Context and Pedagogy as Signpoints to Authentic Learning Paths

Abstract

In the Finnish National Core Curriculum for Compulsory Education (2014), the conception of language is based on the communal and functional linguistics model of language. From the perspectives of teaching and learning, this requires that learning contexts and pedagogies enable learning in such learning environments, roles, and processes where the pupil can think and act authentically, according to his or her age (National Core Curriculum 2014). Thus, in this article we examine the integration of subject teaching with topic teaching in the frameworks of sociocultural learning, functional linguistics, and authentic learning, in the contextual-pedagogical learning landscape, where the individuality of learners as well as timely learning support (scaffolding) in the zone of proximal development (Vygotsky 1978) enable the learning of content as part of interdisciplinary learning. The subject Finnish language and literature is defined as a interdisciplinary, practical, theoretical, and cultural subject (National Core Curriculum 2014) that requires cooperation with other subjects. This article will present a interdisciplinary approach to learning, where the thematic context created for learning gives meaning to the subject related content that must be learned, and where the ability to acquire the core content of the subject becomes a prerequisite for the processing of the theme or topic presented through the thematic context.