Week 4: 25th January – 31st January

Personal and Cultural Development

It became obvious this week that we only begin to understand what our own culture is when we experience others. It is something we take for granted. But, as more and more people have asked me about my own country, I have found myself understanding and appreciating what we have in Northern Ireland. Living with Anaïs and Jitka has also made me realise my personal traits that reflect the culture of my country, but this becomes confusing (yet entertaining!) at times when they think I’m Irish but my habits reflect the ‘English’. They refer to me as English rather than British but for convenience I introduce myself as Irish! Jitka believes I can’t be Irish because I don’t like whiskey! Of course, I’m neither British nor Irish, I’m Northern Irish! :)

To continue the love for winter, I went ice skating this week (outdoors, of course!). I’m not much of a skater so I wasn’t expecting much from this experience. However, being here in Finland has given me a new lease of life that forces me (sometimes against my better reasoning) to participate in and experience new things. Such an opportunity arose at the ice skating event to play ice hockey, something I chose to embrace! Some of my friends found this particularly funny because they held the stereotype of hockey players as ‘big and mean and toothless’, so to see me play was quite a surprise! Personally, I loved it! Although, I would really need to improve upon my skating before I try ice hockey again. Still, at least I tried.

The most significant area of development this week though has been learning the Finnish language. I'm finding the class more and more enjoyable every week (yet still challenging!), and love the fact that I am learning with different people than those that are in most of the rest of my classes. I’m beginning to see the logic behind the language (there is always logic behind what the Finns do), and progress in class activities. I’m happy now that when I go to the next Finnish school I can introduce myself in their language, so the children will be able to understand what I’m saying. All I hope for after that is to communicate with bus drivers (to make it to the schools) and pass the course!

minä puhun englantia ja suomi

(I speak English and Finnish)

 

Professional Development

Week four exposed to me a type of education that I wasn’t previously familiar with: bilingual education. I think the reason I didn’t have much understanding of bilingual education is because there is not as much need, or demand, for it in Northern Ireland, since English is one of the universal languages and, rather fortunately, our mother tongue. Nonetheless, it was an interesting concept to learn about because I can definately see the benefits of teaching children in a language other than their mother tongue, in order for them to develop bilingualism. This inspired me to reflect upon the teaching of languages in my home country, and I’m disappointed to say that it is not part of the Primary Curriculum. We are extremely fortunate to have English as the national language, but this doesn’t mean we should neglect the teaching of foreign languages. In my opinion, at least one foreign language (I would imagine this would be French since this was the only compulsory second language I learned) should be a stand-alone section of the curriculum, taught from a young age. This would encourage a greater level of bilingualism in our country, while also aiding the learning of our own language. It would also be a fundamental stepping stone to give students the courage and confidence to use a second language, and perhaps even learn a third. I sometimes feel disadvantaged to be fluent in only one language when most of the people I am meeting have at least two languages that they can hold meaningful conversations in.

I have been studying a lot this week in preparation for the learning tasks we have been given, so week four can be seen as productive in this respect. As a result, I have been exploring the library system and making use of its facilities (which seem endless!). It is strange, however, to read books that have been published in English that have so many spelling or grammatical errors. This is something I have been learning to tolerate in my professional development, as it is fully understandable since English is not the first language of the writers. I look forward to elaborating upon my learning as my reading progresses and I establish my own ideas.

Week 3: 18th January – 24th January

Personal and Cultural Development

This week I rediscovered my love for winter by going sledging. I have never embraced outdoor winter activities until now, and I shall certainly be doing it again! I felt rather embarrassed that there were very young children zooming past me, while I was standing terrified at the top of the snow hill, praying that I wouldn’t injure a small child while I attempt to steer myself at top speed in what is essentially just a piece of plastic. The sledging hill >>>>>

After about an hour of this, I finally learned how to navigate myself away from any danger. It is interesting to note at this point that the Finnish children have no fear, and even at school they will use their sledges to slide down the playground, or skate on the ice. I believe there is a family insurance system that means if a child falls at school, for example, there is no suing culture that holds the school liable like there would be in the UK.

My cultural development this week has been enhanced beyond belief, particularly through my Multicultural Education and Finnish language modules. Just from talking to the people in my classes, my eyes have been opened to a multitude of perspectives particularly in relation to different education systems. I’ve been exposed to cultures from China, Japan, Korea, Russia, Germany, Romania, Canada, Spain, Czech Republic, Poland and Slovakia. My Finnish language course is proving to be a challenge, but I’m hoping that the Finns that I know will help me with the aspects of the language that I find difficult. Furthermore, I have been meeting the neighbours (shown in picture) and getting to know their cultures from USA and Switzerland. Some of us are finding the lack of sunlight/daylight in Finland an interesting experience, forcing us to adjust our sleeping and eating habits in order to cope. The test is accepting that it is all a learning curve, and nothing helps you learn better than experience.

Professional Development

It seems that everybody that has come to study in Finland views the education system here as the inspiration for the rest of the world. These views mainly stem from Finland’s consistently high performance in the PISA rankings, something I had never heard of until I came here. The PISA rankings show how each country performs in reading, mathematics and science, and Finland is used to coming out top, or at least among the top five, in the world. This doesn’t have any significance in the UK from my impression, since neither I nor my English friends on ERASMUS here, had ever heard of PISA before. Northern Ireland is considered as part of the UK in PISA and levels at an average performance. It would be interesting to investigate this further to see how N.I. actually compares to England, Scotland and Wales, and subsequently, to the rest of the world. Would it be any different to the results shown now as part of the UK? I am currently in a dilemma of whether I should do a dissertation or modules next year, but topics such as this one, and the comparison of religious education in different countries, really interest me and inspire me to investigate further. On the other hand, some of the modules available for fourth year genuinely appeal to me, so the dilemma continues! However, dissertations, Master theses, and general research are considered of fundamental importance in teacher training in Finland, with research method modules of a prominent feature throughout the degree programmes.

<<<< The facilities in schools are of an extremely high standard, especially considering all education here is free. This H.E. classroom in a high school even has a dishwasher!

Professionally, it has been motivating to learn the approaches to inclusion that happen here. The parental partnership in place is an inspiration. The role of the parents changed in Finland with the change in curriculum in 2004. Now, the parents have a vital role in determining the individual school curriculum their children are attending, participating in an active, collaborative and co-operative manner. Because the parents actually help decide what should be taught, it becomes a shared accountability system for the children’s learning. Despite this, it seems that many European countries are tackling the same issue in education of immigrant children and integrating them into classrooms. Here though, there is a possibility to be educated in your mother tongue if there are enough children, then Finnish can be learnt as a second language. The education system is very flexible in that sense. The Finnish government recognise language as a crucial aspect of culture; therefore give immigrants the right to preserve their own native language as far as possible.

I took the opportunity this week to compare a huge part of the culture in Northern Ireland to its impact in Finland: religion. This is an area of significant interest to me, and I was eager to learn the part religion has to play in Finnish culture and society. A lecturer informed me that it has very little influence on society here, but is considered a highly private and personal aspect of life. As a result, most Finns would feel awkward talking about it, and would most certainly find Northern Ireland strangely different in comparison. In discussion with some of Emmi’s Finnish friends, it was clear that they couldn’t understand the emphasis put on religion in Northern Ireland, especially since 80% of the people in Finland are Protestant but do not actively attend church or practise any kind of worship. In my mind, diversity is readily accepted here with less of a struggle than it seems to be back home.

'The best way to create silence among Finns is to ask them to speak!'

Week 2: 11th January – 17th January

Personal and Cultural Development

Out of the worst experiences come the best stories :)

My expectations of the first couple of weeks away included a hectic schedule with a long ‘To-Do’ list! In reality, the time has demanded so much more than this! I did not realise there would be so much formal documentation to fill in and sign, or that I would need to set up my life here as if I shall be living here forever!

<< Turku city centre.

However, it has been a very productive week in terms of settling into the way of life in Finland. I have almost developed a sense of belonging here already, especially by setting up my own bank account. The Finnish strongly believe in Internet Banking and paying by card; cash almost seems like a thing of the past! This has been something I have had to get used to, as previously I was not an avid user of Internet Banking, and when I paid by card in shops I was used to entering my PIN to complete the transaction, whereas here it is done by signature. There is also no such thing as cheques! Another surprising aspect of Finnish life is the high level of independence and responsibility children seem to have from an early age. For example, from their first year in school at age seven, the children get the bus to school by themselves. Ways of Finnish life such as this demonstrate the trust, security and courage that exist in the culture here.

I received my first letter to my new address this week (from the bank!), which was reassuring to know that I had filled out my Post Office form correctly! I have also been getting to know the girls I live with: Anais (pronounced An-nice, nice like the French town) from France and Jitka (pronounced Yeet-ka) from the Czech Republic.

Me, Jitka and Anais at a club called Onnela...................>>>>>>

Anais and I share the same sense of humour and get on very well together. With Jitka I enjoy learning from her Czech culture, especially the food and drink! I feel very lucky that English is my first language, since for others this experience is much more challenging as they try and improve upon their English, most commonly as a second language. I find myself speaking much more slowly using simple vocabulary and avoiding Northern Irish slang, so that people understand me. I am looking forward to starting my Finnish course to broaden my horizons further and be able to communicate more ably with native Finns.

 

Professional Development

Most of this week has been spent doing exams for Stranmillis, so unfortunately I missed out on most of a school visit. It has been rather challenging taking in so much new information while also trying to retain old information for the exams! Despite this, I am glad that it was possible to do my exams here; otherwise I would have had a very expensive situation on my hands that I know some of the German students have. One German student I was talking to is required to fly home for three weeks at the end of January in order to do her exams for her home university. If my exams had have been organised in that way I would be missing a lot of classes and school experience, as well as paying a lot of money for flights! I did manage to go for a couple of hours to the school visit this week though, very early in the morning. This meant that I would have something to contribute in the follow up class.

While visiting the typical Finnish primary school, it was interesting to note that the children automatically stand when an adult enters the room, and at the beginning and end of lessons. I learnt that this was a calming method that indicated the difference between class time and break time for the children. This significantly contributed to the overall calm atmosphere and sense of freedom within the school, for pupils and staff, even though it initially seemed controlled. 

A typical Finnish classroom >>>>

Furthermore, the teachers and children wear casual clothes with no uniform restrictions, the teachers setting an example for the children. The school day varies in length according to the age of the kids, but, on average, it is much shorter than in Northern Ireland. For example, when children start school in Finland at the age of seven, their school day is four hours. There is a national curriculum in place but it is flexible. Teachers have the freedom to choose what to teach and often there are different local curricula. The most surprising aspect of the teaching profession here is the fact that there is no inspectorate! A great deal of trust is instilled in teachers and pupils alike. The government and other professionals state that there is no need for an inspectorate because teachers are only qualified to teach in Finland after they have completed a Master’s degree. There are many differences between the education systems in different countries; this came to light in a seminar for one of the modules I am studying called Finnish Schools in the Light of International Comparison. I found it fascinating to learn about other systems, such as those in Spain and China, from other exchange students studying the same module. I hope to learn more this way, through discussing aspects of education with other students and lecturers.

Week 1: 5th January – 10th January

Personal and Cultural Development

Before leaving for Finland I had an idea that I would meet some really interesting people while away, and I have not been disappointed! Before I even made it to Helsinki in order to get to Turku, I had a flight transfer from London, where I met Harry. Harry is from Canada but now lives in Finland because he met a girl while on his exchange there. He plans to move to Greenland to work for the government, but hasn’t told his girl yet! Meeting people like this is a big thing for me in terms of personal development, because it reminds me that the world is my oyster and opportunities are there to be taken.

My first night in Turku was spent in a traditional Finnish house belonging to Emmi’s parents. I met Emmi when she was on ERASMUS at Stranmillis and she invited me to stay. It has become immediately obvious to me that the

stereotype of Finnish people as reserved and introverted people is not entirely true. They are more willing to help than I expected! Seeing Emmi’s home and meeting her parents was, personally and culturally, very exciting for me. The winter wonderland where Emmi lives >>>>
Already I have had the experience of traditional Finnish home life and food, and I count myself very lucky for that. Finnish homes are quite small and kept very clean, partly because everybody removes their shoes/boots and coats, scarves, etc. on entering, and partly because the Finns take great pride in their homes. It is the norm to remove outer garments upon entering most buildings, where there are plenty of pegs and stands to leave them. Outside it is -20°C, but indoors it is more like +20°C, since the houses are built to cope with the cold weather, particularly with triple-glazed windows. My apartment is the same, which I am very thankful for!

I would consider myself relatively politically uneducated (probably by choice), but Finnish politics struck me as interesting. As part of an orientation course, there was a crash course in Finnish culture, from which I learnt that the government here is run by a Prime Minister and a President (a female President too – the Finnish really do like to be unique!). There also is a sense of gender equality, something that is being used to bridge the economic gap, especially in terms of economic income in international comparison. The Finns also seem to have a peculiar sense of humour, one which (I think) is rather similar to the Irish. It is also quite interesting that the Finnish language has no future tense, something that fuels the negative stereotype of Finnish pessimism.

What is the difference between Finnish weddings and funerals? At funerals there is one person not drinking. << Finnish humour

Professional Development

Professionally, I have found it interesting to learn that the teaching profession here is very highly regarded, with teachers gaining the same amount of respect as doctors. Prior to this though, students can only gain teacher status and qualify as a teacher following completion of a Masters course. Most Finnish students apply straight away to study Masters after school, spending five years on average in university. In contrast to the UK, students do not pay fees to go to university here. Instead, when they graduate and begin work, they pay much higher taxes (40%). It is difficult to say at this stage which system I think is better! However, it seems more appealing to go into the world of work relatively debt-free, as opposed to the twenty or thirty thousand pounds of I debt I will have when I graduate!

This week I have found out general information about studying here and how the Faculty of Education works. It is different from Stranmillis in terms of modules and teaching practice. Here, there are two teaching periods in the second semester; the first is from 11th January to 7th March in which I will hopefully complete three modules, and the second from 8th March to 23rd May in which I will complete a further two modules. Teaching practice (or ‘school experience’) is spread throughout the two teaching periods, on negotiation with the school. There are schools specifically for teacher training here, so the pupils are very familiar with student teachers. The grading system differs quite dramatically from that at home. It is not leagued in Finland, so there is no comparison made against other students; it is simply based on the individual work you produce.

<<<< The University of Turku.

It will be interesting to see how all of this will impact upon my studying here and the comparisons I can make between this system and the university system back home. This remains to be seen and will be reported on in the weeks to come.