SPECTRUM COLLEAGUES
Tarja Javanainen-Levonen
Senior Lecturer
Satakunta University of Applied Sciences, Faculty of Social Services and Health Care, Pori, Finland
Email:
tarja.javanainen-levonen@samk.fi
"I, as a teacher, might do as a perfect example of lifelong learning." I took a degree every decade ever since 1970s: Bachelor's 1978, Master's 1984, Licentiate 1999, and a finally Doctorate 2009. However, nearly immediately after Bachelor studies, I started full-time work in the education of health professionals in Pori, my home town. Naturally - as a Finn - I did nearly all my studies at the University of Jyväskylä. Luckily, during the P.E. teacher training at the University of Jyväskylä, I was introduced to the Spectrum ideas - but in those days it was only in theory. I could bring the Spectrum ideas into practice in my work when a degree program in physiotherapy started in 1984. Its use became more intensive with the English degree program in physiotherapy from 1994.
From the early beginning of my career, I realized that I should make use of novel methods when arranging students with opportunities to get to know clients of different age groups and especially with clients with special needs. As a teacher, I am aiming at pleasant experiences in close physical and social contact with students´ future clients in order to get students well motivated and brave enough later on in their profession to organize and instruct physical activities for everyone equally. More importantly, to get the students to appreciate their clients individually and to rely on clients´ individual decision making - not only to adapt physical activities - students have to interact with their clients intensively during education. These are the goals that can be reached by using the Spectrum ideas! I especially favor Reciprocal Style, modifying it the way that the student of physiotherapy knows the criteria for activities because of their special areas in professional training. Working in close physical contact with the client and at the same time making observations of the movements facilitates to modify the activities - with the client- according to the personal needs of the clients. To get the clients active in decision making is linear to the ideas of rehabilitation, health promotion and prevention.
So far, my students have read the Mosston & Ashworth book, but from now on, they will make use of the Spectrum Web site. The visual images will be good for use in our Institute!
About Tarja
Tarja Javanainen-Levonen is a senior lecturer who teaches P.E., Didactic of P.E. and Adapted Physical Activity in Degree Programme in Physiotherapy in Satakunta University of Applied Sciences, Faculty of Social Services and Health Care Pori, Finland. Her Licentiate thesis dealt with the body-image of adults with intellectual disability, and Doctoral thesis (a focus group -study) focused on ´Public health nurses as physical activity promoters in Finnish child health care´. She worked in a sub-committee for educators and researchers in APA under the Finnish Ministry of Education years 1999-2003. In years 2010-2011 she participates in a national network of experts with the intention of promoting physical activity of children with need for extra support (Ministry of Education/Ministry of Social Affairs and Health/ Young Finland Association). She was acknowledged nationally for her developmental work in APA practice autumn 2006. She has been the institutional representative in European Thematic Networks THENAPAI and THENAPAII, as well as a member in Special Olympics Europe/Eurasia project 2001-2003. She has worked as an independent expert evaluating Public Health Programmes for Public Health Executive Agency in Luxemburg, EU Commission.
More information with visual images can be found from the AIESEP 2006 Proceedings.