Vers un apprentissage de l’être-ensemble postmoderne ? Représentations de la socialité Erasmus en Finlande

Peer reviewe

Podcasting and intercultural imagination: othering and self-solidifying around tapas and siesta

In this paper I examine the type of discourse developed on Selves and Otherness in a Podcast dedicated to intercultural communication. Based on the first episode of the Podcast, I try to determine the podcasters’ approach to self and otherness in the program. The analysis reveals that the phenomena of Othering and Self-solidifying tend to emerge in the show.En este articulo se abordan los tipos de discurso desarrollados en torno al yo y la alteridad en un Podcast dedicado a la comunicación intercultural. Basándose en el primer episodio del Podcast, se intenta determinar el concepto de yo y de otredad adoptados por los participantes en el programa. El análisis revela la aparición de los fenómenos de solidificación del yo y de estereotipación del Otro a lo largo de la emisión

Iterative pre-distortion of the non-linear satellite channel

Digital Video Broadcasting - Satellite - Second Generation (DVB-S2) is the current European standard for satellite broadcast and broadband communications. It relies on high order modulations up to 32-amplitude/phase-shift-keying (APSK) in order to increase the system spectral efficiency. Unfortunately, as the modulation order increases, the receiver becomes more sensitive to physical layer impairments, and notably to the distortions induced by the power amplifier and the channelizing filters aboard the satellite. Pre-distortion of the non-linear satellite channel has been studied for many years. However, the performance of existing pre-distortion algorithms generally becomes poor when high-order modulations are used on a non-linear channel with a long memory. In this paper, we investigate a new iterative method that pre-distorts blocks of transmitted symbols so as to minimize the Euclidian distance between the transmitted and received symbols. We also propose approximations to relax the pre-distorter complexity while keeping its performance acceptable

“The most respected teachers in the world”? Media Representations of the Finnish Teacher in Treacherous Times

This study investigates how different types of teachers are represented and constructed in television fiction. Previous research indicates that fiction is as powerful as non-fiction in shaping and changing peoples’ attitudes, beliefs and opinions. In Finland, the context of this study, there have been many teacher characters in literature, TV and movies and, despite their esteemed status in society, their representation has been mainly negative. Motivated by the current ‘treacherous’ changes in Finnish education (introduction of a new core curriculum, problems of discipline, increasing number of dropouts and marginalized youth), we examine how a recent and popular Finnish TV-series centered on a school, display these societal issues and, at the same time, portray different facets of teacherhood. The main concept used as a tool for analysing the TV-series is representation while content and discourse analyses serve as analytical frameworks. The results of this study show that two main subsets of teachers are present in the TV series: art teachers vs. teachers in general. Compared to the traditional representation of teachers the art teacher is constructed as more positive and as some sort of independent warrior teacher. Yet her representations tend to be not only one-sided but also caricatures, which puts into question the respect and appreciation of teachers in Finnish society.Peer reviewe

A transdisciplinary approach to examining and confidence- boosting the experiences of Chinese teachers of Chinese in Finland

With the current rise of China as a political, cultural, and economic superpower, Chinese as a foreign and second language has gained popularity worldwide. Finland is also responding to this global wave, as is reflected by the increasing number of Chinese courses in formal and informal settings in the Nordic country. Yet not all actors involved in the promotion of Chinese seem to experience instruction in the language in the same way. This study investigates how Chinese teachers of the Chinese language, who represent the majority of the ‘workforce’ for instruction in this language in Finland, perceive Chinese language education and their role in it. We argue that there is a need for a paradigm shift in evaluating the teachers’ experiences. Specifically, we support a move away from perspectives that see culture as static and identity as singular. Using the “analysis of multivoiceness,” which was developed from dialogism (Aveling, Gillespie, & Cornish, 2014), the authors of this article identify a number of positions assumed/taken up by the teachers and others in their discourses. Finally, we propose a critical intercultural approach to Chinese teacher education or professional development based on transdisciplinarity, which relies on problem-solving that recognizes an important triad: educational contexts—teachers’ experiences—society (McGregor & Volckmann, 2011).Peer reviewe

Do intercultural couples “see culture everywhere”? Case studies from couples who share a lingua franca in Finland and Hong Kong

ISBN: 2-87263-042-2Peer reviewe

Editorial Preface

Peer reviewe

Finnish Eyes on Border Schools : Teacher Educators Compare Notes

This article offers readers the opportunity to eavesdrop on a conversation between teacher educators from Finland and the United States at the conclusion of a field research project conducted in border schools in Arizona. The conversation ranges across topics central to schooling in both countries and exposes educational practices that are not part of the official educational narratives coming out of each country. This conversation raises questions about patriotism and nationalism, notes how schools deal with sexual preferences of students, and talks about the purposes of education. Perhaps most interestingly, the piece sheds new light on education in Finland.Peer reviewe