ETHICAL CHALLENGES FOR VAPPU SUNNARI & TEACHER …

[Pages:178]ETHICAL CHALLENGES FOR TEACHER EDUCATION AND TEACHING

Special focus on gender and multicultural issues

Edited By

VAPPU SUNNARI & RAUNI R?S?NEN

Faculty of Education, University of Oulu

OULU 2000

EDITED BY VAPPU SUNNARI & RAUNI R?S?NEN

ETHICAL CHALLENGES FOR TEACHER EDUCATION AND TEACHING

Special focus on gender and multicultural issues

OULUN YLIOPISTO, OULU 2000

Copyright ? 2000 University of Oulu, 2000

Manuscript received: 29 June 2000 Manuscript accepted: 18 December 2000

Communicated by Professor Eeva Hujala Doctor Kaija Matinheikki-Kokko

ISBN 951-42-5869-X (URL: )

ALSO AVAILABLE IN PRINTED FORMAT

ISBN 951-42-5868-1

ISSN 0355-323X

(URL: )

OULU UNIVERSITY PRESS OULU 2000

Sunnari Vappu & R?s?nen Rauni (Eds.) Ethical challenges for teacher education and teaching Faculty of Education, University of Oulu, P.O.Box 2000, FIN-90014 University of Oulu, Finland 2000 Oulu, Finland (Manuscript received: 29 June 2000)

Abstract

The publication is a product of the research group, which studies education and multicultural issues from an ethical viewpoint. The group members especially analyse various justice-, equity- and growth-hindering constructions in pedagogical relationships and processes. In this report the group particularly discusses the challenges of diversity, inequity and injustice from three perspectives: 1) ethnicity, 2) spirituality/worldviews and 3) gender and sexuality. Two additional and current discussion topics - information technology and ability-disability -dimension have also been included in the selection of articles. The themes have been analysed in varied settings but special attention has been paid to teacher education, which is considered an important means to change the course of education.

The articles are very different as to their nature: some are introductions to the researcher's research theme, others philosophical discussions or presentations of results. As a whole, the articles introduce the research themes of the group and the stage where various people are in their study. Many common concepts emerge; either to describe the inequitable structures and processes or the way out towards a more just and equal school and society. Diversity, otherness, monoacculturation, hegemony, ethnocentrism, androcentrism, marginalisation, emancipation, and human rights and responsibilities are examples of such concepts. As to pedagogy, the concepts are more theme-specific; one, however, is shared by the group members. That is transformative pedagogy.

Keywords: otherness, sexism, transformative pedagogy, human rights, human responsibilities.

Contents

Abstract

Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Challenges of Diversity in Education . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

1 Monoculture, Gender and Nationalism: the Kalevala as a Tool of Acculturation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 Kaarina Kailo

2 Discourses of Otherness in a Religious Microcultural Community . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 Tanja Lamminm?ki-K?rkk?inen

3 Towards Recognition and Respect ? Active Steps in Developing Romani Children's Equal Opportunities in the Finnish Educational System . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51 Henna Murtom?ki

4 Autism as a Challenge for Teacher Education . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56 Anna-Kaisa Sipil?

5 Co-educated to be the Responsible Other ? Primary Teacher Education in Finland from the Perspective of Women . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68 Vappu Sunnari

6 Challenges of Sexual Diversity, Homophobia and Heterosexism for Teacher Education . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81 Timothy Bedford

7 Sex, Gender and School Violence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91 Vappu Sunnari

8 Politics, Gender and Technology Challenge of Emancipation in Technological Thought and Practice . . . . . . . . . . . 104 Maria-Liisa J?rvel?

Pedagogical Reflections. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113

9 The Global Village as a Challenge for Teacher Education . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115 Rauni R?s?nen

10 Skills and Competencies Needed by a Multiculturally Oriented Teacher ? Philosophical Considerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131

Satu Haapanen

11 Engaged Pedagogy An Introduction to bell hooks' Educational Philosophy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 148 Maria-Liisa J?rvel?

12 United Nation's Human Rights Documents as the Value Basis for the Teacher's Work . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 160 Vappu Sunnari

13 Teachers' Ethics, Teacher Education and Changing Horizons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 168 Rauni R?s?nen

Introduction

The research group, which studies education and multicultural issues from an ethical viewpoint, was originated at the Teacher Education Department of the University of Oulu in autumn 1994. The group works under the subtitle "Breaking Barriers as a Prerequisite for Encountering each other and for Mutual Growth". Subsequently, the group focuses its research on pedagogical and other human relations and on conceptions of oneself and others, and assumes them to be socially constructed, de- and reconstructed.

According to their ethical research orientation, the group members especially analyse various justice-, equity- and growth-hindering constructions in pedagogical relationships and processes. Diversity, injustice, increasing inequity and wide-spread commercialisation are considered central ethical challenges on individual, local and global levels. The aim is to conceptualise the issues, to focus discussion on them and to seek means for just and equal life on individual, group and institutional levels.

The research group first worked together according to an umbrella principle. It means that each member of the group studied his/her own research theme within the common frame of reference. Theoretical bases and presuppositions between the group members differed which is visible in the first two joint publications "Irti arvotyhji?n harhasta?" (1994) and "Challenges for Growth within Boundaries" (1997). Over the years, however, the work has concentrated more on two sub-themes and an increasing number of common assumptions and concepts have emerged. The first theme area focused on is intercultural relations in education with special emphasis on ethnicity and spirituality/worldviews; the second one is gender issues and sexuality in educational institutions. Both of the themes are almost non-existent in the mainstream educational discussion, especially in teacher education.

One basic challenge for the whole group has been to search for ethical principles that would guide encounters with others. UN's Human rights documents have been considered as such a value basis, but they are seen as a process to be developed rather than as the final answer.

The purpose of this report is to discuss the challenges of diversity, inequity and injustice from the perspectives of ethnicity and spirituality/worldviews and from the perspectives of gender and sexuality. Two additional and current discussion topics information technology and ability-disability ? have also been included in the selection of

articles. The themes have been analysed in varied settings but special attention has been paid to teacher education, which is considered an important means to change the course of education.

The report is divided into two sections with the following titles: 1. Challenges of Diversity and Injustice in Education 2. Pedagogical Reflections.

The discussion about the challenges is started with an analysis of the Finnish "Master Narrative", Kalevala. Kaarina Kailo, Professor in Women Studies, has titled her article on Kalevala "Monoculture, Gender and Nationalism: Kalevala as a Tool of Acculturation". The purpose of her article is to initiate discussion about a topic that is of increasing educational importance as Finland is becoming more multicultural: the mechanisms of mono-acculturation. She claims that Kalevala is an influential "master narrative" of Finnish monoculture which needs to be taught and approached from various perspectives. Kailo claims that Kalevala provides an excellent opportunity to analyse the politics of self and other in terms of nationalism, patriarchy, ethnicity and gender. The article also discusses some of the ways in which marginalised groups can reclaim the centre from their marginal positions, by taking control of representations, and by exposing the conscious and subliminal discourses of othering among other strategies of selfempowerment.

The next three articles introduce three minority groups and the challenges they present to the mainstream ideologies and practices in education. These groups are Romani, autistic and Laestadian people. Tanja Lamminm?ki-K?rkk?inen begins this discussion. She concentrates on the construction of otherness in a Laestadian religious setting basing her interpretation on the group's discourses in an educational children's magazine. Tanja Lamminm?ki-K?rkk?inen has distinguished several representations of otherness, and has pointed out the complexity of the terms minority and majority in this religious context. The educational challenge she discusses is how to advance dialogue between religions at school.

Henna Murtom?ki, the writer of the next article is one of the students in the MEd International Programme which focuses on intercultural aspects in teacher education in Oulu. The purpose of her article is to discuss school education and teacher education from the perspective of a Finnish minority, the Romani people. She analyses the need for multicultural education from their viewpoint, the present situation of the Romani children at schools, and teacher education as an important possibility for change.

The topic of the article, written by Anna-Kaisa Sipil?, MEd., is "Autism as a Challenge for Teacher Education". In her article she states that the history of autistic behaviour is probably as long as the history of human civilisation. Problems with communication, social understanding and fixations to routines characterise this disorder, writes Sipil?, who has long experience of working with autistic students. Teaching people with autism has been a challenge for the modern school system and teacher education and will be increasingly so because of the new inclusion politics in the Finnish educational system. The article consists of historical points of view, current scientific facts and some characteristics about autism defined by researchers and by people with autism as well. Listening to autistic people gives a new approach to this educational dilemma and intercultural discussion.

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