Abstract:

As a general education, arts and culture should be a significant part of the basic education system and its concept of civilization. However, the Finnish system fails to provide enough opportunities for all achievable and qualitative cultural education. Challenges in basic education include the limited number of lessons in arts and practical subjects and the mediocre level of learning outcomes, students' perceptions of the insignificance of arts and practical subjects, the incompetence of teachers, and the excessive time pressure on teachers to organize arts and cultural experiences.

In the subject-based Finnish basic education system, the art subjects include only a few art forms (music, visual arts, and crafts) and the share of these subjects in the curriculum is minimal. This restriction limits pupils' opportunities to receive comprehensive cultural education, which is essential for their personal and social development. Due to the lack of a foundational education in these areas, it is unlikely that children or young people will pursue hobbies, further studies, or careers in the arts.

Finnish basic education requires additional support for arts and culture education. A Cultural Education Plan is a Finnish tool that outlines the content of arts, culture, and cultural heritage education included in the school year. A municipality or region's plan can be built around local art institution visits, workshops led by art educators, performances, events, or explorations of municipal cultural heritage sites. It serves as a shared tool for schools and art and cultural sector actors. By aligning the goals of the local curriculum with the municipality's cultural offerings and heritage, the Cultural Education Plan creates a systematic and high-quality cultural education framework in schools, ensuring equal opportunities for Finnish pupils to experience art and culture.

Cultural Education Plans are crucial in expanding Finnish pupils' cultural and artistic understanding and providing comprehensive exposure to various art forms. At their best, they offer an extremely diverse and high-quality array of art forms accessible to pupils. On average, these plans cover seven different art forms, but the number varies by municipality. Some municipalities include as many as ten different art forms, while others focus solely on local cultural content. In the contents of the plans, children are not merely subjects of art but active participants and creators.

Cultural Education Plans and their content offer a cost-effective, high-quality, and diverse model to promote equal opportunities for children and young people to experience art and culture in Finland. This oral presentation will showcase examples of high-quality Cultural Education Plans from various Finnish municipalities that have effectively integrated a variety of art forms into the school year in a pedagogically meaningful way, supporting children's agency. These examples highlight models that include a wide range of art forms and emphasize children's active participation, serving as inspiration for all those working in children's and youth arts and cultural education in Finland and worldwide.

Keywords:

Culture, arts, cultural education, arts education, cultural education plans, development, education, basic education.