Week 2, 22.01.11 – 28.01.11 (Professional Blog) - Mandy Brown

It is now my second week in Finland and I have only had one class again so far (Finnish language).  It seems it is the only class that will be on the same day, at the same time each week!  In saying this though, the tutor was twenty minutes late, with no apologies whatsoever – I found this odd.  It was difficult with many more new words and phrases to learn, however an interesting challenge.  My timetable for classes will become more frequent from week beginning 7^th February, as will the placement experiences.  Hence, I intend to have more to report on this from then onwards.

In relation to Early Childhood Studies (or Social Services as it is named here), I attended a meeting with my tutor in ‘Daycare Daisy’ – my placement for the next twelve weeks.  Prior to the meeting I researched their website to gain some background information.  The setting is a private international and multicultural daycare, providing daycare and pre-school provision.  I am impressed by the diversity in this setting as it does not only care for Finnish children, but various other ethnic cultures.  I look forward to the experiences of caring for these children over the duration of my placement.

I met my mentor Henna, the pre-school teacher.  I was informed that the Finnish children do not speak English and often ask questions in Finnish.  Henna said that although this is the case, the teachers tend to reply in English to encourage development of the English language.  It appears that the setting’s ethos places an importance on learning the English language from the age of three years old, as they state that a child has acquired his/her native language by this age.

My time here will be primarily based in the pre-school with some opportunities to experience other areas of the setting.  According to the teacher, the six year old children have one hour in the morning routine where it is required that they sit at a desk and participate in formal learning.  Generally the remainder of the routine involves indoor/outdoor play, lunch and sleep time.

This first meeting has given me an insight into the nature of the setting and I look forward to the forthcoming experiences ahead; in particular their planning techniques, early years curriculum, communication and interaction with the children.

Picture: A typical kindergarten (play-park).