About Jaana
Jaana Kiviluote: Doctor of Education, trainer, special education teacher
Jaana Kiviluote (née Hintikka) defended her doctoral thesis in education at the University of Turku in 2016. Kiviluote has around 30 years of diverse experience in the teaching profession. She has worked throughout Finland as a school teacher as well as working as a special education teacher in an international school with a large proportion of students from immigrant families. For the last 17 years, she has been teaching students with emotional and behavioural challenges at Mikael’s school in Turku. Kiviluote completed her Finnish National Agency for Education degree in 2018.
Since 2015, Kiviluote has lectured and acted as a supervisor for students of special education needs at the University of Turku. In addition, she has worked at the University of Turku as an instructor for additional teacher training that specialises in school well-being.
Kiviluote also has experience in training and facilitation through an interpreter. In 2017, 20 female teachers from private schools in Saudi Arabia observed Kiviluote during emotional skills lessons. After that, they also received training in class management skills from Kiviluote.
Doctoral research on the development of students’ emotional and self-regulatory skills
In her dissertation, Kiviluote examined the development of students’ emotional and self-regulatory skills, as well as students’ and teachers’ assessments and experiences of the Steps of Aggression teaching programme. The Steps of Aggression model on the development of a child’s emotional life has been created by child psychiatrist Raisa Cacciatore (www.raisacacciatore.fi). Kiviluote has several years of experience in the practical implementation of this teaching programme.
Supporting socio-emotional development: information and methods
The aim of the training provided by Kiviluote is to provide information about the importance of emotional skills for individual development and to provide methods to support socio-emotional development. The training provides concrete practical tips for implementing emotional skills education through the evidence-based Steps of Aggression teaching programme in a goal-oriented, regular, and consistent manner.
Teaching materials for emotional and interaction skills
• The latest teaching materials for emotional and interaction skills are “Handling Feelings and Behaviour in high school – teacher’s manual”, “Emotion Cards for Young People and Adults”, and “Emotions Memory Game Cards for Young People and Adults” published by Jaana Kiviluote in January 2020. These teaching materials for supporting young people’s well-being are intended for any professionals working with adolescents and young adults, as well as for anyone interested in understanding or teaching emotional skills.
• Kiviluote developed and published the anticipated teachers’ manual on emotional and interaction skills called “Handling Feelings and Behaviour” in January 2018. This teaching manual (Hintikka, 2018), based on the Steps of Aggression teaching programme, is intended for use in primary schools. The easy-to-use, bound manual has ready-made lesson plan suggestions with practical guidance and assignment handouts for school years 1-5. The manual also contains lesson objectives as well as implementation and assessment tips for all four of the teaching themes: 1) Different emotions and the concept of aggression, 2) Violence and handling emotions, 3) Argument skills, and 4) Calming down and relaxing.
• In addition to the teachers’ manual, the other “Handling Feelings and Behaviour” instructional materials include: Emotion Cards, Strength Cards, Poster Set, and an Evaluation Chart that includes a smiley face sheet and symbols to be coloured in. In January 2019 Kiviluote published Emotions Memory Game Cards 1 and 2, Strengths Memory Game Cards 1 and 2, Swedish-language teaching materials, and the Early Childhood Educator’s Handbook (Kiviluote, 2019).
Further research on supporting students’ socio-emotional competence
In the autumn of 2019, Jaana Kiviluote started additional post-doctoral research at the Faculty of Education at the University of Turku entitled “Supporting students’ socio-emotional competence with the help of the Steps of Aggression teaching programme”. Approximately 400 year 3 and 4 primary school students from across Finland will take part in the study.
The study examines the impact of emotional and interaction skills taught according to the Steps of Aggression teaching programme on students’ socio-emotional competency during a study period of 1 to 3 academic years for students receiving general, enhanced, or special pedagogical support. In addition, the study investigates students’ and teachers’ perceived usefulness of the emotional skills lessons for students. The Jenny and Antti Wihuri Foundation has provided a grant to support this research.
Curriculum Vitae
Education
- Degree in Education Administration: 2018
- Doctor of Education: 2016, University of Turku
- Special education teacher, comprehensive special educational needs: 2003, University of Jyväskylä
- Master of Education, school teacher: 1991, University of Oulu
- Kajaani Teacher Training Institute matriculation examination: 1986, Reisjärvi High School
Trainer
- Handling Feelings and Behaviour training for primary school education and teaching staff: 2018-2020
- Training requested by different municipalities across Finland: 2017-2020
- Lecturer for students of special educational needs: 2015-2020, University of Turku Department of Special Education
- Continuing professional development training arranged by regional state administration agencies for teachers and educators working in early childhood education and basic education: 2016-2020
- Functional emotional skills training (2 hours) for several different schools: 2017, City of Turku Mobile School Project
Work experience in the field of education
- Special education teacher, City of Turku: 2002-present
- Comprehensive special education teacher, City of Turku: 2000-2002
- School teacher, City of Tampere: 1992-2000
- School teacher, Reisjärvi municipality: 1991-1992
- Numerous teaching placements in primary, secondary, and high schools, Reisjärvi municipality: 1986-1991
- Collation and preparation of learning materials, Reisjärvi municipality: 10/06/1988-24.08.1988, 01/06/1989-25.07.1989
