Current approaches and policies in Finnish Media Literacy // Media and Learning Conference 2014 // Brussels Coordinator Rauna Rahja // Finnish Society on Media Education

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Current approaches
and policies in
Finnish Media Literacy
Rauna Rahja, coordinator
Finnish Society on Media Education

2. +
Finnish Society
on Media Education
 NGO founded in 2005 by researchers and practical
professionals of media education
 funded by Finnish Ministry of Education and Culture and our
members
 works in 3 languages (Finnish, Swedish and English)
 promotes and develops ME and ML
 provides information, training, events, seminars, networks
 as strong as our members and partners

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ME in FIN - Generally speaking
 Finnish ME field consist of many different actors
(FSME 2012)
 Development, new branches and various perspectives, multiprofessionalism
 Research and higher education of ME is developing and becoming international
 In Finland, Public authority on ME has existed since 2012 as Centre for Media
Education and Audiovisual Media. Since 2014, the Centre has been part of
National Audiovisual Institute (KAVI)
 ME activities and projects often project-based and mainly targeted to small
children and young people and their educators, mostly funded by the Ministry of
Education and Culture (KAVI’s survey 2014)
 Challenges: no comprehensive, nationwide assessment on media skills, digital
gaps, polarization of skills, teacher training
 What do we see as ML? Example framework for learning path in media skills

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CREATIVE AND AESTHETIC
SKILLS
COMMUNICATION
SKILLS
CRITICAL
INTERPRETATION SKILLS
 Development Centre Opinkirjo Learning path
SAFETY SKILLS
1st & 2nd
GRADE
(age 7-8)
To make own stories to tell and
the ability to understand the
structure of the plotline. To
reflect own experiences and
feelings to a character in a
story
Identification and acting a
role with the help of media
Empathy and emotions
deliberated
To separate fact from fiction
and advertisements from
other content
The use of media with the
support of an adult. To
handle difficult situations.
Knowledge of the age
rating of media content
3rd & 4th
GRADE
(age 9-10)
To convey emotions with
verbal, visual and musical
impulse. Media as a source of
pleasure and joy
To understand different
points of view presented by
the media, and to verbally
keep one's side.
Conversation skills
Knowledge of genres and
narrative means. To
understand that media
contents are constructions
Safe use of internet,
information security and
to guard one's privacy
5th & 6th
GRADE
(age 11-
12)
To discern one’s own media
needs and to find one’s own
media taste
Learning together and peer
training. Knowledge of
freedom of speech and to
understand the difference
between the private and the
public sector
Knowledge of media
discourses and structures.
Ability to analyse and
manage information
To take others into
consideration and to
behave politely on the
internet
7th & 8th
GRADE
(age 13-
14)
Ethical reflection and to
analyse messages. To mirror
values and attitudes presented
in the
media
To develop one's identity
with the help of media. Role
play and playing by relating
to different experiences
To question messages and
analyse media stereotypes
To understand that media
laws are based on the
user's rights and
obligations
9th
GRADE
(age 15-
16)
To express one’s personality
and style and create different
kinds of media environments.
Knowledge of the copyright
To participate in and
influence on civic culture
and civic society
To relate media content to
former data structures.
Awareness of the contents’
commercial, political and
ideological aims
Diverse, legal and rule
abiding use of media
content and services
To find self-expression and
using one's own voice
To participate through
interaction and own activity
Critical and cultural
awareness
Safe, adequate and
contextual use of media

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Good Media Literacy. National
Policy Guidelines 2013–2016
 Published in 2013 by Ministry of Education and
Culture, formed together with actors in the field
 The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child as value base for ME
 One strategic cultural policy priority is to strengthen the position of
media education in Finland
 Guidelines examine ML from various angles, especially in terms of
social inclusion, active citizenship, critical thinking, creativity and self-expression
 http://www.minedu.fi/export/sites/default/OPM/Julkaisut/2013/liitteet/OK
M13.pdf?lang=fi

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Curriculum reform 2016
Finnish trends in education
 Flexibility
School-based curriculum development, networking through
steering by information and support
 Emphasis on broad knowledge
Focus on broad learning objectives, equal value to all aspects
of an individual’s growth in personality, moral, creativity,
knowledge and skills
 Trust through professionalism
Culture of trust, i.e. valuing teachers and principals’
professionalism in judging what is best for students and in
reporting on progress of their learning

8. + Rethinking competences
National Goals for
Basic Education
and broad-based
Competences
- knowledge
- skills
- values
- attitudes
- will
Thinking and
learning to
Participation and
influence,
building the
sustainable
future
Core Curriculum Draft 14.9.2014 / Finnish National Board of Education
Taking care of
oneself and
others,
managing daily
activities,
safety
Cultural
competence,
interaction and
expression
Multiliteracy
ICT-competence
learn
Competence
for the world
of work,
entrepreneur-ship
Development
as a human
being and as
a citizen

9. + Multiliteracy as a broad-base competence
 Refers to the multimodal nature of learning
 Range of literacies: verbal, visual, auditory, numeral, kinesthetic
 Closely related to thinking skills and the ability to acquire, edit,
interpret, produce, present, assess and validate information in
different learning environments and situations
 Includes a broad understanding of text:
written, spoken, audio-visual, printed, analog or digital etc.
 Communication and diverse texts that are meaningful in pupils’
everyday life are observed and used as learning material in teaching
 Requires co-operation between teachers and different subjects
 Other interesting aspects in the core curriculum draft: programming
& BYOD

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Examples on other stakeholders
 ME in Youth work
 City of Helsinki’s Youth Department is
renewing quidelines next year
 ME will be included as a guideline in
the work of city’s youth workers
 Guidelines include:
 Media education in youth work
 Critical mindset
 Use of media tools
 Media as a growing environment
 Citizenship in media
 + Renewing the Youth Act
(due to 2016)
 Other initiative sectors:
 Game education, network of
game educators
 Libraries
 Media industry
 Online youth work
 Early childhood education
 Museums
 School curators, school welfare
officers and nurses
 etc

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Finnish Society on Media Education presents:
Ethical principles of media educator
 Key aspects: equality, well-being, active skills
 acknowledging the diversity in children and young people’s media
use and cultures
 keeping a critical mind but seeing the good and beneficial in media
 encouraging to be curious and open-minded
 providing opportunities for self-expression and active participation
within media
 learning is omnipresent and based on dialogue
 understanding one’s own personal relation to media

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Thank you!
 Interested in monitoring the situation in Finland?
 Click www.mediaeducation.fi
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 Contact rauna.rahja@mediakasvatus.fi