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Partners in Learning explore Finnish class
A study visit by ten Scottish school teachers has introduced them to how Finnish education is using technology and innovation to encourage collaboration, and break down physical, mental and economic barriers.
The visit was organised as part of Partners in Learning (PIL), a joint venture involving SQA and Microsoft which aims to stimulate innovation in Scottish schools.
PIL co-ordinator Walter Patterson, along with primary and secondary teachers from a variety of subjects, spent three days visiting schools and education resources in and around Helsinki in late spring of 2010. Participants included two teachers from each of Calderglen HS and Stirling HS, the Scottish schools participating in the 2009/10 Microsoft Innovative School Pathfinder scheme.
In Helsinki, the group were shown the media centre, which supports teachers by offering digital learning materials and equipment to be used in the classroom. The centre also has studio facilities, where schools can produce their audiovisual presentations. The centre serves 4,800 teachers across nearly 150 schools, and supported 120 media projects in 2009/10.
One of these is the King's Road project, a collaboration between schools from privileged and disadvantaged areas of Vantaa. The cross-curriculum project brought together pupils from ages six to 17 and focused on bringing learning out of the classroom, using mobile devices and blending formal and informal learning. It explored activities including using Google apps, making use of public libraries as learning spaces, developing media skills and learning English through web surfing and game play.
The Finnish National Board of Education (FNBE) told the group about an e-twinning initiative funded by the EU. This has generated more than 5,200 projects across Europe, and FNBE had found this an ideal route to provide schools with opportunities to innovate in areas such as language learning.
FNBE manages a fund to improve the learning environment in Finnish schools. Monies from the fund are allocated to local projects, both large and small, and have a focus on ICT-related projects. The fund has generated strong interest from local projects, such as using mobile phones or exploring virtual worlds in support of learning.
Microsoft is fully engaged with FNBE, promoting internet safety in Finnish schools. Besides supporting the annual Safer Internet Day and Week in Finland, it also provided classes and gave presentations to teachers, school leaders and parents.
The group learned that Microsoft's live@edu service has been widely deployed to provide free communication and collaboration services for students and teachers alike. live@edu includes access to services that enhance a school's ability to collaborate and communicate within a safe, very protected online environment. The demonstration of the live@edu system was carried out remotely by a teacher in the northern city of Oulu, showing the power of the system for videoconferencing.
The study visit provoked much discussion among the group about the way that things were done in Finland and where lessons could be learned about the good and innovative practices participants had seen.
A GLOW group has been set up to share photos and other resources from the trip.
Social media - a universal issue
As in Scotland, social media in Finland is a hot topic. While national guidelines are being considered, teachers are advised not to accept any of their students as 'friends' on social spaces. Students, meanwhile, are not allowed to use tools that present commercial advertising to them. Learning Management Systems, similar to GLOW, offer access to blogs and wikis.