My teaching philosophy can be condensed in next principles:
The starting point is the pedagogical paradox with its two dimensions:
Teacher's directing influence and student's autonomy must be reconciled so that the rational freedom of student could grow.
Student's individual particularity and society's cultural structures must be reconciled so that they both would promote each other's development.
Learning is the development of student's competencies for action and this will happen only via student's own action: so teaching is the guidance of student's action - especially thinking action in higher education.
Teacher's influence takes place just like all other production of knowledge by signs (semiotically).
Teacher's influence is often prudent to happen indirectly by environment and materials.
Motivating the needed action requires tactfulness and use of different suitable methods (encouragement, provocation, respect, demand).
Teaching does not aim only to skill and knowledge but also to other modal competences (want, can and must): how the skills and knowledge are used; and by this way to "learning to learn".
Especially in university teaching the research and the instruction create one whole. The contents of the teaching and discussion about it form the core foundation of higher education after all.
I would describe myself as a teacher as demanding, somewhat too verbal often, but very peaceful and offering time to students. I try to develop different methods to realize teaching and usually accept student's suggestions of alternative studying methods. I think I have a very respectful stance to students. I collect actively feedback and try to take it into account, which is often difficult because of the inconsistency of the feedback: students have opposite needs and expectations.
I have a strong experience in lecturing and seminars. I have worked from 1989 continuously until to about 2010 as a part time teacher in Open University and other departments in addition to my main work as researcher and teacher.
I have taught very many different courses to different groups, but my main area is clearly theoretical and philosophical questions of educational action and research. I have also guided teaching practice in Haave project (a qualification education project to unqualified working teachers 1991-1996) and in independent advanced level practice of classroom teacher education. In Haave project I guided half of the Pro Gradu studies of the student group, after that only occasionally. Almost yearly I have guided groups of subject level studies Proseminar theses and Bachelor level Candidate's Theses.
In addition to the development of the contents and rhetoric of my teaching I have strongly developed and used technology. In this development I have never tried to use the newest technology but such technology which would offer most utility with minimal costs.
In Haave and Kajo projects my main work was development of distance and flexible teaching methods, but I have done it also in my other teaching. In 1996 the subject teacher education curriculum of pedagogical studies in the University of Oulu was reformed by a plan made by me. I also worked very actively in the small work group which created the framework common basic level educational studies for the 2017 curriculum reform in the University of Oulu.
In the development project of flexible blended learning Open University studies in science of education (Kajo -project 2007-2010; Kajo -model or brand after that) I worked as a project manager and had to develop in addition to my own teaching also the teaching of other teachers and the whole action model of the studies. It contained the collaboration relations between many stakeholders and process modelling, production of leaning materials etc. The central and stable advancement to my teaching has been the structured and task guided teaching model. A good course should contain an orienting task, adequate and versatile learning material, interactive lecture, repetition tasks, discussing and applying tasks and possible the main end task.
In Kajo project one central ain was to develop open and accessible electronic course materials and we made such for all basic level courses and most subject level courses. First we made text based support materials for the lectures of the courses. In the second turn in last academic years we have in addition made introductory video materials. These materials are also in use with university programmes. I myself concentrated on 1) the basic course, 2) the philosophy of education course, 3) the philosophy of science of education, and 4) Proseminar / Bachelor's theses. Here are links to these materials:
In addition I have made some small tutorials for: writing a study essay (https://wiki.oulu.fi/display/opintokirj/), using a word processor (https://wiki.oulu.fi/display/opintekst/), and using the Optima learning environment in Kajo studies (https://wiki.oulu.fi/display/kajo/Optima / http://connectpro.oulu.fi/p61845165/)
Of the older text based materials could be mentioned e.g. material for first course of research methods (http://cc.oulu.fi/~epikkara/opetus/tuprju1.htm) and Orientation to teachers pedagogical studies (http://cc.oulu.fi/~epikkara/opetus/pedor/orienfrm.htm).
In advanced level studies I have created an online course Introduction to edusemiotics and problem of meaning in education (https://wiki.oulu.fi/display/semed/) The materials of the course contain my own short lecture about the topic: (https://wwwedu.oulu.fi/semed/index.ihtml?oid=127879&ctx=2482&fr=0)
I try to challenge myself continuously and practice new skills. I have studied many courses on technology of education (National course on use of IT in education TieVie 5ov 2002; Network as guidance tool course 2ov 2004, Producing digital video and audio material 12h 2005, Blogs in teaching and learning 6h 2007).
I have also accomplished the Teacher's pedagogical qualification in Oulu University of Applied Sciences, School of Vocational Teacher Education.
I try to collect feedback from all of my courses and in Kajo education we collect overall feedback regularly. From the teaching arrangements we and I get always very positive feedback especially because of the flexibility and accessibility. My oral presentation gains mainly positive but also critical feedback because of the slow tempo. But on the other hand usually as many students mention this as a good feature giving time to think. In teaching practice of the teacher education I got positive feedback from tutor and mentor because of good organisation of the contents and lesson structure and thinking tasks for students.
I want to still more develop my strong sides and correct my weak sides. My aim is to blend technology and task aided self-study to face-to-face lessons so that lessons could be more discussion than lectures. Technology and electronic materials (text, video, audio) should save teacher's time to research and really reflective discussions with students.
Oulu, 16 Sep. 2016, Eetu Pikkarainen