using ICT in teaching practical skills in these two subjects. Based on a sociocultural approach,
teachers’ experiences were examined from the perspective of embodied, material and social mediation.
The data were gathered just before the COVID-19 pandemic via an open online survey. There were 34
respondents from several parts of the country. The data were analysed according to the three categories
of mediation revealing the benefits and restrictions of using ICT. Some teachers had experienced that
utilising ICT supported learning practical skills while the others did not find it very useful. All the
teachers stressed the importance of using the senses (touch, taste, smell) in learning practical skills
which the ICT did not allow. The results provide a starting point for reflecting on the situation that arose
in March 2020 when the pandemic started.
interplay between human beings and nature calls for
new ways of learning. Although established educa-
tional practices merging sciences and arts have been
studied before, the focus has been mainly on science
or technology-discipline-orientated aspects. More
research is needed on the characteristics of learning
that address nature and the biological through art-
based practices.
Methods: Utilizing a case study approach, a week-
long multidisciplinary project developed around
bioart-making, and implemented in a Finnish
upper secondary school, was scrutinized. The
main data consisted of transcribed participant
interviews and textual and visual material from
a project blog. The data were analyzed using qua-
litative theory-driven content analysis to describe
and understand the cross-boundary processes and
human-nature interactions taking place within the
project.
Findings: Bioart-making constituted as a boundary
object bringing together different understandings of
nature. Identification, coordination, reflection, and
transformation processes on different levels emerged
as a part of and as an outcome of bioart-making. In
and through these, learners interacted with nature
through intertwined events of material-experiential
utilization, cognitive knowledge-building, emotional
connecting, and philosophical reflection.
this study, the aim was to research craft student teachers’ experiences of teaching practices that were
arranged in out-of-school contexts. The data comprised craft student teachers’ (n = 18) written
reflections included in their course portfolios. Their teaching practice took place in adult education
centres, basic education in arts, older peoples' care homes, youth work centres, centres for people with
disabilities, social work centres, museums, craft cafés and clubs and a vocational training institution. The
written reflections concerned the students’ expectations at the beginning and those at the end of the
teaching practice and were analysed according to the principles of qualitative data analysis. The students
found both similarities and differences in craft pedagogy in different contexts. The out-of-school teaching
practice broadened their future career perspectives and equipped them with new pedagogical skills.
communication technology) as a pedagogical tool in the subject areas of craft education and home
economics education in Finnish AECs (Adult Education Centres). We focused on teachers’ experiences
of using ICT in teaching practical skills in these two subjects. Based on a sociocultural approach,
teachers’ experiences were examined from the perspective of embodied, material and social mediation.
The data were gathered just before the COVID-19 pandemic via an open online survey. There were 34
respondents from several parts of the country. The data were analysed according to the three categories
of mediation revealing the benefits and restrictions of using ICT. Some teachers had experienced that
utilising ICT supported learning practical skills while the others did not find it very useful. All the
teachers stressed the importance of using the senses (touch, taste, smell) in learning practical skills
which the ICT did not allow. The results provide a starting point for reflecting on the situation that arose
in March 2020 when the pandemic started.
interplay between human beings and nature calls for
new ways of learning. Although established educa-
tional practices merging sciences and arts have been
studied before, the focus has been mainly on science
or technology-discipline-orientated aspects. More
research is needed on the characteristics of learning
that address nature and the biological through art-
based practices.
Methods: Utilizing a case study approach, a week-
long multidisciplinary project developed around
bioart-making, and implemented in a Finnish
upper secondary school, was scrutinized. The
main data consisted of transcribed participant
interviews and textual and visual material from
a project blog. The data were analyzed using qua-
litative theory-driven content analysis to describe
and understand the cross-boundary processes and
human-nature interactions taking place within the
project.
Findings: Bioart-making constituted as a boundary
object bringing together different understandings of
nature. Identification, coordination, reflection, and
transformation processes on different levels emerged
as a part of and as an outcome of bioart-making. In
and through these, learners interacted with nature
through intertwined events of material-experiential
utilization, cognitive knowledge-building, emotional
connecting, and philosophical reflection.