BLH3310 Aesthetics and Special Needs – Nordic Childhoods Emneplan

Aesthetics and Special Needs is one of the courses under Nordic Childhoods. It focuses on Nordic culture where nature plays an important role in society, aesthetics and in work with children. Joint events with the other Nordic Childhoods courses are integrated as overnight trips and outdoor excursions. We also visit schools, kindergartens and other institutions. We focus on play, learning by doing, experience and workshops.

Aesthetics has not been a common way of approaching children with special needs. This course tries to change this by focusing on the value of aesthetics for children with special needs. The course is interdisciplinary, and takes a holistic approach to the field.

Aesthetics are important for everybody, including children and young people with special needs. Through literature, storytelling, music, dance, drama and other aesthetic acts, we perceive and understand the world and ourselves. Through aesthetics, we perform and collaborate with others. For some children and young people who lack verbal language; have problems with emotions, communication and interaction or find it hard to take other perspectives; aesthetic communication is particularly important. The aim of this course is:

1) to enhance knowledge about and discuss the relationship between children and young people with special needs and aesthetic expressions,

2) to introduce ways of working in practice with different kinds of aesthetic expressions when targeting various kinds of special needs.

The course is interfaculty and explores different disciplines, and ways of conceptualising and practising aesthetics with respect to a variety of special needs.

A variety of teaching methods will be used, such as lectures, plenary discussions, practical exercises, group work and study trips. The students are expected to work on the practical exercises, take part in discussions and participate in study trips.

After completing the course, the student have acquired the following learning outcomes, defined as knowledge, skills and general competence:

Knowledge

The student

· has knowledge about aesthetics and different aesthetic approaches

· has knowledge about historical changes in the view upon children and young people, normality and deviance, inclusion and exclusion

· has knowledge about receiver orientation in communication and collaboration with children with special needs and media

Skills

The student is able to

· accomplish and perform an aesthetic project for children and young people with special needs

· reflect on work with children and young people with special needs

· communicate with children and young people through aesthetics

General competence

The student

· has a understanding of aesthetics and its value for children and young people with special needs

· has an understanding of the value of autobiography as a means of critically reflecting on one’s own learning

· is able to analyse and discuss how to understand and respond to children and young people with special needs

· Literature studies/theories

· Lectures and supervision

· Excursions, workshops and seminars

· Individual and group papers/performances

· Self-study

· Project work

· Digital blog

· Dramatisation

· Stop-motion animation

Radio theater

· Story telling

· Visits and practice in school, kindergarten and other institutions

· Interactive learning methods, including digital media

Tree individual and four group requirements must be passed in order to take the exam. Aesthetics and/or children and young people with special needs are supposed to play an important part in the work requirements.

Individual:

1. Story telling
2. Theory presentation
3. Participate in excursions
4. Participate in International Week

In group:

1. Production of a drama
2. Production of radio theatre
3. Production of stop-motion animation
4. Blog production
5. Practical work in connection to International Week

Coursework requirements shall be met within fixed deadlines. Coursework requirements are evaluated Passed/Not Passed.

Valid absence documented by such as a medical certificate is not an excuse from not meeting the coursework requirements. Students who, due to illness or other valid and documented reasons, do not meet the coursework requirements within the fixed deadlines, may be given a postponed deadline. A new deadline for meeting the coursework requirements is in each case agreed upon with the relevant teacher.

Students who meet the coursework requirements within the fixed deadline, but are evaluated as Not Passed, shall be given the possibility to meet the coursework requirements one more time. A new deadline for meeting the coursework requirements is in each case agreed upon with the relevant teacher.

The exam consists of three parts:

Part 1: Aesthetic production in group for children and young people with special needs

Part 2: Individual reflection paper about the aesthetic production (around 3000 Words)

Part 3: Individual autobiographical and multimodal (for instance a movie) project where the student documents and reflects about his/|her process about making an aesthetic production for children/young people with special needs (maximum 3000 words or a movie on maximum 15 minutes).

New or postponed examinations

In case of failing the exam or in case of valid absence at the time of the exam, the student is entitled to make a renewed attempt the next semester. The re-examination will be arranged in the same manner as the regular exam, but the group exam will be individual. Regulations for new or postponed examinations are available in Regulations relating to studies and examinations at OsloMet. Students must register for a new or postponed examination.

Suitability assessment

(Applicable to Norwegian students only)

The teacher training institution is obliged to assess whether the students are suitable for the profession. Students who show poor aptitude in mastering the teaching profession, must as early as possible during the study, be informed about their position in relation to the requirements of teacher suitability, and, if applicable, obtain advice and guidance on how to improve, or be advised to terminate their study. Assessments on suitability may be made throughout the study period. The assessment of suitability must be based on a comprehensive evaluation which includes academic as well as pedagogic and personal qualities necessary to be able to function as a teacher.

See also regulations concerning assessment of suitability for teacher training.

Physical property (plots of land and buildings) are the arena for activities in most organisations. Development, procurement (purchase or hire) and changes to property (land use/right of use and/or assets) are some of the most important decisions made in an organisation, as such decisions form the long-term basis for the organisation's location, capital expenditure, capacity etc. In many instances, a Facility Manager will be involved in processes in which organisations procure, develop, change or dispose of property.

None.

Knowledge

The student has knowledge of

• the development of different types of property
• how real estate markets are affected by the location and status of cities, urban and population growth, travel times, travel and transport costs
• the main segments in the real estate market
• land use/hire market (urban economics) versus the property ownership market (financial economics)
• market indicators for the property markets and financial and non-financial key figures for property
• the principles for and methods of valuing property and calculating returns on property
• the financing and depreciation of property

Skills

The student is capable of

• applying academic knowledge to analyse the property markets
• applying academic knowledge to perform own/hire analyses and to value property
• applying academic knowledge to calculate the return on property investments
• applying academic knowledge to calculate alternative costs for property

General competence

The student is capable of

• critically reflecting on the development, procurement, use, change and disposal of property
• seeing the subject in a greater societal perspective
• exchanging points of view and experience with other specialists/experts and contributing to developing good practice