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Deep concentration in the group of teachers in Tampere
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Comics as a multicultural tool for teachers
A
comics workshop for teachers started in November and will end in
January. In all, the participants will have four days of tuition, with a
considerable amount of assignments between the tuition days. The idea is that
the teachers will run their own comics workshops in their schools. The workshop is
arranged by the Tampere Summer University and funded by the Finnish National
Board of Education. It is designed to introduce comics as a tool for a
multicultural approach to education. Leif Packalen of World Comics Finland and
Eila Isotalus of Unidos, are tutors at the course.
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Grassroots
comics for social services students
We
were requested to run comics workshops for the social services students at Laurea
University of Applied Sciences, Tikkurila campus, in December. 36 students, in
two groups, took part in the workshops. The workshops were a part of their
studies in how to use visual means in social services. The students made comics about different social issues, such as student welfare, Christmas
shopping craze, loneliness, attitude towards socially marginalized people, etc.
Below
a detail from a comic made by student Nico Vera:
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A detail from Nico Vera's comic about burnout |
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Heidi Leino of World Comics Finland (middle) and Anni Pietarinen (standing) of Nuorten Akatemia were tutors at the workshop. |
Grassroots
comics combined with drama for global education in schools
Nuorten
Akatemia (The Finnish Youth Academy) has been running a highly appreciated school
visitor programme with grassroots comics since 2009 with support from the
Foreign Ministry. In 2013 - 2014 the programme was expanded to include a
drama workshop, which will precede the comics workshops in the schools.
Heidi
Leino and Leif Packalen ran the comics training workshop for 25 school visitors
in Helsinki in December. Heidi also worked as a tutor for the drama part of the
workshop.