Kuopio. Education in English AGES GROUPS 3 TO 19 KUOPIO

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1 Kuopio Education in English AGES GROUPS 3 TO 19 KUOPIO

2 Kuo Education in English Kuopio offers a full range of education and higher studies in English. This brochure concentrates on education in English with regard to age groups from three to 19 years. The following pages present the English Kindergarten of Kuopio, Rajalan koulu (primary school), Hatsalan klassillinen koulu (secondary school) and Kuopion Lyseo (the upper-secondary school). Tertiary studies in English are offered by the University of Kuopio and Savonia University of Applied Sciences. City of Kuopio The lively city of Kuopio is situated in the heart of a beautiful lake district. Helsinki, the capital of Finland, is about 400 kilometres away, but can be reached in less than an hour by plane or four hours by train. Kuopio is on the shores of Lake Kallavesi and is surrounded by green forests and unspoiled nature. The city has over 90,000 inhabitants and provides the marvellous opportunity of living close to nature while keeping all modern services at 2

3 pio hand. The people of this pleasant and safe city are well-known for their friendliness. Kuopio offers excellent opportunities for sports and recreation for everyone all year round. During the summer, swimming, canoeing, fishing, track and field sport, tennis, football, horse riding and hiking are popular outdoor activities. Many facilities for winter activities are close at hand: skating; cross-country skiing and downhill skiing. Kuopio also has its own indoor swimming pools and a bowling alley. Kuopio Hall is a versatile sports arena that can also be adapted for exhibitions or conferences. Kuopio s cultural life thrives all year round. The city s theatres, cinemas, music centre, galleries and museums are there, waiting for visitors. In the summer, Kuopio is host to a variety of events in the busy market square and around the city, for example, the international Kuopio Dance Festival. 3

4 Preschool Authentic use of the English language is the basis for our immersion program. Language is a means of communication and interaction in all situations. It is important that educators use language that is accurate and age-appropriate, as well as interesting. Immersion child care since 1969 (age group 3-7) The English Kindergarten of Kuopio is a private kindergarten for children aged three to seven. It was founded in 1969 and it is one of the largest English immersion kindergartens in Finland. The kindergarten is a non-profit organization run by a committee elected annually from the children s parents. Our immersion method The English Kindergarten follows the Canadian model of language immersion. All the early childhood education and care in the kindergarten is carried out completely in English. This allows the children to acquire the language naturally through its use in meaningful, real-life situations. The children are always encouraged to use English but of course they may use whichever language they please. Topic based learning Our values are individuality, multiculturalism and social awareness. We awake the children s natural curiosity by providing a stimulating program with topics that will interest the children. Within each topic, we follow a basic curriculum which includes Mathematics, Music, Physical Education, Art, Language, and Social Studies, or The World Around Us. We include all the areas of the curriculum while learning about a topic in order to create interest and reinforce language learning. Preschool Our preschool service is overseen by the city of Kuopio. Therefore we base our early childhood education and care (ECEC) on the guidelines set by the city. There is a natural progression from the kindergarten to the preschool. The preschool prepares the children for the English class at Rajala Primary School. 4

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6 rimary School Rajala Primary School (age group 7-13) Rajala Primary School is a primary school for Finnish grades 1 6 (ages 7 to 13 years). The school has approximately 400 pupils, of whom 150 are in the so-called English-medium classes. The school employs a teaching staff of approximately 40 people, and aims to offer a positive milieu for growth, consisting of respect for others, honesty, good manners, responsibility for one s own work, strong self-esteem, active interaction, and the desire to learn. It also aims to provide pupils with a versatile basic education, comprising skills in interaction and the acquisition of knowledge, as well as the ability to work independently. The school collobarates with eight European schools (Sokrates/Comenius program). Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) Content and Language Integrated Learning essentially means that the language becomes the medium through which the subject content is learned, rather than being the object or the subject of the instruction itself. This does not mean, however, that it merely becomes a broader context of language teaching or that teaching simply requires the translation of material from Finnish to English. There are elements of both language and subject teaching, and teachers have to be constantly active to adapt the subject material to meet the language level of the class while incorporating all the aspects of the Finnish national curriculum that an ordinary Finnish class would have. Rajala Primary School is a member of the Network of CLIL Schools in Finland. The English-medium classes began in 1991 in response to parental requirements and since then, they have functioned as the natural continuation for the English Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) begun in the English Kindergarten and Pre-school of Kuopio. These classes have also made it possible for the local municipality, the City of Kuopio, to accommodate better those international families moving to Kuopio seeking English education for their children, and for whom learning Finnish is not necessarily a priority. CLIL at Rajala Primary School Grades 1 and 2 13 hours a week with a native English-speaking teacher, covering English, Mathematics, Science, Music, Sport, Art and Handwork. Finnish is taught separately (7 hours) by a native Finnish-speaking teacher. Grades 3 to 6 CLIL teaching by a Finnish teacher qualified to teach in English. 6

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8 Hatsala Classical School (age group 13-16) General information Hatsala Classical School is a large secondary school (grades 7-9) situated near the centre of Kuopio. The school building was constructed in 1965 and renovated from There are approximately 600 students and a teaching staff of around 55. The school admits students from different primary schools. It has classes specialising in fine arts and sports, selection to these being based on ability. The school also has bilingual teaching in English. Students in the bilingual classes come mainly from Rajala primary school where part of the curriculum is taught in English. CLIL (Content and Language Integrated Learning) continues at Hatsala Classical School in many subjects e.g. English, History, Social Studies, Religious Education, Music, Biology, Geography and Mathematics. The school also has special education classes; three groups for students with learning difficulties and one group for students with behavioural challenges. Special Features Within the framework of the national curriculum, a wide selection of optional subjects is offered e.g. Latin, modern foreign languages (French, German and Russian), Mathematics, Physics and Chemistry. The school is internationally oriented. It has participated in numerous European exchange programmes and has partner schools throughout Europe, e.g. in Russia, Sweden, Denmark, Italy, Germany and England. Due to the bilingual teaching and the school s international orientation, it has some foreign teachers and students. The school is also involved in domestic projects involving contemporary topics such as drug abuse and environmental issues. These projects have been carried out through performing arts (musicals, plays, films) and theme days. Forward together Hatsala Classical School s motto is Forward Together. There is an emphasis on the enjoyment derived from doing things together, the importance of objective-orientated studying and the preparation of students for life in the international world. The creation of a shared approach to learning, an authentic partnership between staff, students and parents/guardians, lies at the heart of the school s aims and values. The student welfare team works regularly in co-operation with homes, teachers, and social and health authorities. The school has worked hard to create the right culture for learning and for being considerate of others. In general, the students are well behaved and self-disciplined. Relationships between students and teachers are good. The feedback from upper secondary schools and vocational schools about the school s students has been very positive. 8

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10 igh School Kuopion Lyseon lukio High School (age group 16-19) Kuopion Lyseon lukio offers the International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma programme for young people aged 16 to 19. The IB Diploma programme is designed as an academically challenging and balanced programme of education with final examinations which prepare students for success at university and life beyond. The IB Diploma Curriculum What to study? The IB Diploma curriculum is presented as a hexagon with six subject groups and the core which completes the philosophy of the programme. Each student studies 6-7 subjects with one extra language option if necessary. Three of the subjects are studied at higher level and three at standard level. The core includes three compulsory elements: theory of knowledge, extended essay and CAS (creativity, action, service). The IB programme is normally taught over two years and has gained recognition and respect from the world s leading universities. The two-yearprogramme is preceded by a pre-diploma year. The working language is English. Since the late 1960s the IB programme has: *encouraged internationalmindedness in IB students having with a foundation in their own language and culture *developed a positive attitude to learning that prepares students for university education *emphasized the development of the whole student - physically, intellectually, emotionally and ethically 10 International Baccalaureate Organization 2002, 2007

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12 The English Kindergarten of Kuopio (age group 3-7) Tulliportinkatu 37 H, Kuopio (0) (office) (0) (kindergarten) (0) (pre-school) Rajala Primary School (age group 7-13) Sammakkolammentie 14, Kuopio (0) (principal) +358 (0) (office) +358 (0) (fax) Hatsala Classical School (age group 13-16) Opistotie 3, Kuopio (0) (0) (principal) Kuopion Lyseon lukio High School (age group 16-19) Puijonkatu 18, Kuopio (0) (0) principal +358 (0) IB-coordinator