Best Practices Benchmarking course program

Best Practices Benchmarking course program

9 - 13 October 2016

Sunday 09 October

Arrival.

14.00 – 15:30 Cultural program

18.00 – 20.00 Welcome dinner. Restaurant Shamrock, Reinoravintola, Talvikkitie 30, 01300

Vantaa | tel +358 0(9) 8361 611. Map: http://ow.ly/ZNkil

Analysis of strengths and weaknesses of our school

	Strengths	Weaknesses
School: building, organization, different locations, financial means	-new building construction in progress	-coordination between different locations
2. Attitude and commitment of students	socially active students participating in school activities: music, student support groups
3. Attitude and commitment of colleagues	commitment in extra curricular activities (trips) participation	awareness of the need of lifelong training
4. Attitude and commitment of members of the board of directors	awareness of the need to innovate	set priorities
5. The school’s experience with development and innovation	innovation projects: coeducation project, ICT and digitalization project, language project towards plurilingualism, trainingproject for education improvement and co-operative learning project	projects are in phase of development and not fully implemented
6. Standing structures for development and innovation	pedagogical board with project coordinations as members	organization of time of and space
7. Support for students	tutors’ work, advisor’s work local council’s youth programs support for students who lack family support	more reliable referents for students in need of some kind of support
8. Home and school cooperation	mentors’ work parents’ representatives	parents direct involvement in some activities culture of cooperation between parents and school
9. Teachers’ role in school	change of teachers’ role -from a traditional to a  guide / facilitator
10. Teachers’ professional skills	competent teachers high-skilled	attitude towards change
11. Teacher-in-service training	opportutities for all

Monday 10 October

9.00 – 9.45   Venue: Varia Vocational College Auditorium,Tennistie 1, 01370 Vantaa. Map: http://ow.ly/ZNkHc Welcome. Daily program. Organisation. Practical arrangements, timetables and program of the course. Information about venue, schools, premises and schedules, wi-fi. Photo/video.

9.45 - 10.30 Topic: R&D, innovation. Presentation by Hanna Kukkonen, senior education designer Vantaa city: “Erasmus+ presupposes innovation – how do our schools respond to it?” School policy plans, curriculum changes. Questions & answers (Q&A).

Innovation. How schools respond to it at different levels:

1. National - curriculum reform - renew at the same time
2. Municipal
3. School
4. Teachers

National

Why change it? If not, it wouldn’t be the best. The world is changing: globalization, new technologies, competences, skills, programming, roles, learn to learn. New competences are needed to develop as a human being and as a citizen.

New curricula to meet these needs.

(4 slides. make students talk about them - activate their ideas)

Municipal innovation: schools are directed by the city council, teachers are approached for participation. New learning environments: demands of 21st century school; digital, sound and ergonomical aspects; renewing with limited budget, individual learning spaces, team-working areas.

School innovation: Phenomenon based learning - understand real world phenomena (once a year); learners are creative actors and active creators (own questions, topics), students lead investigation, integrating different subjects. Students’ response - adaptation.

Teachers’ innovation: high-skilled teachers who are free in the classroom.

Roboschool: robotic courses for upper secondary school; combining different subjects; phenomena based learning; programming - at basic education

Idea works: project group, gather information, build networks, plan, create first courses, students and teachers learning together sharing knowledge.

Innovation projects: ICT integration; student centered pedagogy; extention of learning beyond school.

Behind development and innovation: school vision, focused leadership, active teachers, information sharing, participation of students and parents, experiments and failures, project funding

How’s the school changing?

Outside classroom - safety?

What will education mean in the future?

What type of competences will be needed?

What kind of practices would best produce the desired education and learning?

10.45 – 11.15 “Vocational schools in the Finnish school system”, presentation by Varia Vocational College.

Vantaa Vocational College -VARIA

Basic education 9 years. At 16: 50% general upper - 50% vocational

3 years vocational trainig: job / bachelor degrees

The Finnish education system - organization - learning by doing

No tests - skills demonstration

English -grammar based

No credits but competence points

11.15 - 12.00 Group A (grades 1-9, adult & vocational).Guided tour in in Varia vocational college. Group B (grades 10-12). Venue change (5min walk). Guided tour in Tikkurila upper secondary school.

Tikkurila Upper Secondary school:

-Department - one common room + 1 station per teacher with a computer

- Corridors - hangers, seats, classrooms have names

In 3 years students study at least 75 courses. 47-51 obligatory; 10  to choose of which at least 10 need to be advanced courses

Courses+ electrical exams - to graduate

Identical courses can have different coursebooks

12.00 – 13.00 School lunch in Tikkurila upper secondary school. Map http://ow.ly/ZNkWs

13.00 – 14.30 Group A (grades 1-19). Guided tour in Jokiniemi school. Introduction to school. Coach;: Erkki Kärkkäinen, vice principal.

                      Group B. 13.00- 13.30 Introduction to classroom observations. 13.30 – 14.30 “How does my school face the challenges of time”. Presentation by Ari Ranki, principal of Tikkurila upper secondary school.

14.30-15.00 Coffee/tea . Cafeteria in Tikkurila upper secondary school

15.00 - 17.00 Venue: Jokiniemi school. Group A. Innovation. Presentations of participants. Discussions. Coached by Erkki Kärkkäinen.. Venue: Tikkurila upper sec. School.

                    Group B. teacher in the center – learning based organization (working with participants presentations) Andreea Gatman. (optional) On-the-spot session about school management, coached by principal Ari Ranki.

School management

The school year is divided into 5 periods of 38-40 days. There is an exam week after every period (8 days)

Block system: 3 lessons/day - 0ne lesson 75 minutes - 16-24 courses

It depens on the subject: different subjects have different amount of courses -

Teachers get the same salary regardless the number of courses they teach.

They have long holidays. Brand new teachers _ in minimum courses get 3000€. The more experience the more money: 5 years 6% ; 8 years 3%; 10 10%; 15 4%; 20 6%. An experienced teacher on minimum courses gets 3800€ (before taxes), extra courses 100€, 6 more courses - 4.500€.

Leadership:   principal, assistant  (7 courses), viceprincipal (full teaching & matriculation exams) and IB coordinator (International Baccalureate).

Management group: principals + 5 teachers + 1 student - meetings every second week

Online planning - fronter platform

Principal’s role: hire teachers, finance, acquisitions, discipline (written warnings), exchange students, student absences and discussing extra absences, overall responsibility.

ICT: Management - budget, invoices, salary, communication

Evaluation: teachers, every May; management groups, every April; teams, May.

How did we succeed? Did we achieve our goals? Anonymous feedback from teachers.

The biggest school in Scandinavia: 1190 students (8:30-15:00) + 450 adult upper secondary school (17:00-21:00); 80 teachers; Principal holds 60 minute discussions with teachers; 5 student counsellors.

Basic education: 9 years (some 10 years) 7-16 years old - preprimary aged 6

Some students can do both upper secondary + vocational

50% Academic - 3 years - university / polytechnics

50% Vocational - 2 years

Flexible system - from vocational education you can become an academic doctor.

IB World School - International Baccalaureatte Diploma: English, media, film, sport, music and mathematics.

Use of technology:

13 tablets in each classroom for pedagogical use  (teacher training)

Tools - Padlet

Google docs

Popplet

Kahoot

Socrative

Courses combining 2 or more subjects:

Can art change the world?

How was earth formed?

What do we do today?

Students plan course and teachers’ role is to teach skills, not facts.

Tuesday 11 October

9.00 - 9.15 Venue Varia vocational college. Daily program. Organisational. Comments on yesterday's program. Introductions.

9.15 – 10.30 Topic: Student in the centre. Presentation of Erkki Kärkkäinen, vice principal of Jokiniemi school: “How does my school respond to the needs of support for students”. Discussions about monitoring students, supportive methods, special need students, home and school cooperation. (Q&A).

Figures: 56 teachers

             51 assistants - students with disabilities have their own assistant

3 level support

Parents can ask for remedial teaching - extra help

Welfare team: psychologist, social workers, headmasters, councellor - discuss

social problems and learning problems

Teacher asks wellfare team about the needs of he student

Team differs depending on problem

Assessment discussion: once a year teacher meets parents and student. Before meeting student and parents fill in corresponding form and meet teacher to discuss.

Differentiation: special teachers - small groups

Flexible grouping - in different subjects depending on child. Try to move student into bigger group.

Cooperation with parents - important communication through Wilma. When there is a problem - immediate contact.

Strengthened support - when general support is not enough special needs teachers part-time support is offered. For special education it has to be decided whether special support needs to be part time or full time at school level. Then the decision for finance is taken at twon level or city level. The system works the same in all Finland and also in upper secondary schools. The better the general support, the less strenghthened and special support ar needed.

In the old schedule arranagement, for 4 groups with mainstream students there was 1 special needs- spacial teacher.

In the new arrangement, English, Swedish, Mathematics and Finnish get smaller groups with special teachers support depeding on the needs, in which subject they need help.

The special teacher works with the subject teacher - evaluation with subject teacher. “Normal” students can get to small / spacial class and the other way round. It is flexible, if there are more students who require support there is more co-operation with special teachers, that is subject teacher and special teacher work together. Ongoing improvement. Once a year there is a teacher discussion meeting with headteacher.

Bullying

Primary - small problems - older pupils solve smaller students’ problems

Bullying discussions - teacher brings students together - papers - not to do again - check next weeks that it doesn’t happen. If it does, parents are called to come to school.

Standing structures for support, internationalization, digitalization.

Highly talented children - courses from upper secondary school. Teachers let them choose their own path (tests, projects…)

No average results are seeked but individual results - students get their own best possible results according to their skills.  

10:30 – 12:00 Venue change: Group A. Jokiniemi school. Classroom observations. Venue change: Group B. Tikkurila upper sec. school. Classroom observations. 12.00 - 13.00 Lunch. 13.00 - 14.30 Group A. Jokiniemi school. Classroom observations.

Group B. Tikkurila upper sec. school. Classroom observations.

Observation class 1 - Canterbury (Englsih class name) Batx 1

Exercise consisting in matching adjectives Finnish - English

Task - essays - adjectives

Teacher uses project book

Students use bookd

Video

References to Finnish

Questions in Finnish

Homework - finish exercises.

Observation class 2 - 4DBH - B2.1

Computers - verb test at the beginning of the lesson - 32 students

Book: grammar rules - students can follow their own pace

Vocabulary programm - flashcards, listen, test

Students have their own computer - they can use their headphones

Assessment - 70% exercises done

Task: interview parents or grandparents and report their answer in English. Record the answer and send it to teacher - 1 minute.

Observation class 3 - 3DBH

English book, grammar, listening, 3 hours a week

Observation class 4 - Finnish as 2nd language - small group of 6. Test of students at Finnish lesson as 1st language.

14.30-15.00 Coffee/tea . Cafeteria in Tikkurila upper secondary school

15.00-17.00 Group A. Student in the centre. Presentations of participants. Discussions. Coached by Erkki Kärkkäinen.

                   Group B. Tool- student facing framework. Presentations of participants. Discussions. Coached by Andreea Gatman. 1

Students view framework

Why do students want to be educated? How to get innovative kids.

Finnish curriculum 2014

Purpose - youth will continue having a good level of skills and competences and motivation an interest in learning

Success - different for each one

3 things students would like to have in terms of skills from school: flexible mindset, crithical thinking, ability to learn, self-awareness, adaptability, teamwork, taking responsibility, empathy, creativity, communication, ICT - digital awareness - skill to know what I need.

It is said that children need 10.000 hours of playing

Wednesday 12 October

9.00 - 9.15 Venue Varia vocational college. Daily program. Comments on yesterday's program.

9.15 - 10.30 Topic: Teacher in the centre. Presentation by Harri Luttinen, coordinator of KUUMA consortium: “How does KUUMA consortium organize teacher-in-service training?”. Q & A.

The new curricula pulls down barriers between subjets and also between grades. Student agent -improve grades, relationships improve.

10:30 -12.00 Group A. Visit to the Swedish-speaking Dickursby Skola.

                    Group B. Tikkurila upper sec. Observation in classrooms.

Observation class - English lesson

Each student has a novel. They are asked what to say to a person who knows nothing about the novel.

Introducing a novel: author + title + genre

setting

why you chose that novel

would you recommend it

cover

what did you know about the novel before starting reading it

main characters

Instructions on mobile

Those who have no novel sit together

Topic: introduce your novel

Books from library

Oral exercise: 1. tell the basic information to your partner; 2. add page numbers you’ve read

Reminder - how much they have to read after the holidays - slip of paper - alarm on mobile

12.00-12:45 Lunch. 12:45 – 13.15 Walk to Heureka Science Center. Map: http://ow.ly/ZNm3l

13.15 - 15.00 Visit to national Heureka Science Center in Vantaa. Guided tour.

15:00 – (optional) World café exercise – vision for our educational systems. 5 big ways education will change after 2020 .

Thursday 13 October

09.00-09:30 Venue Varia vocational college. Daily program. Comments on yesterday's program.

09:30-10.15 "What next – how does Curricum Reform 2016 affect schools in Finland? Myths and reality.” Presentation by Martti Hellström, expert of Finnish education. Varia auditorium.

Video Youtube - Finnish first Jan 2012 Dan Rather

Goals, method, content, evaluation

Trust - principal & administrator - teacher

4 hour school day

Balance academic achievement - well being - relaxed atmosphere.

Cultural awareness  outside school

Autonomy

Holistic view - target -give every child thir possibility to grow their height.

Teachers should use different methods.

Children are ready to take responsibility so teachers can give them more freedom.

Content - put subjects together

Skills for the future

Evaluation - no tests

First real test - at the end of upper secondary. There are tests after each unit, but not national tests. Tests - formative evaluation - see if they got it or we should repeat it.

89% of students go on to secondary either vocational or upper.

Finnish lessons - less is more (hours - holidays)

Future skills 7:

-cultural, take care, multiliteracy, ICT, work, sustainable future, thinking and learning to learn

Subject skills - future skills

Method - less teacher talking time; school culture; minimize conflict; evaluation: not blame but encourage positive feedback.

In grades 4-9 assistants can be hired as substitute teachers and they divide work with teachers.

Class teachers - all subjects 1st to 6th

Subject teachers - grades 7-9.

Special teachers - special class with about 10 students (physical, Down, behavioural, Asperger, neurlological) and teachers helping class teachers

Guiding teachers - 7th, 8th, 9th - advise - career motivation

Psychologists, nurses, social workers

Teachers set homework but sudents don’t do it. No pedagogical use of HW.

Mentor in school - guides new teachers.

Learning non-academic skills

Cooperative learning: practice with good manners - communication in every lesson.

Special students learn from their peers so if they are all in the same class they will only learn bad habits.

Main recommendation:

- trust

- create a more comfortable learning environment where students

can feel comfortable

- flexibility in the learning environment to that students feel more

motivated

- let students choose more the way they want to learn

- support

- freedom - responsibility

10.30 – 12.00 Teams work on future prospects of school education. Session lead by Martti Hellström. Varia library. (alternative) Observation in classrooms of Tikkurila upper secondary school.

12.00-13.00 Lunch

13.00-14.00 “What do I take with me from the course to develop my own teaching/my own school?” Session coached by Andreea Gatman. Varia library.

Why it is important

What would be the first 3 obstacles - 3 main actions to overcome obstacles

What you would do differently

14.00-14.30 Coffee/tea. 14.30-15.00 (5 days Helsinki group) Filling in the online evaluation of the course.