MA 2004 and PhD 2013 (Finnish Language), University of Helsinki,
University Teacher of Finnish, Language Centre of the University of Helsinki 2010–
Assistant 2005–10 and Lecturer 2004–2005, Finnish Language subject, University of Helsinki
Awards:
Academic of the Year 2014, Finnish Union of University Researchers and Teachers
Photo: Veikko Somerpuro
Written by: Riitta-Ilona Hurmerinta
Translated by John Calton
From supervision of writing at Master’s and Postgrad level to support with the writing process
Dr Kimmo Svinhufvud is a Finnish-language teacher working in the University’s Language Centre. Svinhufvud offers his students support in their academic writing both through taught courses and net-based material. In teaching the main official languages of the country, he works alongside two Finnish-speaking and one Swedish-speaking colleague.
Svinhufvud began writing guides to preparing a master’s dissertation and blogging on the subject back in the early 2000s, when he was a lecturer in the Finnish Department.
– In 2010 the Language Centre set up a unit for LI speakers of Finnish and Swedish (i.e. speakers who have either of these as their first language). With the benefit of no preconceived ideas, I set about planning course-based supervision. Writing courses like these, which support the generation of academic seminar papers and the like seem to serve the students’ needs. Having said that, the number of people working on master’s dissertations and doctoral theses, relative to our teaching resources, is considerable.
The main point of the courses offered by the Language Centre is to learn to manage the writing process involved in producing academic texts. Working in small groups, each individual sets their own goals, the realization of which is followed week by week. In addition there are writing exercises which concentrate on argumentation, say, or drafting summaries. The idea is that students learn from each other and get peer support through discussion of the task. Kimmo Svinhufvud meets all the course participants face to face.
– It’s important that time is made available during the course for everyone’s queries to be handled. Needless to say, personal supervision on matters of substance relating to the academic assignments has to come from the subject departments themselves.
Photo: Veikko Somerpuro.
In writing his own doctoral thesis Kimmo Svinhufvud realised that postgrads need a greater level of supervision. And in the last three years the Language Centre has provided writing supervision for doctoral candidates.
– Theoretically-speaking, the broad framework for the courses comes from the work of three Norwegian educationalists: Olga Dysthe, Akylina Samara and Kariane Westrheim. The trio have developed a three-stage model: individual content-based supervision, formal group supervision (seminars) and less structured group supervision, in which the supervisor takes no part.
In Svinhufvud’s view, the Language Centre courses deliver on this three-stage model.
– In our courses you can talk freely about the challenges of the writing process with others faced with the same situation. Students from different faculties and subjects attend these courses. In this kind of supervision, the particular discipline is of little importance, since the problems relating to text generation are the same whatever the academic area.
Kimmo Svinhufvud’s work includes writer training. In his view writing, like any other skill, can be taught.
– The main thing is to get people writing and as follow-up have them reflect on what they have produced in groups to have some basis for comparison.
Svinhufvud studied writing at the University of Jyväskylä, which has been on the curriculum for twenty years. Back then he wrote loads, even literary texts, but the urge to become a writer wasn’t sufficiently strong. These days he’s more interested in academic writing.
– As a teacher of writing I myself have to write across as many different styles. Part of being professional is that you can draw on your own experience. Typically I reflect on what my own actions and writing process then turn these into teaching material.
Supervision and tips for writing a Master’s dissertation and a PhD thesis, and writing in general:
By
Written by Riitta-Ilona Hurmerinta. Translated by John Calton.
Kimmo Svinhufvud
Born April 18, 1971, Lappeenranta
MA 2004 and PhD 2013 (Finnish Language), University of Helsinki,
University Teacher of Finnish, Language Centre of the University of Helsinki 2010–
Assistant 2005–10 and Lecturer 2004–2005, Finnish Language subject, University of Helsinki
