Our last full day in Finland brought us to Lahderanta School in the city of Espoo. The head teachers described it to us as a small school in comparison to other schools in Espoo, they are 269 pupils there with 20 teachers. After a brief discussion with the head teacher we were collected by members of the school council who acted as our tour guides. They were very happy in school and  were very enthusiastic to show us every area of the school they could possibly think of, there was a large gymnasium that was well equipped with crash mats, basket balls, climbing wall and lots more. The pupils in the school were sports mad and nearly everyone I spoke to played sport outside of school, whether it was football, ice hockey, basketball, gymnastics or even figure skating. Then we moved on to the woodwork room. The explained how they were able to make the wooden box and safety rules that they had when using the equipment. They were even allowed to use a flame torch unaided!

We walked around the school  and the pupils (like in most of the Finnish schools we’ve been to) were allowed to move freely around the classroom and the corridors outside the classroom. This was explained to use using the picture of the forest in the lake above. The people inside the tent need guidance and must stay close. The people in the forest can work independently but may still need help so are able to come back to the safety of the tent. The people in the lake can work independently and have the freedom to work where they feel comfortable. Our guides took us into their maths lesson where they were provided with a map of the school that had red dots on. These dots were an area of the school  where a QR code was hidden, they had to find the QR code and scan it from here they were given a maths question that they had to answer. It was a very cool lesson and the pupils were fully interactive.

Whilst we were at the school they were celebrating Ahtisaari day. This was a day of peace and conflict resolution. They discussed ideas linked to the problem solving wheel and decided the best ways to resolve conflict. From here we went into an English lesson, we were given numbers and asked to sit down. The pupils had been learning about Wales in preparation for our visit and had many questions to ask us. We were asked questions about our home life and why we were visiting Finland but I think the most difficult question I was asked was why are there more sheep than people? There pupils were very interested in our responses I was even taught a little bit of Finnish! I have been really impressed with the language skills of the pupils here, most pupils speak three languages and one girl even spoke seven.

We then visited the preschool (aged 6) who had a very special surprise for us, they had prepared a song to perform, it was really nice and I will play it to you when I get back. After we were shown around the preschool it was back to the main building for lunch and then a kahoot quiz about what we had learnt from the day. It was a lovely school and it finished the trip on a high! Now I am back in the apartment doing a bit of work and packing the last bits of my suitcase! It has been an incredible experience and I have met some  amazing people. As I write this I am filled with excitement, I can’t wait to get home tomorrow to Mrs Allen, Thomas and Chloe and I really look forward to seeing all of you on Monday!

Mr Allen signing out for the final time!

Hertsikan Ala-Aste was the first school we have visited in the Helsinki region, all the schools we have previously visited were based in Espoo. The school had grades 1-6 (ages 7 to 12). We arrived at the school at around 7:45 (5:45 Wales time) and school began at 8:00. We were shown to an English lesson, the classroom was very different to the classrooms we had previously seen on our visit. The classroom was all in rows with the pupils facing the front. The children were doing a quiz in order to learn vocabulary linked to recycling. Elfed (one of the teachers on the trip) attempted to teach the children some simple welsh vocabulary such as Bore da and Nos da, they were very eager to learn welsh. The next classroom we visited organised forty children from three different grades in the same classroom, the class had two teachers and one support staff, the children were set different tasks at the start of the week and would review them with the teacher on Friday. Once they had completed the activities they were able to have free choice, this could include drawing, reading or extra research using a laptop. A regular weeks activities would include around eight to ten pages in their maths book along with other tasks such as a place locator using online maps, the one child we spoke to had to find different areas of Australia. Each pupil had to score over 80% in their quiz or they would have to resit it until they reached 80%. The pupils were able to sit where they liked and the three different age groups worked side by side with older pupils from the sixth grade often helping pupils from the forth grade. We then visited another English class where the pupils were researching the differences and similarities between Finland and the USA. In the fifth grade this is very common as in most schools we have been to they have had the same textbooks. Then it was time for lunch. I looked  at the clock at it was 10:15. I was amazed. How would class three like lunch at 10:15?

After lunch we had meetings with the teachers and discussed the differences and similarities between education in Finland and Britain. It was then time to leave and head back to the apartment so I could write my report as part of the trip. After a couple hours of work it was then time to travel to the outskirts of Helsinki to the Hartwall Arena to watch Russia vs Finland in Ice Hockey. We had an amazing time. Last school tomorrow and then home on Saturday!

Mr Allen

This week in Helsinki is education week. So as part of education week they have organised the HundrED conference, this is where 100 innovative teaching styles and techniques are shared with the world. There was education linked to skateboarding in Afghanistan, Challenge 59 empowering children through dance and film (based in London), and many, many more. It was a good conference but the last keynote speaker was incredible. Her name  was Kayla Delzer, she is a teacher in North Dakota, USA. She spoke about building a bond and relationships with the children in your class and how that is the most important thing about teaching. She was so passionate about teaching and her speech resembled many of my own feelings about education.

“Every kid needs and deserves to know how awesome they are”

Class 3 – You are all awesome in your own ways and never forget that!

Today we visited Mattliden School. This was on the same campus as Mattliden Gymnasium but catered for pupils in grades 1-9 (7-16 years old). We had a brief discussion about the Finnish education system and how it varied being a Swedish-Finnish school. We were shown around the school by three pupils who were very knowledgeable with fantastic English.

A regular day for the students in grades 1 and 2 is to begin at 8:15 and finish at 13:00, this was Monday to Thursday on a Friday they would start at the same time but finish slightly earlier at 12:00. As the pupils get older the length of their school day extends. Grades 3-6 usually begin their day at 8:15 and finish at 13:00 or 14:30. Tuesday are a special day and lots of students don’t start school until 9:45, this gives them the opportunity to attend community clubs such as ice hockey, football, handball and many, many more. Sport is very well attended in the school with children often having over six training sessions a week before and after school. The oldest children in grades 7-9 start the day at 8:15 and finish at 14:30.

We walked into one classroom and there were only six pupils in the actual lesson, there were supposed to be eighteen. When we asked where the rest were, we were directed into the communal areas where the children were sitting on a variety of workspaces including sofas, chairs, benches, beanbags and even exercise bikes. The staff place lots of trust on their pupils and allow them to work in different areas, the teacher said this helps them to develop independence and if they are stuck  they know where to find her. I found this very unusual but when we were talking to the teacher a pupil submitted their work for the teacher to look at via google classroom. Behaviour was very good in the school and the pupils attitude to work was excellent, they realise the benefits of education and take this very seriously.

We visited a music lesson where the pupils were able to learn to play a variety of different instruments including guitars, drums and keyboards. The teacher placed three different levels of difficulty on the board (linked to the chords/notes needed) and the pupils were encouraged to just give it a go. The children were really enthusiastic and the teacher was always on hand to help anyone if they were stuck . We also popped into a PE lesson where the children were following plans in order to produce human pyramids, this was quite amusing as they kept falling over, they were able to think about what went wrong and try a different approach. Then we went to the home economics classrooms, I was amazed when we arrived a girl showed us her chopping board she had made from a couple of lengths of  wood. She designed her product, cut the wood and glued it together. When it was joined she used a jigsaw to trim it to the correct shape and cut a circle where she could hang it. She was then sanding it down and her next step was to seal it. She had done all this and she was just 13. From there we visited a cookery room where the children were making their own soup and homemade bread, it smelt delicious but we had no time to taste it as we were off for lunch of our own.

After lunch we visited a language class where the children were doing presentations about different cities in Germany (all the presentations were in Finnish). Then one pupil had made a quiz about the different cities. I had a go but the questions were all in Finnish, lets just say I didn’t do to well apart from the flag questions. We visited a few more lessons  then it was time to head back to the apartment in Lepparaava. Some food and some work later brings us to me writing my blog. We are going to an education conference tomorrow and then back to schools on Thursday and Friday. My question for you is… What would you like to know about Finland? I will ask a selection of questions the pupils I meet this week.

Mr Allen

Today we had the opportunity to visit Mattliden Gymnasium, this is a general secondary school for pupils aged between sixteen and nineteen. This prepares the pupils before they go to university. It is a Swedish-Finnish (lessons are taught through Swedish)  school and is the only one of its kind in Espoo. We had the opportunity to meet with the principal who spoke to us about the education system and her school and then we had the chance to look around the school and spoke to some of the pupils, this was a great experience. I spent around twenty minutes speaking to an eighteen year old pupil called Michael, he was originally from Greece but has been living in Finland since he was seven. He explained to me the importance of education and how being independent in their learning is ingrained from a very young age. He said there are no excuses when you don’t do work/homework and you are only letting yourself down if you don’t do it.

Some of the schools in Finland are very elite and they will only take pupils with a high GPA (points system linked to teachers grades) so Finnish pupils know they must work hard to get the best education possible. When I was walking around the school there were many areas with sofas and tables where pupils would meet and socialise but would also be completing work.

Overall the  school was very different to the others we have visited so far but the attitude of the pupils and the expectations of learning are carried all the way through the education system.

Mr Allen

After we finished in Smedsby School on Friday we decided that we would take a road trip to Lapland which is in the north of Finland. We looked for accommodation and found a lodge in Oulu which was around two and a half hours away from Roveniemi in Lapland. The lodge was lovely although in the attic room where the beds were I was unable to stand because the ceiling was so low. We arrived in Oulu at around 10pm (We had left Leppavaara at around 2:30 that afternoon) after a brief discussion it was time to get a good nights sleep.

I woke up the next morning and was very excited about our trip. We were about to venture into the arctic circle! We left at around 9am and got to Roveniemi at 12. There were a variety of different activities that you could do there including reindeer rides, husky adventures and tracks to explore in search of the northern lights. As we were only going to be there for a short while we wondered around the areas. It was lovely but it was soon time to leave for our journey back to Oulu, we wanted to make the journey in daylight as the roads were very icy and it had began to snow.

We arrived back at Oulu and we decided to walk into the centre for some food. Common things on the menu were bear, reindeer and elk but as it was so late most places were closed so we had to make do with a take-away Chinese. Then it was a short trip back to the lodge and bed in preparation for our mammoth journey back.

I woke up the following morning and had a shower and sauna. Sauna’s are very common in Finland, lots of people have them in their own homes and if they live in apartments they have  a communal one. There is even a sauna in Burger King. It was then time for our journey back. We travelled for around 8 hours stopping just once for fuel. We were able to take some views of the countryside as it was light for the majority of our journey. Finland is a very flat country in comparison to Wales and we saw very little wildlife apart from the occasional group of horses. Upon further research I found that many animals such as bears go into hibernation before November. When we arrived back in Lepparaava it was a quick chat with the rest of the group then bed in preparation for the week to come. We had travelled a total of 1800km or 1,125 miles in the space of 48 hours. To put that into perspective it was like travelling from St Florence to Amsterdam (Netherlands) and back to St Florence (by car) in the space of 48 hours.

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Today we visited Smedsby School in Espoo, the school had 119 pupils, it had a similar feel to St Florence. The outdoor area was fantastic, there was woodland which the children were able to play here at break times. In the winter months their football pitch is filled with water and frozen for the children to play Ice Hockey, this is one of the most popular sports in Finland. When they realised that I was a Cardiff fan they were eager to speak to me about Premier League football, they were all fans of Liverpool, Man Utd and Man City! In the school they had woodwork rooms where the children are able to use jigsaws, drills and saws. We were welcomed into the school by a banner saying Welcome to Smedsby 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 Wales 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿, we were also treated to a dance that a group of girls had choreographed themselves for our visit. We were shown a robot that they were testing, it acted as a camera and would take the place of a pupil if they were off for an extended period (the robot was connected to an iPad and streams the lessons so children could take part at home). I was very impressed by the school and learnt a lot. Well that is the end of my first week in schools. Now a break for the weekend! We are going on a road trip to …

LAPLAND 🎅 🎄

Mr Allen

Over the past two days we have visited two schools, Mankkaanpuron (6-12) and Mankkaa (12-16). Both schools were IT specialists. Every pupil in Grade 6 (Year 7) at Mankkaanpuron had their own google chrome laptop that they used in lessons and were able to take home. They used google classroom during lessons to set tasks. The classrooms are very varied some lessons are more formal at tables and some the children could work where the were comfortable. All tables and chairs heighten meaning children can work standing up, sitting down on a chair or stool or even gym balls. There is NO uniform and the children are allowed to wear what they feel comfortable in and they are allowed to listen to headphones during a lesson. The children usually work independently and any topic work is child led. We saw the children producing a variety of presentations about space, some made quizzes for others, some made oral presentations, some made PowerPoints. This style of work was the same for both schools. In Mankkaa we were shown around by 3 pupils, they all spoke 4 languages, Lilian, one of our guides, actually spoke an incredible seven languages by the age of 14. In Mankkaa they have three hours of cookery per week! Tonight we have been in to Helsinki to see the Christmas lights, we went to a hotel which had a balcony on the 14th floor here we had an amazing view of Helsinki! I am thoroughly enjoying my visit. Hopefully going north on Saturday in search of the northern lights! Nos Dda pawb!

Mr Allen

Yesterday we had the opportunity to visit Taavinkyla School. It has around 330 pupils on roll and is set in a community with a small woodland. We spoke to the head teacher of the school who shared some information about the school with us including the roles and responsibilities of children and some of their school council presented information as well. They spoke very good English and this is one of four languages they have lessons for in school (Finnish, English, German and Swedish). It was really good to see the children’s attitudes toward school and learning, the average lesson is around 45 minutes here and school starts and finishes at different linked to their Grade (year group). In most classes there was an emphasis on independent learning and the children working together. When the teachers set the work children moved about and worked in different areas in and outside the class this included working underneath tables, in seated areas and on the floor. When it came to lunchtime the children served themselves and teachers ate with the children. There was very little mess and the noise level was much quieter than our lunch break. Each class take it in turns to have the responsibility of cleaning the lunch tables and floor! For lunch you could have a variety of salad items, salmon pasta, cheese pasta or a potato gratin, it tasted delicious. We then visited more classes before leaving the school.

After school we travelled to the other side of Helsinki to the village of Porvoo, they had some picturesque buildings of a variety of colours. We looked around and stopped in a cafe  before travelling back to Lepavaara where we went to the local shopping centre for food. On the way back to the apartment we passed a karaoke bar, we might visit this another night. What songs shall we sing? All in all a good day.

Mr Allen

Well yesterday morning we visited a Kindergarten called Little Heroes, it was a new Kindergarten that had opened in August, we were shown around the different rooms and Annika (Kindergarten owner) talked to us about how they run the Kindergarten. They spend 2-3 hours outside per day and will only stop going outside at -30 ! A message the Finnish people live by is there’s not bad weather it’s inappropriate clothing. When we were there it snowed!!! We visited a local park where the children played for around 40 minutes. In the Kindergarten they speak three languages (English, Finnish and Mandarin). Children can attend Little Heroes until the age of 6 where they would then go on to Pre-School. There were different areas in the rooms and the children independently went to different activities. They all ate lunch together with the staff (it had been brought in from a restaurant) even at the age of 2 the children were able to use cutlery independently and it was very calm. We had a lovely morning and it was a pleasure to visit.

From there we travelled back to to Forenom Apartments (where we are staying) to add more layers of clothing and it was onto Helsinki. We had lunch in Cafe Ursula overlooking one of the 330 islands of Helsinki then it was onto the British Embassy. We had to travel through security checks and met with Richard Shackleton who is Deputy Head of Mission and Heidi (Finnish national who leads education in the British Embassy) they spoke to us about the Finnish education system and their roles.

After this we went back to Helsinki centre for some food shopping where I saw a tin of ‘Bear’ that’s right 🐻 BEAR! Really didn’t appeal to my appetite and don’t think I will try it, there is also reindeer on the menu in some food places! It was then back to Leppävaara (Forenom apartment) for a meeting to write a report and then bed!

Mr Allen