Hautomo

A project-based course for turning your passion into reality

In this innovation, students carry out independent projects on something they are passionate about. Students invent new things and their creative process is supported by the course, outside partners and various student networks. The course is integrated into the high school’s curriculum.

English | Suomi

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Finland 100

Overview

HundrED has selected this innovation to

Finland 100

Web presence

2015

Established

-

Children

1

Countries

Updated

March 2017

In two years we have grown from a small course to an international community involving many schools – all with the power of students. We cannot wait what will happen next.

About the innovation

What is it all about?

Digitalization, robotics and automation will replace many of of today’s jobs either partly or completely. Mechanic repetition, learning things by heart or following certain formulas no longer play a significant role in the labor market. Employees must be able to take risks, network and be creative – whatever the field.

The natural creativity of humans and their ability to throw themselves into anything is becoming increasingly more important. This is why it’s even more important to encourage children to trust their unique skills and find answers to questions that don’t necessarily have ready answers yet.

Today’s schools should answer these challenges by offering students opportunities to express themselves and maintain their creativity during the school day. Students should be encouraged to try new things, such as imagine a job that doesn’t exist yet and discuss the significance of this type of thinking.

Hautomo is an independent course for high schools or other upper secondary education institutions organized by both the assigned coordinating teacher and the students themselves. The Hautomo organization behind the course is run by young people and provides students not only general instructions for the projects but also support networks so they don’t have to worry about the money or their grades.

Hautomo brings young people together by helping them to network and find like-minded people to create something out of their passions together. Former participants act as mentors to help prevent typical mistakes and provide support during the project.

Hautomo’s aim is to strengthen kids’ trust in their own skills and test their wings in something they are passionate about. The Hautomo course gives students concrete evidence of their own skills, which can be of help in finding jobs in the future or applying to further education.

The first Hautomo course in a school began at the Etelä-Tapiola High School in the spring of 2015. During the 2015–2016 school year the students ran several projects.

At the moment Hautomo is active in four schools in Finland and the U.S. The Hautomo organization works closely with the schools but the schools still provide the course independently and can tailor the course to suit their purposes.

This innovation describes the steps needed to organize a Hautomo course at a school and the opportunities the course provides students for exploring their passion through a project. You can also find contact information for ordering the course and course material. Students can also follow the steps to carry out a project independently. A teacher interested in Hautomo can show the steps to their students and encourage them to implement the innovation at their school.

Impact & scalability

Impact & Scalability

Innovativeness

The student-led project course combines taking responsibility of one’s studies to 21st century workplace skills.

Impact

Nurturing students’ creativity and passion in high school builds a positive school spirit and improves professional self-knowledge.

Scalability

With small adaptations, the course can be implemented in many kinds of education systems with different kinds of resources.

Media

Implementation steps

What is Hautomo?

Find out more about the Hautomo organization on their website:

www.hautomo.org

The page contains information on Hautomo, its collaborating partners and schools and the projects completed by students, among other things.

You can find the projects completed during previous Hautomo courses here. Participants have, for example, made a short film, taken high altitude pictures of the Earth and crafted piano gloves.

Starting a Hautomo course is free. Some projects created during the courses might need funding. The project can be funded by the school or the partners of the projects. The Hautomo organization will help you find funding.

Assessing interest

Find out if there are students in your school who are interested in a Hautomo course.

Together with teachers, the principal and students, find out if there are students in your school who are interested and motivated to make their passions a reality alongside their studies.

Students can also assess the interest level themselves. They can use any methods they like, such as surveys, interviews, inquiries or social media.

The more people you ask, the clearer picture you will have of the enthusiasm in your school. You don’t need many interested people at first. Just ten motivated youngsters can run Hautomo activities at their school.

Example

When starting previous Hautomos, students have often asked the principal’s opinion first, after which they have asked if their schoolmates would be interested, and finally if other students would be interested.

Assembling a team to organize the course

Look for a group of 2–5 students at your school to organize the Hautomo activities. The organizers should have some kind of experience with project work.

The organizing group have the following responsibilities:

Organizing weekly meetings (find a proper space for this, such as a classroom or the cafeteria)

Coordinating with other Hautomos that are active, i.e. contacting Hautomo courses at other schools

Budgeting

Mentoring the projects at the school

Professionals will explain how to start and run a Hautomo course and provide the team with leadership training, as well. Motivation is therefore more important than previous experience. The leadership training is arranged through the collaborating partners of the Hautomo organization.

The organizers can also work on their own projects at the same time, but it is often best to choose between organizing the Hautomo course or doing a project to have enough time for school and hobbies. Organizing the course offers students the chance to learn and build their leadership skills. It is a good way to participate in Hautomo activities even for those who are not interested in working on a project of their own.

Integrating the course in the school curriculum

Present Hautomo to your school principal and get their approval. The principal will include the course in the school curriculum. The school can then offer the course for students to include in their studies.

Agree to the practicalities of verifying the course with the principal and teachers beforehand so that everyone knows the parameters of the course requirements.

To find out more about this step and adding the Hautomo course to the school curriculum, contact the principal of Etelä-Tapiola High School, Harri Rinta-aho via email: harri.rinta-aho@espoo.fi.

You will also need to appoint a coordinating teacher for the course. Their duties include confirming that students have completed the course and assisting with adding the course to the school curriculum.

Contact Hautomo

Contact the Hautomo team once you determine your school’s interest in Hautomo or if you want more information about starting the course.

You can contact the Hautomo team directly at:

Jamin Hu
Founder & Director
+358 40 58 83 988
jamin.hu@hautomo.org

The Hautomo organization will help you with any questions you might have and will start the process for founding a Hautomo at your school.

At this point, the following things will be discussed:

Instructions related to founding a Hautomo and receiving other materials

The preliminary team leaders

Choosing the coordinating teacher and other staff

Need for funding, i.e. will the school need funding from the organization to start a Hautomo

Other questions about launching Hautomo or about the organization

Promoting the course

Promote the course extensively already before it starts.

Tips for students marketing the course:

Talk about the course with your friends

Ask the principal for permission to announce the course on the school PA system and talk about the meetings and other events

Use the school’s social media accounts to promote and spread information

You will receive promotional material from the Hautomo organization, but the best way to make people excited about Hautomo are the projects themselves and the spirit that will form around the Hautomo projects.

Launching the course and practical considerations

When a team of students brings Hautomo to their school, the entire Hautomo network will assist with any questions and tasks related to starting and preparing the course.

Instructions for getting started and promotional material will be sent directly to the school. This will help you start work on the projects immediately and begin the activities with ease.

Funding the projects

The Hautomo organization’s treasurer will contact all schools participating regularly and will help you with matters related to funding.

When project-specific funding is needed, the network will help you find sponsors (e.g. a short film project’s cameras were sponsored by Canon).

Hautomo’s partner network is also available for you once your course is established.

The Hautomo organization gets funding from both public and private sources. However, every school should use their own networks to find sponsors and funders – especially, if your school is outside Finland.

Finding partners and sponsors is important and will provide students with useful experience – from creating networks to project management. It can even yield job opportunities after working together on a project. Everyone involved in a project should therefore contact companies, universities or other schools, depending on the project, to practice their collaboration and networking skills.