Visual arts at Tammerkoski Upper Secondary School
Tammerkoski Upper Secondary School has a national specific educational mission of visual arts and design and has a curriculum of its own. As a result, there is a wide offering of diverse study units in these subjects. In addition to students studying in this programme, all general upper secondary school students can select study units related to the specific educational mission.
The specific educational mission studies consist of common basic studies (10 credits), optional studies (at least 12 credits) and advanced studies (at least 4 credits). In other words, students in the visual arts and design programme complete at least 26 credits, of which KU1 (2 credits) is a compulsory national study unit for all students.
The students following this programme, completing at least 24 credits in accordance with the specific educational mission specified in the educational institution's curriculum, are entitled to reducing 16 credits from the syllabus of compulsory studies for general upper secondary schools. However, the students must complete at least half of the compulsory studies in each compulsory general upper secondary school subject. School-specific thematic study units do not qualify as studies in accordance with the school's specific educational mission. They do not accumulate the required number of credits.
If any places are vacated from the programme of visual arts and design, they will be filled out based on the teachers' recommendations from among those willing to join the programme and who have participated in the entrance examinations. The decision on student admissions will be made by the principal.
Objectives
The objective of the specific educational mission of Tammerkoski Upper Secondary School is to educate culturally oriented young people who understand the importance of visual culture in their own lives and in the surrounding society. One of the goals is to acknowledge the importance of creative thinking for one's own learning and well-being. Aesthetic, ecological and ethical values are also linked to a sustainable and good life.
Other objectives are to strengthen versatile thinking, personal and artistic expression, knowledge of materials and skills, and to support young people's self-esteem. Furthermore, the purpose of the studies is to develop interaction skills and to increase understanding of the diversity and significance of culture in one's own life and society. Teaching visual arts and design in Tammerkoski Upper Secondary School aims at ensuring that the students have adequate abilities to apply to a variety of further studies in different fields.
The studies in the visual arts and design programme are intended for young people who are interested in the visual world, design, handiwork and artistic self-expression in its various forms. The purpose of the studies is to develop and support the student's creativity, entrepreneurship and curiosity, and to foster long-term, phenomenon-based learning and working.
Visual art studies include different forms of visual expression, such as drawing, painting, sculpture, ceramics, graphics, photography, film, other methods of digital visual expression, architecture, visual design, design, art history and modern art.
Design studies feature such topics as the culture and history of objects, design and crafts; the basics of design; the basics of manual skills; whole design and manufacturing processes; and modelling using both computer-based and traditional working methods.