Education Reform Programmes
EDUCATION REFORM AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME FOR A TEACHER TRAINING INSTITUTE
Pakistan 2018 (ongoing)
Through a multi-year partnership with Durbeen, a Pakistan-based non-profit education company, the University of Helsinki will share its education resources to support the process of education reform in the public sector of the country. This programme focuses on developing and enhancing the new National Curriculum for Bachelor’s degree of Education on a local level in the Province of Karachi. Incorporated in-service training will address the mind shift required to modernize the training and subsequently develop the capacity of the faculty of a state-owned teacher education college. The graduates of this college will later be placed in public schools, trained and qualified to raise the quality of education being offered to Pakistani students.
FINLAND’S SUPPORT FOR UKRAINIAN SCHOOL REFORM – CROSS CUTTING EDUCATION FOR ALL
Ukraine 2018 (ongoing)
The project of the Ministry of Education of Ukraine aims to modernize the Ukrainian education system and to improve teaching and learning methods for the 21st century requirements in accordance with the Vision for the New Ukrainian School. The expected impact will be the improved quality of education and citizens’ more positive perception of Ukrainian education. The intervention is divided into three clusters: 1) Teacher preparation and competence development 2) Education promotion 3) Development of education environment. The project is funded by the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland.
Professional Development Programmes
BUILDING LEADERSHIP FOR CHANGE THROUGH SCHOOL IMMERSION
Helsinki, Finland 2017
During a six-month professional development programme, 56 Saudi teachers improved their English language skills, participated in cutting-edge pedagogical training, took part in a three-month supervised observation course in carefully-selected Finnish schools, and practiced 21st century education skills. The aim of the programme was to coach participants to become change agents in their home schools in KSA with the help of teacher training and customised tools from the Finnish educational system. The programme was delivered in Helsinki, Finland, and it was funded by the Ministry of Education of The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
IMPROVING TEACHERS’ IN-SERVICE TRAINING
Peru 2013–2015
The goal of the Professional Development Programme was to enhance the quality of in-service teacher training in higher education by strengthening the pedagogical capabilities and practices of Peruvian partner universities. The programme also aimed to promote democratic, social, economic and sustainable development in Peru as well as elsewhere in Latin America.
In practice, the University of Helsinki trained teacher educators of the participating network of Peruvian universities, RPU (Red Peruana de Universidades). The trained teacher educators then passed on their new skills by coaching local pedagogical mentors (Acompañantes Pedagógicos). With the support of the pedagogical mentors, Peruvian school teachers also benefitted from the project. Altogether 60 Peruvian university teachers and almost 200 mentor teachers participated in the programme.
Planning and execution of the programme were designed to comply with Peruvian national political guidelines and strategic goals (Logros de Aprendizaje de los Estudiantes de Educación Básica Regular, PELA 2013‒2016, and Metas educativas e Indicatores al 2021).
ENHANCING PROFESSIONAL COMPETENCES: EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION
Singapore 2013–2014
The University of Helsinki collaborated with a Singaporean client organisation to provide training aimed at strengthening professional competence in early childhood education. The programme consisted of contact teaching in Finland and Singapore as well as online training. Contact training included lectures, group work, learning assignments and educational visits.
Master Classes
FINNISH EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION AND CARE
Helsinki, Finland 2017
The Master Class in Finnish Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) involved a group of six education administrators from Hong Kong, who took part in an intensive five-day course in Helsinki. The course included keynote lectures and workshops on Finnish ECEC, the new national core curriculum and its local implementations, and the related quality assurance system. Participants saw theory implemented in practice during site visits to the Playful Learning Centre as well as local kindergartens. The administrators also received more detailed insights into themes such as inclusive and child-centred education, learning environments, the use of ICT and benchmarking best practices. The aim of the Master Class was to offer participants an understanding of Finnish ECEC and to inspire new ideas for implementation in their local education system.
FACULTY DEVELOPMENT: UNIVERSITY TEACHING AND LEARNING
Helsinki, Finland 2016
A custom-designed five-day Master Class in University Pedagogy provided 12 participants from a Federal University in Russia a broad overview of carefully-selected aspects of university teaching and learning. Faculty experts from the University of Helsinki delivered training on topics such as leadership in teaching, curriculum design, interactive teaching methods, project-based learning and evaluation of students’ learning experiences. The teaching approach included lectures, workshops, active participation and knowledge sharing.
TEACHER EDUCATION – TEACHING ENGLISH AS A FOREIGN LANGUAGE
Helsinki, Finland 2013
These intensive 10-day courses involved South Korean English teachers and were designed to share current Finnish approaches and methods for teaching English as a foreign language. The curriculum was based on international and Finnish research. Emphasis was placed on communicative language use in situations that are meaningful to the speaker. Furthermore, the intensive courses introduced a less grammar-focused approach to language learning.
INTENSIVE COURSE ON ENVIRONMENTAL ECONOMICS FOR FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS
Helsinki, Finland 2013
The course was designed to introduce the main principles of environmental economics to decision makers from a Chinese financial institution. The goal was to find new ways of incorporating environmental issues in the social decision making and project assessment procedures of financial institutions, and to enhance operational competence. The course was delivered as an intensive two-week course in Helsinki, Finland.
Intensive Training Programmes
POSITIVE PEDAGOGY IN LEADERSHIP AND PLAYFUL LEARNING IN EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION
Beirut, Lebanon 2019
This training was designed for the Syndicate of the Lebanese Nursery owners and their members from Lebanon and MENA region. The two-day training gathered together over 200 Lebanese nursery owners, directors, administrators and teachers. First day focused on positive pedagogy in leadership, and the second day on playful and joyful learning at early age. Positive thinking and joy in learning were the carrying themes for the whole training. The training programme included a look inside the unique Finnish education and activating workshops to bring the theory to practice in local context. This training, while effective as such, is designed to be part of a series of trainings.
UNIQUE FINNISH TEACHING METHODOLOGY
Beijing, China 2017
This intensive five-day in-service training course was tailored for 40 primary school teachers in China. During the programme, distinguished trainers from the University of Helsinki updated participants on the Finnish education system and contemporary teaching methods. The training programme covered areas such as the Finnish national curriculum and its local implementations, quality assurance systems and innovative teaching methods, using 21st century skills in teaching and specialised methods like phenomenon-based learning. During the programme, participants and trainers also explored ways to leverage the methods learnt in the Chinese context. The structure of the programme was designed to integrate theoretical information with active participation and knowledge sharing.
DIVERSIFIED INNOVATIVE TEACHING METHODS
Beijing, China 2017
It has been proven that a creative problem-solving methodology increases assessment skills (not only teachers’ ability to assess students but also students’ self-assessment skills), critical thinking, learning motivation and classroom management. The Diversified Innovative Teaching Methods programme sought to answer the following questions: What is creative problem-solving? How can we use creative problem-solving effectively to teach different subjects? The five-day in-depth programme delivered by faculty members from the University of Helsinki was designed for 40 primary school teachers in China. The approach combined theoretical academic information with interactive methods. Participants used the methods learned to design their own creative problem-solving process.
LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME
Beijing, China 2017
The Leadership Development Programme aimed to help 40 Chinese principals answer today’s need for dynamic and competent leadership in the field of education. Constantly evolving proficiency in school leadership is the key to a successful educational system. The 10-day programme was delivered by trainers from the Faculty of Educational Sciences of the University of Helsinki. The customised course focused on research-based training on curriculum leadership and Finnish phenomenon-based learning. The aim of the programme was to enhance participants’ knowledge and skills in education leadership. It offered new ideas and tools to assist in developing leadership expertise in the participants’ local context. The programme utilised academic theory and supervised interactive methods.
Eduvisits
EXPLORING THE FINNISH EDUCATION PHENOMENON AND SCHOOL LEADERSHIP
Helsinki, Finland 2017–2018
Several delegations of school owners, leaders and administrators from India participated different Eduvisit programmes during 2017 and 2018. These Eduvisits were organized with Indian education content company S. Chand Group. The visits covered areas such as Finnish teacher education, educational reform in Finland, the Finnish educational system, challenges during times of change, as well as new curricula and future trends. Participants visited the Finnish National Agency for Education, where they received insights into the key programme areas. They were also hosted at schools in the Helsinki Region, where they were able to see practical delivery of education in the Finnish system through classroom observation and discussions with teachers and students. The school visits provided insights into areas such as the National Dream School project, the extensive use of open source IT, pupil-centred teaching methods, phenomenon-based learning and modern techniques in school management.
THE FINNISH EDUCATION PHENOMENON
Helsinki, Finland 2017
In May 2017 an Eduvisit programme was organised for a group of student teachers from an American university. The aim of the four-day Eduvisit was to explore the Finnish education system and teacher education. Participants attended a presentation on the key themes, delivered by an expert from the University of Helsinki’s Department of Teacher Education and visited three schools during their stay. They were hosted at an elementary school where the discussions focused on aggression replacement training, multicultural students in preparatory classes and pupils with special needs. Their second visit took them to the University of Helsinki’s Teacher Training School where they gained an understanding of teacher training in Finland and had the opportunity to shadow teachers at work. The third school visit focused on music teaching and special education. All field visits offered participants an opportunity to observe lessons and engage in discussions with teachers and students.
Preparatory Courses
PREPARATORY COURSE ON MEDICAL AND POST-GRADUATE STUDIES IN MEDICAL AND MOLECULAR BIOSCIENCES
Gulf States, Helsinki, Finland and Stockholm, Sweden 2013‒2014
The professional capacity-building course targeted existing or potential postgraduate students with a desire to start medical studies in medical and molecular biosciences in the Nordics. The main objective was to provide students with the required skills to begin specialised programmes and to create an understanding of what postgraduate studies require in the Nordics. The first segment of the two-part course was delivered in the students’ countries of origin. The second 4-week segment took place in Helsinki, Finland and Stockholm, Sweden.
