Baby, It's Cold Outside!

Brrr. Today felt like the coldest day we have encountered, and we are not in the Arctic yet. The weather said that it was 31℉, but the Feels Like temperature was 15℉ and it sure felt like it. Of course, it could have been the amount of time that we were outside too.

We walked down to the marina area of Helsinki and Market Square. We completed a couple of tourist activities...the Flying Cinema tour of Helsinki and the SkyWheel. The movie provided a quick tour of the sites of Helsinki while the theater moved. It even sprayed a little water when you abruptly landed in the sea. Aside from the motion-induced queasiness of the jerking motions, it was a cool way to take a quick tour.

Next, we headed for the SkyWheel. This Ferris wheel has fully-enclosed, heated gondolas and provides a great view of the city. They even have a sauna gondola and a VIP gondola. You'll notice that, despite being the largest city in Finland and the capital, Helsinki does not have skyscrapers.

View from the Skywheel

Adjacent to the Skywheel is one of the public sauna experiences in Helsinki. We did not partake in this today, but even on Monday morning, it was a busy place. People would come out from the sauna and make their way to the bay for a plunge in the chilly waters. Most come out in just a swimsuit. And then they go back in and repeat the whole process. Yikes! They claim it is a refreshing, indescribable feeling.

Notice the apparel of the lifeguard and the ice on the deck!

In addition to the sauna, there was an outdoor swimming pool where a number of people were swimming. I'm thinking the water may have been heated based on the steam rising from it, but still. Maybe an indoor pool could be an option at this time of the year?

Picture of the pool from the SkyWheel

Next, we made our way over to the Market Square building. This beautiful, old martketplace included vendors selling meats, cheeses, pastries, and more. Anyone need canned bear meat or reindeer meat for the holidays? (Can you serve reindeer on Christmas? Somehow, that doesn't seem appropriate, does it?) Chris greatly enjoyed his seafood soup for lunch. I had a meat pastry that was also delicious.

After lunch, we wandered back to the Christmas Market in Senate Square. It was much quieter today. Since there wasn't a long line, I was able to take my turn on the carousel. The boat-like seat I was in even rocked back and forth. It was so much fun! You are never too old to enjoy a carousel ride!

We climbed the many steps to the Cathedral above the square to take in the view from above.

I'm sure that tree looked straight when it was out in the forest!

The cold weather called for some hot chocolate before the walk back. Yum! Yes, I ordered it with all of the available toppings...mini marshmallows, meringue, whipped cream, chocolate syrup, and sprinkles! How is a girl supposed to choose from those options?!

We found a cozy, little place to sit under a heat lamp.

City sidewalks, busy sidewalks, dressed in holiday style...

It's a little bit hard to see, but the children on the platform are all wearing
yellow vests over their snowsuits. They are on a field trip looking at the
decorated windows of the Stockmann Department Store. We saw several
school groups out today. They always wear the reflective vests when they
are out. At the daycare I visited, they even wore them out for recess.

Tomorrow, we will leave our apartment and move to the Hotel Lilla Roberts and meet our tour group for the third leg of our trip.

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas

Walking through the streets of Helsinki today, the anticipation of Christmas is evident. This is the season of pikkujoulu or "Little Christmas", the days in December leading up to Christmas. Christmas lights are strung over the streets and windows are decorated and carols are playing. The streets are bustling with people. I love seeing the little children all bundled up in their snowsuits.

We visited the Christmas Market in Senate Square. This is the oldest and largest market in Helsinki with a carousel in the center and over 100 booths. There were all kinds of things for sale, but an abundance of glögi and knit hats, socks, and mittens. You need to keep warm here! 

We also visited a smaller international Christmas market closer to where we are staying. We enjoyed pastries, including a delicious Hungarian one!

Tonight we attended the FORK So...This is Christmas? concert. FORK is a Finnish a capella ensemble that is not your typical a capella group. I greatly enjoyed the show! 

This is the Aleksanterin Theatre where we saw the show.

For a little taste of FORK, here is a link to one of their songs. https://youtu.be/g8AXlM8yHRc

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.

Let's Meet the Big Kids

Today I spent the day with students at an Ylöjärvi Upper Secondary School. 

Students move to the upper secondary school (high school) following ninth grade. They call the levels first grade through third grade in upper secondary. In ninth grade, students decide if they want to attend a general studies high school with an emphasis on academic courses to prepare them to attend a university or a vocational high school with an emphasis on job training skills for employment or further education at a polytechnical school (though they can still apply for the university). Some students also enroll in the vocational school, but also complete general studies requirements. The school that I visited today houses both a general studies high school and a vocational high school. The students and staff move between both sections of the attached buildings and share common areas, such as the cafeteria and teachers' lounge.

Another big, comfortable teachers' lounge

High school students select their own schedules in the way that our college students typically do. They go online and select the courses that they want to take, choosing the time of day and the teacher. Most of the courses that they take are required, but they do have options for electives and advanced studies and can choose areas that they want to focus on for these courses.

First Day of Art Class

First Day of Music Class

The only mandatory standardized testing in Finland is the matriculation exams required for graduation. Students must take a minimum of four exams, but they can choose to take additional exams. This can be beneficial because the exams provide points that are used when applying to universities. The tests are scheduled throughout the country on the same day and time. Each test lasts up to six hours. They recently moved to online testing. Students do take an entire course in school that is directly focused on preparing for the exam.

The school that I visited is one of two in Finland with a special focus on entrepreneurship. Students can apply for this extra program and work with the same students throughout high school. They are participating in a Young Entrepreneur program where they develop and operate a business for a year. They also participate in community business opportunities to develop their project management and business skills. 

We were able to attend a third year English class where we interviewed small groups of students. I really enjoyed talking with my group of girls. They shared their feelings on school, asked me questions about American schools, and talked to me about life as a teenager in Finland. They also recommended that I try ice swimming, sauna, and Finnish chocolate while I'm here. 

We took a look at some of the rooms in the vocational school as well. Nearly every job in Finland has some type of educational training that students can participate in. Vocational schools are arranged in 8 fields of study and include more than 50 types of qualifications ranging from machinery and automotive to beauty and nursing assistants.

Machine shop

Auto shop

Nursing Assistant Training

Home Care Training

Tomorrow is the last day of my study tour. We will visit a university of applied sciences. 

Weather Check
Warmer today 35℉ with Feels Like Temp of 24℉

Sunrise 9:08 AM            Sunset 3:17 PM

Another busy day!

Today was a really busy and fulfilling day! We visited Lempoinen basic comprehensive school today. This school has about 580 students from grades 1 - 6. The school was recently renovated and has several additions, so the facilities were very nice and spacious. This school seemed to have a calm and mild culture. We were given a tour of the building and had opportunities to visit a number of classrooms.

 This is a 6th grade class learning Swedish. Swedish is the second national language of Finland, so all students begin Swedish in 6th grade. The students had flashcards with activities written in Swedish that they had to act out for their peers to guess in Swedish.

This is a special education classroom. While students are included in general education classrooms, some students do work in self-contained special education classrooms like this one. 

Next, we made our way to a third grade math class. Teachers each select their own curriculum materials. Many of the textbooks are written by Finnish teachers. The arrangement of the classroom seating is very traditional with desks in rows. I have not seen a lot of materials hanging on classroom walls. Most rooms did not have bulletin boards.

The third grade team had their own work room area and small group room. I assume the other grades have similar rooms.

In the lunchroom, the school was experimenting with one day a week of silent lunch, which happened to be today. They heard that another school was having success with this approach and that students were eating more of their lunches, so they are trying it. I was amazed at how quiet it was in this lunchroom. 

The students serve themselves at lunch. They are encouraged to try a little bit of everything and take what they can eat.

We also had an opportunity to visit the woodshop class as well as the textiles and art classrooms. The kids were loving the woodshop! And, yes, they were all using the saws!

Of course, we had to check out the teachers' lounge. It was spacious and comfortable with areas for coffee breaks, talking, and lockers.

As I'm sure you have figured out by now, recess is a huge part of the Finnish school system and students' days. This school had several playground areas with lots of equipment as well as a field area and an ice rink.

 

This afternoon we learned about high schools in Finland. At the end of ninth grade, students choose whether they want to pursue studies at a general studies high school for university preparation courses or a vocational studies high school. Tomorrow we will visit a high school campus so I will share more information tomorrow night.

This evening we joined several people from my program for dinner at a local brewery restaurant. Another delicious meal and a great time to visit!