BLH3320 Aesthetics and Special Needs – Nordic Childhoods Course description

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, also 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 lack verbal language; have problems with emotions, communication and interaction or find it hard to take other perspectives; aesthetic communication becomes 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 practise 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 practicing aesthetics with respect to a variety of special needs.

The language of all teaching and supervision is English, and the students should therefore have a working knowledge of both spoken and written English.

After completing the course, the student should have the following learning outcomes, defined in terms of knowledge, skills and general competence:

Knowledge

The student

• has knowledge of aesthetics and different aesthetic approaches
• has knowledge of historical changes in the views on children and young people, normality and deviance, inclusion and exclusion

Skills

The student is able to

• work creatively with aesthetics and 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 an understanding of aesthetics and its value to children and young people with special needs
• has an understanding of the value of perspectives from different subjects, professions, trades, arts and sciences
• is able to analyze 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
• Radiotheater
• Storytelling
• Visits and practice in school, kindergartens and other institutions
• Interactive learning methods, including digital media

Three individual and four group requirements must be passed in order to take the exam. Aesthetics and special needs are should to play an important part in the coursework requirements.

Individual:

1. Storytelling
2. Theory presentation
3. Participation in excursions
4. Participation 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 with International Week

Coursework requirements must be met by the deadlines. Coursework requirements are evaluated as passed/not passed.

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

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

The exam consists of two parts:

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

Part 2: Individual reflection paper on the aesthetic production (approx. 3000 words)

New resit or rescheduled exams

If a student fails the exam or is absent at the time of the exam for a valid reason, the student is entitled to resit the exam the following semester. The resit exam will be organised in the same manner as the ordinary exam, but the group exam will be individual. The regulations on resit and rescheduled exams are set out in the Regulations relating to studies and examinations at OsloMet. Students must register for a resit or rescheduled exam.

Assessment criteria for the grade scale A- F

A: Outstanding: The assignment answer documents outstanding subject knowledge and ability to use it in a cross-disciplinary and educational context outstanding degree of independence and ability to relate subject knowledge to what is asked for in the assignment text outstanding ability in written exposition

B: Very good: The assignment answer documents very good subject knowledge and ability to use it in a cross-disciplinary and educational context very high degree of independence and ability to relate subject knowledge to what is asked for in the assignment text very high ability in written exposition

C: Good: The assignment answer documents good subject knowledge and ability to use it in a cross-disciplinary and educational context high degree of independence and ability to relate subject knowledge to what is asked for in the assignment text high ability in written exposition

D: Fairly good: The assignment answer documents fairly good subject knowledge and ability to use it in a cross-disciplinary and educational context reasonable independence and ability to relate subject knowledge to what is asked for in the assignment text reasonable ability in written exposition

E: Adequate:The assignment answer documents adequate subject knowledge and ability to use it in a cross-disciplinary and educational context adequate independence and ability to relate subject knowledge to what is asked for in the assignment text adequate ability in written exposition

F: Not passed: The assignment answer does not satisfy minimum requirements

All examination support materials are permitted. However, sources must be stated in accordance with applicable rules for source References.

Grading scale, A-F

Part 1 will be evaluated pass/fail

Part 2 will be evaluated according to the ECTS-grading scale, with A-E as pass grades and F as a fail grade. The criteria for the different grades will be presented to the students at the beginning of the course.

The completion of the two parts will result in one final overall grade A- F

Part 1 will be reviewed and graded by internal examiner.

The second assessment will be reviewed and graded by internal and external examiners