Learning Study - Day 1

Today I visited my first Finnish school! I met my Learning Study group at the University of Tampere. There are only four of us in the group...a high school chemistry teacher from Michigan, a corporate learning professional from Argentina, and a man who I think is a principal from the Philippines. Our leader today was Tommi, an assistant principal in a primary school. 

We visited Vatiala School in Kangasala. This video provides a birds-eye view of the area, but the school is currently a construction zone. The main building in this video has been demolished and the athletic fields are now home to temporary classroom structures. Everyone is being patient as they look forward to the new building that will open in 2020.

https://youtu.be/Qu0VaoT6umg

https://www.kangasala.fi/varhaiskasvatus-ja-opetus/perusopetus/koulut/vatiala/

We were able to go into a first grade classroom of seven year olds who were presenting a reader's theater play to their classmates. The students were very excited to present their play about a teacher who they thought had been kidnapped!

We took a coffee break in the temporary lounge. It wasn't the deluxe lounge that I shared in my video about the teacher's lounge, but it did have a couple of couches and a table and a number of teachers did visit for a break while we were in the room. We then returned to a classroom for some information sharing from a teacher at the school. We enjoyed meatballs and potatoes with salad for lunch.

Next, we visited a fourth grade music class. The students took turns playing the electric guitar and bass and the drum set while the rest of the class sang. The teacher led and provided feedback to the students.

After every 45 minutes of instruction, the students took a break. They also have one 30 minute break and a break after lunch. Most of the students go outside for the break. Children were all over outside - playing soccer on the field, talking in small groups, and exploring the woods.

You may have noticed in some of the pictures that the students were wearing socks. The students remove their shoes before entering the classrooms and spend the day in socks. 

Another interesting thing I learned was that the students follow various schedules from day to day. They may have some full days attending school from 8:00 - 3:00, but have other days of the week where they only attend for a few hours. My instructor said that his two school age children sometimes start at different times. Today his nine year old started at 8:00, but his seven year old didn't start until 9:00. So, the seven year old stayed at home by himself until it was time to walk to school. 

It is really interesting to see how some things are different in another culture, but many things are similar. Good teaching is good teaching no matter where you are!

Tomorrow, we will visit an early childhood center to learn about preschool and pre-primary education. Formal education starts with pre-primary at age 6 in Finland.

Chris spent the day exploring. He did find a record store to check out. With his great sense of direction, he is already learning his way around town.