Opettajan monikulttuurinen työ

Teacher's multicultural work The purpose of the present study is to explore teachers’ conceptions of their work as teachers of multicultural students. Teachers’ experiences of multicultural work and conceptions derived from them are part of the teacher’s multicultural competence which is seen as a key component of the teacher’s multicultural teachership. The teacher’s multicultural competence consists of the teacher’s cultural knowledge, pedagogical skills and experiences and attitudes related to multiculturalism. The teacher’s multicultural competence constitutes the basis on which the teacher implements multicultural education. The foundation for the teacher’s work is laid by laws and decrees, curricula, regulations issued by authorities in charge of the education of immigrant students, resources available and other demands and expectations set by the ambient society. The study was conducted in the city of Turku, Finland. The sample consisted of class teachers who taught both immigrant and majority students. Main objects of study in the theoretical part are the multicultural and pluralistic school and the multicultural teachership. The basic assumption is that the multicultural and pluralistic school forms the frame of activity in which the teacher implements multicultural teaching. The research strategy is based on methodological triangulation. The quantitative part of the study was carried out using a questionnaire typical of survey methods. The questionnaire was returned by 71 teachers. The qualitative part was conducted using theme-based interviews typical of phenomenological philosophical research. Of the total of teachers who returned the questionnaire, twelve (12) teachers were selected for interviews. According to the results, the participating teachers enjoyed their work regardless of the ample extra work caused by the students with immigrant backgrounds. The teachers experienced their work as teachers of multicultural student groups as strenuous, yet challenging. Students with immigrant backgrounds had caused many changes in the teacher’s work. The teachers regarded their multicultural skills as inadequate in relation to the demands of the work. They had not received education related to teaching students with immigrant backgrounds, but they were ready for in-service education. The teachers’ previous attitudes concerning immigrant students had been enforced. Teaching experiences strengthened the earlier, both positive and negative, attitudes. The central problems related to multiculturalism in the teacher’s work were caused by the deficient Finnish skills of the students with immigrant background. This was apparent in both teaching and learning as well as in contacts with parents. The teachers reported on relatively few inclusions of multicultural angles in their teaching. However, they believed that they could aid students with different cultural backgrounds in their integration process. At the same time they felt that their own chances to enhance the students’ cultural identities were slim. On the basis of the interviews conducted in connection with the teacher’s multicultural competence, the teachers were divided into three groups: assimilative, indeterminate and integrating multicultural teachers. The present study provides a strong indication that teachers tend to interpret multiculturalism in narrow terms. School activities, such as Finnish as a second language, first language and religious instruction, which were targeted exclusively at immigrant students were in most cases considered adequate. A holistic, cross-disciplinary, all-inclusive multicultural education that would permeate all school activities remains largely unimplemented.

Pianon vapaan säestyksen perustaso 1:n opettajan oppaan laatiminen

Työn aihe oli pianon vapaan säestyksen perustaso 1:n opettaminen. Lähtökohtana työlle olivat Suomen musiikkioppilaitosten liitto ry:n uudet tasosuoritusohjeet, joiden mukaan kaikkien klassisen pianonsoiton opiskelijoiden tulee suorittaa vapaan säestyksen perustaso 1:n oppijakso pianonsoiton perustasojen 1 ja 2 aikana. Tavoite oli suunnitella opettajan opas, jonka avulla perustaso 1:n oppijakson voisi opettaa. Perusteena työlle oli materiaalin suuri käytännön tarve: vapaan säestyksen alkeismateriaalia ei vielä oikeastaan ollut olemassa. Tarkoitus oli selvittää ensin mitä vapaan säestyksen perustaso 1:n oppisisältöihin kuuluu ja sen jälkeen miten nämä asiat opetetaan. Oppaan suunnittelussa pyrittiin ottamaan huomioon erityisesti klassisen pianonsoiton opettajien tarpeet. Työ tehtiin kirjallisen materiaalin, tekijän oman opetuskokemuksen sekä pianonsoiton opettajilta ja oppilailta saatujen kommenttien pohjalta. Koska aiheesta oli vain vähän kirjallista materiaalia, käytettiin aineistona muun muassa vapaasta säestyksestä viime vuosina tehtyjä opinnäytetöitä. Työ toteutettiin alkuperäisen suunnitelman mukaan. Tuloksena syntyi opettajan opas, jossa käydään läpi vapaan säestyksen perustaso 1:n oppisisällöt. Opettajan opas antaa opettajalle kokonaiskuvan vapaan säestyksen perustaso 1:n oppisisällöistä ja niiden opettamisesta. Sen lisäksi opas tarjoaa ideoita opetuksen toteuttamista varten. Opas auttaa klassisen pianonsoiton opettajaa hänelle vieraampien vapaan säestyksen oppisisältöjen kuten improvisoinnin opettamisessa. Oppaassa käsiteltäviä vapaan säestyksen osa-alueita ovat sointujen harjoittelu, säestäminen, soinnuttaminen, melodian soittaminen vasemman käden säestyksen kanssa ja improvisointi. Opas on jaettu kahteen osaan, joista ensimmäinen käsittelee sointuja ja säestämistä ja toinen improvisointia. Opetuksen sisällöt esitellään asiakokonaisuuksittain ja edeten johdonmukaisesti kullakin osa-alueella erikseen. Opas koostuu harjoitusehdotuksista, joita on opetuksen jokaiselle osa-alueelle, ja opettajalle kirjoitetuista opetusohjeista. Harjoitukset on esitetty lyhyin, nopeasti hahmotettavin nuottiesimerkein. Oppaan lopussa on opettajaa tarvittaessa eteenpäin auttavaa lisämateriaalia.

Hoitotyön opettajan osaaminen

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the competence of nurse teachers, who are teaching nursing at polytechnic level in Finland. The following research questions were framed for the study: What kind of evaluation nurse teachers of their nursing competence, teaching skills, evaluation skills, personality factors and relationships with students. The data were collected by a questionnaire (A Tool for Evaluation of Requirements of Nurse Teacher, ERNT). The questionnaire regarded background factors and 20 statements divided in five categories. The five competence categories were: Nursing competence, Teaching skills, Evaluation skills, Personality factors and Relationships with students. The evaluation scale was a 5-point Likert-scale. The respondents were nurse teachers, teacher for emergency nursing, public health nurse and midwifery teachers from all polytechnics in Finland. Response rate to the questionnaire was 46 % (n=342). The data were analysed by using descriptive statistics. Mean scores and standard deviations for each item were calculated. Category scores were obtained by summing scores of all items within a category. The results of this study showed that nurse teacher evaluated their competence on a high level. Concerning the category Relationships with students (mean 4.61, standard deviation 0.71) they got the highest averages. The lowest scores were gained regarding the requirements associated with teaching skills (mean 4.30, standard deviation 0.82). Concerning a single question, the best score was achieved in ability to take students seriously (mean 4.66, standard deviation 0.71) and the lowest score was achieved for their guidance of students to advance in decision making (mean 4.15, Std 0.69). The nurse teachers evaluated themselves with relatively high scores concerning competence categories as a hole. In future it is important to study nurse teacher competence with students or authorities of health service.

Hoitotyön opettajan yhteiskunnallinen toiminta – osa opettajuutta

The social activity of nurse teacher – a part of teacherhood Every nurse teacher must know the current health policy in order to use it in teaching. The conception of the role of health policy in curriculum and the concrete teaching of social activity are quite unclear. The purpose of this study was to describe the social activity of nurse teachers. The data were collected by a structured questionnaire (Paltta 1998) via E-mail. The questionnaire included background factors and nine items for society activities. The respondents were nurse teachers, teachers for emergency nursing, public health nurse and midwifery teachers from all polytechnics in Finland. Response rate was 46 % (n = 342). The data were analysed by using descriptive statistics. The results of this study showed that 36 % of nurse teachers evaluated themselves quite active in society activities and 43 % of them evaluated themselves inactive. 32 % of nurse teachers was member and involved to working in general organisations. 28 % of nurse teachers worked or have been worked in local commission or trustees. Nurse teachers evaluated their knowledge about health policy quite good (mean 3.75, Std 0.99). Their knowledge about education policy was also quite good (mean 3.57, Std 1.04). Nurse teachers updated their knowledge about health policy and education policy by reading professional journals, newspapers, internet and following television and radio. According to results nurse teachers are quite active in society activities even tough almost half of them evaluated themselves quite inactive. Although nurse teachers’ knowledge about health policy was quite good by their opinion, they must update and improve the knowledge. In the future it is important to study how nurse teachers use health policy in their teaching and how nurse students’ participation in society activities can be improved.