Varis USA 2008

Is Finland Leading the Way to the Creative Knowledge Age?

Professor Tapio VarisUniversity of Tampere, Finland

Central Connecticut State University, USA, September 12, 2008

Varis USA 2008

Light Map: Is there intelligent life somewhere? Finland?

Varis USA 2008

Varis USA 2008

Varis USA 2008

Varis USA 2008

Varis USA 2008

Can we have world-class universities as well as social justice in education?Europe resists US-style college fees but, as Oxford fundraisers know,we need to find that kind of money to compete        

•Timothy Garton Ash •The Guardian, •Thursday May 29 2008

Varis USA 2008

Learning at Work: Can We Learn from Global Corporations?

(Nokia)

The new learning paradigm 70-20-10 formula:

• 70 % on-the-job

• 20 % coaching

• 10 % structured learning deliveries

Varis USA 2008

Varis USA 2008

Varis USA 2008

Finland has been successful in the nearest history in global comparisons. Finland has ranked e.g.

The most Competitive country (Growth) in 2004-2006 (World Economic Forum)[1]

The world’s least corrupt country (2006, CPI)[2]The world No. 1 in education and vocational training

(DAVOS Forum)The top performer in science in OECD/PISA results 2006

was Finland[3][1] <http://www.weforum.org/en/media/Latest Press Releases/GCRpressrelease06>[2] <

http://www.investinfinland.fi/news/2006/en_GB/1164024547380/>[3] <http://www.oecd.org/document/22/0,3343,en_2649_201185_39713238_1_1_1_1,00.htm>

Varis USA 2008

Varis USA 2008

Varis USA 2008

Varis USA 2008

2008 Olympics Medal Table

• 1 China

• 2 USA

• 3 Russia

• 4 Great Britain

• 5 Germany

• 6 Australia

• 7 South Korea

• 8 Japan

• 9 Italy

• 10 France

• The more you earn, the more you win (medals per capita, per capita GNP)

Varis USA 2008

Varis USA 2008

“The medals are designed with inspiration from "bi", China's

ancient jade piece inscribed with dragon pattern. The medals, made of gold and jade, symbolize nobility and virtue and are embodiment of traditional Chinese values of ethics

and honor.”

Varis USA 2008

“The design of the medals is a result of hard work and enthusiasm

of many people.”

Varis USA 2008

Varis USA 2008

www.xiaoyong.com/english.htm

Varis USA 2008

 

Identity for Experience Finlandxiaoyong designed the logo and identity design for Experience Finland, a national campaign for promoting Finland in China 2005-2007.Yong made the calligraphy and logo shows the link of China(traditionally, square symbolizes the land of China, horizon as the Finnish nature)  

Varis USA 2008

Global Education as a concept(among other things)

• individual global responsibility and communal global responsibility − the ethic of a world citizen

• critical and media-critical competences

• limited resources of the earth

• education for sustainable development as a component.

Varis USA 2008

The Finnish national aim ofdevelopment is (among other

things)

• to integrate the global education perspective into major lines of education, research, cultural and social policy

 • to step up the practical realisation of global education

including teacher education • to support research and higher education in global

education

• to support civic organisations and other civil society actors in their work as providers of global education

• to strengthen partnership between the public administration, business, the media, civic organisations and other civil society actors.

Varis USA 2008

Varis USA 2008

Key Assumptions behind Paradigm Shift (Kaisa Kautto-Koivula et al)

• Knowledge, Creativity, Innovations

• Learning as a core process

• Forerunner country

• Global University System (GUS) (Dynamo)

Varis USA 2008

The Mission of the University (GUS)

Varis USA 2008

Global and European Views on New Literacies

• Global view: One in five adults is without literacy skills, and most are women (UNESCO-EFA)

• Challenges of vocational education similar in societies of different economic level of development

• European view: ”a higher degree of media literacy can significantly contribute towards achieving the objectives se for the European Union at the Lisbon European Council in 2000” (COM(2007)833final)

Varis USA 2008

The Evolution of Digital Literacy in Europe

• Phase 1: Access and connectivity

• Phase 2: Basic internet use and more sophisticated and sustainable digital competences

• Phase 3: Critical thinking, trust, confidence and multiplatform use

- community building (social web)

Varis USA 2008

Global expertise

• Global markets for skills and competences

• Expertise can be exported anywhere wherever it is in demand

• Experts can be also recruited from anywhere

• Virtual empowerment

Varis USA 2008

Distributed work

• Managing distributed work

• Communication between employees and their managers

• Problem of supporting continuous learning

• Learning at work

• e-solutions

Varis USA 2008

New Renaissance Education

• The study of complexity has brought science closer than ever to art

• Knowledge has gone through a cycle from non-specialism to specialism, and now back to interdisciplinarity, even transdisciplinarity

• Art deals with the sensual world (media as the extension of senses) and the holistic concept of human being

Varis USA 2008

El mundo en la palma de nuestra mano (Mónica G. Luque)

Varis USA 2008