The project for ‘Empowered Educators’ has begun, with the University of Helsinki Centre for Continuing Education HY+ and the University of Helsinki’s distinguished teacher training school set to receive a group of participants from South Korea for its teacher training programme this upcoming August 2019.

Instigated by the Jeollanamdo Office of Education with the aim of inspiring local change-makers, the programme will bring Finnish elements into South Korean teaching practices through the participants’ comprehensive immersion into Finnish academic and social culture.

The project is headed by HY+’s International Business Development Manager Ms. Minna Saadé. “I am delighted to have this opportunity to provide an intensive and inspirational experience for our South Korean participants”, Ms. Saadé comments. “The outcome of the project will have far-reaching benefits for all parties involved. We look forward to welcoming our guests to Helsinki, Finland!”

Developing South Korea’s Educational Institutions and Schooling System

The programme will be divided into four distinct components. The first two components consist of intensive training in the English language and in Finnish pedagogical methods. The third component of the programme will entail immersive activities in the University of Helsinki’s distinguished teacher training school, and visits into other public schools in the capital region. Here, the participants will witness first-hand the practical implementation of Finnish educational theory in a classroom setting.

Through direct involvement in mentoring activities and observations, alongside other elements of Finnish pre- and in-service teacher training, the participants’ experiences will be those of members within the school community. This invaluable role and insight will prepare them to conduct professional improvements in their own home institutions on their return to South Korea in December.

Their methods of doing so will be outlined in the fourth component: the Final Project, the topic for which will be chosen by the participants on the outset of the programme. This research paper will bring together the theoretical and practical pillars of the programme, and provide the concrete framework necessary for a sustainable course of action following the programme’s closure, with regards to both local and national development in South Korea’s educational institutions and entire schooling system.

Further Information

Minna Saadé, University of Helsinki Centre for Continuing Education HY+ Ldt.
minna.saade@hyplus.fi, +358 50 311 5814