Meaningful Learning Experiences in the Finnish Teacher Education

Abstract

During the last few years the change of the school and how the school should change in the first place to meet the challenges of the future have been discussed a great deal. The talk has begun of the cross-disciplinary competences, referred to also as transversal (generic) competences in the curriculum, and of developing teaching towards the integrated modules called multidisciplinary learning modules in the reformed curriculum of the basic education. The multidisciplinary learning modules promote the reaching of the objectives set for the basic education and in particular, the development of the cross-disciplinary competences. This research was carried out in a Finnish class teachers' adult education programme during a study unit in January 2016. This study unit was a multidisciplinary learning experience, which was planned together and in which the contents of the seven different subjects taught in the comprehensive school were combined. The aim was to gain experiences of integrating the subjects, of planning and implementing learning modules, of meaningfully adapting information and communication technology as well as of collaborative learning. The research also surveys the knowledge of the concepts, which are related to the study unit. The results showed that the multidisciplinary learning module had offered meaningful experiences. The students had mastered well the study unit concepts. Their experiences in relation to the aims were mainly good, versatile and sufficient. Nearly every student intended to implement similar modules in their future work. The main objective of this study unit was to increase the students' understanding and knowledge about the multidisciplinary learning module through experiential learning and to provide them with a surface to reflect on the matters in their future studies.