Flexible basic education – the Finnish way of regaining the lost school motivation
Each year in April, I spend one week interviewing teenagers (and their guardians) who want to apply for a class of flexible basic education. Only 12 of them will be qualified although every applicant would need and deserve to get in. Who are these kids and what is this class about? It’s yet another success…
Read MoreNine years of teaching and learning in the heart of Europe
Cherry trees and tulips blossom in all colors now in Brussels. I miss this international and bohemian city. I also miss the location, it was so easy and fast to travel to other European cities at weekends. I worked nine years as a class teacher in the European School in Brussels, seconded by the Finnish…
Read MorePartnership with families in Early Childhood Education
When educators from around the world come to Finland, get introduced to the Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) system, experience and observe real situations and interaction among children and adults, they get very excited and overwhelmed with many thoughts and ideas they would like to have as a takeaway back home. During the previous…
Read MoreOutdoor schooling for better learning results
Children who grow up with greener surroundings have up to 55 percent less risk of developing various mental disorders later in life. This is shown by a new study from Aarhus University, Denmark, emphasizing the need for designing green and healthy environments for the future. There is increasing evidence that the natural environment plays a larger role for mental health than previously thought. About…
Read MoreTeaching is not just transferring knowledge – Experiences as a teacher trainer in foreign countries
I have had possibility to train some groups of teachers and principals for instance in Brazil, China, Dominican Republic and many other foreign principals and teachers in their own countries during last years. The significant feeling for me has been engagement. They have been so ready to work as change agents in different educational situations…
Read MoreTeam Learning – a valuable tool for 21st century skills
Learning in the Finnish high school has previously had a strong focus on the individual student and the Matriculation Examination. Learning and teaching both, have been lonely jobs. Today, there is a change towards more collaborative methods. In the autumn 2016 schools in Finland started to work with the new core curriculum, and we were…
Read MoreElena Chukhlantseva
Let the child be the scriptwriter, the director and the actor in his own play.
Read MoreCountry living – innovative way
You start your journey from the city center and leave the neon lights behind you. After passing by several suburbs and after the last traffic lights and road lights you’re driving alone without seeing a single house on a journey through the swamps and forest. Suddenly you pump into a small village of 1500 inhabitants…
Read MoreWhy do we need Phenomenon-based Learning?
”Finland Will Become The First Country In The World To Get Rid Of All School Subjects!” I look at the headline in international magazine and think: ”Oh, really?” I glance at the current Finnish National Core Curriculum for Finnish Basic Education on my table and think, what are all the 16 different school subjects presented…
Read More3rd International Seminar in Malta
We often say that we have the best job in the world. This was again the case, when we visited Malta last week to train teachers and launch LessonApp Premium there. The devoted, talented and passionate Maltese educators we met during our trip are the source of inspiration for our work! Thank you, Malta,…
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