Near In the City (NIC) – lessons on city in the

Web and outdoors

Researcher Virpi Hirvensalo, Department of Geography and

Geology, University of Turku

Okfestival, Helsinki 20.9.2012

Website for education on urban

environments

City and its various places are in the focus of learning

STREET – NEIGHBOURHOOD – BROWN FIELD – PARK – CITY CENTER

STREET

•What is a street?

•Living street

•Street as a public space

•Frightening street

•Street as a space of presentation

Descriptions of places

Texts, photos, video & audio clips, links to other web pages, hints of additional literature, excercises, etc.

Observation

Interactive map

Photo-gallery

METHODS for studying places

Word association

-game

Orientation to a subject matter

Research in the field

Presentation of results

Sensory walk

Interview

Web page / news paper

analysis

Concept map

Mental mapping

Video / audio presentation

Participative planning tool

Person-alizing a picture

Three toolkits with varying extents

Small toolkit: ”Learn the terms”

Medium toolkit: ”Familiarize yourselfwith places”

Large toolkit: ”Grab the study”

½ -1 hours. Learn concepts related to urban surroundings by reading texts, listening audios and watching videos. Do a short excercise in a classroom.

4 hours. Study materials in NIC, choose the suitable method(s) for your excerciseand realize it in a classroom or outdoors.

20 hours. With your small group, carry out a mini research project basing on a model of a progressive inquiry.

”Grab the study”

Planning a mini research project

Practicing field research by sensing, observing, interviewing…

Creating a presentation

Sharing results

Results of small groups as a map presentation of PaikkaOppi

Thank you!

Contacts:Virpi Hirvensalo

Department of Geography and Geology, University of Turku

vijoke@utu.fihttp:lahellakaupungissa.fi