DIARY REPORT TEACHER PLACEMENT IN VANTAA FINLAND 

4^th October – 10^th October 2004

by MARIA GRAZIA CUPINI

4^th October2004 Monday

In the early morning by Malpensa Shuttle I got to the airport  then after the check-in I left Italy at 11.30 and in two hours and half I was in Vantaa. I met Juha-Ville Makinen the Finnish coordinator and after a meal I was hosted by Rose-Marie (head of the hairdresser’s department)  and her husband Borje Etholen in Espoo, a nice town close to Vantaa. The atmosphere was friendly and I had opportunity to learn about the Finnish way of life. Most Finnish people like nature and living away from the polluted cities. Finland has about 5 million inhabitants in a wide territory full of wood and lakes. The second language is Swedish and I tried to learn some words of Finnish and Swedish. It was a real nice experience!

5^th October 2004 Tuesday

In the morning I started the activity in Vantaa Vocational School at 8.15 . My colleague Arja Voss had organized my timetable, she is a teacher of English  and she teaches  this subject to different classes. In English classes the students have to attend almost 32 hours ( 2 months – 4 hours a week ) and then they get through an exam. English is a compulsory subject the first 2 years and you have to do 2 courses, everyone has to pass the exam. The textbook is about metalworking or safety regulations or electricity (it depends on the specialization). It is not allowed to be absent for more than 10 hours during the course. Every teacher has the key of the classrooms in order to avoid damages. I noticed that there is no bell at the end of each class, every class lasts about 45 minutes. I met TTKKB03 and TTKKA03 second year students studying metalwork and machinery. I introduced myself and explained the Italian educational system and the organization of my school .Lunch for the students is included, in fact the catering department is in charge of it and kitchen staff are employed too. Lunch usually lasts 45 minutes from 11.15 to 12.00, everyone enjoys the meal which is according to  the international cooking. Arja and I had classes until 14.15 then after a good cup of coffee we had a look at the teaching material and books used by Arja, she has the opportunity to photocopy the material and get the reports for the exams. The atmosphere is  very relaxing, the rules are respected, the institute is well-equipped, there are offices for every teacher and computers available for them. The link between practice and theory is well balanced, in fact with Arja we went with the electrical students in the workshop putting some safety signals in it. It is interesting to talk with a European colleague about the problems we usually have in our schools and try to find out some solutions! At 16.15 I left the school tired but pleased for what I had experienced and with Marie Rose we visited Expoo, its famous church and surroundings. The air was so fresh and clean, there weren't the noises of a busy town like Milan, everything looked quieter!

6^thOctober 2004 Wednesday

In the morning at 8.15  I met the teacher Jukka-Pekka Pollanen who will pay the visit in our school in November and the students from the second year studying safety and security who started Comenius project last year. I introduced them what my students are going to do with the project, the creation of a common Cd containing all the material produced by the 3 teams, Finnish, Italian and English and invited two of them to Comenius meeting to be held in November. They will be hosted by the Italian students from Maxwell and will learn more about Milan and Italian food! Jukka-Pekka and I organized the  activity in the Italian school, I proposed him to write 3 reports about the Finnish way of life, employment procedures, and on the job learning in Finland . In that way the Italian students will have the opportunity to discuss and compare the different procedures in two European countries.After an excellent meal in the school canteen, I met Raija Susi, the manager of the catering department who talked about the organization of her students who learn all the subjects( such as cooking recipes and running the kitchen)speaking English .At 14.30 Rose-Marie took me to meet Kirsti Ahtola the English teacher from the arts and craft department who used to teach English to all departments trying to concentrate her teaching on the technical glossary ( example  painting , decorating, modelling and so on). After the visit I had dinner at Juha- Ville’s where I discussed about the progression of the project and the organization of the meeting in Milan.

7^th October Thursday  

At 8.15 I worked with the first year students( TTKKB04) studying metalwork and machinery until 10.00 am Arja usually organizes groupwork in order to let them become familiar with their colleagues and practise more. Then from 10.15 till lunch time we worked with TMMH403 second year students studying catering and restaurant services, these are foreign students from different nationalities the instruction language is English, their level of English is excellent because they have been practising it while working in restaurants and they are interested in practical subjects such as applications, CV and so on. At lunchtime I had the opportunity to meet the other Finnish colleagues then after a good cup of coffee( the Finnish people are fond of coffee!) we worked with TTKKAB04 first year students studying metalwork and machinery until 14.15.Arja gave me some material for my students too, it included interviews, grammar exercises and conversation ( the Finnish students have more opportunity to speak English, they usually watch programmes in original language and travel more than the Italian ones). Then Arja simulated a telephone test for two to the hairdresser students in order to let them pass and give them a credit ( pass 1 satisfactory 2 good 3 very good 4 excellent 5).The test finished at 16.15.We had an excellent Asian dinner at Jukka-Pekka’s cooked by her fiancèe and relaxed after a hard day!

8^th October 2004 Friday

After some days spent learning the Finnish  way of life you become so familiar that you appreciate the silence of the country and   you relax yourself even in school , I worked with Jukka-Pekka with the public service students getting ready with their Power Point for the meeting, they would like to meet the English students in Milan in that way the project will go on with everyone’s contribution and ideas!At 1015 I was with the second year students studying catering and restaurant servicesTTH403 asking for a working experience in Milan, then lunch at 11.15.I noticed that in the afternoon the number of students decreased as it was the beginning of the weekend in fact the students TTSS04 from the first year studying electricity were no more than 10. Usually every class is composed of about 15 students. Every student can practise 9 weeks in companies  .The students Jussi Pesonen, KimmoRinkinen, Tomi Levo and Janne Lepisto introduced the workshop. When I came back to my host, Rose Marie had cooked an excellent dinner and I enjoyed her and his husband’s company comparing the different way of life: Italian and Finnish.

9^th October 2004 Saturday    

As it was Saturday, we woke up at 8 o’clock and went to Stockman’s  the most famous department store in Helsinki for breakfast reading the paper and taking it easy!Arja joined us and with her I went to see the famous fish market, an event that happens once a year   and represents the meeting place of fishermen, we tasted different fish from the salmon to the herrings! It was so funny, various tastes!!!Then Arja took me to the Art Gallery for the exhibition of the most famous painter A.Edelfelt who had previously lived in Paris for several years. The paintings were impressive and we spent some hours admiring the colour combinations and the development of his art. After this interesting visit I was invited to dinner at Arja's where I met her family and talked about her visit to Milan in November. The time passed very fast so I thanked her for the excellent organization of the week that gave me the possibility to compare my teaching and find out new solutions even in our project. The mutual collaboration is essential in every project as you can share or express your opinion with other colleagues  in a relaxing atmosphere!

10^th October Sunday  

I got up at about 8o'clock,I had an excellent breakfast , then with Rose  Marie and Borje we visited a studio museum where A. Edelfelt used to work , there was an exhibiton of Hungarian artists and  we visited it in a quiet landscape, I really enjoyed it. Then it was the time for me to thank Rose Marie and Borje for their hospitality  , I really appreciated their kindness, I thanked Juha-Ville for the teacher placement planning and when I left Vantaa I got the impression to leave some friends, I was sad but delighted for this experience and for the future plans such as Comenius meeting , Jukka-Pekka’s placement and a possible visit of Maxwell students too! I feel positive as my students will have the opportuntiy to open their minds and keep in touch with other European teens building up a new Europe made of friendship and cooperation!

22/11 - 27/11/2004  in Settembrini, Milan

Jukka-Pekka Pöllänen

Monday, 22.11.2004

The exchange program started on Monday morning, when I arrive to Milan at 10.00 am. From Milan airport I travelled to the Napoleon Hotel by train and underground. From the hotel I walked to Settembrini and arrived there around 12.30 pm. Maria Grazia Cupini introduced me to vice-principal and to the school building. She is an English teacher and  Comenius coordinator in Settembrini. During the afternoon we planned teaching for Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.  After planning M.G.Cupini introduced me to the Milan transport system and to the location of her home. In her home I have dinner in the evening.

Tuesday, 23.11.2004

Tuesday was the first teaching day for me. The working day started 8.00 and ended 12.30. During these hours I participated 3 different groups teacher. The groups were 5 Tiel/Tien( electronics and electrical students), 1Mt( mechanical students) and 3Otr/Oel(mechanical and electrical students). During these classes I introduced myself, my school, Vantaa and Finland. I listened to students presentation of them. We also discussed about each others cultures during the classes. In the classes of 5/Tiel/Tien and 3Otr, I was shown classes’ Power Point presentations. These presentations were under constructions for Friday. Friday was going to be the Power Point presentation day together with Finnish students. In the evening I was having dinner with my colleague at her home.

Wednesday, 24.11.2004

The working days started 8.00 and ended 13.20. I worked with 4 different groups during the second working day. These groups were 5Tien/Tiel, 3Otr, 1Mt and 4Tim/Tse (mechanical and heating system students). During 5Tien/Tiel class we read my reports on employment after vocational school in Finland, On.-the-job learning in Finland and Finnish culture. During 3Otr/Oel classes I helped students in their Power Point presentations and during 1Mt class, I was introduced to the school description technolabs. After school I visited the museum of technology and enjoyed delightful dinner with MGC in her home.

Thursday, 25.11.2004

The working day started 8.00 and ended 10.30. I worked with 2 different classes, 2 MtB( mechanical students) and 3Oel. In the 2MtB class I had Finland presentation for the students and the on 3Oel classes I was working with students with Power Point presentations. In the afternoon and evening I had an opportunity to go shopping in Milan.In the evening two other Finnish teachers, Juha-Ville Mäkinen, Yrjö Komula and Arja Voss came to Milan with students Sirpa Ollikainen and Nico Vehosalmi. Finnish teachers stayed in the Hotel and the students stayed in Settembrini students’ homes. They came to Milan to participate in Power Point presentations and Comenius meeting. In the evening Finnish and Italian teachers enjoyed lovely Italian Pizza in Pizzeria.

Friday, 26.11.2004

In the morning I went, with the Finnish teachers, to Maxwell vocational school. There the students had Power Point Presentations. After the presentations, Finnish teachers were served a lunch in the school organized by the Principal G.Sammartino. In the afternoon Finnish teachers were introduced to Milan sights and had a brief discussion moment with a local Counsellor Albertini who welcomed them and gave our coordinator Juha-Ville Makinen a medal from MilanCity Council. In the evening the Finnish teacher had a long and tasty dinner at Maria Teresa’s home, another colleague from Settembrini.

Saturday, 27.11.2004

On Saturday the Finnish teachers had the opportunity to do shopping with Settembrini and Maxwell teachers( Corradini from Maxwell and MGCupini fromSettembrini). Also two teachers came from Nelson College in the same day. Finnish, Italian and English teachers had a meeting to plan for the spring Comenius meeting in England.In the evening all the European teams had a tasty dinner at the Principal’s enjoying excellent Italian food and learning more about Italian way of life.

Sunday, 28.11.2004

Sunday was the last day of my exchange. The morning was spent in Brera Art Gallery. In the evening Finnish teachers and students packed and went back to Finland.

Teacher placement in Nelson & Colne College

report by Andrea Duchi

April 18-24-2005

Monday 18^th

The aircraft is in time !I met Allan at Manchester airport  15.30 pm , he picks up me to his house   where I  met Joy his wife . We are going to the Nelson College (headquarters) where  Allan must fill in and interview  the students who will be   members  of  the  students community. He talks approximately ten minutes for every student.

Tuesday 19^th 

Allan gives  a course for teachers who have to work work for Nelson college, it’s a  training experience. The subject today is about the role of the profession of teaching in the English society.I answer to some questions about  our national educational system. At 15p.m.take a part in  one lesson of base robotics .Teachers use the "robolab" (lego company).At the end I go to the   staff meeting where the principal takes  part too .The meeting is with the managers of the high schools in order to organize the school  guideline of the new students who will enroll themselves to the college. The meeting finishes at  18.30 p.m .Dinner to Allan’s home at 21.00 p.m 

Wednesday 20^th 

At  nine in the morning  I take a part to one IT lesson. The boys work with Power Point in order to realize a sort of report about internet protocols . At half past ten I am  in a class of boys who are developing web pages using "dreamweaver". The course is very well  structured. At six o’clock p.m. young students coming from high school are improving their  internet  knowledge about security in the net and its implications. At 18.30 pm the department  managers met themselves  in order to prepare the school to one government inspection. The meeting finishes  at nine thirty pm. It’s a Dinner time finally! We are going to Allan’s home, Joy is waiting for us and the food too!! 

Thursday 21^st 

I wake up  seven o’clock in the morning I make  breakfast then I go to the college where I follow one lesson  about management  in the net. All the job carried out the boys must be reported. In the afternoon the Finnish group arrives .I meet  Juha and Arja. We meet together  in order to greet us with the Italian groups, Finnish  and English.In the e evening we  all together have  dinner in the  college  restaurant . 

Friday 22^nd 

Today the Comenius group will have a meeting  about  the development of the project  .The students will  spend  the time  in their power Point Presentation and the cd realization. In the afternoon we met  the Nelson college  principal .The evening finishes with one nice dinner at Allan's . 

Saturday 23^rd 

Today we are free! We go together  to Liverpool where we visit the museum dedicated to The” fab four”. From the outside of the building  the speakers  transmit  in sequence all the famous groups tunes  .In the afternoon we take a walk for the city for some shopping .In the evening we come back  to Nelson and we prepare ourselves for  Sunday departure. 

Sunday 24^th 

Allan picks up me to the Manchester airport very early in the morning !It is the last greeting ! I enjoyed my stay in Colne college and It was a very interesting experience. 

Teacher placement in Finland

8-14 October 2006

written by Maria Grazia Cupini

8th October Sunday

The flight to Finland usually takes 2 hours and half and it is incredible to see the Baltic sea and its small islands from the plane.Nature is all around you and you don’t notice the houses but only green areas and blue lakes. When the visitor lands at Vantaa international airport he is welcomed by the kindness of the people and the perfect organization. In fact I was welcomed by the project coordinator Juha-Ville Makinen who took me to my host family Rose-Marie Etholen, head department at Vantaa Institute and her husband Borje. They kindly offered me hospitality and the opportunity to learn more about the Finnish way of life.

9^th October Monday

At 8.00 o’clock I was in school learning about the Finnish educational system.

Children start school at the age of 7 after attending the kindergarden- children’s day care centres and 1 year pre-primary. Education is compulsory until 16 years.

Basic education includes primary, low secondary, plus an additional 10^th  voluntary year which gives pupils the opportunity to clarify their career plans.

After 9 years in basic education the students can decide which educational branch is suitable for them.

There are two alternatives: general upper secondary education ( including the gymnasium, arts oriented, sporting ) or vocational upper secondary education training.

According to the Finnish law pre-school education, basic education and upper secondary education are free of charge( tuition, welfare and school meals are provided free of charge at all levels).

Vocational education  and training include 7 sectors of education, 52 vocational qualifications: for example technical (mechanical, electronics, telecommunications, housing ,IT, electrical) cultural ( catering, painting, printing, styling) transportation and so on.

About 8 years ago the technical school was included in the vocational one so the students who want to get a technical know.how prefer attending vocational education.

The  vocational course lasts 3 years, the first year includes 10 weeks for general learning( maths, English, Swedish, P.E.) and 30 weeks dealing with the basic skills( 1- 5 modules) including 4 weeks on job learning in companies too. During the second year the on- job learning includes 8 weeks  and the students have to choose 3 different courses,while it gets to 24 weeks for the third year as the students have the opportunity to face the real working life and understand what the companies need from the workers.

Students’ skills and knowedge are assessed after the end of each study module. At the end of all studies included in the individual study plan  students get  a  qualification certificate.

At the beginning of the course the teacher decides which is the student’s personal study program.

At the end of the third year the students have to get through a skill demonstration assessed by a committee( depending from the Council of Vantaa- the company manager  and the teacher).

The students know in advance what they are going to do ( agreement among the teacher, the company and the student).

In Vantaa about 2,500  full time students atten courses, about 200- 300 are part-time students, in the technical department about 500 students attend courses too.

The teachers contact parents during parents’evening if the students are not 18 years old, for international projects they contact the parents too.

Accoridng to safety regulations the teacher is responsible for the accident happened in his workshop but he is covered by an insurance.

If there is an accident on the job learning, the company is responsible but insurance is included too.In the technical department teachers are usually recruited among the people who are working in companies  .

Vantaa vocational institute gets funds from Vantaa council and teachers can collect extra money with students by selling crafts created by them in order to guarantee everyone the possibility to take part in projects such as Leonardo or Socrates.

After this exhaustive explanation I visited the technical department including the well equipped workshops and labs. The English lab is provided with the latest technologies ( projector, dvd player, and so on )

Students usually  start at 8.15, they have a break at 11,30 wich lasts 1 hour where they can have lunch in the school canteen run by the students and teachers from the catering department then back to the labs until 4 o’clock.

As you can notice from the pictures they have the latest computer generations and the teachers are teaching to classes of no more than 17 students. Every student is carefully trained and the teacher has his office close to his lab. He doesn’t have to walk around the different classes, the students get to him from the other labs.

10^th October Tuesday

The visit to the company Hakaniemen metalli was very interesting and fruitful.

The operative manager Mika Vakevainen welcomed  us ( the teachers from the technical department Mauri Immonen and Tiero Yuusisto who were my tutors)  and first of all showed the machine tools and the staff working there.

It is one of the company in which the  vocational students  work  4 weeks according to the on job learning for the first year, 8 weeks on the second year and 24 weeks the third year. The collaboration between the teacher and the company is very strict. The company is specialized in laser welding and cutting mainly for stainless steel products.

About 40 employees work in the company and among them one student on the third year is training, during his working experience he is equipped witn gloves, an overall , he works from 6 to 2 pm. The company gives him free lunch and coffee break.

The school teacher is in strict contact with the company; in fact at the beginning of the course he explains the different working procedures while the employer has the duty to explain the safety procedures by giving him material about first aid rules, timetable, safety equipment ( for example how to do when an accident occurs, how to manage tools, how to manage the occupational safety, how to cooperate with the people)

In the evening I enjoyed the Finnish hospitality eating an excellent salmon cooked by the coordinator and learning about their traditions, love for the nature and sports activities such as ice-hockey, cross -country in winter and walking in the wood in summer. Houses are usually surrounded by trees and people like living there so after work they usually like walking along the lakes and relaxing in sauna the typical Finnish habit. Families meet together and they avoid stress and the hectic rhythm of working life.

11^th October Wednesday

Mecomet Oy dating back to 1896 produces coil springs( compression, extension, torsion, double torsion, spring wire), punched products in different scales and extensive production.in stainless steel and copper alloy.

Tomi Parmasuo, Sales Director  welcomed offering coffee, tea and cakes and informed us that the head office is located in Vantaa, while the other departments are in Tallin Estonia ( specialized in manual assembling ) and the Finnish area ( in robot lines).

The staff  include 181 labour and 54 office workers.

Safety instructions are introduced on Intranet ,  a safety plan is the internet concerning chemicals (what to do) and how to prevent accidents (info about the building ,ventilation about the fire). There is a list of people in charge of different places. A manual for the new employees with all the equipment info is available for everybody including all necessary prevention regulations on the net. As you notice from the picture the use of hearphones is essential in order to prevent the worker damage caused from the noise of the machine tools.

Two students from Vantaa vocational institute are working in the company so the teacher is in strict contact with the  company tutor. The students can work in summer too and their experience can allow them to be recruited after the skill demonstrations.

In the afternoon  the visit to the Tuusula lake organized by the English teacher Arja Voss allow me to learn about the artists’ community  at the beginning of the 20^th century.

At the beginning of this century the Finnish National writer Alex Kivi attracted the masters of art such as  the poet J.H. Erkko, the artists Pekka Halonen and the official portrait painter of independent Finland Eero Jarnefelt, the national poet Juhani Aho and the national composer jean Sibelius to Tuusula  lake. Halosenniemi is the former ‘wilderness studio of the Finnish painter Pekka Halonnien. The atmosphere was magic and relaxing so everyone was inspired and created masterpieces.

12^th October Thursday

Assisted by the Finnish teachers who have been dealing with Kemppi Oy we went to visit this company located in Lathi  a town of about 98,000 inhabitants north of Helsinki. The company started  its activity in 1947, about 500 employees work in Lathi while 200 work in foreign countries.

It is the leader in welding machines , 90% production is exported while 10% is for the internal market. Students can practise in summer, the working day includes 8 hours. University students over 18 can work on  Saturday and Sunday in order to earn some money.

The company requires an electrical background, the new employee or trainee is introduced to the new working environment , all the issues concerning the work safety must be explained. The employee has to read the following check list carefully in order to remember the most important points. 

WORK SAFETY

KEMPPI OY                                                  

Employee…………………………………………..

Manager……………………………………………

 personal protective equipment and their use

 safety devices for machines, their use

 order and tidiness of the work place

 conditions of the working tools

 dangerous machines – dangerous areas

 method teaching – safe working methods

 platform cargo – placing to the platform and departments, truck traffic

 the most common reasons for accidents

 introduction to the industrial safety delegate and his/ her working place

 introduction and demonstration of the safety plan

 location of the first aid equipment

 location of the emergency release pushes

 introduction of fire extinguishers

 health care in the working place

 work safety procedure in the line organization

The completed form should be returned signed and dated  to the work safety chief.

If the employee doesn’t understand  or  doesn’t remember perhaps the location of the first aid equipment the manager will show him that one and introduce the safety plan or the fire extinguisher

Other material is available for the students too.

13^th October Friday

We visited the electrical telecommunication department  equipped with tools and all necessary materials for a practical training. The training consists of modules and it is developed in close cooperation  with industry in order to meet the changing demands of the society. The aim of the vocational training is also to promote self-development of young people and help them to grow into responsible adults and citizens. By this involvement the students become aware of the global environment  and the internalisation of the work market including the use of technology and information technology.

In the afternoon Rose-Marie and Berje  gave me the opportunity to visit  old Porvoo  the second biggest town in Finland in 1600, located at the junction of the sea and the river trade centre between the East and the West , well known  for the Porvoo Diet 1809 – Alexander I the Czar of Russia annexed  Finland to Russia as an autonomous Grand Duchy but he  allowed the Finnish people to keep their religion  and their constitution dating from the Swedish era . Every year lots of tourists visit Porvoo attracted by its Christmas markets, its old cathedral dated back to late 13^th century, its narrow streets, its wonderful landscape which inspired artists such as Albert Edelfelt, who used to travel from paris to Porvoo every summer for 20 years..

14^th October Saturday

The departure day usually brings sadness but at the same time the feeling of  starting new friendships and the awareness of having learned a lot not only from the pedagogical point of view but the understanding of  essential values in our life (  mutual  cooperation friendship quietness love for the environment and desire to protect it ) all these ones must be transmitted to our students in order to create the complete European citizen thanks to our Finnish friends.