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At the Finnish Museum of Technology’s HOW learning environment, students learn by doing and experimenting. Secondary school students observe causes and effects, seek and connect information, brainstorm, and take initiative.
The Museum of Technology, in collaboration with its partners, has created the HOW environment for 7th and 8th graders, which includes 10 different science, mathematics, and technology workstations and workshops. These stations focus on electricity and energy, water, plastics, climate, industrial engineering, artificial intelligence, signals, robotics, packaging, and wood. The wood station was created by the Finnish Forest Products Engineers’ Association (PI) and ForestBioFacts in collaboration with the Uusi puu – New Wood project.
“The content of the wood station is based on the introduction theme of ForestBioFacts, which provides students with an understanding of forest-based bioeconomy,” says Vera Hallikainen, Development Manager at the Finnish Forest Products Engineers’ Association (PI).
“Before visiting the museum, students receive a few articles from the introduction section of ForestBioFacts as background material. On-site at the wood station, students explore the journey of wood from forest to processing, the industries that use wood, and the products made from wood.”
The introduction to forest industry is followed by a workshop that has inspired students. In the workshop, students get to design and develop various wood and wood-based material products. Ideas are implemented using Woodcast material.
“In the workshop, for example a wood-based formula car was created, and one group considered making a football out of Woodcast. The workshop is allocated about half an hour, but some students have been so enthusiastic that they have returned later to continue their moulding.”
PI Inspiring Young People in the Field
“One of our focuses is to inspire and encourage young people to enter the field through hands-on activities and experiments. We work extensively with university students, but also with secondary and high school students,” Hallikainen explains.
PI is involved in the Forest of Opportunities campaign, aimed at high school and secondary school students, where expert ambassadors visit schools to talk about the forest industry, wood-based products, and career and study opportunities in the field. The campaign targets 8th graders and high school students. PI also distributes editions of the Puunvuoro magazine and information on study opportunities in the field to hundreds of Finnish schools annually through the Subjectaid service. On 6 March, the Chemistry Day and Night event will be held at the Heureka Science Centre. The event aims to spark interest in chemistry and its study. PI is the main partner of the event, in collaboration with the Finnish Chemical Society.
Writer: Minna Saano
The article was first published in Puunvuoro magazine 4/2024