Last Day of Study Tour and Hockey Night in Tampere

For the last day of our study tour, we visited the Tampere University of Applied Sciences. In much the same way that secondary school is divided into two options (general and vocational), there are several distint university choices. The University of Tampere offers students a traditional, liberal arts style of education with bachelor's degrees and master's degrees. Most students will complete both degrees. The University of Applied Sciences provides a more hands-on, practical style of education leading to a bachelor's degree. Students enter the workforce following the bachelor's degree, but some may return for master's degrees.

We initially visited ProAkatemia. This specialized program is for students interested in entrepreneurism. The students are assigned to teams of up to 20 students. Within their teams, they develop and run businesses and projects. Their courses are very non-traditional with one teacher/coach overseeing their work. The students read books and attend discussion sessions, but most of their learning is based on the projects.

This is a team discussion group. The students set the agenda for the dialogues.

Work area at ProAkademia.

This image captures the values of the program.
I really like the steps in the process. I think
they apply to learning at all levels.

After ProAkademia, we visited the main campus of Tampere University of Applied Sciences. We visited a class of teachers from Brazil who are participating in a program to learn Finnish educational methods. I must admit I was tempted by some of the programs that they offer for foreign teachers! We also visited the business area where students were actively working on managing virtual businesses and the science labs. 

After our visits, we were treated to a delicious lunch at Henrik's restaurant. We started a glass of glögi, a traditional hot Christmas drink. The meal included carrot soup and meatballs with pasta, followed by lemon cake. We enjoyed discussing what we had learned and planned to take back with us. 

glögi

In the evening, Chris and I attended the Tampere Ilves (lynx) hockey game with a couple from Michigan. The fans were spirited, and we had a great time despite the Ilves loss.

Today we returned to Helsinki by train and made our way to our apartment for the next leg of our adventure.