About teaching
“Academic work and teaching in academia are going through major changes in the neoliberal ethos. I am looking for ways to bring criticality and resistance/homo politicus back to life through teaching.”
Teaching is something I consider valuable and satisfactory. I have taught since 2001 from the undergraduate to graduate level, in academic further education and in adult education. I have also taught PhD courses. During the past years, I have given various lectures in universities, enterprises, foundations, ministries, parliament, adult education organisations and in various occasions arranged by EU-funded projects.The feedback from students has been repeatedly positive, with students characterising me as an encouraging, inspiring teacher.
My teaching philosophy is based on the idea that knowledge is formed collectively. I use discussions, which means more than having a conversation. Discussion means focusing on knowledge and power. For example discussion related to social justice in education must be mutually responsive to the different views of those taking part in the discussion.
The best feedback from students is when they tell me how they have learned to think more critically, to acknowledge and challenge prevailing situations, for example from the perspective of inequalities.
See my interview by our students in ‘Fuksiblogi’ (in Finnish):
http://blogs.helsinki.fi/fuksiblogi/tag/kristiina-brunila/
Courses and Lectures (Undergraduate Level)
- Introduction to Educational Sciences
- Education, Society, and Culture
- Research-Based Critical Thinking
- Education, Culture and Society
- Education, Working Life and Equality
- Bachelor’s Thesis Seminar
Courses and Lectures (Graduate Level)
- Qualitative Research
- Deconstructive Reading
- Discursive Analysis
- Genealogical Analysis
- Master’s Thesis Seminar
Selected Topics Taught at Undergraduate and Graduate Level
- The Rise of Precision Education Governance
- Psychologisation and Therapisation of Education
- Neoliberal ethos and University
- Sociology of education in an Era of Uncertainties
- Social Justice and Equality in Education
- Marketisation and Projectisation of Educational Politics and Practices
- Penology and Education
- The Ethos of Vulnerability
- Agency and Power in Education
- Training of Youth at Risk
Doctoral Training Opportunities
- Critical thinking and post-methodologies in education
- Scientific writing and Academicity
- Recalling Political in Research
- Activism and Academia
Some examples of my courses and seminars:
A therapeutic turn in education policy and practices -seminar
Bringing critical thinking into life in the academia -workshop was a success!
Our AGORA-research centre coordinated an international and multidisciplinary 1-year Workshop providing a unique opportunity to gain new understanding and foster critical thinking in teaching and research in the Academia.
The Workshop was built around enthusiastic, appraised and well-known guest lecturers who provided presentations in various areas related to critical thinking. To involve all the participants in the process, dynamic group-work and non-formal ways of learning are used in addition.
During the process participants engaged in the following questions:
- What does it mean to be critical in the Academia?
- What are the conditions that foster critical thinking?
- How can critical thinking be put into work in teaching and research?
Please see further info:
http://www.aikuiskasvatuksentutkimusseura.fi/@Bin/673068/Rhizome%20Workshop.pdf
Teachers’ academy – a network of university teachers
I am also a founding member of the University of Helsinki teachers’ academy — a network of university teachers recognised for their merits in the development of teaching.
http://www.helsinki.fi/opettajienakatemia/eng/index.html
Innformation about all of us:
http://www.helsinki.fi/opettajienakatemia/jasenet.html