Week 19, 21.05.11 – 27.05.11 (Personal Blog) – Mandy Brown

This week was my last in Finland.  I continued with my presentations in St Olofsskolan; met my student tutors for the final time, and packed and returned home to Northern Ireland. 

Generally, the presentations went well with the students and I found that I could talk with them at their level.  The school appeared very relaxed and somewhat different to that of Northern Ireland.  For example, there is a more casual relationship between student and teacher, where they are more like equals – casually dressed in jeans and teachers called by their forename rather than surname.  I spoke to the teachers about this and their response was that it would feel strange to be named by Mister or Missus.  I was glad to have the opportunity to engage in this project as it was a challenge for me to present to an older group of students, and I value the experience for the future.

During my last evening in Turku I met with my student tutors to say our final farewells.  This was a lovely experience, we enjoyed a coffee and chat and went to the local cinema together.  I had been given some free cinema tickets as a thank you for participating in the school project, therefore making the most of this.  It was a sad time to be finally leaving and on reflection, we all agreed it would have been nice to spend more free-time together.  However, I welcomed them to Northern Ireland in the future and hope to keep in contact.

Finally, I flew home on Saturday evening.  Unfortunately the flight was delayed which was disappointing.  However on a more positive note – I was happy to be returning home, no matter how long the delay was.  Everything has more or less come to an end, and I am one of the few exchange students left to go home.  It is a sad time, as I have met many great people from other parts of the world whom I hope I will be in contact with in the future.

Overall, the Erasmus experience has been excellent and I would have no hesitation in recommending it to other students considering studying abroad.  It was a great opportunity to experience so many other things, and helped in broadening my views and knowledge outside of Northern Ireland.

Week 18, 14.05.11 – 20.05.11 (Cultural Blog) – Mandy Brown

This week I experienced more of Finland’s culture.  I visited another city (Tampere) with other exchange students, Finland played Ice-hockey against Sweden and I gave a presentation to Grade 8 students (14 year-olds).

Firstly, at the weekend I visited Tampere – the third largest city in Finland, and having knowledge of this fact, I expected it to be interesting and exciting.  It appeared to be a nice city and I saw the Finlayson Factory, famous for making textile machinery and then moved to cotton production.  I have noticed that Finlayson is branded on household cotton items, such as towels, so I suppose this is something to be recognised.  However it seemed there was not much to do in the city so I decided to visit the Sarkanniemi adventure park and observation tower.  This turned out to be expensive but worth experiencing as it is supposedly Tampere’s largest tourist attraction.  All in all, it was lovely way to spend time with what remains of the other exchange students.

In addition to this, Finland versus Sweden in the Ice-hockey championship final was a massive celebration for the Finn’s.  I watched the match online and Finland were awarded the World Championship 2011 title at a result of 6 – 1!  The players returned home to Helsinki where there was a large crowd of people to welcome them back.  There was entertainment and footage of the match shown.  Meanwhile, in Turku there was a television screen in the city centre showing this homecoming.  I found that although the Finn’s were out drinking alcohol (as they usually do for celebrations), there was not the same atmosphere as in Helsinki.  They waved their Finnish flags here and there, with a few cheers and chants.

In addition to all of this, I visited St: Olofsskolan, a school for Grades 7 -9 (13 -15 year-olds).  This school’s language of instruction was Swedish; however the students were fluent in English, with a number being bilingual.  I voluntarily participated in this as part of the Erasmus in Schools project and presented a talk about Erasmus, my experiences of the Finnish culture compared to Northern Ireland, and informed the students about the United Kingdom, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.  (Grade 8 had been learning about the United Kingdom). 

This was my first real experience of presenting and interacting with 14 year-olds, never mind being foreign students; so naturally I was somewhat apprehensive.  However in the end I realised there was need to be as it all went very well.  The students were well behaved, good humoured and appeared interested.  I look forward to visiting the school next week to continue these lessons.

Week 17, 07.05.11 – 13.05.11 (Professional Blog) – Mandy Brown

This week I completed my University work and visited two new settings.  

In terms of University work I have completed all work that I will submit next week.  My host University appears to have a more relaxed approach to meeting submission deadlines, as late submissions do not have a penalty like Stranmillis.  I dislike this approach as it lacks focus on self-discipline and in my opinion is a poor way to guide students into the transition of working life where meeting deadlines can be essential.  However, I have continued to work effectively and independently to meet relevant submission dates within good time.  Stranmillis’ methods have taught me to meet deadlines and perhaps as a mature student, I prefer this due to working full-time. 

This week I visited two different settings: a Children’s Centre and Turku International School.    The Children’s Centre was an interesting experience where the manager showed me around and had a discussion.  The centre cares for children aged 0 – 18 years old whom face difficult circumstances at home and/or school.  Currently it has seven places caring for adolescents; and they are encouraged to become independent young people.  The centre had an individual apartment attached for other cases, such as a mother and baby in need of help.  The facilities offered were excellent with a nice calm and relaxed atmosphere. 

During my visit to Turku International School I also experienced a relaxed atmosphere.  It was somewhat different to schools in N.I.  Firstly the children are not with one teacher for the entire school day, they move classrooms for different lessons.  They also tended to have a 10-15 minute break of free time in between lessons.  In addition to this I found (like the pre-school) that teachers were not under any pressure to make yearly, termly or weekly plans.  It is important to note that the teachers and children are clearly not facing the same pressures as of N.I.  The school has adapted its core curriculum to include part of England’s curriculum for teaching English.  Furthermore, on another note, Child Protection and security are not a major concern, as there were no fences around the playground and no security code system at the main entrance.  Even with these differences to N.I that surprise me, it all runs smoothly; and therefore I like the provision.

Finally this week I have also focused on updating my Curriculum Vitae and applying for employment back in N.I because I will need to return to work. 

Cultural Note: Finland’s Mother’s Day was on Sunday 8^th May and all the shops and supermarkets were closed for this holiday.  It gives the impression that the Finnish take advantage of whatever holidays they can get!

Week 16, 30.04.11 – 06.05.11 (Cultural Blog) – Mandy Brown

I mentioned at the end of last week’s blog that I had helped the children in my placement make ‘Vappu’ hats.  This was in preparation for VAPPU on 1^st May.  Therefore I was able to experience some of the Finnish culture over the weekend.  It seems Vappu (May Day) was traditionally ‘Worker’s Day’ and it has been an official flag-raising day since 1978 – ‘The Day of Finnish Work’.

Naturally, I was keen to experience this celebration so I went along to the town on the eve of Vappu where I met with other students (including Alex and Andrea from last year’s exchange).  We relaxed in the park and then headed to the Art Museum in the town centre; where an official-looking gentleman was giving a speech to the crowds that had gathered.  In today’s society the celebration of Vappu is mainly for secondary school graduates (past and present) to celebrate by bringing out their white caps.  After this speech the students put their caps on and continued to be merry with sparkling beverages (traditionally mead “sima”).

Following this, the crowds walked behind a carnival-like parade towards the Aura River where the statue ‘Lilja’ was situated.  It is a tradition, I am told (and have now witnessed), that the dentistry students clean the statue Lilja with an enormous toothbrush.  The students pretended to clean the statue followed by a politician’s speech, which was spoken in Finnish, Swedish and English.  From what I could grasp of the speech it seemed that the general public were not overly thrilled by what the man had to say.  Apparently, there has been a recent election of government politicians and people believe that the new parliament is not going to move forward with equality but go back to some traditional old way.  However as the speech means less to me, I was happy to experience the Finnish culture as it turned out to be a massive celebration.

On Vappu day I went to a park in Turku for a picnic with other students.  This was still a major celebration for the Finn’s, attending with their white caps and alcoholic drinks.  It was quite a different experience to see so many Finn’s out enjoying themselves, although I found that they do like to drink a great deal!  It was nice to see that even though alcohol was involved, there were no drunken fights and everyone was celebrating in harmony.

Prior to Vappu I had heard it was a massive celebration and that I must experience it while in Finland.  However I was somewhat disappointed, as with all the talking about it I must have had high expectations which were not met.  To end though, it was a lovely experience and another one to add to my memories of Finland and Erasmus.

Professional Note: This week was my last in placement and I was sad to leave.  I taught the children about ‘nature’ with a PowerPoint presentation and ‘nature trail’ as my final lesson.  This was enjoyed by all and a great way to end my time with the children.  To conclude my time there I visited the International School with the Pre-school children.  It was interesting to see how on the opening morning they go straight to a desk and undertake two lessons with the teacher.  I look forward to observing the full routines when I visit the school next week again.

Overall I have enjoyed placement immensely – the teachers, children and environment as a whole were great and I will miss it.  As a thank you and farewell gift I gave the setting a ‘Twister’ game for the children (which they were delighted with) and some Irish Linen tea towels so as to leave them with some memories of Northern Ireland.  The teachers were kind and gave me famous ‘Fazer’ chocolate and Salmiakki with a beautiful Finnish ‘Marimekko’ candle holder.

Picture 1: Speech given at the Art Museum



Picture 2: The crowds at Vappu

Picture 3: Parading towards the Aura River

Picture 4: Holding Flags around statue 'Lilja' before the toothbrush clean!

Week 15, 23.04.11 – 29.04.11 (Professional Blog) – Mandy Brown

This blog will discuss, reflect and compare my acquired knowledge of general aspects between Finland and Northern Ireland’s Early Years provision, education and curriculum.  My knowledge and understanding of each has developed over time and as my Erasmus experience is almost complete, it is important to consider these issues.

As previously stated, my placement training in Turku is in a Daycare and Pre-school setting.  The organisation cares for young children aged 3 – 6 years old.  However for the purposes of this blog the focus will be on the Pre-school facilities (caring for 6 year olds) as children in Finland begin basic school education at 7 years old.  The general routine includes four hours pre-school teaching in the classroom (9am – 1pm and an hour of this includes ‘resting time’ and lunch-time), with the afternoon session as daycare.  According to the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health (2004), the level of education a pre-school teacher should hold in Finland is a bachelor or master’s degree in education; or a bachelor degree in social sciences with an additional pedagogical course.  Pre-school entry is government funded, however private daycare costs are the responsibility of parents/guardians.

In Northern Ireland (N.I) daycares generally follow the same routine as my experiences in Finland.  On the other hand, the organisations somewhat differ in that 4 year old children may attend Pre-school or Nursery School (non-compulsory); 5 and 6 year old children attend Primary school (compulsory).  In Pre-school it is less structured with a focus on ‘learning through play’ with curriculum guidelines for government funded settings, {Council for the Curriculum, Examinations and Assessment (CCEA, 2006)}.  At age 5 in Primary One, play-based learning is still important with a more structured approach to the curriculum.  In recent times the school curriculum for Primary 1 and 2 has changed to incorporate the ‘Foundation Stage’, linking more so with the Pre-school teaching methods.  The day is from 9am until 2pm for the first three years in Primary school, without any ‘resting time’.  Teaching staff must hold at least a Bachelor of Education degree, or a Bachelor degree and Post Graduate Certificate of Education.  Support staff such as Classroom Assistants should have at least a National Vocational Qualification (NVQ) Level three in Early Years Education.

According to the Finnish National Board of Education (FNBE) (2010) pre-school/pre-primary education is voluntary, however all municipalities of Finland are required to offer and provide the free service.  N.I is similar, attempting to provide this however I find it does not quite match the high-quality provision that Finland is providing.  I reflect this to N.I and it seems that Finland provides many Social, Health and Education benefits.  For example, education is free for all residents of Finland, including University students!  I find that N.I and indeed the United Kingdom (U.K) are seriously lacking the high-quality services that this country offers.

The Ministry of Social Affairs and Health (2004), states that a beneficial strength to the Finnish system is well-educated and multi-disciplinary staff.  It is therefore questionable if the educators and pedagogues in N.I are encouraged sufficiently to become well-educated.  Certainly from previous experience in N.I daycares I have found that staff are not motivated to study and achieve a higher qualification.  Furthermore – this has encouraged me to consider if educators back home are not well-educated themselves, it seems impossible to educate children (the future generations) to the highest of standards.

Moving on, although the countries differ on the school starting age, they both follow a curriculum with seven areas of learning/subject fields.  On reading relevant literature {N.I Curriculum: Foundation Stage (2006), and the Core Curriculum for Pre-School Education in Finland (2000)} I found that Finland’s Pre-School curriculum divided learning into Language and Interaction, Mathematics, Ethics and Philosophy, Environmental and Natural Studies, Health, Physical and Motor Development, and Art and Culture.  In addition to this, municipalities and individual Pre-School providers can further prepare and approve a curriculum for education in compliance with the Core Curriculum.  It seems that pedagogues in Finland have more scope with their teaching therefore it this appears to be another strength for the country’s education system.  It may be worth considering if these differences help result in the findings and reputation of the Finnish being recorded as one of the top achievers in education.

This blog may seem lengthy; however I consider it all to be of relevance and importance as part of my Erasmus experience.  In truth I have read and learned from practical placement much more than I have written though unfortunately the word count does not allow for this.

References

CCEA (2006) Understanding the Foundation Stage, Belfast: CCEA.

Finnish National Board of Education (FNBE) (2010) Pre-Primary Education, Helsinki: FNBE.  (Accessed from http://www.oph.fi/english/education/pre-primary_education on 29 April 2011).

Ministry of Social Affairs and Health (MSAH) (2004) Early Childhood Education and Care in Finland, Helsinki: MSAH.

National Board of Education (2000) Core Curriculum for Pre-School Education in Finland, Helsinki: Yliopistopaino/University Press.

Professional Note: This week in placement I worked with the children, encouraging creativity to make ‘Vappu’ hats in preparation for the May Day weekend.

Personal Note: This week the Royal Wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton took place and I decided to watch the celebrations on the Internet.  This was a nice way to experience the happenings of the UK and history in-the-making.

Week 14, 16.04.11 – 22.04.11 (Cultural Blog) – Mandy Brown

As time goes on I am taking opportunities to experience various surrounding countries of Finland.  Previous blogs have included visiting Norway and Russia; and so Estonia follows this week.  I travelled to Tallinn for the cultural experience and to meet with my friend.  I was pleased that spring arrived in Estonia as well as in Finland.  Therefore I was able to pack away my winter clothing and sent it back home.  Temperatures were well into plus degrees not unlike home.  In addition to this I was glad to experience a country that was less expensive!  For example, provided I took the time to view menus around the town I got a decent meal for a reasonable price.  This encouraged me to be more relaxed about dining out whereas in Finland I am conscious of the more expensive prices.

The natives in Tallinn seemed much the same as the Finnish people – quiet and did not say more than absolutely necessary.  They spoke fluent English which was useful for me, however I soon realised that they also spoke Finnish.  Furthermore when I was in a shop, the assistant spoke to me in what I thought was Finnish, but was in fact Estonian.  She explained to me (in English) however that the two languages were similar.  I explored the medieval ‘old town’ of Tallinn which appeared to be small.  It was a quaint place and things could be seen within a matter of one or two days.  The people working in the old town were in medieval dress which I thought was a nice way to attract visitors to the town.

I participated in a bus tour of the city to learn about the main sights.  It seemed in general, the city was tiny and that everything was within walking distance.  Therefore following the tour I set off on foot to explore more.  This allowed me to see that not the entire city was pretty and that there were poorer areas. 

On a professional note – as I walked through Tallinn I noticed numerous children’s play parks, similar to Finland in that they were spaced out around the city.  I enjoyed observing the comparison to Northern Ireland and that there seemed to be a high importance on quality outdoor play facilities.

Finally, it is now a matter of weeks before I return home and the experiences I have gained from Finland and the surrounding countries seem worthwhile.  I look forward to reporting to others of my experiences and hope that I return as a more culturally informed individual, able to reflect on my own cultural differences.

Picture: View of the 'old town' in Tallinn.

Week 13, 09.04.11 – 15.04.11 (Professional Blog) – Mandy Brown

A Professional Blog is appropriate this week.  I attended placement and a trip to Saint Petersburg in Russia organised by University (the main purpose of this was to tour children’s homes).

In the pre-school setting I find that as time passes, planning and organisation of work for the children is different to that of Northern Ireland.  The teachers are not pressured to the same extent with large amounts of paperwork; in fact it seems more relaxed and that they can use their time more effectively with the children.  I favour this approach as I would suggest from previous experience that teachers are constantly required to complete excessive amounts of administrative duties, hence creating a de-motivated atmosphere. 

During a lesson this week I helped the children make their own paper clocks this week, in keeping with the current topic of time.  This was an enjoyable and relaxed atmosphere and following the activity the children used their individual clocks autonomously, telling the time. 

In addition to this I attended an information meeting from Turku International School which was primarily for the prospective parents to learn more about the school.  It was a great opportunity for me to learn about the school and to request some placement days so that I can experience the Finnish schooling system for children above seven years-old.  The teachers were happy to welcome me to the school and I will be observing some lessons in May.

Finally this week I visited Saint Petersburg in Russia to tour some children’s homes with a mix of sight-seeing opportunities.  This was an enjoyable way to gain course credit!  Whilst there I visited two children’s homes which was an interesting experience.  I was informed that the most common reason that children (3 – 18 year-olds) were living there was because of poor social welfare backgrounds, for example, parents could not care for them properly.  The homes were similar in that both provided mini-apartments for the children to create a homely atmosphere that the children could feel comfortable in.  I was told that they encourage the children to be independent with day-to-day activities as they would do at home, for example cleaning and tidying their dinner dishes.  According to the owners, a child’s length of stay in the home can range from one week to one and a half years.  I questioned if they had outdoor play facilities because I think this is an important resource for children (as I did not see any outside); they did not have any however the indoor facilities were impressive.

To end my time in Saint Petersburg I explored the cultural surroundings.  It appeared to be large and extremely busy with traffic.  In the beginning I found this city unattractive because the buildings and pavements tended to be unkempt, smoking is permitted anywhere and the fuel fumes from traffic was quite disgusting.  However I filed this to the back of my mind and found some lovely architecture with beautiful, colourful cathedrals.  I also visited the Russian Vodka Museum as I am informed that vodka is very popular in Russia and that people tend to drink it straight by itself and often!