Aihearkisto: koulutusjärjestelmät

Trainee teachers from Germany

kotikansainvälisyys, koulutusjärjestelmät, osaaminen

Who are you and where do you come from?
My name is Lisa. I am 30 years old and come from Darmstadt. I love music and traveling around the world to get to know different cultures. Before studying I worked as a hairdresser. I love the creativity of this job. Because of that I decided to become a teacher for the haidressers.

My name is Kathrin, I am 29 years old and I come from Frankfurt. Before I decided to attend the trainee teacher program, I studied “Social Work“. I worked in a bilingual kindergarten and an after school club for primary school pupils. During my studies, I spent an “Erasmus“ term abroad in Stockholm and worked for a social project in Buenos Aires, which definitely encouraged me to apply for the“Erasmus Plus Program“ in Jyväskylä.

I am Michaela, a 25 year old trainee teacher from Germany, living in a small town next to Frankfurt. Since September 2016 I teach the kindergarten teachers pedagogy and politics. Before that I studied social pedagogy and worked as a social worker in the kindergarten and later on in youth welfare services. I like traveling and getting to know new people and cultures.

My name is Janine, I am 38 years old and come from Kassel. I studied Business Administration and English. In my freetime I like spending time with my family and doing some sports like Yoga. I am interested in meeting people from different cultures and countries.

What are you studying?
We are trainee teachers at vocational schools in Germany. Our subjects are “Hairdressing“ and “Politics“ (Lisa), “Business Administration“ and “English“ (Janine), “Early Childhood Education“ and “Politics“ (Michaela and Kathrin).

What have you been doing in Jyväskylä?
We stayed three weeks in Jyväskylä and prolonged our stay with a cruise from Helsinki to St. Petersburg, Tallinn and Stockholm. During our stay we got to know the different campuses of “Jyväskylä AO“. We got a great overview of different programs related to our vocational subjects. We also presented the German school system to the students and teachers to compare similarities and highlight differences.

Trying to be typical Finnish, we went ice swimming! It was incredible and highly encourage it. The Finnish sauna afterwards was amazing! We also attended an ice hockey game, which we recommend. We also explored around the town, visited the Toivola Old Courtyard, went up the tower of Jyvläskylä and visited the church.

Do you think the time has been too short/long?
The length of time was exactly right. The program is mixed and well-organized which made the time fly by. It gave us a great overview about the Finnish school system from pre-school programs to vocational trainings and also the adult education training. Also the Introductions about the background of these programs where very helpful to understand the Finnish way of education. After school, especially in the evenings and on the weekends, we had plenty of time to explore Jyväskylä, with helpful recommendations of the teachers.

What have you learned during your stay?
In any case, all the Finish people we have met, left a great impact. They were all extremely friendly and helpful!

Concerning the vocational school, we realized that the school system is different to the German one. The main difference might be, that in Jyväskylä, they do a lot of practical work in school, whereas in Germany, most of the practical work is done at the workplaces. The hairdressers for example have their own client service at school or the practical nurses organized gym lessons for elderly people at school.

The practical nurse program is different to the kindergarten teacher program (Erzieherausbildung) in Germany. Finnish students get a great overview during their studies about working in child care, but also rehabilitation or dental care and working as a nurse for example. To become a kindergarten teacher, they have to continue studying at an university.

A big difference is also that Finnish students get free lunch at school!
Students at Jyväskylä College have a great chance to go abroad during their vocational programs, which the school encourages.

What have been the best moments during your stay?
We felt very welcome during the whole stay at Jyväskylä. Finnish people were cordial all the time. The teachers, the hosts, people in the streets and in the shops. They all were very helpful and made our trip great.

We saw nice places all around Jyväskylä as well, like old factories, shops and countryside.
At the hairdressing and beauty department we all were invited to enjoy a full-body-massage. It was an amazing experience to see (and feel) how independent the students of the first year were working.

We got to know a great overview of different situations of the schools daily routine. For example visiting elderly people and a kindergarten in the social and healthcare department or different workplaces in the business sector.

Also our weekends were very exciting. We stayed 2 days on a lake near Laukaa. We relaxed in nature directly at the lake while sitting in a hot tub and using a real Finnish sauna.
We also went to Lappland for 2 days to see Santa in the Christmas Village and some northern lights. Very impressing!

Give three tops and tips (based on your own experience) to someone who is planning to come to Jyväskylä.
1. Jump into frigid waters and ice swim followed by a traditional Finnish sauna!
2. Go to an ice hockey game!
3. Renting a cottage at the lake, equipped with a hot tub and sauna.
4. Dive into the Culture! Meet Finnish people, eat typical Finnish food and try local drinks.

More information: Rea Tuominen p.6159

More visitors from VWNotts

ECVET, globaalistuminen, henkilöstö, koulutusjärjestelmät, opiskelijaliikkuvuus, osaaminen, saapuvat opiskelijat

Jyväskylä Educational Consortium had the pleasure of hosting Mr. Andrew King (Director of Innovation and Strategy) and Ms. Kadri Saat (International Coordinator)  from our partner college in Mansfield, UK for three days between 10-12 April 2017.

The visit was short and intensive covering many areas of mutual interest including entrepreneurship education, management of the blended learning (VET & Adults), use of technology, plans for the future as well as relationships with employers (delivery and what part they play in VET) and relationship with HE and progressions for VET learners.

Kadri Saat, Pirjo Kauhanen and Andrew King

The visitors impressions were very positive and although the visit was short  we were able to indentify several areas where we can continue cooperation and learn from each other. When asked to mention three main takeaways from the meetings and discussions they had during their visit Andrew and Kadri mentioned the following:

“Firstly,  the relationship you have with the local employers: the way you nurture these, the impact to the skills and competencies from an extended on-the-job learning and how the end competency test is often completed at the workplace.

Then, how the entrepreneurship is embedded across the college and how all students are encouraged to establish and run mini companies with the support from the college.

The partnership and strong collaborative work that you do with two local universities. The new centrally based joint company to share the resource, expertise and support the progression.”

Andrew King, Jaana Virtanen and Hanna Frilander visiting the new facilites at Harju Campus.

Kadri and Andrew would like to thank everyone who participated in their visit: Pirjo Kauhanen, Anu Tokila, Maarit Kaija, Hanna Rajala,  Niina Helin, Pia Kotro,  Sinikka Luukainen, Sari Mynttinen, Mira Ahtila, Milka Niskanen, Minna Ahokas, Jaana Virtanen, Hanna Frilander & Markku Tarvainen.

More information: Rea Tuominen p.6159

http://www.wnc.ac.uk/

Digitalisation in Northern Ireland

henkilöstö, koulutusjärjestelmät, osaaminen, rahoitus, seuranta

Money is tight and in all our development work the motto is “more for less” – there is an increased need to find new, efficient ways in organizing VET provision with the help of ICT and learning technology and all supportive services around them.

VET qualifications in Finland are fully competence based and in no way linked to any input elements anymore. With the exception of comprehensive school leavers for whom there is a targeted, national joint application process, also intake is now more or less non-stop which means that new learners can start their studies basically every week. This also means that VET providers are required to make learning plans for each learner individually.

With the above in mind, a team of Jyväskylä Educational Consortium staff members – including  Hanna Rajala, Chief Information Officer & Quality Manager, Jaana Virtanen, Learning Technology Expert, Vesa Pulkkinen, IT designer, specialized in student information systems and learning technology and Minna Ahokas, Programme Manager, guidance counselling, libraries – set out to investigate how our partners in Norther Ireland are using digital tools to improve and make their processes more effective.  The visit took place at three of the six NI VET providers, all members also of The Network of Networks (NoN) led by The Dutch Alliance (TDA).

Keith Kilpatrick, Assistant Director for ILT Development and ILT Systems

The group had with them a long list of question such as

  • How are ICT services organised; what is done internally, what is co-created with partners and what services, if any, are bought from a third party? Where client-software / cloud-software are used and what kind of support services are provided for college staff and (VET) learners?
  • Virtual learning policies and strategies; what is the procedure, how are decisions on eLearning tools used/ supported made? How is the support for teachers organized so that they can efficiently use learning technology in their teaching? What kind of virtual learning tools are used and how and how is the use monitored?
  • Guidance; how are guidance and career counselling processes organised? Who are responsible for various stages of guidance and career counselling (recruitment, student admission, guidance during and at the end of the studies? What kinds of digital or other tools are used in guidance?

Glen McMahon, International Manger, Belfast MET

More often than not, we find out that there are more similarities than differences between our practices and those of our partners, and this is also the conclusion of this benchmarking visit. In some areas we are a little bit behind, in others perhaps a step or two ahead. Although all hosts, Southern Regional College, Belfast Metropolitan College and Northern Regional College are operating in a relatively similar context, they had all solved some of the issues in slightly different ways or started their implementation process from a slightly different angle. These contrasts made the 3-day visit very interesting and not repetitive in the least.  Having said that, perhaps the most important outcome of the visit was the message of cooperation. Although all VET providers have their own processes and various things are created and provided for local use, they also benefit greatly from cooperation not just on regional but on national level as well.

The Northern Irish VET providers are all members of Jisc – the UK higher, further education and skills sectors’ not-for-profit organisation for digital services and solutions. Jisc champion the importance and potential of digital technologies for UK education and research; and do three main things: operate shared digital infrastructure and services, negotiate sector-wide deals with IT vendors and commercial publishers and  provide trusted advice and practical assistance for universities, colleges and learning providers. The research and development work done by Jisc is integrated across these three areas.

A relatively cheap Jisc annual membership provides its members a significant advantage by pooling resources and sharing expertise nationally.

Discussions on this issue will continue at the Network of Networks Annual Meeting in the UK in September 2017.

Jaana Virtanen, Hanna Rajala, Damien Caldwell, Minna Ahokas, Vesa Pulkkinen and Irvine Abraham at NRC Ballymena campus.

The JEC team wishes to thank the hosts Southern Regional College, Belfast MET and Norther Regional College. Hopefully we can return the favour to you all sometime in the not too distant future!

ECVET and entrepreneurial mindset in Wien

ECVET, kielitaito, koulutusjärjestelmät, opiskelijaliikkuvuus, osaaminen

Learners from the project partner colleges from Macedonia, Slovenia and Finland had an extraordinary opportunity to participate in the workshops for VET learners in Vienna, Austria, organised by IFTE organization.

IFTE is an Austrian association that promotes entrepreneurial attitudes of young people for their professional and entrepreneurial independence in order to create a culture of entrepreneurship. http://www.ifte.at/

The training activities during the blended learning activity  will enable students  to gain new experiences of entrepreneurial learning and  development of the students’ entrepreneurial mind. Challenges trigger brain activity and they provoke development of the essential entrepreneurial skills such as self-motivation, leadership qualities, innovative mind and competitive spirit.  The training workshops were held by IFTE’s professionals and they inspired students to work towards broadening their entrepreneurial minds and developing logical and skills of negotiation.

The Finnish participants Veera Romppainen, Milja Lahdenvesi, Saara Vänni and Taija Nuorgam from the surface treatment programme (painting and decorating) were especially impressed by how sustainability and environmental issues were always at the core of all activities and presentations no matter what the sector was in question. CSR – corporate social responsibility is a corporation’s  initiatives to assess and take responsibility for the company’s effects on environmental and social wellbeing. The term generally applies to efforts that go beyond what may be required by regulators or environmental protection groups.

Participating staff (Maja, Brigitta and Mimi) discussing implementing ECVET into curriculum planning for the next and final PEEISS blended learning activity in Macedonia in May 2017.

More information  about the project http://peeiss.com

LINK 2 becomes LINK 3

ECVET, kielitaito, koulutusjärjestelmät, opiskelijaliikkuvuus, osaaminen

LINK 2 project has been running for almost three years and it is the time for analyzing the results and submitting the final report. During the project seven transnational meetings and five blended learning activities were arranged with participants from all five partners and the associated partner from Switzerland. The blended learning activities gave the possibility to work together during  five working days combining the teaching activities and the other areas that are covered in this project – administration of the project, meta theme and frame theme.

The project had three major areas to cover in the project:

  1. The basic theme on packaging design and production should result in the planning and description of 5 week courses with different focus on topics in the area of ‘packaging’.
  2. The meta theme should result in inspiration, guidance of best practice and experience on pedagogic practice and the education of teachers in each country. The possibility of blended learning and digital classroom should be investigated.
  3. Theframe theme about how to prevent dropout from the VET educations should likewise result in inspiration, guidance of best practice and experience of effective actions.

The major achievements of this project are as follows (in no particular order of importance):

INSPIRATION – A great inspiration for all participants – both staff members and students- to work together and share knowledge and methods. The staff members have been almost the same persons in all meetings and the possibility of learning other professionals working in the graphic area of education and work together have produced a lot of good ideas and along the way developed the way teachers work in their own environment. The added value of being together and see each other work as coaches in the students working groups has produced new ideas and knowledge to each teacher.

JOB-SPECIFIC AND TRANSVERSAL SKILLS – The students have learned a lot about the specific topics of the activities they participated in. Apart from that the challenges of working together in groups where each group member represented a different level of skills and knowledge and with different levels of language skills  have been rewarding and a positive experience to almost all. During one week of intensive learning and with intensive social life aside transnational friendships has developed.

CULTURAL LEARNING – Each of the participants – students and staff members – have learned a lot about the ways of living in the participating partner countries, learned about design and production traditions in the area of packaging in the counties and first of all the language skills (in English) has improved during the project-period. For the staff-members because we have had the opportunity to develop a common language, and for the students we have experienced that the level of English skills have become better and better.

INNOVATION –New curricula in the field of packaging design and marketing has not formerly been running. It has been innovative to develop these curricula’s alongside with the two other themes on pedagogic and didactic aspects in teachingin the area of graphic design and production and politics to prevent students drop out from the educational systems. The awareness of having a focus on the to last themes when performing educational activities have produced new ideas and developed new methods of teaching.

DIGITAL SKILLS – New software skillshas been introduced – unknown to both teachers and students – like ESKO and EngView for cad/cam production of packaging and Balsamiq, Sketch and Invision for design of e-business homepages.

SUSTAINABILITY – LINK 2 is a testament of the effectiveness of long-term partnerships. Less time is spent on getting to know each other and more is spent on co-creating, peer learning and producing results. The network is strong enough now to also evolve into completely new vocational areas and themes.

From the start of the project the participants have had two sayings in their minds: “thinking out of the box” and “looking over the fence” to express the idea of leaving habits and as-usual’s back home and be innovative and bring in elements that are complementary to the ways things are normally done.

The project team is convinced that the project has brought new ideas and methods to all of the partners and that the results that achieved will bring inspiration to other schools and organizations working in the field of graphic education.

Learn more about the project here: https://thebestlink.org/

A follow-up project, LINK 3  – Quality of digitalization in VET, with a slightly wider focus will be submitted by HANSENBERG, DK in March 2017.

More information:

Jyväskylä College – Vesa Iltola and Markku Tiihonen (at)jao.fi

NEXT, Copenhagen – Project Leader Claus Bojsen Pedersen cbp(at)nextkbn.dk