School on the Move Textbook

Kiasma's new School on the Move textbook is a fine addition to secondary school teaching materials. The book is based on a solid pedagogical concept. It conceptualises art as a learning environment. Contemporary art is a view of the world that allows one to look, listen, feel, smell and taste it from many different angles. You can communicate with it, participate in it. Our relationship to contemporary art is formed through personal experiences of it. And that means experiences must be there for the having.

The textbook, published to aid secondary school teachers in their work, is Kiasma's own version of the general school curriculum. The Finnish title of the textbook, KOPS, is an allusion to everyday work in schools, where curricula, called OPS, have in recent years caused many a headache. With help from numerous teachers and other educationalists, the Finnish National Board of Education has prepared the curricular principles for basic education. The principles require schools to develop their teaching to include co-operation with outside bodies. Culture is an important topic that must be included as an integral part of all school subjects. Schools currently prepare their own curricula.

A survey was carried out among students in the upper secondary school of Etu-Töölö in Helsinki to chart their ideas about Finnish culture. The most common things listed as belonging to the realm of culture were relationship to nature, customs connected with meals and celebrations, sports, and music. There were scattered mentions about literature and the arts. The sample in the survey was taken from among pupils participating in three upper secondary level courses, aged 17 to 18. Students were also asked to list what things do not belong to the realm of culture. One student was vehemently opposed to contemporary art. It has no place in culture.

At its best, contemporary art touches us to the very core. Younger pupils are very good observers. They notice things we adults miss. They are always finding new answers even to old questions. Exercises that require reflection are conducive to thinking. That is a skill that will be in demand in all areas of life.Being able to look at things from several perspectives at once offers a firm foothold in the world. It also encourages one to search, to combine things and experiment creatively. That, too, is a skill that will be in demand in the future. It is important in building the future, for society and individuals alike.

Schoolteachers have already welcomed the book. It has given them ideas on how to utilise contemporary art in teaching. The exercises suggested in the book offer concrete ideas for employing contemporary art in teaching a variety of subjects. I am especially delighted to see that the book encourages teachers to work together. As we all know, life is not divided into subjects, even though that is the way instruction at school is organised.

School on the Move is a brilliant idea. It is a great gift to Finnish schools all over the country, especially places that are far away from art exhibitions. Schools participating in the programme have received the package free of charge. For the students, the van brings a performance, workshops, and a lecture on the anatomy of the artist, while the teachers receive a copy of the textbook. Eventhe van itself is a work of art, a mobile blackboard taking messages written by students from one school to the next and on the road.

Nothing is free, of course. Somebody always pays the bill. School on the Move is an example of a new kind of youth work, and new type of sponsoring model for art institutions. The partner in this project is Vattenfall, who want to invest in young people and take responsibility for regionality. Supporting education has far-reaching consequences, for choices are always based on values. Analysing and comparing values produce knowledge and skills that affect choices. Businesses who see cultural knowledge as a competitive factor will succeed also in the future. In the book Towards a Creative Economy, Cultural Competence as a Future Resource, experts of the Finnish National Fund for Research and Development cite Vattenfall as a prime example on how to sponsor cultural education.

Co-operation with a museum is a great resource for schools. Although the main responsibility for upbringing rests with the home and that for education with schools, the importance of museums in accumulating cultural capital is undeniable. Museum education in Finnish museums is first-class. One particularly fine example is School on the Move and the KOPS textbook. They have even given pleasure to me personally. In my current job of promoting cultural education, I have already had recourse to the book many times. I have used School on the Move as an example of successful co-operation with the business sector.

I worked for a long time in Finnish industry as a textile designer and know something about how images are produced. I see the world through images. They have enriched my life with colours and forms. I wish the same for everyone who comes to see contemporary art!

Heljä Järnefelt

Planning Specialist
Finnish National Board of Education