Arctic Pedagogy Study Tour in Oulu
In late November we welcomed customers from Colorado U.S. to Oulu, Finland to take part of the Arctic Pedagogy Study Tour. Arctic Pedagogy Study Tour combines the Magic of Northern Finland and top-quality pedagogical content.
The first day included a visit to Alaranta Primary School in the Municipality of Ii. It is a small and agile comprehensive school for grades one through six, ages 7 to 12. School principal Mr. Samuli Hanhisalo guided a tour through the new, beautiful school. The wood framed school has been planned and built to meet The Nordic Swan Ecolabel standards.
This school, along with other schools in Ii, works with high expectations and principles of sustainable development. Their plan of sustainable development includes different themes that the students process and present to each other during the school year. The school also participates in so called “50/50 program” that is designed to reduce the usage of resources, such as water and electricity. When the students save money by using resources wisely, they get back half of the money they saved and they can use it for their own wellbeing. The day also included an Introduction to Finnish Education System raising a lot of questions and comparing to the American one. We called it a day after a short visit to Touhula Lystivekara early childhood education unit.
Reindeer, Ancient history and STEAM education
Have you ever fed a reindeer? We kicked off Tuesday by visiting a local reindeer farm where we learned how those cute Santa´s official pets live up North and had a chance to feed and meet the animals in their environment. Have you ever heard about Reindeer Races? We continued to Kierikki which consists of the Centre for Ancient Times and the Stone Age Village. During the school visit at Yli-Ii School our guests learned about versatile pedagogy for different learners. They also visited special needs class and flexible basic education class (JOPO). Read more what is Flexible Basic Education.
One theme of the visit was sustainability in learning: how is the curriculum and how to implement it in everyday school life? This rural school is a great example how to enjoy countryside living innovative way. They incorporate STEAM pedagogy and curriculum and they have a dedicated learning environment called Värkkäämö. 5th-6th grade students presented learning game Osmo and Sphero robots. They also presented their projects. 9th grade student designed a keychain with the visitors and fabricated it using laser cutter. What a lovely souvenir!
Environmental education, AI and Finnish Sauna Experience!
Wednesday morning started with a visit to Timosenkoski Nature School where visitors got an introduction of sustainable education in Oulu schools. The main target of the nature school education is to familiarize students and educators with natural phenomena and to increase school activities outside the classroom. Furthermore, an important goal is to awake environmental sensitivity and interest in nature and to promote responsible lifestyle.
After a lunch they had a possibility to visit University of Oulu, Faculty of education and psychology to follow teacher students studying AI with the help of University teacher Jari Laru PhD. This course is taken as a part of their technology studies during the first year and includes for example technology education that takes into account the operating principles of artificial intelligence, the opportunities it offers and the dynamic effects – without forgetting its shortcomings and risks or how artificial intelligence systems can increase confrontation, discrimination, insecurity and erode trust. Later that evening was a long waited Finnish Sauna Experience in Koivurannan saunalautta. What a joy a relaxation!
In the early hours of Thursday morning, there was an expert lecture on assessment in basic education. We had a comprehensive and multifaceted discussion on summative and formative assessment in both Finland and the United States. The topic sparked considerable interest, and we continued the discussion over lunch. The lunch was served at the theater restaurant, which offered a beautiful view. We visited Hiukkavaara school with impressive architecture, interior design, and phenomenon-based learning practices. The day also included a visit to a local library, one of the learning environments outside a school building. The visitors were informed about the cooperation between the school and the library, such as the library route and STEAM in Oulu. In the evening, we had a Thanksgiving dinner together at a traditional Finnish restaurant.
The last day of Arctic Pedagogy Study Tour started with a hands-on session with our trainer Heikki Vimpari who is a STEAM teacher. They learned about the STEAM path and the way we use technology in pedagogy. The visitors had a possibility to do an exercise with a LED light and some coding, too.
The last school we visited was Oulujoki Primary School where our participants learned about their outdoor activities with students. To wrap up everything the principal explained details about their school´s operational culture like co-teaching and how this school puts a lot of emphasis on learning 21st Century Skills through STEAM pedagogy. Visitors were interested in teachers´ job and their wellbeing and motivation. Before saying goodbye we had a delicious farewell lunch and some reflection on everything they had learned and seen during the week.
The visitors were very grateful for the versatility of the program and the different schools visited. Small country schools, large units, nature school, kindergarten, library etc and the opportunity to get a deeper understanding on environmental education. The autonomy of a Finnish teacher and school aroused admiration. Trust was visible everywhere and they thought it was genuine. When it comes to cultural elements, getting to know Finnish history, culture and livelihoods, tasting variety of Finnish food completed the tour experience. The visit to the reindeer farm was especially memorable.
Seeing Northern Lights was the cherry on the cake!
Thank you very much for taking part of the Arctic Pedagogy Study Tour in Oulu and all the best for you important daily work back in Colorado, U.S.! We loved to have you here! We would also like to thank all the local schools, visiting places and experts for a smooth collaboration and warm welcome! See you soon in January, when the next Arctic Pedagogy Study Tour welcomes visitors from Australia in collaboration with Tours for Teachers.
