Fortbildungen

We did very well-organized guided tours in Helsinki (the Senate Square and the architecture of Engel, the Lutheran and the Protestant cathedrals, the Oodi library,..) and close cities such as Porvoo (a Swedish speaking city and an example of the conflicts in the bilingual Finland) and Tallinn (a fantastic boat trip to the capital of the high technological ex soviet Estonia and a city with strong similarities with Finland in terms of history, language and musical tradition), and to islands such as Suomelinna und Seurasaari, we attended interesting conferences held by Finnish teachers (about the Finnish history, society, culture, economy and school system), we listened to the illustrative explanations of Eduardo Marín (about learning in context, the key and inspiring role of teachers as peacemakers in multicultural Europe, the spirit of the Finnish design and literature), we visited schools in different cities (e.g. Lauttasaari, the wealthiest community, and Espoo, the second biggest city) where we did job-shadowing (and exchanged impressions with the principals, teachers and students) and we had dinner with other teachers in typical Finnish restaurants. Finally, we prepared a presentation about our learning results. Most teachers were impressed by the compulsory subject of home economics (laundry, cooking, metal and wood work and textile) and the classrooms for it, by the vast offer of language classes, by the contact with nature and by the respectful, relaxed and positive atmosphere in the classrooms. It was a well structured training programme to compare the Finnish schools with the schools in different European countries. It was an unforgettable experience to discover and understand the Finnish history (Swedish and Russian empires, Mannerheim and Hitler during the WWII, the current crisis at the border with Russia), the importance of nature (Suomelinna and Seurasaari islands, forests and lakes), the importance of silence and mental health (the Chapel of silence, Eero Aarnio chair), society (”sisu” means the perserverance and resilience of Finnish people to protect their language and culture from the huge empires that conquered the country, comparison with the situation of Catalonia, increased migrant population mainly from the Ucraine), religion (Lutheran and Orthodox due to the Swedish and Russian influence), music (the greatest Finnish componist Jean Sibelius, rock and metal), 2 official languages (majority Finnish, a Swedish minority upper class and also a almost disappeared Sami in the north, the rejection of many Finnish students to learn Swedish) and mainly the Finnish educational sytem, one of the best in the world. As a conclusion, I could say that the Finnish school system is based on trust among all school actors (parents, students and teachers), efficient public investment, autonomy of students and a holistic education. I compared it with Germany and it surprised me that the principals and principal assisstants only focus on organizing, that language teachers work less hours that teachers with other subjects, that the final exams are electronic, that the schedule in the Upper secondary school is so flexible, that school begins at the age of 7 and at 8:30 a.m., that doors have a lock-down system, that all schools are comprehensive and free, that food is also free for students, that kids play so much in nature and that they eat bear meat. Now it is time to disseminate the positive aspects of the Finnish schools. I will not be able to apply some strategies, methods and ideas since Germany has a different reality and each school is different, but some others will work.