A kickstart towards lifelong learning

Transcription

1 A kickstart towards lifelong learning 1

2 A kickstart towards lifelong learning To develop important skills towards life and lifelong learning. In Helsinki, the level of learning is high on an international scale, and learning results are good. In future years, the student numbers and multiculturalism in Helsinki will increase. Teaching and learning are going to change in many ways. Teaching will become more digitalised, communal and student-specific. Teaching and learning environments are constantly being developed, so that the skills of the students could meet the challenges set by the future work life and information society. In Helsinki, teachers have good opportunities for developing their competence. Important themes at Pupils and students are encouraged to take an entrepreneurial approach and active citizenship, as well as to participate in planning their own learning and school operations. This helps young people to develop important skills for their life and lifelong learning. 2

3 4 Comprehensive school as a starting point Contents 8Studying further: Upper secondary school or vocational education schools10 T14 owards the school of future 3

4 Comprehensive school as a starting point 4

5 In school, pupils gain new knowledge and skills that will, in the long run, help them find their own place in society. The pupils will learn to see their own strengths and work together with others. In Helsinki, children receive a school place in the comprehensive school of their school admission area, i.e. in their local school. Additionally, almost all pupils can finish their comprehensive school in the same local school. There are also private schools and state schools in Helsinki. Each school has its own curriculum, which guides the school operations and teaching. The duration of comprehensive school is 9 years. After the comprehensive school, a young person may apply to upper secondary school or vocational education. If pupils do not have a placement in further education, they can supplement their competence by continuing their comprehensive school studies or participating in preparatory instruction and guidance for VET or upper secondary education. Weighted teaching available in many subjects Weighted teaching is available in some of the comprehensive schools of Helsinki. Weighted teaching is given in music, languages, arts, sports, natural sciences and information and communication technology, for example. In upper class levels, the teaching can also be weighted towards Finnish, media or technology. An applicant to weighted education must take an aptitude test. Diverse language education Studies in several different languages are available in Helsinki. The teaching of the first foreign language is usually started during 3rd grade and in some schools during 1st grade. Older pupils learn at least one foreign language and the second official language of Finland, i.e. Swedish. Helsinki has two official languages, which are Finnish and Swedish. There are other options available, too. The children can apply for foreign language studies, where the pupils learn in Finnish and in some other language or just in one foreign To comprehensive school at the age of 7 Finland has compulsory education. Children usually start their school at the age of 7. Education and learning materials are free of charge. Before starting comprehensive school, a child may participate in pre-school education. In Helsinki, pre-school education is available at day-care centres and some schools. language. Some children continue the language immersion started in day care, which means that most of the teaching is done in Swedish. Pupils with a different native language are offered teaching in it through comprehensive school, for two hours per week. Teaching is available in around 40 languages. 5

6 Preparatory education is provided for immigrants All school-aged immigrants, who have just arrived in Finland, will receive preparatory education, if they do not have the sufficient language skills in Finnish or Swedish. Preparatory education is also available to pupils who have been born in Finland, but do not know Finnish or Swedish well enough. The duration of preparatory education is one year. School week of a comprehensive school pupil A class teacher mainly teaches the Finnish teachers are respected In Finland, teachers have a higher University degree (a Master s degree) and they have good opportunities for developing their professional competence. Teachers may plan their work quite independently. The teaching profession is valued highly. pupils from grades 1 to 6. In addition to the teacher also other people can work in the class room, such as a special needs teacher or a special needs assistant. Pupils in the 1st grade have at least 19 hours of teaching a week. In 7th to 9th grade, the academic year is divided into periods, during which different subjects can be learned. The principal is in charge of forming the teaching groups and the syllabus. There are at least 30 lessons a week. Free school meals for all A free-of-charge daily meal is provided in all comprehensive schools, upper secondary schools and vocational secondary schools. The pupils can participate in planning the school meals through canteen committees. Afternoon activities for comprehensive school pupils Pupils in the 1st or 2nd grade and pupils receiving special support may apply for after-school activities. In addition to schools, these activities are arranged by different organisations, parishes, and private parties. After-school activities may also be available at a playground. Schools arrange club activities for older pupils, too. Cooperation between school and home Cooperation between school and home includes parent-teacher meetings and online communication through the Wilma system. In addition, there are school boards with representatives from pupils and parents. There is also often a parents committee in schools. Objective: a well-functioning school Feedback is systematically collected from the pupils parents, as well as from students and partners. Feedback is compared to the results of other municipalities. The basis for the school s selfassessment and development is the Well-functioning school model, created for supporting the comprehensive schools. It is based on the national quality criteria of basic education. 6

7 Teachers in Helsinki Average age 46 years 77 % women 7

8 Studying further: Upper secondary school or vocational education Upper secondary education gives an extensive educational base and sufficient prerequisites for further studies that are based on the syllabus of upper secondary education. In vocational education, the focus is on work life skills. In Helsinki, there are available student places in the upper secondary schools for a minimum of 60% of pupils completing their comprehensive school. Part of the upper secondary schools of Helsinki have special assignments granted by the Ministry of Education and Culture. These special assignments are visual arts, natural sciences, languages, drama education, sports, human ecology and music and dance. The city also has an upper secondary school offering an IB Diploma Programme, and five upper secondary schools apply a weighted curriculum. The weighted study subjects are tourism, entrepreneurship, media education, science and research and logistics. The upper secondary schools form three campuses, which provide shared studies, teaching, events and projects. The campuses share their competence in teaching and learning by utilising digital tools. The duration of upper secondary school is around 3 years. After graduation, the students may apply for studies in universities or vocational institutes. From vocational education to work life Helsinki Vocational College and Helsinki Vocational Adult Institute provide diverse opportunities for receiving a vocational degree and develop one s competence. The Helsinki Vocational College offers vocational education for 27 different basic degrees for young people. The Helsinki Vocational Adult Institute organises vocational education and supplementary education for adults. In vocational education, theory and practise are strongly intertwined. Learning by doing is emphasised. Upper secondary schools for adults There are also upper secondary schools for adults. In these, the students may study individual subjects, go through the curriculum of an upper secondary school or comprehensive school, from start to finish, or raise the grades of their original diploma. 8

9 One available study method is apprenticeship training. It is a flexible path to work life, as learning mostly takes place at the work place. This training is available for both young people and adults. Vocational basic degree, further vocational qualification and special vocational degrees can be completed through apprenticeship training. Stadin ekampus - online campus Stadin ekampus is a virtual campus for upper secondary schools and vocational educational institutes, which helps to implement flexible and innovative learning methods, such as phenomena-based learning, online portfolio, video teaching and online examinations. These help upper secondary school students to prepare for online matriculation examinations. Those participating in vocational education can prove their competence by compiling portfolios of their work. They can help the students to find an apprenticeship or a job. Options before entering into upper secondary school or vocational education After comprehensive school, students who do not get a studying place from upper secondary school or vocational education have many options: Complete 10th grade. Complete parts of vocational studies and try out the different fields in an open vocational college. Take part in preparatory training for both vocational and upper secondary school. Apply for experiential work in youth workshops (for people between 15 and 19 years of age). 9

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11 Important themes at schools Wellbeing, sustainable development, entrepreneurial education and participation in the development of the operational culture and learning environments of one s own educational institute. All those encourage the students to influence the world around them. Wellbeing is supported in many ways Pupils and students are supported for studies at all levels of education. Developing the social skills is part of the curriculum in all comprehensive schools. Working in flexible groups and educational guidance facilitate wellbeing and learning. In addition, pupils and students can receive support from welfare officers, psychologists, nurses and doctors. If necessary, comprehensive school pupils receive special or intensive support, such as assistant services, aid equipment, special education and small group teaching. Special support can be received, either in connection to teaching or through a special class or special school. Hospital teaching is also available in Helsinki. In upper secondary school and Helsinki Vocational College, students may receive general support for learning or special support, such as remedial teaching and special education. The Helsinki Vocational College also has student activity coordinators, who promote the wellbeing of students. Entrepreneur education reinforces societal competence Children and young people are given encouragement concerning entrepreneurship, responsibility and active citizenship. Entrepreneur education strengthens societal and economic competence and teaches the students about work life. Comprehensive school pupils familiarise themselves with different professions and work life practises during study visits and, Sustainable development The principles of sustainable development are followed in the construction of school buildings, as well as in maintaining the premises and in procurements, transport and teaching and office work. Energy, water and materials are used sparingly and all waste is recycled. All comprehensive schools in Helsinki have an environmental programme. Many comprehensive schools, upper secondary schools and Helsinki Vocational College have received the green flag symbol granted by the The Finnish Association for Environmental Education. 11

12 in upper grades, during work practice program periods. Helsinki Vocational College cooperates closely with work life. The students gather work experience during all of their studies and complete vocational competence examinations at the work places. Entrepreneur courses are also a part of the curriculum. All of the city s upper secondary schools offer entrepreneurial courses and Young Entrepreneur camps. Etu-Töölö Upper Secondary School focuses on entrepreneurship in its course selection. Furthermore, the upper secondary schools and Helsinki Vocational College work together with entrepreneur associations and companies of various fields. Teachers capabilities of entrepreneur education are supported through education, work life visits and work life periods in companies. Pupils and students are encouraged to participate It is important that pupils and students participate in the development of their educational institute s operational culture and creation of the learning environments. Comprehensive school pupils may influence school operations through the participatory groups in schools, such as canteen committee and environment committee. Peer mediation in disputes and pupil or student committee operations promote participation. All of the city s schools and educational institutes participate in the Ruuti influencing system, which makes the voices of children and young people heard during the decision-making process. The students of upper secondary schools and Helsinki Vocational College have the opportunity to influence the management and development groups of the educational institutes. New views from abroad Internationality and multiculturalism are part of all the operations in all comprehensive schools, upper secondary schools and the Helsinki Vocational College. Cooperation is carried out with long-term partners in the EU countries, Nordic countries, in Russia and in China. Nordplus and EU s Erasmus+ projects are also part of the cooperation forms. Their common purpose is that the pupils and students can meet their foreign peers, familiarise themselves with different cultures and practice their language skills during their whole study path. The created relationships are maintained with various online tools. Phenomena and themes as the basis for learning Cooperation projects may be based on some phenomena or theme. For example, a theme for a school camp could be science or environment. Upper secondary education institutes with special focus will emphasise those subjects in their international actions. For example, students of upper secondary education institute specialising in visual arts have met their colleagues in Florence and visited the Uffizi Gallery. In vocational education, the students complete their work practise periods abroad. They also participate in the international EuroSkills and WorldSkills competitions of vocational competence. 12

13 Form of international cooperation by educational institutes Partnership schools School camps Student exchange Training and apprenticeship periods Teacher exchange Project cooperation and science camps 13

14 Towards the school of the future Learning through research, phenomena and games, as well as virtual learning environments. Teaching is continuously developed, so that pupils will receive the skills needed in the work life and society of the future. Central development targets are learning through research, phenomena and games, as well as virtual learning environments. The opportunities opened up by information technology, new and innovative learning methods, as well as creative and communal learning, are all part of the school of the future. External specialists will be utilised more often. Changing education also requires flexibility from the school premises. Adaptability of learning environments is taken into account, when new schools are built. The use of school premises is extended, so that the residents in the area can use them for hobbies or as meeting places. 14

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16 CITY OF HELSINKI EDUCATION DEPARTMENT Information and Service Desk tel (0) , Open on weekdays from 8:15am to 4pm Hämeentie 11 A, 3rd floor, Helsinki P.O. Box 3000, FI City of Helsinki Published by the Helsinki City Education Department Layout: D3 Photographs: Rhinoceros Printed by: Kirjapaino Uusimaa 05/2015 We reserve the right to changes.