Approaching the renewed Finnish basic education curriculum as a potential and an option for aesthetics

This article provides an overview of how aesthetics is treated in the current Finnish basic education core curriculum document. Relatively little research has been conducted on aesthetics in Finnish curricula, particularly from an interdisciplinary approach. In the broader picture, the position of...

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Main Authors: Kauko Pekka Komulainen, Sara Sintonen, Seija Kairavuori, Aleksi Ojala
Format: Article
Language:Danish
Published: Malmö University Press 2020-03-01
Series:Educare
Subjects:
Online Access:https://publicera.kb.se/educare/article/view/45299
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author Kauko Pekka Komulainen
Sara Sintonen
Seija Kairavuori
Aleksi Ojala
author_facet Kauko Pekka Komulainen
Sara Sintonen
Seija Kairavuori
Aleksi Ojala
author_sort Kauko Pekka Komulainen
collection DOAJ
description This article provides an overview of how aesthetics is treated in the current Finnish basic education core curriculum document. Relatively little research has been conducted on aesthetics in Finnish curricula, particularly from an interdisciplinary approach. In the broader picture, the position of aesthetics and the appreciation of arts subjects in curricula has paradoxically weakened globally over recent decades, particularly in English-speaking cultures. At the same time, the significance of aesthetics has increased in postmodern culture with, for instance, increasingly more commercial brands. Finland has a broad national core curriculum, and although aesthetics (as a school subject) is not officially part of it the traditional arts subjects (arts, music, crafts), aspects of aesthetics are nevertheless involved in the curriculum. In this study, we investigate how aspects of aesthetics feature in the renewed Finnish curriculum text for basic education. Our analysis shows that only a few specific references to aesthetics can be found in the Finnish renewed curriculum. Conceptually, the lack of postmodern aesthetics is noticeable, particularly in the subject of art, where one can see features of it without the concept being explicitly mentioned. In order to successfully incorporate aesthetics into basic education curricula, we conclude that the subject needs to better reflect notions of participation, self-expression, and divergent thinking.
format Article
id doaj-art-2f7fd0780f064a41b2c7963ff793c03a
institution OA Journals
issn 2004-5190
language Danish
publishDate 2020-03-01
publisher Malmö University Press
record_format Article
series Educare
spelling doaj-art-2f7fd0780f064a41b2c7963ff793c03a2025-08-20T02:06:26ZdanMalmö University PressEducare2004-51902020-03-01110.24834/educare.2020.1.3Approaching the renewed Finnish basic education curriculum as a potential and an option for aestheticsKauko Pekka Komulainen0https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6736-3688Sara Sintonen1https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1157-0116Seija Kairavuori2https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8957-3221Aleksi Ojala3https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2945-655XUniversity of HelsinkiUniversity of HelsinkiUniversity of HelsinkiUniversity of Helsinki This article provides an overview of how aesthetics is treated in the current Finnish basic education core curriculum document. Relatively little research has been conducted on aesthetics in Finnish curricula, particularly from an interdisciplinary approach. In the broader picture, the position of aesthetics and the appreciation of arts subjects in curricula has paradoxically weakened globally over recent decades, particularly in English-speaking cultures. At the same time, the significance of aesthetics has increased in postmodern culture with, for instance, increasingly more commercial brands. Finland has a broad national core curriculum, and although aesthetics (as a school subject) is not officially part of it the traditional arts subjects (arts, music, crafts), aspects of aesthetics are nevertheless involved in the curriculum. In this study, we investigate how aspects of aesthetics feature in the renewed Finnish curriculum text for basic education. Our analysis shows that only a few specific references to aesthetics can be found in the Finnish renewed curriculum. Conceptually, the lack of postmodern aesthetics is noticeable, particularly in the subject of art, where one can see features of it without the concept being explicitly mentioned. In order to successfully incorporate aesthetics into basic education curricula, we conclude that the subject needs to better reflect notions of participation, self-expression, and divergent thinking. https://publicera.kb.se/educare/article/view/45299aestheticsarts educationbasic educationcurriculumFinnish education
spellingShingle Kauko Pekka Komulainen
Sara Sintonen
Seija Kairavuori
Aleksi Ojala
Approaching the renewed Finnish basic education curriculum as a potential and an option for aesthetics
Educare
aesthetics
arts education
basic education
curriculum
Finnish education
title Approaching the renewed Finnish basic education curriculum as a potential and an option for aesthetics
title_full Approaching the renewed Finnish basic education curriculum as a potential and an option for aesthetics
title_fullStr Approaching the renewed Finnish basic education curriculum as a potential and an option for aesthetics
title_full_unstemmed Approaching the renewed Finnish basic education curriculum as a potential and an option for aesthetics
title_short Approaching the renewed Finnish basic education curriculum as a potential and an option for aesthetics
title_sort approaching the renewed finnish basic education curriculum as a potential and an option for aesthetics
topic aesthetics
arts education
basic education
curriculum
Finnish education
url https://publicera.kb.se/educare/article/view/45299
work_keys_str_mv AT kaukopekkakomulainen approachingtherenewedfinnishbasiceducationcurriculumasapotentialandanoptionforaesthetics
AT sarasintonen approachingtherenewedfinnishbasiceducationcurriculumasapotentialandanoptionforaesthetics
AT seijakairavuori approachingtherenewedfinnishbasiceducationcurriculumasapotentialandanoptionforaesthetics
AT aleksiojala approachingtherenewedfinnishbasiceducationcurriculumasapotentialandanoptionforaesthetics