Phenomenon-based Learning in Finland: A Critical Overview of its Historical and Philosophical Roots

The idea of phenomenon-based learning (PhBL) was introduced into the Finnish core cur-riculum for basic education in 2014. The Finnish approach has raised interest in manyother countries. In Finland, the idea of PhBL is often linked to the traditions of educationalpsychology, constructivism, problem-based learning (PBL) and inquiry-based learning (IBL).However, philosophical approaches like phenomenology, existentialism, and the traditionofBildunghave also influenced Finnish school development. Drawing on this complexityof philosophical and scholarly developments, we argue that the inherent ideas of PhBLare neither new, nor is it surprising that they have re-appeared as PhBL in the Finnish con-text. With PhBL’s holistic approach, the focus on collaboration and reciprocal responsibilityrepresents a promising practice for education in a world that is facing complex challenges.Still, despite its strong roots in several philosophical traditions, like in many other coun-tries, Finnish educational policy development has been strongly influenced by the growingdemands for measurability and accountability and increasingly struggling with atomisationof knowledge and skills. These specific national developments in Finland can raise aware-ness for similar challenges relevant in other contexts than the Finnish.ARTICLE HISTORYReceived 2 August 2023Revised 3 November 2023Accepted 16 January 2024KEYWORDSBildung; cross-disciplinaryeducation; curriculumdevelopment;Didaktik;Finnish education,phenomenon; phenomenon-based learning; sustainabilityREVIEWING EDITORJohn Chiang,Communication and Media,State University of NewYork, New York, USASUBJECTSHistory of Education;Philosophy of Education;Theories of Learning;Theory of Education;Curriculum Studies;Education Policy & PoliticsIntroductionIn recent discussions, cross-disciplinary educational methods have been seen as an alternative to discip-linary focused education and as especially suitable for meeting the contemporary and future challengesof local, national, and global societies (see Wolff,2022b). However, the complexity of the world’s currentchallenges cannot be grasped, understood, and solved with solutions from a single epistemological andontological perspective. The entangled interdependence of contemporary key problems, such as inequal-ity, climate change, pollution, pandemics, insecurity, violence and malnourishment, require awareness ofas many insights and approaches as possible. Achieving comprehension and possible solutions requirescreativity, which demands‘deep disciplinary knowledge—but at the same time it requires one to thinkbroadly, across disciplines’(Henriksen,2018, p. 9). The aim of phenomenon-based learning (PhBL) is toprovide such an educational approach.CONTACTLily-Ann [email protected] of Educational Sciences, PL9, 00014 University of Helsinki, Helsinki, FinlandThis article relates to the project SveaSus (Sustainable World Heritage Learning through a Phenomenon-based Approach) that has run at theFaculty of Educational Sciences at the University of Helsinki from 2018 to 2023. The project has included a course open for all students atthe faculty, and engaged lecturers, researchers, and artists in a close collaboration of both research and development. The learning environ-ment has mainly been the World Heritage site Suomenlinna, which is placed on islands close to Helsinki. Questions of sustainability relatedto place and time have been topics for learning and educational development. The project has explored phenomenon-based learningthrough various approaches, such as embodied learning, and art-based and multilingual methods. With sustainability as the focus, phenom-enon-based learning as an approach and World Heritage as a learning environment the SveaSus project has been a unique teaching andlearning experiment. Both authors have been engaged in this project.ß2024 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), whichpermits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. The terms on which this article has beenpublished allow the posting of the Accepted Manuscript in a repository by the author(s) or with their consent.COGENT EDUCATION2024, VOL. 11, NO. 1, 2309733https://doi.org/10.1080/2331186X.2024.2309733