Hahmottelusta

Hahmottelusta is a Finnish term used in cognitive science and education to describe the stage or process of forming a rough mental representation or outline of a subject. The word derives from the verb hahmottaa, meaning to form a picture or concept in one’s mind, with the noun form hahmottelu and the ablative case hahmottelusta signifying “from the outlining” or “of the outlining.”

In educational contexts, hahmottelusta refers to the initial grasp a learner develops when encountering new material, focusing on core elements, relationships, and overall structure rather than details. This quick sketch helps guide attention, memory, and subsequent inquiry, and it often precedes deeper analysis, elaboration, or problem solving.

Practically, instructors can support hahmottelusta by prompting students to articulate main ideas, draw a simple concept map, or outline expected relationships before delving into specifics; assessment tasks may measure the quality of the initial outline as an indicator of comprehension.

Related concepts include mental models, schemas, and gist extraction. Hahmottelusta is seen as complementary to detailed analysis and information integration, and it is often studied in relation to reading strategies, instructional design, and early-phase problem solving. The term emphasizes the importance of an initial, coherent overview as a foundation for further learning.